HoustonIsHome

Well, since "Lower Westheimer" seems to have stuck for Lower Westheimer, this could be "Upper Westheimer," in which case the elevated price analogy also holds.

it isn't actually "high" in elevation - price maybe, but not elevation!

With all of the taller buildings in relation to Afton Oaks across the street, it certainly going to be higher

i call it Highland Village area all the time because its not part of the Galleria or River Oaks area as it really is it's own stand alone place/area in my opinion! anyway...wow one whole page on what to call an area...geez haha!

Ha ha, we haven't had an update on a rendering in a while.

But I'm like you. I don't think of it as uptown and it certainly is not River Oaks.

Plus I think a River Oaks district would cause too much confusion. people would just think the two are the same thing.

Once ROD stores open people shopping at HV will certainly cross the tracks to ROD and vice versa. It will be just like shopping at the galleria mall and Running across to Dillards or catching a meal at Grand Lux.

This. Although the old I hope they don't neglect the Texas side,imho is the more ideal signature street.

I agree. Texas is becoming the east-west version of main street.

But all this new development is exciting because downtown is becoming fuller from all angles. Rusk and capitol had the rail and that will be interesting in a few years to see those streets evolve, but the walk along Texas is more interesting

This new building should impact the redevelopnent of the shopping center off Montrose and Westheimer, I hope

In what way?

Isn't it already slated for redevelopment but the present leases need to run out?

looks so.... blah.

But i'll insert infill argument.

At least the ground floor doesn't look so barred off from its surroundings like the first Camden renderings. This looked like prisons

The construction along Capitol is going to be absolutely mad: Capitol Tower, 609 Main, Texaco rehab, HSPVA, this project, Hampton Inn, the Nau Center, and the convention center garage. Houston hasn't seen anything like this since the early 1980s.

Yeah, this project has about 8 other companions along capitol.

I think Rusk has 10 total.

But the grand Daddy is still Main with 12 projects.

I was wondering when we would get more residential announcements.

I've actually never heard anyone say "the Highland Village area".

That's elementary my dear Watson.

You don't hear the HV area because its not an area YET!

Why call it that when there is no shopping across the tracks? You are putting the cart before the horse. You think they called the galleria area the galleria area before all the stores and restaurants blossomed in the area?

Upper Kirby, and Greenway has proper names but you see so much River Oaks this abd river oaks that in those areas. Just marketing ploys.

Maybe they will do like they did downtown. Scrap the lowrise plans and announce a hirise

Maybe not "giant" just fabulous, like the underground Whole Foods at Columbus Circle in New York, with fab shopping, restaurants and Parking above

Sounds good to me. You know how us Houstonians love our subterranean dealings

A game changer for midtown will be a full service grocery store. Give me a giant HEB and that will change the game. The lil Fiesta and Randalls are not the same.

I don't see anything new that will change the game. Its just another in a long line of midrise complexes.

When we start getting clusters of 30 or 40 floor residential towers then that will be a game changer.

The park looks nice but the complex is doing what every other is doing in midtown, increasing the density in the area and covering up an empty lot.

As many have said, this is one of the most visible plots in midtown, just about anything you throw up here will make an impact, but to me the apartment itself isn't all that. I do like the look, but...

Ha! Funny... and a Houston Chron article comes out about it:

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Construction-boom-may-lead-to-lower-rents-5458011.php ($)

From the article:

Again, we are FAR FAR away from any overbuilding at this point.

I've been reading up on this and you seem to be right.

For the last couple of years Houston has been number one for apartments demand but lagging in apartment construction. It seems the inventory set to be delivered this year won't make a crack in demand.

2015 and 2016 are slated to deliver more hefty numbers of units than 2014, but presently we are far from overbuilding.

It looks like we have been underbuilding for a couple of years which have driven occupancy to 96%. Strong influx of people and healthy job growth hints that this high rate will continue.

On a positive note it seems like 65% of new deliveries are centered around 4 job markets all in the core. 65% of the units are around Downtown, TMC, Greenway and Uptown. So that is a positive for urban growth.

I was kidding about UpEast. Personally I would rather call it something - since its not Uptown and it isn't River Oaks. And Highland Village is a shopping center same as River Oaks District and High Town or High Life (whatever the heck its called). They aren't proper neighborhood names... or are they?

Mid Lane is an actual road that is roughly half-way between Highland Village and the other developments - hence why I thought that would be ok?

Highland Village is a shopping center now, but so was the galleria. Just as the galleria turned into the galleria, Highland Village could become an area. Or a change to Highland Oaks

UpEast? As in Uptown East?

How about Mid Lane? Kinda close to this area - and its sort of the "middle" between River Oaks/Upper Kirby and the Galleria/Uptown?

I hate names with direction. I hate the east this and west that.

Uptown is already a name that plays off of downtown so we would be naming it after a place named after place. So it would be that place east of that place up of downtown?

Sorry, just my preference, but I like unique names for areas developing into its own area but still keeping some identity to the bigger area. That's why I like the Highland Village/ Highland Oaks name.

Mid lane is a double no no for me. Because it has that mid, up, east, sodo thing plus lane makes it seem quaint. It is a large area rapidly increasing in density, so mid lane doesn't do it justice. West creek is a double no no for the same two reasons.

I think that people will begin to see the area as an extension of highland village anyway.

I think he was just using it as a guide? It's clearly an oversimplification.

I am more speaking in general and using this as an example of overusing projections

Wow, and it says the Astoria is 70% sold.

Are we building too short?

Maybe we can call it something like Houston's Magnificent mile. Hmmm.

Does that area between the tracks, westheimer, 610 and San Felipe have a name?

It deserves its own name. The developing density in that area is crazy.

I think it should be called Highland Oaks cause River Oaks is to the east and Afton Oaks is immediately south.

I hate when these experts make projections based on projections. Hee is using unreliable info to make an even more unreliable conclusion.

First that 5 jobs per apartment isnt a stress fast rule. There must be some give and take, then he goes on to say that there is going to be some over building because we need 80k jobs and he HEARD, that we are only projected to get 70k?

What about other variables? What about migration of supercomputers, retirees, people who moved in with family during the recession and looking for a cheap place of their own, student housing, second homes...

Using that 5 jobs rule should be just a guide. It might be a helpful guide but I wouldn't bet much on it. We were still building when we were losing jobs. Looking at projections for one year are as helpful as the projections themself

I'm looking at the Post Office site and some of the project renderings...if Franklin (a road AT THE WATERFRONT) was closed and traffic was rerouted to Washington (which would be reopened) and Franklin was turned into a pedestrian walkway, that could be linked in with Sesquicentennial Park, and, well, at least an expanded aquarium could go there.

Fake boat idea was just tossing around an idea...clearly some of you missed the "Nah..." added at the end...

I think you missed his point that the pace to expand is around its current location. There are parking lots just past the highway up to the court houses.

I am not a big fan if the location of the aquarium though. I always thought it should have gone near the stadiums. And with discovery green that area is even more perfect for an aquarium.

I hate the fair grounds idea for the Post office site. It won't be much to look at and it will be empty for large stretches of time.

I don't like the lake idea. Same reason, not impressive enough.

It may be unrealistic but I like the posts with grand ideas for the site. Even if it is a group of buildings surrounding a 600 ft statue of George W painting cats

Wow, I had no idea 2007 was so high up there. Great chart!

It looks like the peaks were 2006.

I didn't realize the decline was that much ahead of the recession

Let's move the jail to the unsold Astroworld site.

;-) It would free up prime land and occupy that empty field.

Lol, I know you are being playful, but the Rodeo and the Texans runs this city. Anything that will interfere with those two gets crushed

In fact, if you want something done with that post office spot all you do is hitch it to the Rodeo and they will get er done.

To me a lot of the old garden style apartments being torn down are hedious.

The new, taller complexes are more colorful, more visible, more lively looking.

It really doesn't surprise me that there's a lack of development in the East End because the subsidies are drawing the developers to downtown. When developers choose to building in the East End instead of taking advantage of the subsidies downtown, that feels like a sign that they've exceeded demand for downtown residential.

I dunno. Midtown is more expensive than east end and there have been announcements for that area since the incentive program was announced for downtown. Its not like the incentive program slowed midtown down.

An unpopular opinion, I know--but because the building is so set-back, it would be nice to see that section of Main reopened again, but the chances of that happening are slim to none.

I think they are going to have tables right up to the street