firstngoal

Sorry, but you are wrong about that. San Francisco had actually been awarded the Super Bowl, but when it became clear that they would not get their new stadium built in time (and the owner became involved in a huge scandal), the NFL basically took the game away from SF and awarded it to San Diego. You are right though about San Diego, where I was living at the time... they got the re-award since they had done a good job in '98 and they could pull it off again with relatively short notice. San Diego is an awesome sight for the Super Bowl... period. Houston did a terrific job in 2004. It will be very difficult to get on any rotation though when you are competing with other cities that have better hotel facilities and natural amenities - and that are basically built around the tourist trade. That's not Houston bashing... just a fact. I doubt you'll see the NFL hit Detroit (after this year) any time soon either.

I understand your frustration. When the writer talks about how New Orleans residents "bemoan" Houston, that is outright rude.... and untrue. I don't know who she is hanging around with, but it my experience that our neighbors and friends from New Orleans are thankful for Houston - and frankly I've always been thankful that New Orleans was our unique, fun, and quirky neighbor to the east. She (the writer) is clearly aloof and arrogant... sure, I understand her sentiments about New Orleans, but she could have written that article without slamming our town. It is downright tacky to slam a city that has come to the aid of hundreds of thousands of people - whether you like it or not.

I think it looks pretty pleasant... barren would be, ummm, Tuscon.

I'm with you... the new project looks fantastic! It will add a great new amenity on Texas Avenue - and a strong link between some of the attractions on Main Street and Minute Maid Park. And as much as I've read of people complaining about different new projects on this website, I'm surprised more people haven't noticed this small, but important, project. It's initiatives like this that will greatly improve the livability of downtown Houston... not a W Hotel or the latest trendy project that might be cropping up in another city. I'd sooner live near quality green space in a safe downtown area than be near the fashinistas at the latest martini bar. Kudos to Christ Church for being good neighbors and making the downtown core better!

I don't work Downtown, but happened to be there this evening and noticed that there was a construction fence around the perimeter of the block (across Texas from the Federal Detention Center). Does anyone know what is going up on this important block? Thanks in advance.

No, there are not a ton of people who would disagree simply because its a Dallas project. Please don't start that. The Victory project is better... its much larger in scale, has better financial backing, and represents a great textbook example of new multi-use development in an American city. While I am hopeful that Pavilions will work, it is just a slightly different variation of what has already been done in many other places... nothing groundbreaking or innovative. It will be interesting to see how each project is embraced (or not). And, again, lets not get on the Dallas vs. Houston issue... please keep comments directly related to a comparison of the two projects. Thanks!!

The two companies that own Pennzoil and Heritage Plaza are building parking garages - not because the parking garage market is ripe - but because the assets they own downtown are severely "underparked". Almost to a building, the large office buildings downtown that are the poorest performers (regarding occupancies, rents, etc...) are chronically underparked. Pennzoil Place, Heritage Plaza, Wells Fargo Plaza, and the old Enron Building each have major parking issues... and have among the lowest - if not the lowest -occupancy levels in the CBD. For these buildings to start being competitive - in a CBD market that is struggling with 81% occupancy overall (thanks again, Enron!) - they must have convenient, well-designed parking facilities. Essentially, these new garages have nothing to do with what is good for the CBD or a choice between surface parking or structured facilities - they are further investments by property owners to improve the performance - and, thus, the value - of their assets.

Whatever... I can't believe how narrow the focus is here. Take a look at the Texas Medical Center and you will see MANY projects that are being designed and developed with a complete focus on immediate access to the METRORail system. Last time I researched it (last week), I counted seven projects under construction (totaling over $1.1 billion!) along a 1 1/2 mile stretch of the rail corridor in the TMC (two for Memorial Hermann, one for Methodist, one for Prairie View A&M, one for St. Luke's, one for Texas Women's, one multi-use project being constructed by METRO and Transwestern)... with designs that focus on the rail. You know... retail at the base, hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space, new hotel and conference facilities... as well as parking facilities. I also count two major apartment complexes (over 250 units each) that have opened within immediate walking distance of light rail stations since the line was initiated in 2004. One near the Ensemble Station and one near the Smith Land's station. This does not include many townhome communities that have also been built. And I know first hand that this is the tip of the iceberg.... I grant you that Downtown/Midtown development along the rail corridor has been slow, but market conditions (for all types of real estate) in these areas has been tepid over the past few years. In case no one has checked, the Houston apartment market got severely overbuilt between '02 and '04, so, as a result, their have been much fewer announced new projects along the rail. When market conditions warrant, you will definitely see the type of development we are all awaiting. It will take a little time though. And, while I am at it, it also took Dallas a few years to start their transit oriented developments after DART initiated light rail... their first line opened in '96... Mockingbird Station didn't open until '00. Give Houston a chance... it is on the right track. The folks at Hines are building this garage to make their property (Pennzoil Place) more competitive and ultimately strengthen leasing (and the downtown office market). The fact that they are incorporating retail along Main Street is a gain... and is better than the dilapidated and abandoned building that was there before. I think if people research redeveloped downtown areas across the country that have light rail - including such planning oriented cities as Portland and San Diego - you will find that parking garages are a vital component to the whole success of downtown. Of course, so is housing and retail... which you will see in years to come.

What is with the stereotype of the "blue collared oil business"?? Last time I check, the energy labor pool consists of educated engineers, geologists, computer specialists, accountants, etc... Not much wild-catting activity takes place in Texas anymore. The brains and the money to access the resources (on a global scale) are here - but much of the production takes place in other regions. Energy is predominantly "white-collared"... period. Houston is an undisputed leader in medical care (Texas Medical Center) and aerospace (NASA). It dominates the increasingly sophisticated energy sector. It has one of the largest ports in the world. The city's economy and population continue to grow at very healthy levels. Houston's prominence only continues to grow. Just because Foley's is being merged into Macy's means nothing as far as Houston's prominence (Marshall Field's is losing jobs and its name, too... I don't think anyone is questioning whether that means Chicago is losing prominence). Its just part of a national trend.

I like the fact that Dallas is focusing back on its central business district... and are bringing world-renowned architects to work on projects throughout the urban core. They have a who's who of major architects who have recently designed bridges, arts complexes, condos, etc.... all about to be showcased on the skyline soon. Hate to say this, but Houston stands to get way overtaken on the architectural front if local developers continue to limit themselves to hometown architects... Back to what I like about Dallas... transit-oriented development, DART, commuter rail, the ambitious Trinity River plan, the urbanity of Uptown, the West Village, and the incredible Nasher Sculpture Garden. Oh, and I really love how Dallas illuminates many of its major buildings at night. I also think that downtown Fort Worth is probably the best example of downtown redevelopment in Texas... lots of new office space (really like the new Pier 1 headquarters), movie theaters, bookstores, restaurants, shops, lofts - its all there. And the city's planners are creating a wonderful arts district (the Modern is fantastic)... and they, like Dallas, also have a wonderful plan for the Trinity River (including developing a white-water rapid kayak course). Dallas - Ft. Worth is really doing some great things... I can only hope that it will help open up the eyes of our local leaders here. Hey Mayor White- I like you a lot - but our city's lack of a creative vision is slowly but surely making Houston, well, boring.

Let us know where you end up Hellraiser... you'll be interesting to follow. I support you experiencing new places and taking in new things. It is a great exercise to experience the world - or even just the USA. I will only add that if you are going to run from the issues here, I think you will find many of the same issues around the good old USA. We may think we sprawl and that traffic is bad... blah, blah, blah... and that Seattle (for example) has cooler mixed-use projects and they know good coffee and they have better bands, etc, etc... but I think you will find most of the same issues impact that town too - the trees are being removed to make way for rooftops and shopping centers... and the houses climb up the sides of the mountains and the traffic is horrendous - and its all the fault of the new people (they blame the Californians, for example). Vastly different environment - but many of the same issues. Be forewarned. Enjoy your new experiences and hopefully you will find a place - whether it be urban or not - that speaks to you. Good luck - and happy trails!

Well, I took a look at this, and I know it sounds defensive, but I think they are really overly harsh with Houston. I will be writing them about their methodology... and what appears to be some major misperceptions with our town. For example - they complain that only 6% of our population takes public transportation - do you guys know that replicates the ridership level in the always-praised Portland, Oregon? We get an N/A on knowledge-base... excuse me, but with NASA, the Texas Medical Center (the largest of its kind in the world), engineering and architecture firms galore, headquarter operations for 22 Fortune 500 companies, etc... we aren't a bunch of dummies. Furthermore, we have a mayor in office who has shown a lot of attention to issues such as quality of life and environmental protection... but none of this is mentioned. Just freeways and oil, in their eyes... interesting that LA ranks so much higher but has very similar characteristics with Houston. Anyway, their research on Houston seemed really lacking - and based much on opinion and heresay. Detroit more economically sustainable than Houston? - yeah, right. C'mon - almost every measure of economic performance proves that wrong! Houston's not perfect by any means, but I am really tired of the bashing.

Ok, I guess I believe you in your earlier post when you say that you once lived in a Perry Home - but with such strong emotions in this entry - it really makes me wonder why you bought a Perry to begin with... when did you have your epiphany? I live in a Perry Home - and I completely agree with what was mentioned earlier by MidtownCoog. I could not afford some of the other options out there, yet I've been very happy with my purchase. I have a great floorplan, garage off an alley, front door facing the street. My elevations are faced with brick, my energy bills are reasonable, I have wonderful neighbors, and I love the area I am in. My home rose on what was once a surface parking lot (yeah, how nice is that?)... and Perry actually planted street trees, in tandem with Trees for Houston, around the entire periphery of the development. Any issues I've had were quickly addressed by Perry - and at the end of the day - I'm happy with my purchase. I'm actively involved in my surrounding community association - and participate in neighborhood clean-ups all the time. Many of you can rant and complain about Perry Homes (or Houston) - but I really wonder how attuned some of these voices are. My best friend (from Boston) comes to Houston all the time - and loves it (just like I love Boston). She is very envious that I have a nice place to call my own. She actually makes more than me - and lives in a decripit place that needs a lot of TLC. It costs over half a million dollars, folks - and she is 30 minutes from downtown Boston.... and she is trapped. She can't afford to move up - and is considering getting roommates to help with the payments - and improvements. Its all a matter of perspective... Perry is simply responding to the market. They put out a product I bought into (and I take offense to people "feeling sorry for me" - how rude and condescending!) and I am happy with. Whether we like it or not, that is life in America (and Houston) in the 21st century. And if you think Perry gives Houston a bad image, you are way off track. Its our billboard-lined freeways and poor attention to cleanliness that really sets us back. My Perry home isn't the first thing that a visitor to Houston will see - or will ever see. Think about it.

No, you are not the only that thinks this. Of course, there are many people here that appreciate Boston. Its a great American city. Boston was initially laid out almost 300 year ago and was developed at a time without cars, strip centers, or skyscrapers. Its very dense... and reflects a different time. Houston was almost entirely developed in the 20th century... and has development patterns which reflect that. Perhaps this guy's friends just prefer a city like Houston, while others here would prefer a city like Boston. They are very different - with each having their own attributes and weaknesses. While I love the charm of Boston, it is incredibly expensive to live there... and I'm not a big fan of winter. So for me, Houston's warmth and affordability (and I live in a charming area) make it a great place to live.

I'm all for the medians... and I'm tired of the belly-aching about how it will hurt businesses. Shut up, already! If these businesses had their way, Kirby would be 100% concrete - no differentiation between curbs, sidewalks, turn lanes... just a total free for all where you can turn into any business at any time. Enough of this poor planning, I say! I lived in California where they strictly prohibited the number of curb cuts (for entrances into businesses) and are big believers in medians. Works great out there and the last time I checked businesses weren't dying on the vine. Kirby is a stellar location that traverses through some of the most demographically compelling areas of the city. More medians will not change that... and may even make it a safer and more desirable location for a business. The Houston business community could stand to open up their eyes and learn a few things (and close their mouths!).

In the high-rise condo race, the Orion and the Redstone jumped into the lead with better locations and pre-sales. Those projects are a go... but I'm afraid the depth of the luxury condo market is only so deep... so projects like the Monaco (and others) just won't happen.

I'm not defending one city or the other... I just like for people to stick to the facts. Yakuza is exactly right - you can't go off of total numbers for a meaningful comparison of the two cities... you have to go by crimes per 100,000 people to do an apples-to-apples comparison between any two cities. If you have questions about Houston, www.houston.org (the Greater Houston Partnership - not the Houston Chamber ) has a ton of statistics available - as well as lots of general information on the metro area. There are many things in Dallas that should be examples for Houston (such as Uptown, Mockingbird Station, DART, commuter rail, etc...); meanwhile, Dallas could learn a lot from Houston, too (Convention center hotel, Houston-Harris County Sports Authority, downtown rejuvenation, the Uptown District)... I'm glad we share the same state and we can enjoy each. I, btw, also lived in Dallas for a few years - in Deep Ellum. After being there this past week, I was heartened to see the development in Uptown, but discouraged to see what was happening in my old digs in D.E. A lot of the businesses I once frequented are long gone... lots of abandoned store fronts. Houston's "entertainment district" would be wise to use it as an example of what can happen if you let crime - or the perception of it - infiltrate an area... While we may bicker back and forth about the two, unfortunately, people in other parts of the U.S. are reading stories like the following (from the New York Times). December 20, 2004 The Heady Days of J. R. and Landry Are History in Humbled Dallas By RALPH BLUMENTHAL DALLAS, Dec. 15 - The losing Cowboys are fixing to defect again, the police chief and city manager were shown the door, a 350-pound gorilla made his own grand exit, and the hometown daily, former employer of the ex-reporter now ensconced in City Hall, is pinning Pulitzer Prize hopes on a pitiless expos

I disagree - I think it speaks volumes. The "experts" I mention are people I work with on a daily basis - and respect.

I seriously doubt they will make Austin... or Texas look bad. That show has been on for years... and when have they ever made any place look bad? C'mon, they made New Orleans look great... They didn't choose Austin to belittle it - they did it because they thought it was a compelling and different place that has a lot of appeal to young adults. My impression is that they always show great parts of the city, nice aerial views, and some highlights of the local nightlife. Austin was a good choice (sunsets at the Oasis, nightlife on 6th Street, an emerging downtown residential/retail scene, a vibrant high-tech community, etc...). I think Austin should be a good reflection of Texas (good and bad) - and I think the Real World will be more than fair.

What the...? I didn't make that up... it's true! Why would you say I "make stuff up for the internet"? What do you base that on, my friend?? Are you familiar with the history of Hermann Park? I've been a member of the Friends of Hermann Park (now the Hermann Park Conservancy) for over six years and have served on the Advisory Board for three years. I know the park's history intimately... and would have no reason to "make stuff up." I've spent countless hours over the years volunteering to clean and maintain the park. I walked through areas a few years back, off Almeda Rd. in fact (since you are clearly into details), where we found used syringes, abandoned appliances, human waste, among other items that are more disgusting than you could imagine. As McGovern Lake was drained, cleaned, expanded, and enhanced, we found some of those same items. A decade ago, park conditions were filthy, overcrowded, poorly maintained, and simply an embarrassment to the name of those people who had the foresight to set aside this greenspace early in the twentieth century. Would you not define that as a problem??? I pointed out the park's current status to illustrate its remarkable turnaround - in a relatively short amount of time.

I appreciate your perspective... and actually think you are right on most counts. I would mention; however, that Hermann Park is a real gem of a park and is easily accessible from three different light rail stations. It deserves some praise - as much as the knocking of some of our more aesthetically challenged areas. Hermann Park reflects the change in course of this city over the past five to seven years. That park used to be a real problem (and not so long ago) and certainly was not one of our proudest public spaces. Today, Hermann Park has a totally new face with much improved facilities. It incorporates some of the best principles of civic design of any park I've seen in the nation - whether it be in the newly finished reflection pool to the reconfigured and landscaped thoroughfares. Being able to hop off the light rail now and walk into Hermann Park in one direction or the beautiful grounds (and architecture) of Rice University in the other is something rather unique... particularly in the auto-dominated Sunbelt. Whichever direction you choose, you can experience some fine green spaces of good size... I am with you that some of other spaces need improvement - particularly the bayou system. But that is changing, too... there are many projects along the banks either currently under development or on the drawing boards. Houston City Council recently passed an impressive master plan for Memorial Park. Sure, I think we all agree that our parks and green spaces need work - and do not rank with New York or Chicago or Boston (yet). But give the city some time (like any great city)... we are definitely headed in the right direction...

The most current numbers in the Houston area reflect 1.5% job growth over the past twelve months, or approximately 30,000 new jobs. Employment in the Houston area is now roughly equivalent to the all-time high and the city is in the top 10 in the U.S. among major employment growth markets. Unemployment rates here are statistically very close to what is being experienced in both Texas and the U.S. Reducing the number of billboards in our city will not have an impact on our unemployment rate. Period. Sorry - but I have little concern for an industry that cares little about Houston's image or quality-of-life. Clear Channel, Viacom, Lamar - it doesn't matter - they are all greedy corporations based elsewhere who could give a flying **** about the place I call home. But you know, they are totally taking advantage of the rules as they now apply, so who can blame them. We all know corporate America is far more concerned about the bottom-line than benevolence. I am in complete agreement that we need to come up with a compromise on billboards. Limit their placement, limit their height (!), limit their overall number, and limit their content... and I'll be happy. Yes, I said content. For example, do we really want to promote hard alcohol while people are driving??? The last thing I will add is this... I work in Boston regularly. Our office there has collected pictures of places all across America... Seattle - the Space Needle; San Antonio - the Alamo, Chicago - Wrigley Field, you get the point. What represented Houston in that office?? A picture of a huge billboard over an interstate advertising vasectomy reversals!!!! If people don't think that reflects an image problem for our town, I don't know what does. I insisted they replace it with a cool photo of our skyline... and they obliged. However, that (vasectomy) image will be forever ingrained in their psyche when they think of Houston.

The "hot" argument is completely overblown. Its hot in Miami, New Orleans, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta, Phoenix, etc... and they all have examples of walkable outdoor shopping environments. Citykid is right... if something is designed with sensitivity and properly for the climate, it'll work. Its interesting to note that the new additions to The Woodlands Mall and Market Street are pedestrian-oriented and completely open to the elements. I work on Post Oak - a block from Westheimer. I walk across the intersection all the time... however, you are right on that front, Midtown. Uptown Houston should really concentrate on improving the pedestrian environment in the TIRZ... the sidewalks in the area are ridiculously narrow... might as well be cow-paths. Galleria 5? I don't think it is really necessary, although some of the suggestions listed are pretty good. I'd love to see a decent movie complex integrated into the project again... not the biggest fan of the Edward's projects. I don't like to pay to park (Greenway) and the one on I-10 is surrounded by difficult to navigate construction... movie theaters seem like such a natural in The Galleria.

They are not ready for release as there is still a lot of work to do... stay tuned. The site (the old mall) will be clear (except Neiman Marcus and Luby's) by 3/05. This will be a project to watch come to fruition over the next year...