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houstontexasjack

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Everything posted by houstontexasjack

  1. houstontexasjack
    Cameron Armstrong, the architect who designed the Moderne at Rice Village, designed it. The owner had a cool vision for what they wanted.
  2. houstontexasjack
    They own all of the parking lot between Fiesta and Sears. They also now own the parcel on the south end of Eagle at Austin, just to the east abutting the parcel in green at the right end of the image. Edit: and the parking lot south of Fiesta. We might need some purple to hit the gamut of Infinity Stones. 😊
  3. houstontexasjack
    I doubt groundbreaking is imminent. I think there’s excitement *something* is being done with the lot. They’ve also fenced off the old Houston Press lot, I believe.
  4. houstontexasjack
    To cross reference my post in the other thread, the tract at 4001 S Main, where the Isabella was previously going to go up, was acquired by Rice University in December.
  5. houstontexasjack
    Rice University bought this tract in December. There’s a warranty deed to “4001 S Main LLC” dated December 12, 2018. An individual by the name of Ronald E. Long signed the associated “Notice to Purchaser” on behalf of the acquiring LLC. Mr. Long is associated with Rice Management Company. Edit: Links to the notice and deed:
  6. houstontexasjack
    They just saved a bunch of money on their car insurance by switching to GEICO.
  7. houstontexasjack
    I was just thinking....😊
  8. houstontexasjack
    Got a call back today. As you said, @HNathoo, it’s just a remodel. The lots are being replatted, but one of the old buildings violated the current setback requirements, so a variance was required.
  9. houstontexasjack
    I saw a sign for a variance request along with a sign for financing from Plains Capital Bank. I called the number on the Notice of Variance request to see if I could get more information: https://imgur.com/gallery/gHWeKWx
  10. houstontexasjack
    The lots that changed lis pendens law in Texas....reminds me of Boromir picking up the One Ring to comment how so much fear and doubt was caused by “such a little thing.”
  11. houstontexasjack
    There’s a parcel at 1021 N. San Jacinto next to the eventually-to-be-freed-up I-10 ROW: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1021-N-San-Jacinto-St-Houston-TX/15743657/
  12. houstontexasjack
    The design has been updated. Elkus Manfredi Architects are now part of the design team: https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2019/05/01/designs-for-new-37-acre-tmc3-campus-updated-as.html?iana=hpmvp_hstn_news_headline
  13. houstontexasjack
    My response wasn't meant to suggest it would discourage townhome development. However, the proposed regs would, as you acknowledge, affect how development goes. (Also, for purposes of conversation, I use the term "townhome" to include patio homes and very narrow two stories with limited lot space--essentially any home on a larger lot that was subdivided following the time when the City of Houston lowered its minimum lot size). The proposed reg specifically requires a minimum of ten feet of frontage for "each residential unit" in a residential development. (emphasis added). There are a number of plans executed by developers today that would not have the required frontage--I can think of a number of homes by me in Museum Park that have barely a few feet between each driveway. Grouping units together under a condominium scheme to designate one area for trash disposal might indeed be a good response to the proposed reg. Limiting garage space is another potential response.
  14. houstontexasjack
    I suspect this topic would be more appropriate for the “Houston Real Estate” forum. My reading of the memorandum is that it’s merely a proposal at this point. However, you are correct that this would impact townhome development within the Loop. Many townhome developments don’t have places for storage of trash and recycling bins planned out, and the bulk of these proposed regs address that issue. The diagram attached to the memo suggests developers might achieve the minimum curb space by narrowing the entry points into driveways. One positive effect of the proposed regs might be to encourage single-car garages and households in high density areas. I’ve been musing about the possibility that Inner Loop neighborhoods might appeal to transit-oriented professionals if there were the possibility that one member could take transit to work (as an example, my brother’s spouse would prefer not to drive if she were to move to Houston, but knows they’ll need a car). There’d be extra square footage available on the first floor of townhomes if they were designed with only a one-car garage in mind, allowing a greater charge for usable square feet and potentially greater profit margins in certain neighborhoods.
  15. houstontexasjack
    Not Bank of the Southwest Tower?
  16. houstontexasjack
    It’s listed for sale on LoopNet as part of 2800 San Jacinto. An entity called “Grassy Knoll, LLC” owns this portion of the lot. From this angle, I think the two taller towers would appear to the left of Caydon’s tower, as it owns the land to the north.
  17. houstontexasjack
    The elimination of tolls after projects have been paid off got out of the House Transportation Committee yesterday. The text got substituted into HB 1951, which was voted favorably by the committee. There’s a fiscal note attached to the bill, which generally has not boded well for bills this legislative session. We’ll have to see how this does when brought to the House floor. Edit: HB 1951 is the version that also requires voter approval of new toll roads, which has been favored by the governor and lieutenant governor. My hunch is that this might clear the House, but won’t make it out of the Senate.
  18. houstontexasjack
    Alas, no. However, this is just one portion of a larger development: “The 6-acre tract for Medistar Grand appears to be part of a larger tract owned by an affiliate of Medistar, TMC Grand Blvd Investors LLC. The city of Houston’s planning commission gave the go-ahead March 14 to record the land as a single block and two unrestricted reserves, the Houston Business Journal previously reported. An unrestricted reserve could be used for any commercial or non-single-family use, such as a retail center, office building or apartment.”
  19. houstontexasjack
    Looks like Medistar got financing for this one. July 1st groundbreaking: https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2019/04/17/developer-gets-loans-for-new-apartment-project.html?iana=hpmvp_hstn_news_headline
  20. houstontexasjack
    Those are the ones in Segment 2 of the proposal. I am far less optimistic about those at this time, as the cap parks proposed there lack natural institutional allies to help lead a sustained effort to back construction such as the Convention Center or Rice. Segment 2 also is the portion with far more single-family residences in the cross-hairs for ROW expansion.
  21. houstontexasjack
    The caps over 69 (nice) are right by Rice University's upcoming Innovation District. A representative from Rice was a co-presenter to the Museum Park NA along with a rep on the construction. Rice is communicating with other stakeholders on the design of the caps in connection with its Innovation District. Because of Rice's involvement, I am thus optimistic the 69 caps will also get built.
  22. houstontexasjack
    I sent the Midtown Super Neigborhood an email to see if I can get more information.
  23. houstontexasjack
    There’s a guy who takes his lunch on the sidewalk under that corner by the bayou. I’ve seen him on lunchtime walks. The area’s quite good for feeding ducks. I’d think bayou access could be a nice selling point.
  24. houstontexasjack
    I wondered about the third tower when I saw that news this morning. From I'd previously heard, one of the reasons why Chevron has declined to move its headquarters to Houston is that the bulk of its employee presence in San Ramon don't have energy-specific skills--their skills are more general corporate (e.g. accounting) and could be transferred to other industries. Chevron feared substantial employee losses if there was a move. Now, there would presumably be some Anadarko employees who could fill those roles. Additionally, Chevron's prior CEO, John Watson, was a California guy through-and-through as he was born in and went to college in California. I think the current CEO, Mike Wirth, may not have the same loyalties to California. In short, some of the barriers that may have previously precluded an HQ move by Chevron have been removed.
  25. houstontexasjack
    https://www.museumparkna.org/resources/Documents/Museum Park Presentation - The Ion Project Overview.pdf
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