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woolie

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Everything posted by woolie

  1. woolie
    Everyone likes tall buildings, but I'm really of the position that we need more midrise and small highrise structures downtown. The streetscape is so discontinuous, there are large parking lots even in the center of all the very tall highrises. I think we already have enough 40+ story buildings downtown, and I would be surprised if there is *ever* another 60+ story building in Houston. That era is over. In dream land, downtown would have more 6-10 story small office buildings, and apartment buildings of roughly the same size, clustering around the vast disused but LRT-adjacent areas. There are office buildings of this size strung along every freeway in town. I just wish more of them were in part of an urban fabric, not just bumps surrounded by gated employee parking. I suppose most of these were built in the 70s and 80s before the current "urban revival" around the country...... but I go to a place like the Memorial City development and think "If only this effort was used to build a real urban fabric, not just a thin veneer around a typical, totally controlled suburban development." I know it can be done, even in contemporary America -- Portland, modern Los Angeles... Also, as long as I'm in Sim City God Mode, I would demolish the Pierce Elevated. Anyway end rant.
  2. woolie
    It would take a couple years for a project announced tomorrow to have tenants move in.
  3. woolie
    I think alot of this is just the street grid being in alignment with the view.
  4. woolie
    I was too busy over the weekend, but maybe soon..
  5. woolie
    Enough people clicked "Like" that I'm tempted to actually do it. Aren't there some "Thai Massage" places just down the street along Shepard? Maybe they can move in... hahaha.
  6. woolie
    To answer the questionnaire posted above: 1. Yes, proximity to the Red Line was a very important factor in my decision of where to buy. This was true both when I was renting (farther South in midtown, near 59, about 2 blocks from the line) and now that I own (farther North, about 8 blocks from the line.) I work in the TMC and the parking situation there is just not acceptable (I do not get subsidized parking.) 2. Yes, I use the Red Line several times per week. Weather plays a factor. If it is horribly raining/unbearably hot, I might drive and park in the garage, but I try to limit this ($$). If it is a really nice day, I might ride my bike. The following are approximate door-to-door times. 1) Get dropped off: 8 min 2) Drive and park in garage: 15 min (but $$) 3) Ride my bike: 18 min 4) Dropped off at station and take train: 20 min 5) Walk to station and take train: 25 min 6) Drive and park off-site: 30 min 4, 5, 6 are the most common and about equally represented. As a practical consequence, my household is fine with a single car, and we've been a single car household for years at a time. Currently have two, and the second is very under used (but that's a different topic, mostly family related )
  7. woolie
    I think this weekend I will make some poster signs and go have a Pro-Ashby celebration on the sidewalk. I'll bring a video camera to get the license plates of people who yell obscene things at me.
  8. woolie
    I don't think I've ever been to Whole Foods, anywhere. It doesn't help that the CEO is insane. But I do go to Central Market maybe once a week or every two weeks for goodies. Regular shopping is at Disco Krogers or the new H-E-B... or the amazingly awesome Gulfgate H-E-B if I'm out that way getting stuff at Lowe's.
  9. woolie
    WALD
  10. woolie
    From the rendering looks to be the bland boiled cod of apartment buildings.
  11. woolie
    Untitled by wools, on Flickr Untitled by wools, on Flickr
  12. woolie
    Most large high-rise buildings have basements, and even sometimes sub-basements. But I have never seen a residence in Houston that has one. Even on HAR.
  13. woolie
    Anyway, it's going to remain hypotheticals for a while. It's still probably going to be several years before the seller's market is strong enough for me to be able to move again.
  14. woolie
    Well, allow me to be more specific. I like the area North of 45 more than the area South of 45. I was under the impression there was a big process to come up with "EaDo," as silly as it sounds. I'd be fine with calling the little discrete area between 59 and maybe Scott St. as "Warehouse District" instead of EaDo. But I thought people wanted to distinguish it from both "3rd Ward" (or what most people consider 3rd Ward) and the "East End."
  15. woolie
    They are making good progress. I just noticed it for the first time the other day as I came off the freeway during the day. It gets dark so early in DST that I hadn't seen it until now
  16. woolie
    I'd prefer EaDo to 3rd Ward (just prefer the warehouse chic aesthetic), but this is kindof interesting... http://www.loopnet.c...0923&StepID=101 There's also a little brick commercial building near my current house that seems to have just put a sign up recently (Chenevert at Dennis). I don't see it on HAR or LoopNet -- it's just a phone # on the sign. Although probably too expensive -- it is a little on the big side and it seems people are asking something like $50 sf for land in midtown. I just checked on HCAD and it's a 6000 sf building on a 7500 sf lot, although the appraisal is only 260k...
  17. woolie
    What's going up behind the Texaco. Something for the veterans housing? Reinforced concrete... Looks pretty substantial.
  18. woolie
    Baldwin park is nice, but I think it is a little too "plain." My favorite "open spaces" in the city that I use on a regular basis: Rice University student center, near the middle of campus The renovated area in the middle of Hermann park (cafe/pond/train area) Discovery Green I guess more "Union square" than "Memorial park." Part of the urban fabric, not just a patch of grass with a playground and softball field.
  19. woolie
    I walk to that rail stop and use it all the time -- in fact, today. I cry a little on the inside every time I look across at the giant empty super block. Very excited to see this; hopefully this and the new Arts complex are "real."
  20. woolie
    UrbanLiving put up a sign at Jackson & Drew. Any details? Nothing on their site yet. The block is about 50% filled in with townhomes, and 50% empty. I suppose this is a 3 or 4 townhouse development that will fill in half the remaining empty space.
  21. woolie
    Sounds great! Been waiting a while for development to pick up again in East Midtown...
  22. woolie
    Thanks for the info, Niche. I was hoping you'd respond. I was on LoopNet last night, looking 77003 -- I'll check out Commgate too. I saw a couple reasonable metal structures, but nothing masonry under 10k sf that was appealing. I drove around the area some more today, and it's really come a long way since the last time I was over there (I used to hang out a bit at some of the artists's warehouses in this area.) Here is a question for you, though. LoopNet only shows about 1/3rd of the listings without a subscription... I suppose I'm only seeing listings that have paid an extra fee to be "public"? Should I get an account for a couple months to get a better idea of the market? Maybe when I'm ready to sell this house I'll look up the current 1121 Delano owners on HCAD and make an unsolicited offer
  23. woolie
    I suppose I will be googling 'concrete house construction' all week
  24. woolie
    Haven't been on HAIF in a while, but thought I'd make a post. My wife and I were poking around HAR this weekend and came across this -- http://search.har.co..._HAR1804034.htm It's a ~4700sf renovated warehouse in really cool looking part of EaDo (drove by it earlier today.) The selling feature is the basically featureless and windowless exterior, but the glass atrium the interior revolves around. Wide open hard-loft spaces, exposed trusses, concrete floors. Also, the 4 car garage and workshop attached (hobby areas...) We've done the 3-story town house thing for about 4 years now and while we really like it, there has been a little "single story curiousity." But hadn't even realized this type of space existed until both of our mouths were agape viewing the listing. A little sad that we were just looking -- would have to sell our current house first. Looks like it was only on the market a week before it went "option pending." Anyway, has anyone ever lived in a warehouse space like this? Would it be possible (not prohibitively expensive) to build this type of simple ~4k sf concrete block structure on our own lot? I suppose I should look up a builder and ask them... Seems like this structure was one-of-a-kind and unlikely to come across again when we're looking to move. This might be a stupid thread -- just thinking out loud, get a couple pointers from the real estate gurus here
  25. woolie
    Yes, I was told basically the same information a couple weeks ago by my salesman at Momentum.
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