MarathonMan

1 hour ago, gene said:

can they powerwash the westin hotels and the facade of the galleria as part of those renovations?! doh! 

I second that motion!  the Galleria is just plain UGLY on the outside.

Excavating crews busy on-site today.  Demo was complete last week, so this is a good sign that they're beginning the construction phase.  Fingers crossed!

Demo keeps progressing... over half way gone!  Nice little pit dug in the NW corner, too.

6 hours ago, jmitch94 said:

 

Im hoping that the park on the super block can be a mini Discovery Green, a sort of catalyst for the area. 

I don't think this area needs much of a catalyst... It seems to be doing just fine on it's own.  But the park will be a great addition!

I'm certainly not a structural expert, but the columns on this garage don't look substantial enough to support a 38 story tower. Is the tower still part of the long-term plan for this project?

Backhoe is on site and demo has started! :-)

At this pace, demo should be complete by 2018...

Very nice!

Wow!  Arabella seems awfully close to Skyhouse!

On September 15, 2016 at 11:39 AM, Houston19514 said:

As of 2nd quarter, 2016, downtown has a 56.2% occupancy rate.  207 new units were delivered during the second quarter.  Net absorption was 142 units.  FWIW, downtown has, by far, the lowest occupancy of all the submarkets in the Houston metro.  The metro-wide occupancy rate is 89.7%   I think the downtown submarket has a great future, but there is little doubt there will be a glut of apartments in the short term.

 

The "Central Houston" market (downtown, Montrose/Museum/Midtown, Heights/Wash Ave., HIghland Village/Upper Kirby/West U, and Med Center/Braes Bayou) had a 78.4% occupancy rate.  1,404 new units delivered during the quarter, with 732 units net absorption.

Could it be that the low downtown occupancy rates are misleading?  With so few established units downtown, the initial high vacancy in newly-delivered properties will significantly decrease the occupancy rate for the sub market, as those new units make up a significant chunk of the overall inventory.  In a different sub market, where there are already many more thousands of established units, new deliveries of a few hundred units won't impact overall vacancy rates much.

12 hours ago, Sellanious Caesar said:

^ Does this mean that they've announced yet another new tower that they'll build after they finish the 25 story children's hospital tower? If this is another new tower, where will they put it? The area seems built out to the max.

 

Or is this the same tower as the one under construction in this thread?

 

thnx urb. 

 

 

No.  They're adding 19 floors to an existing building.  It'll add up to 25 floors total.

Hanover does it right.  This is a beautiful development!

2 hours ago, Yoda said:

 

This building is going to be beautiful!  I love the fact that the parking is hidden.

The port-a-potties have been there for months. The site has been stagnant, save the Damian's Cucina Italiana trucks that park there, since Rosalie St. was closed.

1 hour ago, temp said:

Seems like the ground floor would be perfect for a coffee shop or bar, especially with the large trees providing shade for a small patio.

Agreed!  Weights and Measures, Thien An Sandwiches are close to this block and do very well.  A well-managed coffee shop and/or other business could do very well here, especially with the continued residential development in the vacinity.  It seems like not adding retail is a lost opportunity.

McGowan, in general, could be a nice little retail business strip if people give it a chance.

On a side note, the pool seems I'll-placed on the north side...

On October 7, 2015 at 9:30 PM, Dakota79 said:

Looks like they lopped off top part of the Monticello and plunked it on a box.

Ugh!  Is it really too difficult to design a parking podium that enhances, or at least blends with, the rest of the building?  

7 minutes ago, UtterlyUrban said:

I'm waiting on the tree.

Based on the rendering, isn't there a structural element to go above the top full floor?  Would that postpone any tree ceremony?

2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

 

 

FWIW, that March newsletter never mentions a November start.  It says "later this year."

I don't really care to quibble over semantics.  There was a publication that specifically mentioned a November start date, but after a quick search I couldn't find it.  But, yes, technically you are correct.  It doesn't mention November in the link I posted.

10 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

Link to the March article?

 

In any case, another example of sloppy journalism from the Chron.

8 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

Hmmm... the opening paragraph says construction will start in January and then it quotes the developer as saying construction will commence in November...

November was the start time the developer mentioned in an article published in March.  January is the updated start time, as stated in the July publication.

3 hours ago, htownproud said:

I'm sure we all want the new building built, but let's not kick a gift horse in the mouth.  Chevron is the only major that has remained downtown.  Two weeks ago they announced they were closing facilities father out to concentrate their employees downtown.  Be happy they didn't do the opposite and move people farther out, like every other company in Houston is doing.  

Is it a tax issue that's driving large corporations out of downtown?  Or, do they just not like the downtown environment?

28 minutes ago, Houston? said:

What's under construction on the top right block in the second pic?

HSPVA

American Liberty Hospitality.  Aren't they the folks who just put up the Hampton Inn/Homewood Suites downtown?  Should be interesting to see how this project looks when complete!