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UtterlyUrban

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  1. UtterlyUrban
    I honestly have no idea who many of these folks are. Thread after thread.
  2. UtterlyUrban
    I am quite sure that will be a hotly discussed topic with the City and the press and landed interests. There are lots of suburban folks who believe that unless the parking facility has 110% capacity and is adjacent to the venue, that there is a shortage.The reality is that events typically take place at night or on weekends. Given that, there are garages all over downtown, some only a few blocks away from the venues, that will hold all the needed cars plus some. I think that a bigger issue as downtown fills out is traffic. There was an epic "city jam" last winter when the rockets were playing and there were a few corporate Christmas parties at the Hilton and other venues with stuff going on DT. It took some folks 30 minutes to go 3 blocks. Others turned around and went off to dinner and came to the Christmas dinner party late. Everyone found a parking space..... But traffic was epic! Summary: there is plenty of parking. Congestion is likely a bigger issue as more and more comes to downtown. A robust rail/Mass Transit system will help in the future.
  3. UtterlyUrban
    A really cool read. Thanks for sharing!
  4. UtterlyUrban
    You are very likely correct as to why H&M is opening in City Center.But, may I ask this? When you say the "area around" CC has demographics that downtown doesn't ..... Yet. " can you explain? I would think that are Area "around" city center is fairly similar demographically to the around "around" downtown. Take a 3 mile radius around downtown and a 3 mile radius around CC. Are they not fairly similar ethically, age, education, gender, and from a household income standpoint? Married with kids vs. singles or couples might be a significant different. IDK. Is 3-miles too big a radius or too small? Is it common to use something smaller (like a mile?). Income could be very differnt since, depending what "around" means, CC might pickup the Villages where "around" DT might not pick up River Oaks. But DT also has 100,000 people within walking distance M-F and all of those office workers are in many retailers sweet spot. I really don't understand what retailers focus on. To me, I think a lot of retailers focus on agglomeration as much as demographic differences when deciding between two locations. My gut tells me that agglomeration wins over "similar" demographics. But I am uneducated in this. Again, I am confident that you are correct -- people who know the rudiments of retail say stuff like you mention all the time --- I don't doubt that it is true. But when I am told statements like this I am always confused because I don't know the specific metrics that go into the analysis. You seem to have knowledge of retail and leasing. Any help would be appreciated.
  5. UtterlyUrban
    Wow! Thank you for this! With thinner floors, I wonder if noise will be an issue for these residents? Running a vacuum cleaner over 6" of concrete likely doesn't make much noise down below but potentially over 3"?
  6. UtterlyUrban
    Is this true? Can someone educate me? I would guess that this is largely pre-fab stuff that was manufactured a while ago (and not counted into the "construction time"). But, even then, what are the trade offs of constructing this way?
  7. UtterlyUrban
    I thend to agree. I would say 2 generations....... 40 years-ish even with another boom cycle in there. Could be 30. Could be 50. But it ain't 5.
  8. UtterlyUrban
    Yes.
  9. UtterlyUrban
    How is it that the City came to own the Sakowitz building? If they don't own it, how can they put out an RFP?
  10. UtterlyUrban
    Yep. This is the real issue in the short-term and why some analysts are predicting oils in the $20's or lower later this year. The issue for houston ,IMO, is not the price of oil per se but rather how long it stays at the price. 2-5 years of $100- $125 oil was enough to cause a boom. What will 2-5 years of oil at $20-$50 cause? (Assuming that price scenario happens, which it may not).
  11. UtterlyUrban
    It's amazing, right?How many billions and billions have been spent in this cycle downtown? And, look how much further there is still to go! It does show the magnitude of the possibilities. But, it also shows how many cycles it will take to "finish". Finish? For fun, let's define that as "75% of all vacant lots downtown have a new commercial, retail, residential, or government structure built on them." How long do folks think that would take?
  12. UtterlyUrban
    Vertical Boogie Crane Mosquito
  13. UtterlyUrban
    I wonder who will finish first: this place or SkyHouse 3? Seriously, I do wonder what the "design changes" we're that slowed this project up???
  14. UtterlyUrban
    Even in this location, you think a 2 bedroom apartment will be $2000+? Sigh. You may be right but it would be great if it was more like $1500. I am all for having a bunch of highrises downtown and I have zero issue with them all charging very high rents (or condo sales prices) for lawyers and oilmen and engineers (young and old). But to have a few places for young blue/grey collar folks would be terrific. Let hope you're wrong! ( But I fear you are correct).
  15. UtterlyUrban
    Anyone know the price point on these? From the "challenged" location I would expect that they would be low enough for a young family to move in. Maybe a carpenter and his wife the office clerk and a baby or two. That would be terrific for downtown!
  16. UtterlyUrban
    In the pictures above, ...... The rebar, before the concrete pour........ What is the "red piping" in the floor? Anyone with construction expertise know the answer? I'm just curious to learn something today.....
  17. UtterlyUrban
    I truly hope that this is a hugely successful project. Downtown needs highrise condos -- not just highrise apartments-- IMO.
  18. UtterlyUrban
    Has the tower really become jetsam in a sea of free crude?
  19. UtterlyUrban
    These still images are lovely. Thank you.
  20. UtterlyUrban
    I believe that you are correct.But, as in all things, their website says one thing and their policies say another. It seems from their policy at ALL photography needs a permit! Go figure! " hey, lady, stop using your cell phone to take a picture to send to your dad ...... You don't have a permit". Sure. http://09386884b485c871ec98-261f167dd14131de9e2c0863c81c425d.r77.cf1.rackcdn.com/3543722d-27b2-40a1-a0bf-bbbc8c53809d.pdf Oh, and did you notice the part that EVERY park patron must agree to be photographed and NO children under 14 can be photographed without first asking for parental consent? Sure. Any idea how many trillions of images a year are snapped that violate this provisions? Good lord! It would be essentially impossible to take a photo in the park if one was to strictly comply with this policy.
  21. UtterlyUrban
    Cloud713: I won't quote all the above but I do want to make a small point. But, before I do that, thanks again for the video and, as you get your moxy up, I would love to see more where ever the law and your confidence allows! I really like the "professional" feel of your video. Good stuff. Now the point of claification: unless I am wrong, discovery green is NOT a public park. It is actually private. It is a private, tax-exempt, charity that owns the property and manages the park. It is not publicly owned. And, there are, in fact, fairly draconian photography permit requirements on the park (check the website). That said, there are about 500,000 wedding and engagement portraits taken in the park by "pros" every 32 seconds. I really doubt any of them have permits. So, it doesn't seem like this rule is well enforced. Or, actually, enforced at all. Anyway, the minor point of clarification is that the park is really not public. Have fun with your drone and let us know if you film something else!
  22. UtterlyUrban
    I like it. Call me bland. But, I do like it.
  23. UtterlyUrban
    See, that's just it...... And why "statistics" cab ne called "lies, lies, and damn lies"...... It is very likely that the odds of being a crime victim (however defined) are near zero in huge swaths of the city. It is also very likely that in certain areas the odds may approach 1:1. the "average" for the city is essentially meaningless for the individual....... (but it is good for headlines)
  24. UtterlyUrban
    This is a very well done video. Thank you! To Nate: there are some Federal rules out there now for commercial drone usage and more rules are coming. It is a grey area now. I am uncertain if there are any State laws or local ordinances. I know nothing about drones and how they work but I would guess that like anything else, they could have a malfunction (or operator error) and fall from the sky. While they likely don't weigh very much, in a crowded city, if one fell, hit a car windshield on the street which then caused the driver to "lose control" of the car and hit a pedestrian or something..... Yikes...... Folks have been flying "drones" for decades and decades. But, unless I am mistaken, they typically fly them at "model airplane fields" not in downtown areas or around freeways, etc. As drones begin to proliferate and possibly try to co-exist in dense urban areas, I will be curious to see if there are a raft of "personal injury" lawsuits.
  25. UtterlyUrban
    Let's keep in mind that if we were really doing an actual comparison, there is a third alternative: purpose build and lease. The city is doing the classic: "it will cost us a billion in taxes to build a new facility or we can lease an existing building that the cops don't like downtown." It is a bit of a strong arm tactic and really not an economic analysis. To do a solid analysis, the city should get quotes from a developer to build exactly the structure(s) that it needs need from scratch and enter into a 30 year lease with him/her. Now you can compare door number 1 with door number 2 and door number 3. But, I really don't think that the Mayor's current proposal is about finances. It's about politics.
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