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HoustonIsHome

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Everything posted by HoustonIsHome

  1. HoustonIsHome
    I just noticed there are already stairs right at the southeast corner of the Post Office site
  2. HoustonIsHome
    That has to do with with race. White flight/ gentleman agreements etc. Before desegregation we were very much like Europe with the rich in the core and the poor blacks on the fringe. Where TSU area is now was on the border of the city limits in Houston early days. During desegregation many blacks felt that in order to show that they made it they needed to move to white areas. The whites responded by fleeing further and further out. Montrose was a very early burb Gentleman agreements developed in neighborhoods like river oaks that prevented real estate from being sold to minorities. What is happening now is more of a comfort thing. Houston has become a big integrated city and people are more comfortable to live amongst each other. So black families are now moving to pearland and katy in much higher numbers
  3. HoustonIsHome
    I understand what you are saying, and never hunted at an exodus of any kind. Over the last few decades the fringes of the urban sprawl (or new subdivisions) have been exceedingly attractive. Cheap homes that are low cost overcame location. What I am saying, is location may become more of an issue with added road costs. Side note, have you been on the beltway between 290 and 249 @ 5pm recently? Looks like that strip needs a couple of tolls
  4. HoustonIsHome
    Knowing Houston I am surprised that it hasn't turned into a super Wal-Mart bookebded by an office depot and an Academy and surrounding by a gigantic parking lot.
  5. HoustonIsHome
    Yeah, a couple of those university submitted proposals has franklyn removed or set back further unto the property. They mess with streets all the time. Especially if light rail is involved I dont see rerouting Franklin to Washington as being a big deal. Franklin, Preston and Washington already merge past 45 anyway.
  6. HoustonIsHome
    What if the tolls are the tipping point. What if you consider a car note, gas, insurance and maintenance. Car note - ~ $300 x 12= $3600 Gas- $100 x 12= $1200 Insurance- $1000 Maintenace- $400 Tolls- 1400 .................. Total $7600 / year Lets assume the suburban home costs $275000, a 30 yr mortgage at 5% interest would run you about $1500 a month or 18,000 a year So total suburban costs would be $25,600 Now let's assume we ditch the car and buy a house/ townhome or whatever within a few miles from downtown. Lets say Montrose. A $400k house would mean a mortgage of $2100 or $25200 a year. Add in $800 for transit and you get $26,000 that's only a $400 / year difference 77006 home values: http://www.har.com/neighborhoods/MONTROSE-subdivision-10261270010001.html So I dunno. Those 700 to $1400 in tolls could be the tipping point.
  7. HoustonIsHome
    Don't be upset at pie in the sky announcements. Houston is getting actual towers not speculating and pitching unrealistic plans. Fact of the matter is Museum tower has sold what 14 out of 119 units. Other buildings like the Beat lofts remain really empty. I doubt two giant towers with a zillion units will plop in dallas anytime soon
  8. HoustonIsHome
    Do you think the downtown residential market flood will impact midtown prices? I am surprised more east end apartments haven't been announced. This is where I was hoping for a boom in more reasonably priced housing. Was hoping that the lag in residence downtown they mentioned in the article would be picked up by east end residents. They mentioned that midtown already has a major retailer is a bit disingenuous. Yes Randalls is a major retailer but it's Randalls. A slowly increasing downtown population would still have midtown and east end to fall back on. Just because 45 cuts the neighborhoods in two doesn't mean the residents can't cross the devide and use each other sites until closer ones develop. These developments are being built with huge parking structures. Many people will still be driving so I don't think getting retail immediately will be a major issue for a lot of these high end residents
  9. HoustonIsHome
    Yeah, I am due for another eye exam too
  10. HoustonIsHome
    I don't mind tax hikes, just as long as its not on something I use. I don't mind other people paying to improve my city at all.
  11. HoustonIsHome
    1. Downtown from 288 or from UH area. 2. Uptown going down 610 3. Downtown at night coming from I10 west or 45. That haunting glow just says welcome home.
  12. HoustonIsHome
    Houston and Dallas has some of the ugliest city buildings on the planet. This isnt that bad. We could have gotten this :http://www.dallascourts.com/photos/allen.jpg Or this: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RC_Xscv967E/TcgN1rw7QbI/AAAAAAAAGLQ/fM1xWZbL7-s/s1600/dallas%2Bcity%2Bhall.jpg
  13. HoustonIsHome
    It is not whoever wants to file a claim. They will be paid the difference between the property values before Ashby and now. If there had been no diminished values thres is no recovery
  14. HoustonIsHome
    There are neighborhoods that I wish would not change much, and there are others I would mind seeing two dozen Ashby hirises in *cough*cough* Afton Oaks*cough*cough* The neighborhoods around the museum district shouldn't be funked with. River Oaks I care less about
  15. HoustonIsHome
    As to whether the project should be prevented, that part should never have gotten to the jury. The judge should have dismissed that part as a matter of law. As to damages, that I see being decided by a jury. That is what juries do. They decide matters of fault and award damages. The judge as he did now could have done ages ago and allow the project to continue while the matter of damages goes on. The residents and juries are trying to implement zoning codes through verdicts. No dice. The public needs to vote on this again.
  16. HoustonIsHome
    I can hear the sales pitch now. Avoid the traffic and the tolls, move to the boonies. The space is tempting, but those areas are too generic for me. Not hating on those who like it, but I like the inner loop amenities
  17. HoustonIsHome
    I was thinking the same. Thought there would have been an extended period of rubble clearing, then the crater would be left for months before anything serious be done. But no. After the demo, they went right at it. I'm not sold yet on the land use, but I'm glad that something is going up again. Main Street Square seems so different without That blockwide building
  18. HoustonIsHome
    Car pools? Driving is so darn expensive already Car notes, insurance, Maintenance, high gas prices, now tolls?
  19. HoustonIsHome
    I agree with you that its not grand enough and works be better suited near Sam Houston park. However, we still have a lot of empty lots and one story buildings downtown. So it isnt exactly the direction I picture for downtown, but it really isn't that out of place YET. That area as we speak is very barren. Very Detroitish. It is going to be very different in the years, but as others have said an improvement in tourism or other things in the area are very welcome.
  20. HoustonIsHome
    Yes, Third was has been changing from multiple directions. The dangerous aspects aside, it really is an interesting part of town to live. The Bayou, The slightly rolling terrain of Riverside Terrace, The beautiful big houses surrounded by delapidated shacks, the history, the food, the University culture (however shall it was at the time). My favourite thing to do was bike riding along the path down brays Bayou to Hermann park. As to the lower income people moving out, the ones I know have been moving to the burbs.
  21. HoustonIsHome
    Really beautiful setting. HOUSTON IS BEAUTIFUL. Funny, I used to live about a mile south of this area and didn't know about it. The google earth view is reconstruction, while the satellite view is after construction started. It looks like they tore up the parking lot and removed a lot of trees. I hope they do put back in a lot of trees and keep the area green.
  22. HoustonIsHome
    oh really? What building is it?
  23. HoustonIsHome
    I like those arches. Its great that the school is getting far away from its commuter school image. U of Houston is improving all around. This is great for the city. Its Law School pulled up in the us news ranking last year edging into the top 50 with Baylor and SMU. There is talk of creating a Med School (seems like overkill to me) but a good med school would help. Anyway sites anyone know a ballpark figure for the number of rooms catering to UH students? IM talking about both on campus apartments and dorms and private off campus housing
  24. HoustonIsHome
    I have experienced it on the Bissonett, Bellaire, and Richmond buses before they built the rail It was indeed uncomfortable, especially when the ac in the bus would mess up. I can't say how many people was actually on the bus, but I have seen at least 20 people standing. It used to get so bad where there would be 7 or 8 people standing in the raised portion at the back. If the buses have 38 seats I can easily see the 60 people figure. I remember the bissonnett buses in the afternoon rush hours were the double buses and there were times when people would be standing from the front all the way to the back. I don't know if they still get that packed, but after the rail went in the congestion eased greatly. I guess it was because the buses routes were shortened so they could make more frequent trips
  25. HoustonIsHome
    That train looks sleek. I know they were considering 290 and 45, but didn't know they were considering 59. I guess both the Hardy site and the post office site would work for a station, but Hardy is right on the local rail system, while the Post Office site is actually downtown. The intermodal station designs were beautiful. It would be awesome if we get something like that at either location, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Everthing seems to get watered down. Think about all the fancy ideas they had for the central station downtown, then decided they can't build it.
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