MarathonMan

IMHO — Downtown wins the decade.  Hands down!

46 minutes ago, CaptainJilliams said:

I can't tell if it's for The Post Oak Blvd project or for McNair, but there is movement on the site.

 

I saw construction equipment moving around dirt, there are some pretty sizable mounds near the road. 

I believe the McNair project starts after Post Oak is complete on the south end.  What’s there now is staging for the Post Oak project.

I think it’s hilarious how Hanover  is showing GID how it’s done!  Seems like GID has been caught completely flat-footed.

Looks nice, but it’s downsized from the previous renderings, yes?

2 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

Thanks @bobruss @houstontexasjack,  made edits to reflect the correct location.

The address is on Calumet Street, not Camulet Street.

4 hours ago, InTheLoopFromNYC said:

Not sure if a joke or not, but unfortunately, the "grandest" title isn't even close. Post Oak isn't bad and the decorative street elements (the arches, rings over the intersections, etc.) make it really stand out. It does  kind of remind me of a mini Wilshire Blvd in L.A. but a long way from matching the likes of 5th or Park Ave's or 57th st., for that matter, in NYC, Michigan Ave in Chicago, or the likes of the Las Vegas Strip or New Orlean's Bourbon St!

I would agree.  The “Grandest” boulevards in the US and world-wide have one thing in common.  They are pedestrian-friendly.  Even the Vegas Strip, while broad and congested, provides a decent pedestrian experience.  Broad sidewalks, a lot to see and do all the way along.  Grand boulevards aren’t lined with parking lots like Post Oak is (even the new BLVD Place stuck a parking lot roadside instead of hiding it — not a good look!).  The city could have used the current BRT project as an opportunity to also tie together all of the various developments along the street with an impressive and broad promenade along both sides.  From my view, though, the project is all about the traffic experience and designers ignored the pedestrian experience almost entirely. Post Oak may someday rival the grandest boulevards in the great cities of the world, but it will take a very looooooong time for that to happen, and a priority shift on the part of Houston.  Probably won’t see it in our lifetimes.

Also, can the title of this thread be change Do  to Zadok?  That’s the correct spelling.

3 minutes ago, Urbannizer said:

https://realtynewsreport.com/2019/05/29/zadok-to-develop-five-story-mxu-project-on-post-oak-blvd-wrecking-ball-to-strike-strip-center-built-by-gerald-d-hines/

Huh.  Underwhelming.

I’m incredibly excited to see this unfold!  I wonder what other developments Caydon will inspire. . .

1 hour ago, phillip_white said:

Either way, I'm just glad they're almost done. We've been waiting to use this plaza for almost a year now.

The sidewalk construction along Main Street is still ongoing. . . FOUR YEARS after this project broke ground.  Astounding!

25 minutes ago, Avossos said:

 

I see a construction trailer as well.........

The trailer has been there since they finished the mid-rise apartments.

4 hours ago, Nate99 said:

 

Would that perhaps be a design feature intentionally scaled the way it is to keep a car that has inadvertently (or otherwise) jumped the curb from getting through to the glass and further on to the tunnels below?  The planters would need to be thick enough to stop something heavy moving fast and the gap between them and the columns would need to be sufficiently narrow. 

I’d say the building columns would serve that purpose.  There is really no excuse for not opening up the sidewalks more to pedestrians — along Milan, especially (as pointed out above).

On 5/3/2019 at 9:07 PM, ekdrm2d1 said:

New view.

 

I ran by this building yesterday.  It’s quite beautiful.  And I really appreciate a tree-lined Street.  The giant tree boxes they installed along Capitol and Rusk (right side, above) are nice, but along Travis (left side, above) and Milan they block almost the entire sidewalk.  You can’t even walk two people abreast when going around them.  As a runner in Houston, it’s frustrating how little attention is paid to pedestrian traffic in this city — on a multitude of levels!

I love that The lights in this building are beginning to glow at night.  Its heart is finally beginning to beat.  Can’t wait for residents to bring it fully to life!

8 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Welcome to urban living.  Dense urban areas tend to have tall buildings built close to one another.  Although in this case, it's a little surprising they didn't put this tower on the southern end of their parcel and the hotel/apartment tower on the northern end.  I suppose they must have had a reason...

The key word here is “dense”.  Houston isn’t dense like New York.  Sure, if there are highrises all over the place, a developer can’t help but nestle his or her tall building up against another.  But c’mon, there are a myriad of opportunities to allow for a little breathing room between buildings here in Houston.  It just seems like an odd choice to me.

2 hours ago, EllenOlenska said:

It's especially odd when its near a bunch of empty lots. 

Very similar to the Hanover Montrose/La Colombe d’Or relationship.  A little too close for comfort.  It comes off as two towers invading each other’s personal space. . .

32 minutes ago, CaptainJilliams said:

I can't imagine they'd demo a property and not having something planned to go up in its place, especially right along the new Post Oak Blvd.

I’d have to disagree.  It seems quite common in Houston to demo buildings and then sit on vacant land without developing immediately.  I assume developers do it for tax purposes.

2 minutes ago, richfish said:

Pretty much all the traffic at those restaurants has to be vistors. Not many locals want to deal with the mall to have an average dinner I feel. 

I thought the same thing.  The Galleria is the last place I would want to go for a nice meal.  Getting in and out is such a hassle.

48 minutes ago, hindesky said:

Now I'm confused but it was this part of Memorial I circled in red,( not sure how far back they demoed) so it might be Alexan Memorial because the side street is Sandman but the topic I but it on mentions Bayou Park Apartments which were demolished.

Yes, this is the Alexan development, just west of Shepherd.  The Nitya Capital acquisition (& site of future tower) will be at the Bayou Park Apartments, which is just east of Shepherd — actually just east of St. Thomas H.S.

1 hour ago, Timoric said:

Question: does Rice have an unusually large campus for such a small enrollment? Obviously the stadium is over-kill, but isn't Rice smaller than some Texas high schools and has all these buildings

At 7000+ undergraduate and postgraduate enrollment combined, plus almost 700 academic faculty and 2000+ administrative staff, I’d say Rice is significantly larger than any high school in Texas.  But, compared to other universities at its level, yes, it is on the small side.

7 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

Anyone else thinks this one is moving pretty slowly? It’s the same developer as Dolce Midtown so I wouldn’t be surprised if this takes 5 years to finish.

Seems to me like the start always takes a looooong time when subterranean levels are involved.  That said, your second sentence speaks volumes.  It may progress at a snail’s pace from start to finish.  We’ll know quickly once they Get above-ground.

15 minutes ago, cspwal said:

 

Why is downtown an Opportunity zone? I'm all for more investment downtown, but it's not exactly a "lower-income area"

Could the true “Opportunity” in Opportunity Zone  refer to the windfall extended to real estate developers by our real estate developer President?  Conflict of interest?  Or mere coincidence?  You decide.  Regardless, I’m glad Hines is stepping forward to help lift Market Square out of its depression.

Caydon is using glass on its balconies just up the street.  More expensive, maybe, but sooooooooo much nicer!

56 minutes ago, ekdrm2d1 said:

 

I think this building could look very nice. . . But I have to say the white metal railings on the balconies really cheapen the look, and they’ll disrupt the views from the units.

With the exception of Marlowe downtown, every RD project had been a complete departure from the initial rendering.  The Allen is a beautiful mixed-use development In the marketing material. . . I fear it will end up a half-stucco disappointment like Arabella and Astoria before all is said and done.  But who knows, maybe Mr Davis has turned a corner.  We’ll see.