Sparrow

This will be a good move all around. A block and a half of prime downtown real estate will become available--not for very long I would imagine. Redevelopment of the parking garage would further enhance the Market Square area. Even as to the new campus to the southwest, this will be a good move for the Chronicle. What a prime location just south of Uptown! None of the local TV stations are downtown, probably about time the local newspaper followed suit.

Any word on when the two new LRT lines will open? Is it just the downtown finishing touches holding them back now? 

Instead of making a mini dome they ought to consider placing the museum aspect of the plan underground. The excavation work was already done decades ago. Gateway arch in St. Louis has their spacious visitor center underground and is quite nice. I would think that modification would allow for a larger space with lower cooling costs and potentially lower construction costs as well.

The minimal setback along Main street is a plus--will help begin to create a proper streetscape with ideal building placement. If you have to have a parking lot, put it out back. Too bad they didn't go for structured parking, perhaps a second phase will reduce the size of that parking lot in the future. Very good step forward for Northside.

So many inverted crosses! This plan will no doubt be supported by heavy metal enthusiasts and atheists.

. Can you explain your reasoning behind this? Is it because of it's close proximity to all of the event spaces around it? I assume it would create a pretty solid urban core but I like to think this area already has the potential to develop into that. Wouldn't you rather they place it somewhere that it can position itself to be the catalyst for another strong and "lively" urban center?

Speaking solely in relation to Cloud's suggestion of a downtown skyline view corridor to greet HSR arrivals. No doubt about it he's right that something should be incorporated onto the top of the GRB whether it be a HSR station, Top Golf, soccer fields, helicopter tours, or something else. Houston doesn't have too many views to take in, we should take advantage of those we do have. Wouldn't it be something to add on to the cruise ship theme and add an entertainment deck on top--we do everything bigger here in Texas, why not "make" the world's largest cruise ship. But I digress, getting off topic.

C/o the FB page.

Would be great if they'd bury those power lines!

As an aside, if planners were truly imaginative and wanted to preserve a spectacular view of downtown for arriving HSR travelers, they would put the HSR station on top of the GRB.

Cloud, no offense taken at all. A charrette is to bounce varying ideas off one another to arrive at an even better concept. I'm not sure that I'd make so large of a park on such prime real estate. And so close to a freeway no less. Underground parking a la Discovery Green would be a plus however.  You know who would use such a park though? Transients. And put the bus depot there too? Traveling via high speed rail is very luxurious, people will not be traveling via Greyhound in order to take the HSR to Dallas. You are right I think in preserving a view corridor. Designing the St. Emmanuel extension in my site plan as a linear park boulevard to preserve the downtown views would be a great addition without creating a vast parkland area that I believe would attract an unfriendly element.

Just rambling a bit, I believe the mall concept is not beyond feasibility. My inspiration comes from Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall. Very much an urban concept, 5 stories tall, street level retail, parking garages, two anchors (including a Nordstrom). In the heart of downtown Anchorage, 5th Avenue Mall doesn't disrupt the street level character, it adds to the fabric. Look at Google street view to see how lively the surrounding area is. What better concept to greet travelers and tourists alike?

My thinking is this: traveler arrives via HSR from Dallas for week long convention at GRB and intends on staying at a downtown hotel. If traveler intends on using LRT he/she will walk to the EaDO/Stadium station via enclosed skywalk (hot, rainy, etc.) or along the street. Commercially it makes sense to have store fronts along both corridors and to have both enclosed and outdoor options. A clear, well signed, interesting, friendly, walkable route is a must. People don't want complications. At the same time, actually having the traveler have to travel a short distance does open up the possibilities for retail, where HSR to LRT direct connect would not.

Street level retail spread throughout downtown is a great thought, but at the same time planners should not overlook why people love going to places like the Galleria or The Woodlands Mall even to this day. Malls aren't dying, poorly planned and designed malls are dying. What better location for a mall could there be? All four sides of the location would have heavy usage--convention, two sports stadiums, and a transit hub. Three major mass transit links via the two LRT lines and the HSR line. Major road connections in US 59, Texas/Harrisburg, and Navigation. While in the short run a mall would likely take away some street level retail for downtown, in the long run a highly popular, well visited mall would create even more demand than would have existed otherwise--look at Uptown if you need an example.   

Everybody talks of a Hardy Yards or Post Office HSR station. I would build an EaDo HSR terminal.

Land is cheaper and largely unused. I would largely alter the street plan of the area--its largely discontinuous at the moment due to the rail line, Minute Maid, and BBVA Compass. An EaDo HSR station location would provide the most direct access for expansion to Galveston. Both the Green Line and the Purple Line will stop at the EaDo light rail station to which this would have immediate access. Both the Red Line and one day the University Line would be a short two stop transfer away. The convention center is just one stop away. This location would provide easy freeway access via US 59. A signature tower (office, hotel, mixed use?) would be connected via sky bridge to the rail station. Two other less significant office buildings would be included as well as a residential tower and a residential mid-rise.

The most radical idea of the plan would be to build a mall on the site. While Downtown may be struggling with retail, and the Galleria dominates the Houston tourism shopping market, if you really think about it, a mall makes sense. Convention goers shop. Travelers shop. The Galleria is across town thru traffic congestion. The areas surrounding Downtown are gentrifying. Go big or go home. A company like GGP without a presence inside the Beltway might venture to take a share of the business from Simon and the Galleria.

Of course despite prime light rail location as mentioned, parking would need to be plentiful. The Astros, the Dynamo, the mall, and the rail line would all be heavy users of structured parking. The two less significant office towers and the mall would be on top of several levels of parking.   

Central Market. Why should Austin get two when Houston only has one? The Metroplex even has five Central Markets. A Central Market in downtown would create a large enough draw from outside its immediate vicinity to remain profitable--something a normal HEB or Kroger likely could not do. 

I realize Texas Central Railway has made allusions to Japanese investors for their project, but what degree of possibility exists for the airlines themselves to invest in this mode of transportation? If HSR is faster and cheaper to operate and takes in the same or higher farebox revenue, why wouldn't the airlines consider investing? If you can't beat them, join them. Is there any legal barrier to entry for an airline to diversify their transportation portfolio? If shorter air routes are no longer as profitable for airlines, you would think they would consider another means of capturing that market with another, more profitable mode. 

Think of the advantages say United could achieve if they were the owner of the HSR line between Dallas and Houston: those flying internationally would have direct, seamless connection to the Metroplex as well as Houston. Think of the market share of the highly profitable international travel that can be taken from American at DFW--without even investing in international routes from there. Of course TCR has said they intend to connect downtowns, not airports, but airline investors would obviously change that.

Methodist Hospital will build a 193-bed hospital at the southeast corner of SH 242 and I-45. 470k sq ft. Ground breaking early 2015. Completion 2017.

www.chron.com/business/medical/article/Houston-Methodist-to-build-Woodlands-hospital-5513231.php#photo-6371514

I thought Texas Central Railway said they'd have more info on the planned route between Dallas and Houston by now. Inevitable government study delays? Funding issues? Securing land purchases before announcing station locations?

New residential development coming to northeast downtown, Solero at the Park. Block bound by Crawford, Commerce, Jackson, and Ruiz. Block 107.

Lone Star College is slated to begin construction on a new Creekside Satellite Center at the southwest corner of Kuykendahl and New Harmony Trail. The campus will be just southwest of the new Creekside Village Center currently under development.

What ever happened to this project? It's still on kirksey's website.

www.kirksey.com/project/metro_transit_center

Could this be rumor be Texas Central Railway's high-speed Rail station, perhaps similar to Nagoya Station?? Fits all of the criteria in relation to summer 2014 announcement, foreign investor, massive investment, mixed-use... They're already planning a $10B+ high-speed rail line, what better way to draw publicity to their project than to build a supertall to go along with it?