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HoustonIsHome

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Everything posted by HoustonIsHome

  1. HoustonIsHome
    I don't think any of these buildings were there 15 years go.
  2. HoustonIsHome
  3. HoustonIsHome
    Thanks. I think the Mikey Leeland reno was dramatic, but this one is awe-inspiring. The leeland building was functional but drab. This one turned an ugly, outdated rundown slum looking beast into a modern, classy looking building. The ground floor looks like it is easily convertible into retail. I like inviting ground floors and this one isn't standoff-ish at all. You still think the building is ugly tumbleweed?
  4. HoustonIsHome
    Free shower?
  5. HoustonIsHome
    You know what they say; feed them once and they never leave
  6. HoustonIsHome
    Naw, I don't want the 1800 feel. I said a modern version. The old market square had tightly packed handsome buildings, very walkable, friendly business owners. A welcoming area. There is no reason why a modern version can't be built. What I would prefer not to see is walls of featureless concrete. So Market square is not considered in the historic district? I do apologize, I thought it was. Why would there be a greater need for parking as each new construction creates more parking than was originally there? Our mass transit system is constantly in transition and major changes are coming in august. It will adjust accordingly. But my point remains. I don't think we need garages on the blocks fronting market square. I'm buying all of Haif a round if that one attached to the 40 story market square residential ever gets blown up and replaced with something more aesthetically pleasing
  7. HoustonIsHome
    I think it's the second. People drift towards the services. You would not find a congregation of homeless in Cypress because transportation services are poor, the charities ate far away and the density of people walking by to ask for some change is few and far in between. Yes those blocks are rather tough, there are prostitutes and teenage runaways in addition to the homeless that frequent that area. But you find that in most big cities. I don't think we have more than the average big city, it's just that ours are concentrated at various stops along the red line. It will be interesting to see if the density picks up along spots on the green or purple lines, if they will find new stomping grounds. Main has long been popular for the homeless, bit I do admit it does seem worse. Those recently sprung from jail are released at the greyhound station and some just stick around. The charities in that area make it hard to leave. I used to catch a bus at a busstop on Fannin and gray near that McDonald's. Charities would feed the homeless right there under pierce elevated and Fannin and man, it was like feeding pigeons. Anyway, I am not bothered by them. I usually see them approach and right before they open their mouth I ask them if they can spare five bucks.
  8. HoustonIsHome
    I agree that market square is one of the best, but again I don't see it as being Ritzy. And I want a modern version of the 1800s. The vibe with modern buildings. A building can be modern without it being ritzy. And no, I feel a large grocer right of the square does not fit in in my opinion. Even in an urban format, It just doesn't fit my image of the historic district. An HEB is better suited down in that new residential district around leeland and Austin. As for parking, yes I was gonna suggest taking out the ones in the residences at market square too, but I got lazy. I don't have anything against parking. I want the city to build loads of them in different clusters on the peripheral borders of downtown. It just that it's my fantasy image of a nice pedestrian area and the garages do not fit in in that fantasy. Parking is a necessity but it doesn't have to be on every block downtown. Parking will always be by far the more common means of transport into downtown but as more people chose to live in and around downtown, parking will be less of a big deal. As the downtown work force increase, i do not believe there will a proportional increase in the need for spots.
  9. HoustonIsHome
    I think the area is not awesome but not ritzy enough for a ritzy. In my opinion Man street square on Dallas is a better location for the Ritz. Or on Dallas near Discovery Green. The area is also not slow paced enough for an HEB. I think the HEB would be better suited in SE downtown. Market square is more of a multi use urban quarter. While the SE part is more laid back residential. As for the garage, nix that idea totally, and while you are at it get rid of the other two at Marker square. Ritz, HEB or garages doesn't really fit in to what I think of Market Square. It seems old school, well suited to pedestrian per suits and the potential to be be very fast paced. A nice brick building with bars, restaurants, and smaller Gen purpose stores would fit best in my opinion
  10. HoustonIsHome
  11. HoustonIsHome
    Agree with you totally in this thread. It is yet another missed opportunity to buck trends
  12. HoustonIsHome
    That is where you are wrong. The oxbow is NOT free flowing. That part does not Flow. The free flowing stream runs straight. The oxbow is blocked off at both ends.
  13. HoustonIsHome
    I never said the bend was not the original river sur. You are presuming things. I said it is a pond and that is what it is. You were wrong, you thought the river walk was one continuous free flowing steam. It is not. Get over it. Since you mentioned the missions let me educate you some more. Some of the missions in San Antonio were relocated to San Antonio from the SE Texas area. The Settlements around Houston were far older than any around SA.
  14. HoustonIsHome
    Sorry sir, but you are wrong. It is a pond. No longer the route of the river.it is concrete and water is added and removed. It is died waterever color they want, although they say it is economic friendly dye. Sorry dude, I lived in san antonio. I saw the pond being emptied, i saw it being cleaned, i saw it being refilled. It's a pond, and that is what it is. So tell me what would prevent Houston from building a cement pond off of Buffalo bayou?
  15. HoustonIsHome
    It's not an ugly building, but it's nothing to shout about either. For the location I was expecting more of a showpiece
  16. HoustonIsHome
    What about it is untrue? You basically said what I said. Fact: the popular part of the River Walk you call the oxbow is a cement pond that can be closed off at both ends. Fact: the river bypasses this oxbow. Whether it used to be the natural course of the River is irrelevant, fact of the matter is the river walk is a cement pond and not a free flowing water way like buffalo bayou so my point remains, the same can be created in Houston without worrying about flooding because the money parts of the walk will be a controlled area and not a water catchment course. This is what it looks like when they drain the pond for cleaning: As you can see it is a concrete whole in the ground that the city fills up with water aka a cement pond like I said
  17. HoustonIsHome
    What city is that? Uptown you say? Whaaaat?
  18. HoustonIsHome
    I agree with the posts above. I did have fun in Phoenix, but the nose bleeds and chapped skin really made me appreciate Houstons moisture
  19. HoustonIsHome
    Any time you have below market value housing in a dense concentration you are going to have a rough area. You do not have to demolish every apartment, but diluting the concentration will dilute the roughness. It's the same thing with greenspoint. There is a concentration of about 5000 units of below market prices so the area is just really rough. The many parts of the south west was like this but changed, the heights was like this but changed, parts of third ward is changing. I guess the 5th ward and Broadway are next. Just to be clear, I am not advocating tearing down ANY apartments, nor am I advocating eliminating low cost housing or building more "luxury housing." I am one of the more vocal advocates of keeping houston affordable. I am simply giving the reason I believe this area is so high in crime. I think the early 2000s Westheimer and Richmond west of the galleria is the best model for Houston. It had a nice mix of affordable and not that affordable units and a wide variety of people from all around the world creating a diverse area with so many different ethnic restaurants.
  20. HoustonIsHome
    They were worked on just a few years ago
  21. HoustonIsHome
    My aunt lived in those apartments over 20 years ago. My Co worker lived there last year. He got robbed three times.
  22. HoustonIsHome
    I like that idea cloud. Another one would be that little peninsula made by Turkey Bend. I would cut off that little strip making it an island and have the theme park out there completely surrounded by the bayou.
  23. HoustonIsHome
    HTM I agree with you, the only thing I have an issue worth is the site being redeveloped because of land value or some financial lure to target. The points you mentioned are what supposed to be reality. It is what common sense tells you should be reality. But things have a funny way of bucking reality in Houston. Why? Because it can. The layout of our city and our building laws make it so that we can adopt a motto of :if we can't buy it, we will build around it. The only way I see target moving is if: 1. Target themselves feel they can make a larger profit elsewhere while decreasing their expenditure. 2. They don't own the land and they get the boot. 3. The company dies. 4. Target gets in the game and what's the land themselves for something else. Target is not a mom and pop shop. They have the $$$ to wait out anything you throw at them just as long as they are making money. A smaller retailer would jump at the offer to sell the property for 3 times the value or ten times what they paid for it and use the money to rebuild a bigger, badder store. target makes billions. How much could that land be worth? A couple million max? A minor scandal would affect target's purse a heck of a lot more than that. Plus they have to factor in loss of profits, purchasing new land, getting building permits, building etc. Sounds like a hassle they would probably not be willing to take unless one of the 4 reasons I gave above is in play. I mean why go to all that trouble when a developer can just try buying those buildings east of the target, or that little one on the corner of Westcreek and westheimer with the steakhouse? I see target out lasting a great number of those low rise complexes in the area. Why? Again because they can.
  24. HoustonIsHome
    Awesome. Would be nice if they released a more close up version
  25. HoustonIsHome
    Who said anything about forcing anyone anywhere? And it doesn't take much of a mental exercise to figure that a city of 1 million residents living in 100 square miles would pay less in road costs, transportation, schools and other public services than the same people living in 400 square miles.
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