Luminare

If I were a politician I vote no to any funding for this...unless as a compromise The Woodlands officially incorporates and begins the process of setting up its own municipal facilities. This area for too long has kick this can down the road, and is too big at this point avoid it.

23 hours ago, Andrew Ewert said:

I wonder if that means building out the route between Dallas and Fort Worth first to start generating revenue while it then gets extended down to Houston. Not a bad idea, but just puts it even farther in the future.

They would need to go through the Environmental Review Process again as the previous, to my knowledge, does not lay out a path from Dallas to Fort Worth. To me this is simply future planning, and going through the process or next steps to get moving on a future extension as these take years with current regulations to get done.

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

He probably went to the Randall Davis School of Architecture.

Funny enough, I like people with eclectic tastes. I'm also someone with eclectic tastes. There are those people that have eclectic tastes (more than likely because they are heterodox in nature), and then there are those that have...well...their tastes are just...different haha. Lets just go with that.

This client definitely has...eclectic tastes.

On 6/21/2022 at 1:09 PM, kennyc05 said:

I was looking through their site last night and they had a rendering in the Galleria area of a tower that looked like the Brava tower downtown. 

In my opinion, this is pretty unethical behavior, unless they are contracted by both KP or Munoz+Albin or received licenses to duplicate their Instruments of Service in order to publish this image. I can understanding doing renderings like this in house with other like type buildings as mockups, but this seems to me to be a violation of copyright. Its literally a one to one copy as well, which would make these derivative works. If I was the architect who owned the Instruments of Service to these buildings, I would have already sent a DMCA.

Lipstick on a pig...

On 5/18/2022 at 8:58 AM, H-Town Man said:

To those neighborhoods that have not, even what they have will be taken away.

Hope it turns around soon, esp. before inflation, interest rates, and possible recession make new construction unfeasible.

I don't think anything happens around these ballpark blocks until next cycle. Probably best to wait until after NHHIP finishes the 59 section also. CPI comes out in a couple weeks, and don't really see inflation peaking yet. The Atlanta FED just put out a forecast predicting negative GDP for Q2. Its all but certain we go into a recession starting Q3. This was a great cycle overall. This area will surely explode next cycle.

On 6/26/2022 at 11:23 AM, Amlaham said:

Texas Central notes they remain "open for business," and Michael Bui is now managing the project. 

Texas Top Court Says Private High-Speed Rail Can Use Eminent Domain | 2022-06-24 | Engineering News-Record (enr.com)

 

I'm being very hopeful, but if they start now, and REALLY put everything they got into it, maybe they can finish it by the World Cup 🥴

“We know they don’t have any money,” Beckham says. “I can’t imagine the only thing keeping them from raising money was this case.”

....Yes that's exactly why they couldn't raise money. This very case was going to determine whether they would be able to build or not as it also hinged on the question of whether they were a "railroad". I myself am a small time investor, uncertainty is one of if not the key element of putting money into anything. The current situation in the stock market is an example of this. People are moving risk-off because the FED is raising rates to fight inflation. That kind of uncertainty is going to keep money out of the markets. These people knew exactly what they were doing, and from a realpolitik perspective it was a brilliant play, just sue and wait it out. Respect strategy wise even if I don't like the aim of the strategy. But they lost, and I hope that people that got in TCR's way get what's coming for them. You play stupid games you win stupid prizes.

Going beyond this case, I wouldn't be surprised if this takes a couple more years to gather resources (including the land) before shovels go into the ground. Why?

- The current state of Macro Economics is just awful. The FED is raising rates which will drain liquidity from the market which will make it really difficult to acquire funding. Not to mention its looking more likely by the day that at the start of Q3 we will be in a technical recession.

- TCR might probably want to check in whatever funding they are getting from the Japanese. The Bank of Japan is about to fall on its face, and Japan's economy is in worse shape than we are

- Inflation is nuts right now, and I don't see it peaking until at least Q3 this year, and will probably still have high inflation into mid next year. Probably best to wait. If we do go into a recession, at least the company is already lean from cuts during Covid. If unemployment goes up, and eventually inflation comes down then they might be able to get labor and material for cheap. Not to mention at some point into the bear market / recession you will have investors chomping at the bit to throw their money around again, and this project has the potential if they play their cards right to be one of the first to benefit in the low part of the market.

More importantly is this decision is great precedent going forward even if TCR fails, it breaks a giant wall of BS that has potentially held back rail development for years. This decision clears up ambiguity regarding rail startups in this state, and hopefully this will get others moving once Macro Economics improve in the coming years.

On 5/20/2022 at 2:09 PM, Naviguessor said:

Sounds like the two "River Pavilions" / Restaurant spaces South of The Laura.

Might be building A which was the Theater? If its Schaum/Shieh I'm expecting something really nice looking with a dash of quirky. They don't do a lot of buildings, but they are very heavy design oriented and tend to also lean on the theoretical/abstract.

5 hours ago, gregpet said:

GID out of Boston is Regent Square developer…

Holy moley!

4 minutes ago, Amlaham said:

I really appreciate your respectful response. Your points make a lot of sense and made it easier for me to understand. Just frustrated with how long this project is taking. It makes me sad that some people might not get to experience this project once complete because of how long it took. 

Its okay to be frustrated. In fact the only way things change in the future is the frustration one has today. After that though you really only have three choices to make (of which I'll leave that to you) 1) you take that frustration and learn about the process and figure out how you make effective change yourself 2) understand you can't make any changes, keep learning as you go with the understanding that you just have to wait and see or (the fun internet choice) 3) have fun expressing that frustration and complaining because we all like to b i t c h on the internet (Including yours truly haha). But serious you only have the first two. I'm glad you are getting a better understanding of the process. Believe me I live it everyday and sometimes I'm glad its super slow and other times I wish I had a bonfire to light a fire under some butts to get them moving. Its all about process. In this industry, process is king.

3 hours ago, Amlaham said:

💀 I didn't saying anything that insinuates enslaving workers, poop trucks, or building more/fast skyscrapers. Not every statement/ post is surface level. The point of my argument, which I thought was clear, is that it shouldn't take 30 years to plan/ reconstruct a highway. No workers have been enslaved in the last 20 years of planning this project. This isn't about workers, there are projects that get planned/built in a way quicker timeframe than this project.

• Dallas' Klyde cap park was planned in 2004, constructed from 2009-2012
• Florida's I-4 project was planned in 2008, constructed in 2015-2022 (one of the busiest highways :))
• California's I-405 project was planned 2014, constructed in 2018-2023 (the most congested highway in the LA area)

I can list numerous other US projects but someone will eventually find another excuse. I also made sure to only include American projects since some people get offended by UAE and China. 

While the replies might seem disingenuous since they don't really hit your exact point, I would listen to those responses because they highlight the tradeoffs for speed, and max efficiency. The main tradeoff is if you want that kind of speed and max efficiency (at least on the exterior, or aesthetically) then unfortunately you will need massive expansion in centralization of resources, with the tyranny and totalitarianism that goes with that. When you have total control and only one person making a decision then yes you can move quickly and build entire cities in a decade, but it comes a great costs in the medium to long term that aren't immediately apparent. I say this as someone who wants the ability to have total design control, but with the understanding of what those trade offs are and what I will need to balance that speed in design with help to mitigate tradeoffs. The question we have to always ask ourselves is do we want a society of max efficiency or max autonomy. We are kinda having that discussion right now, but it does come with trade offs, sometimes ones that aren't immediately obvious. If we want to remain a republic with democratically elected representatives then we will have one of the slowest forms of governments who will in turn also make decisions very slowly because they have to reach a consensus before making a decision which takes time....and that is by design.

**EDIT**
I should add that while my point above stands I do understand any and all frustration with the speed at which things can take on projects, and there are plenty of ways to fix this issue without sacrificing the mechanisms which make those decisions. There does need to be significant reform to how we bid public projects, to financing these projects, to eliminating conflict of interests, to addressing public concern while at the same time not letting that process drag, totally reform or dispense with environmental impact studies (useless), getting rid of useless "stakeholders" and making sure projects are beholden to the elected representatives, etc... etc...

3 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

Any site updates?

Has the design been tweaked? Came across this rendering that’s slightly different from what we’ve seen.

https://cogent-cx.com/industry-projects/

Why is it so hard for so many companies to not have one guy upload good clear photos to a website?

On 5/4/2022 at 5:08 AM, arche_757 said:

I know this is quite preliminary (still), but hope the sidewalks aren’t the “Houston standard” as depicted in the above plan.

That was probably the plan they drafted to do below:

On 8/14/2021 at 1:57 PM, hindesky said:

The city is repaving and replacing the sidewalks on Yoakum St, they are also replacing the sidewalks on Montrose from the old Kroger to Westheimer.

I think what's encouraging is that this development wants to be a success. Its willing to try new things to bring new people in. This is what is great about the market if you are open to change. Is it always successful, no, but at the very least they are trying. I agree with you @Amlaham that it's moving generally in the right direction. I think making that entire interior loop a promenade will go a long way into making this place even more flexible and open to people relaxing and hanging out in the area which will help eventually draw people into shops if the shops/prices are right.

On 4/27/2022 at 10:04 PM, august948 said:

At which point they'll start reconstructing the whole interchange again...😛

I'm still amazed that the Gulf Freeway is still under construction. Can't beat that. Gulf Freeway is the Heavyweight champion of the world in never-ending freeway construction.

18 minutes ago, mkultra25 said:

[envisions @samagon making the sign of the cross as he invokes the Parkers' Trinity]

Surface parking as the religion of peace is corroborated by the Bible. Jesus himself drove a Honda, but He didn't like to talk about it much. 

 

Believable. Jesus, man of the people driving an economy car. I could also see him driving an F-150, he was a carpenter.

2 hours ago, Texasota said:

Your religion is surface parking? That tracks.

How dare you blasphemer! Surface Parking is the religion of peace. The day concrete or asphalt cures is a very holy day my friend.

1 minute ago, trymahjong said:

I can see the value of all you have laid out in your arguments.

But in the same way I appreciate feeling safe as I walk around The Montrose Collective,knowing there is a security person there 24/7 to look out for me and I don’t have to depend on some poor waiter to defend me if something happens……..that is my desire if I should find myself sitting on the patio of the St Augustine hotel.

Just that simple, an un obtrusive security person 24/7.

it is unexplainable I guess, the  notion, that one can feel safe knowing some security guard is there ………somewhere. Lol

Seriously I don't say this below to be personal in any way...really. Below is a standard I hold for myself and everyone else.

If the above quote is your personal preference, and if that is how you wish to not only view the world, but also live your life then that is your own business. You do you. We all have needs, wants, etc... and I genuinely wish you get those wants and needs meet, but its entirely another thing to ask others to conform to what you want for the sake of your personal safety. I found this statement revealing. I get it we all care about ourselves at the end of the day, but its another when you are using general crime, or general neighborhood concerns to shield the fact that you personally want protection. That crosses a line for me. Its your responsibility to protect yourself, and keep yourself safe. Not the responsibility of others. If you really have a fear of being attacked at every place you take a seat or walk around then maybe that is something you should look within yourself and ask yourself, "Why do I always have this need for others to provide me security, and is it fair of me to ask others to provide that security for me when they have no obligation to do so?" "What can I do to alleviate those concerns in my own way?" Maybe ask that before you ask every developer to provide a security guard for every property you walk upon.

Again not personal here. I don't know you personally. I glad you express these concerns. Just don't expect others to do things you could do for yourself.

15 hours ago, trymahjong said:

Oh my……” Complain-to the City about crime” sounds so easy. I guess it should be easy, but a small police force trying to cover a huge population in a relatively large geographic area makes complaining harder;  the chance of addressing those complaints……even harder.

I guess it only takes one encounter with a horrible  criminal “ up close and personal “to give one a new point of view.

Ideas to prioritize crime and safety hum  in your brain……no one wants anyone else to be a victim of a similar encounter. …….so most of the questions one posts sound a bit uh naive?

IMO Any developer that works so hard to have state of the art staff that come up with  a dynamite architectural  look, greenery to die for and a charming business……….that developer surely can research and develop a new or “ out of the box” way to offer patrons more safety against crime than a lone watchman walking the perimeter at night.

No one is saying your concerns about crime are wrong (at least I hope not), but the direction which you are aiming your concerns at is wrong. Nowhere in the city charter, or for that matter the state constitution do we ask developers to patrol, resolve, and police crime. Maybe really think about this. Do we really want private companies, landlords, developers, etc... being responsible for not only trying to solve crimes, or police, but patrol neighborhoods? Mafias did that. In movies like Robocop, that was OCP.

Here is the thing, are there massive issues with policing, and how we distribute police/personnel at large within cities...yes, but does that mean as an assist we turn to developers, landlords, and companies to pick up the slack? I already don't like centralized state authorities, but the opposite also seems like a nightmare. Developers, landlords, and companies are only responsible for one thing...to make money and to take responsibility for themselves. That is it. By Federal Constitution, State Constitution, and Local Charter its our centralized governments that have been given exclusive right to enforce laws, and by the way that is also with exclusive right to do so by force or even by violence in certain circumstances.

Now am I saying with all of this you want exactly what I'm laying out here? No. However there has been a very disturbing trend over the past several years that for the sake of "safety", "security", and "prioritizing crime" that the answer is larger government authority, and more centralizing and authority for companies, and developers, and landlords to act in the "best interests" of a community whatever that means (insert - the road to hell is paved with "good intentions"). If you want to solve crime then make it known at the ballot box in the next elections, campaign on those issues. NYC actually did this with its current new mayor. DeBlasio paved the way for crime to increase, and in response the people elected a former police commander who, you guessed it, will be tougher on crime (of course that remains to be seen).

Interesting. Was wondering if this was going to be apartments. While driving by this site last week I saw a billboard which showed that this was just going to be a new single story commercial building.

2 hours ago, iah77 said:

I agree it looks like a potential issue but why do you feel this is the hotel's problem? Shouldn't the blame be on the city? It's getting very expensive to put these extra responsibilities on not so large businesses. 

I was surprised how suburban it feels for the land values in that area.  They are tearing down a lot and seems like not replacing it with much.

Also its....again....an unrestricted reserve. They can do LITERALLY whatever they want. They can put a 10' tall fence in the name of "security" and the same people would complain about it. The developer has zero responsibility in regards to crime in the area. That is the responsibility of the city. If people are worried about crime then complain to the city, don't shoulder that onto the developer. The only security the developer needs to worry about is its own, and for a hotel the whole point of a hotel is to make an experience as seamless and easy as possible to get to where you want to go and do what you want to do.

1 hour ago, august948 said:

You may be right, and I'd certainly vote for St Augustine grass, but I don't usually credit developers/businesses for putting deep thought into things like this.  So, theologians yes, but I suspect due entirely to the presence of the university and not one iota due to the impact St Augustine made.  I'd bet that they considered calling it the St Thomas originally but backed off to avoid any fights with the university.

Depends. Some developers really do put a lot of effort into what the name will be, and some put it off until the very last minute. I like the name St. Augustine. Feels like it fits.

As for the name being named after St. Augustine grass, while that would be hilarious...I'm going to table my actual opinions on St. Augustine grass. To put it lightly I'd rather throw every palette of that grass into a massive bonfire.

32 minutes ago, gene said:

is it wrong to like this original rendering way more?

The design in this render is, from a architectural designers perspective, way better. Plus you can't go wrong with black.

1 hour ago, H-Town Man said:

I respectfully disagree with you. I think this is a big 1990's blah.

But it does fit the neighborhood and it is exciting to see stacked three-way mixed use going up in Houston, which puts us right in the 2010's.

 

The latest render we are seeing is definitely very 1990's-2000's, but as you say, and I agree, very on point for Post Oak Blvd, as unfortunate as it is saying that. My hope is that the trend changes. The new Zadok is actually a really nice building when I drove past it last week. My thoughts are that building will be the new direction soon enough.