MarathonMan

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/31/business/tax-opportunity-zones.html

Houston made the N.Y. Times with the Texas Tower project as part of the “Opportunity Zone” tax incentive program the Trump administration instigated.  I wonder how many Trump or Kushner developments will benefit from this program??

EDIT:  The Preston is part of the Opportunity Zone incentive, not Texas Tower.

2 hours ago, bobruss said:

So does the patient still have a pulse, or can it be resuscitated?

I thought the developer was going through with the project even though the variance request was denied.  There would be design changes, but the project would move forward, yes?

2 hours ago, bobruss said:

WE are not alone in this epidemic of street people and there are a lot of cities that are having to cope with this very same problem.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there that should probably be receiving mental health treatment but you can't force them and most don't want the help. 

There are also a good many that are addicted to drugs, and alcohol. Our health services especially the emergency fire and ambulance personnel are heavily burdened and often 

returning to pick up the same person who has just been released from a hospital only to be in need again. A lot of this has to do with the changing of the mental health laws that put many of these people back on the streets. Unfortunately no-one has seemed to come up with a solution that's equitable for all. 

I apologize because we’re getting off topic here.  But I will add in just this one comment on what is an important side topic.  I have traveled to Japan — most recently in late ‘18 — and see a very different picture.  I have been all over that city and beyond.  All kinds of neighborhoods.  Rich, poor, touristy and local.  I don’t remember seeing ANY homeless people.  The sidewalks are clean.  Their streets are safe (so safe, in fact, that people park their bikes on the sidewalk and don’t lock them).  I’m guessing that Japan has its share of poor, mentally ill people.  What are they doing differently to help these people so that they don’t live in filth on the streets, turn to drugs and resort to petty theft for money?  Maybe the answer to the homeless problem at home has already been answered. Maybe we just need to study and adopt best-practices from others.  Just a thought.  

8 hours ago, Brandon55 said:

ah I'm on the fence.  on one hand  , there are people  who need help. On the other  many of them at that area are not homeless. . . Drug dealers mix into the groups. . .

Yes, for all it’s progress,  Midtown still has a healthy population of drug dealers that prey on the homeless.  However, if our community finds a way to successfully treat the homeless and get them off the street, the drug pushers would likely disappear, too.

4 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

Maybe the lighting is not yet fully installed?

I’m hoping that’s the case...

I love almost everything about this building, but I still don’t like that the lighting on the north face doesn’t extend all the way down to the pool level.  In the rendering on Caydon’s website, it looks like that was the plan.  Maybe it was a budget cut?

2 hours ago, CaptainJilliams said:

Wow, just blinked and now the facade looks like it's almost done on one side. Agreed, looking much better than I thought it would. 

I agree.  It looks nice.  But I still think the light brick on bottom doesn’t go with the red brick above.  A larger, smooth limestone brick would have been better.

7 minutes ago, Texasota said:

I like walking directly into trees.

LOL!  I was thinking the same thing.  Why, oh why, do trees and poles wind up in the middle of the sidewalk???  Here and elsewhere. First, in this case the sidewalks aren’t wide enough to justify planting a tree right in the middle of the walkway.  Second, when these trees grow larger in a few years, you won’t be able to walk in a straight line down the sidewalk.  The staggered trees will force single-file lines of people weaving back and forth.  Super smart!  

Between the “Long Term” notation, the developer being TBD and the architect being TBD, I’d guess this one is a looooooong way off, if it ever comes to fruition at all. . .

1 hour ago, danielsonr said:

Interesting perspective. I assume this is from the scaffolding on St. Paul's bell tower?

I think this is the scaffolding on the MFAH site.  Northeast corner along Main St.

I assume this will be a mat foundation, so they’ll probably be digging a lot deeper.  Yes?

2 hours ago, X.R. said:

Also, it seemed like they already had stuff in the lot in front of the building, where it’s fenced off. Tools and stuff from the current building or are they starting right away after everything is online with the apartments? Either way, very cool.

I think they’re planning to start the next phase at the first of the year.  Maybe they’ll demo the art supply building before that, but I’d guess they want a little time buffer to let Drewery Place grow roots before they start disrupting the neighborhood with new construction.

3 hours ago, Texasota said:

Wasn't up to the city. This is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so it's historic-ness was determined by the Texas Historical Commission (and the feds agreed.)

 

 

Is there some private entity that has to request that a building be deemed historically significant and, thus, protected?  Or, does the Texas Historical Commission move on its own?

I saw on Emporis today that they list the construction cost of some, but not all, developments. 3300 Main comes in at $70M, The Driscoll is listed at $150M, and Drewery Place a whopping $200M!  Just by looking at it, it is easy to tell that Drewery Place is high-quality, but WOW!  Two questions to those who are well-versed on high-rise construction:  (1) How reliable are the numbers on Emporis? and (2) Is there really that much of a range in construction cost for similar-sized buildings?  If the answer is yes, I’m a little scared at what the final product at 3300 Main will look like!

On 7/1/2019 at 3:53 PM, thedistrict84 said:

 

Huh. I thought we were expecting an official groundbreaking this year? And a 20 year build-out for all phases is also longer than initially suggested.

 

I understand that projects of this scale are hard to fully predict, but the fact that these dates and numbers are changing this early is a tad bit concerning.

A 20 year build-out seems reasonable if you compare East River to City Center.  They’re still expanding City Center, and it has been operational for many years.  I’m guessing East River will be similar.  It will exist and be functioning well before the 20 year time frame.  It will just continue to grow in scale year-by-year.  From a business standpoint it makes sense.  Grow slowly, invest slowly, and start generating revenue sooner.

6 hours ago, mollusk said:

Hmmmm... looks like Hines, at least, thinks One Market Square is still a thing (albeit a ghostier thing than the existing buildings).

Market Square Tower looks pretty ghostly, too.  I think One Market Square is an inevitability.  It’s just a matter of “When?”

1 hour ago, Triton said:

 

I'd rather not have a bright light shining into my bedroom.

I don’t disagree.  I just think the lighting scheme in the picture looks unfinished.  If you’re going to have the light shining into the upper floors, why not the lower?

On 7/3/2019 at 4:34 PM, Brooklyn173 said:

Here's a crappy picture of those lights. Really nice detail.

 

Is it just me, or does it look strange that the lights don’t extend down the length of the tower?  Do you think they will, eventually, extend all the way down?

1 hour ago, Brooklyn173 said:

I'm a neighbor and I love what they've done. My concern though is that the phase II towers may block this building (and its pool etc). But I'm hopeful that they know what they are doing.

I’ve wondered the same thing.  To put four towers on the two blocks north of this building will definitely impact the views. . . The question is, how much?

LOL!  It’s good to dream. 🤣

On 7/1/2019 at 11:42 AM, urbanize713 said:

 

Agreed and NYC which is known for ground floor retail everywhere just built a high end Galleria type mall at Sawyer yards. In my opinion, Galleria will be around for many more decades. 

Unlike the Galleria, though, Sawyer yards incorporates both indoor and outdoor space, and the two interact well with each other.  The Galleria gives the public zero exterior experience.  Sawyer Yards is far beyond the Galleria in terms of overall scope.