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Kinglyam

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Everything posted by Kinglyam

  1. Kinglyam
    Yep, Red Line, the wrap apartments that Urbannizer posted back in March. I'm with you on the Fulton Street connection. If they did it, it would probably have to be an at-grade crossing. It's not part of the I-45 project (which I hope somehow still gets killed), and I see no sign that the City is particularly interested in it.
  2. Kinglyam
    And it's all in the process of being developed. Going to get very busy there over the next couple of years. I saw surveyors out apparently laying out the garden-style apartment complex that's going up nearest the rail line, and I saw they've put out the bids to start the foundation work on the wrap next to the Residences. Plus someone apparently just put in a replat to turn all of those blue-ish sheet-metal warehouses I mentioned a few posts ago into yet more townhomes.
  3. Kinglyam
    Yeah, that's my thought. Between this and the apartments they're doing closer to the light rail station, I assume they're relying on the still-strong rental market to get the population density that would be a draw for retail tenents. They're down to only the two blocks between Leona and Burnett, though. That's about what, 14 acres? There's still a lot of retail opportunity in non-Hardy Yards property along Burnett. The old warehouse complex across Leona on Hardy is now for sale, I notice. Assuming CitiQuest doesn't snap it up for more townhomes like they've done half that area, that is!
  4. Kinglyam
    This is the empty lot next to the rail? It's ANOTHER wrap apartment. This isn't leaving a lot of room for mixed use, is it? https://nrpconstruction.com/Home/ProjectDetail/8a561061-bd04-487f-a9dd-98e788273cda
  5. Kinglyam
    At this point, it's more of a question of when it will happen. Probably not for at least another decade, maybe longer (or never). Funding hasn't even been requested, much less authorized, and it's one of the last phases planned. I'd imagine that would take a good 4 - 5 years to complete.
  6. Kinglyam
    So we've got the gawdawful suburban-sprawl style apartment complex going up right next to downtown? Oh, joy. I suppose I should be grateful that it's not going to be something that will block my view of the downtown skyline, but what happened to mixed use? I guess at this point we can only hope that it's going to be a trigger for the REST of the open space to get developed into retail and office space.
  7. Kinglyam
    Good question. Last we heard (earlier in the thread) that it was deferred. I don't know if that means they can come back and provide the planning commission the requested information without another hearing, or if we should expect an additional mailer. If the commission requested the elevations, I'm thinking they probably don't have that done yet. I'd expect they would have expected to hold off on any but the most bare-bones platting requirements until they got their variance. The variance request signs are gone, for whatever that may mean.
  8. Kinglyam
    This is the planning commission? That’s good, sounds like they aren’t rubber-stamping. However, since the other choice may be simply the keep the 25-foot setback and put parking in front, allowing this is probably the least of two evils.
  9. Kinglyam
    That was my initial concern, but the various size structures and shapes imply to me that they're townhomes. It's fairly uncommon, but there are a few townhome-based developments I've seen with all that open-air parking. Seems way too much for the given size, though. Considering the land value in the area, I don't see how they could justify low-rent housing that close to downtown as being "all the market will support". New construction has been selling at around $200/sf in that area (likely partly on speculation about this development, of course), and the demographic trend has been towards displaced Heights people. Putting low-value rental up as their first development would basically tank the value of the other 30 acres they have. Unless the developers themselves are in desperate straights after failing to sell the property, and this is a cynical effort to drop their property taxes, it just doesn't seem to make sense to non-developer me.
  10. Kinglyam
    Good news: Something is happening on the main Hardy Yards. Bad (ish) news: It's just a multi-family residential development. Still no movement on the mixed-use portion, though they still say that's what's coming. I don't recall this being part of the original plan, though. I'm worried that this looks like your standard suburban housing development.
  11. Kinglyam
    Saw this on the fence on the Burnett and Fulton sides of the Hardy Yards reserve. Maybe this means we’ll soon have something else to talk about, like the “real” Hardy Yards development starting? Would developers request a build line variance if they’re not planning something relatively soon?
  12. Kinglyam
    No, it's probably the last thing they're going to do. That's not a very good picture, because it blocks the view. You can see the framework going up near the driveway off Leona near Chapman. It's only about 3 stories high so far. I seem to recall seeing that it's supposed to be near 100 feet.
  13. Kinglyam
    You'd have to put it over the electric lines to get there, and they probably don't want to have to shut down the train service to get it put up. But at least all those kids running up and down the stairs for fitness can do it in any weather, now.
  14. Kinglyam
    Hmm, the link must not have liked the spaces. See if this upload works. IB1600054 Drawing PT 1 of 5 10112016.pdf
  15. Kinglyam
    On a non-Residences note, was anyone else aware of the upgrades they've apparently proposed to do to the Burnett TC at the other end? I just came across these construction drawings (PDF) from February 2016, where they're putting in an escalator and canopy over the existing stairs. With the Hardy Yards being bracketed with development, maybe someone will FINALLY start doing something mixed use? Pretty please?
  16. Kinglyam
    I don't think so. If you look at the current Google Earth aerial, you'll see they seem to have already accounted for that. It crosses the corner at Brooks and Maury, which is the block they're using for laydown. The laydown yard has the northwest corner of the block left alone, which lines up right with the ROW in the condemnation document. I'm pretty sure the new building is east of that. HCAD says that little corner is CRV, but the rest of it is Kurtz Development.
  17. Kinglyam
    I just did my semi-random web search for information related to this development, and found this notice in the agenda for the Commissioner's Court, for a meeting that happened last night (October 11): "To consider matters relating to the case of Harris County v. CR V Hardy Yards, LP, and upon completion thereof to take further action as appropriate, including possible settlement." I can't find any reference to this case otherwise. All I can tell is it's the same company name under which the MSD was obtained, but the MSD doesn't involve Harris County. Anyone know what agreements were between those two entities that might result in a lawsuit?
  18. Kinglyam
    If you look at how they built Leona, it looks like they never had any intention of connecting it all the way to Chestnut Street, nor completing the Fulton extension. Had they intended to do so, they would have probably built in a dead-end tee rather than the landscaped curb that is there now. The Fulton extension being nixed may (again) go back to the redo of I-45/I-10. If you see the proposed new layout of San Jacinto in the Draft EIS, they turn it farther east. That looks like it would be tough to match Fulton to the new alignment. Not having a public street through the middle of the property increases the value of the property as pedestrian-oriented mixed use development, in my mind. The buyer would have the potential to build in perimeter parking off of Leona/Fulton for drivers, while focusing on mass-transit oriented pedestrians from the BTC and downtown/UHD. This portion is the prime development spot, and the one I figured would be the first phase developed.
  19. Kinglyam
    By your reckoning, is "the hood" anything inside 610? I'd bet dollars to donuts Near Northside has less crime than about any area of The Woodlands. If they can address the flop houses that popped up with all the mental cases there, it's probably one of the safest places to be. The neighbors are primarily long-term working-class families that have owned the houses for generations, with younger professionals who couldn't afford the Heights taking over the abandoned properties and empty lots. There's a sense of community there that is sorely lacking in any of our suburban disaster areas, or even many of our supposedly higher-quality downtown neighborhoods. @Triton - Could be worse things to go in there, but it's still such a waste for JUST that to go in. Though if the Washington Avenue HEB plans are any indication, they could do it right. They definitely need something other than just that old Fiesta. Hopefully it's close enough to the Katyville Walmart that we don't have to worry about another one of those showing up.
  20. Kinglyam
    Depends what they had planned, and whether they thought it was cost-effective to change it. I'm currently looking out of my office from City Center directly to the Beltway, so I know that it can work if they planned on offices there. But if they planned residences there, I'm not so sure it would work. We don't know for certain this will mean the end of mixed use, just well-integrated mixed-use. You can still get some decent development done on 10+ acres.
  21. Kinglyam
    I can't imagine that was the culprit, being shoved to the back corner. I'd say moving I-10 into their backyard is a more probable culprit.
  22. Kinglyam
    It means they're selling off part of Hardy Yards. "No Restrictions" means no limits on the use, so the Hardy Yards as a full development like City Center or the Woodlands is likely dead. If we're really lucky, maybe they're just looking for investors to kick off phase 1, but I'm pretty sure CBRE doesn't facilitate those, it just sells.
  23. Kinglyam
    I was wondering that myself. Looks like a retention pond going in. Apparently the owner (Kurtz Properties) got the city to sell him right-of-way for most of the streets around there back in March. The limited information on the sale ordinance says: "Kurtz Properties, Ltd. (Kurtz Properties GP, LLC [Robert Kurtz, President], General Partner), the abutting property owner, requested the abandonment and sale of: 1) Burnett Street, from Maffitt Street east to Southern Pacific right-of-way line; 2) Semmes Street, from Burnett Street south to Southern Pacific right-of-way line; 3) Maffitt Street, from Burnett Street south to Southern Pacific right-of-way; 4) Brooks Street, from Maffitt Street east ±417 feet to Chase Street; and 5) Semmes Street, from Brooks Street north to Harrington Street, all located within the S.F. Noble’s Addition, out of the S.M. Harris Survey, Abstract 327. The applicant plans to incorporate the subject streets into the abutting tracts to expand its office space and parking areas." It's some major areas...looks like four nearly full blocks. So I don't think we're talking his personal office space.
  24. Kinglyam
    True, some of it is currently elevated. This proposal basically doubles the elevated portion through downtown, which currently ends at Providence Street. And UHD is probably having a crapfest right now, since this just wiped out their entire expansion plan. https://www.uhd.edu/about/news/Pages/University-of-Houston-Downtown-Receives-Approval-for-Expansion.aspx
  25. Kinglyam
    Perhaps the highest point will be, but without vertical scale on the drawings we have, we don't know how brief. What isn't in question is that there is a proposed elevated major interstate highway through the middle of the 4th-largest city in the USA. Whether it's 60 feet or 20 feet, it's still going to be an eyesore and loud as hell.
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