woolie

Anyway, the reason I went out in the first place was to contribute some photos to the Cranespotting thread. Since this in the photos section, here's two I took before I was stopped. Houston Pavilions New HCC Building

I've considered doing this -- but I'd prefer to have the lawyer and bail arranged beforehand. Hopefully RedScare will come around and point me towards a law office with a taste for pro bono civil rights work. Yes, I'm aware of the rights and limitations while on private property... but this was on a public sidewalk. I wouldn't be complaining if I wasn't being threatened with secret laws.The best part of the story is that the Fingers building and Houston Pavilions (the area I was photographing) have public real-time user-controlled construction webcams. I could be surveilling from the comfort and safety of my own, anonymous home, instead of out on my bike.

This has happened many times before, but this is the first time a copy has made up a law that did not exist after I asked him specifically if this was the case. I made a thread here http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...showtopic=13568 We should organize a protest, in conjunction with the Houston Flickr groups. It's probably because I have a beard.

Sigh, yet again the police stopped me. However, each time until now, the officer has relented, admitting after my inquiries that there is in fact no law banning photography of public places. There is just "Metro Policy" or a "Directive," but in fact there is no statute. Today marks the first time an officer has answered in the affirmative, that such a law exists. Curiously, I was unable to find it in the city codes at houstontx.gov, or in any federal or state law. There needs to be some solidarity and a kind of public protest to raise awareness of this issue in Houston. I intend to write letters to my council person and the mayor about the issue. If officers are allowed to continually stop and arbitrarily threaten photographers with imaginary laws, HAIF wouldn't exactly have much source material to work with....

I went downtown to take pictures of the cranes and a cop threatened to arrest me, under the city's "Ban on Photography of Freestanding Buildings," which curiously does not exist anywhere in the City of Houston codes. Oh well, you all miss out on the photos. As for me, I guess I'm through with this ____ing country asap.

OH MY GOD!!! HOUSTON'S FIRST LUBY'S! I'M SO EXCITED!

Mai's is usually ok, but somewhat variable in level of service and quality of food. I ate there frequently back in the 2000-2004 timeframe, and still do sometimes at night. But my favorite is Cali Sandwich, where I get banh mi or vermicelli dishes a couple times a week. It's cheap, fast, and close to where I live.

I had given up on hoping this would be built -- after the sign had been up for 1+ year. In fact, when I saw them pour the foundation on the right part of the property, it looked to me like a parking lot. Here's hoping it goes through as described -- my favorite restaurant is on a nearby block, and I spend alot of time around here.

It's absolutely within walking distance of Wheeler Station. No more than 5 mins. About as close as I am.

Answer: Nothing. Ever tried to get around Uptown? Bissonet is a stroll in a park compared to traffic levels in large areas of the city. Even with another 1,000 cars per day (e.g less than 5% increase.) People crying 'traffic!' never seem to cite the current figure. I wonder why? Anyway, heavy traffic is a reality of urban life. If you've avoided it until now, it's only because of the mid/late 20th century conditions that caused urban real estate to be undervalued, mostly due to race prejudice. In a few decades the market realignment will be complete, and traffic in Houston will be at levels comparable to other inner cities.

Yes, we need zoning... yet another layer of the system that can casually ruin your life. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/05/owner.suicide.ap/index.html

Again. 17k traffic count in 2001. Bissonet is not a quiet, neighborhood street. The impact of 250 units will not be that great. How many units does Maryland Manor have?

How do you suppose he'll get it off the ground with 0 tenants?

Hopefully the developer will add 10 or 15 stories, just for spite.

No point and shoot can compare with a midrange dSLR. Autofocus (phase detection vs. contrast detection), optics, pixel pitch, speed, etc, etc... it's just the bare technical facts of it.

Where do I join the pro-developer protest?

Thankfully the price of crude is only going to go up from this point out

They know exactly how they got into this situation, and the remedy... in the same breath they trash WU for zoning, but demand zoning in SH. What is their case against this building again? (edit: i hate bbcode)

Everyone in the TMC is nonprofit. Building funds often come from fundraising efforts (e.g. last month BCM received both $100m and $30m gifts for their new hospital) or government grants / direct spending if it's a gov't institution.

Sorry I missed it. I was out driving on Bissonnet thinking about how great a highrise would be there.

cost increases exponentially per floor.

Anyway, after work today I went down Sunset again. The signs that were in the median had been moved. Thankyou, City of Houston Sign Enforcement. I imagine someone called the bandit sign unit. I can only hope citations were issued. Many of the lots still had the signs, though. First, I wouldn't work at a job I didn't enjoy. That's one hell of a way to piss your life away. No amount of money is worth misery. Second, I think your choice of the term "expect" is unintentionally accurate, as in, Expected Value. Statistically, you might even make money. But the damn thing about median outcomes is the bottom half. Humans are lousy at playing odds, we tend to expect unrealistic outcomes even when we know the full probabilities. It's one reason why gambling and religion are so popular. Third, I already live in a mixed-use neighborhood. A self-storage facility would be a neutral change. And the fortunate thing about a lease is that it's only for a year or two. Whether I think it is a good location is irrelevant -- I'm not the one gambling that it's going to sell well. I just support his right to make this choice. This is also irrelevant. This ad hom tries to imply many different things; it would take a novel in response.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about the idea of property rights in total, but what really irritates me about this and similar issues is when people who are exercising their rights in full accordance with the law are confronted with a pitchfork-carrying mob. I don't care for any kind of lynching. I don't like the idea of people -- the most politically, socially, and economically connected in the city -- changing the law ex post facto to protect an entrenched position. It's just another instance demonstrating the kind of skewed responses our system encourages, the hypocrisy of the whole thing. How many of these Southhampton homeowners are in fact developers trampling all over other neighborhoods, barking the same 'property rights' line all the way to the bank? I dislike the idea of zoning. I think it's a system that's easily gamed by well connected people to increase their wealth, at the expense of people with less means. I think that introducing zoning into the City of Houston might strongly impact the availability of affordable housing inside the loop.... which to this point has been of Houston's few gold stars. I want to see increases in Houston's density while maintaining mixed-use and mixed-income neighborhoods... instead of a kind of "urban disneyland" heavily-gentrified neighborhoods in other cities have become. And yes, increasing density means redevelopment and change. I understand and accept this. A city isn't a glass-encased diorama. I don't like all the consequences of market-based real estate, but it may be the least bad solution overall in keeping housing affordable generally. Issues like 4th ward are sensitive for historical and political reasons, but I hardly think zoning is the tool. What do you do, mark it as undevelopable and fix the current rent forever? Do you let home prices float, or fix them as well? Townhomes are allowing people who can't afford a half-acro lot on North Boulevard to remain residents of the inner city... to allow it to remain a vital area, which in the end is a net positive benefit whatever your aesthetic tastes about these townhomes (personally I like blocks of townhomes, I think they are an excellent urban form.) I don't necessarily think things should be protected because they're old, or beautiful... in the end, if RO goes, I won't cry, because it's being replaced with something larger and the area is still alive. The only building on my cry-cry-cry-list right now is the Prudential on Holcombe.. I've held death vigil for it now for almost 3 years. If the developers wanted to build a manufacturing facility, I suppose that'd be fine as well. Although it's mighty expensive land for that purpose I lived next door to the Mosaic while it was under construction, and it was extremely noisy, workers would park in front of our driveway, etc. But it's part of the reality of living in a dynamic city, as opposed to the above museum piece. Currently I live next to the midtown Fiesta, also near 59. Grocer's Supply trucks frequently drive down my street, but I guess I just don't consider it an issue. It's a trade-off to live in an affordable place within walking distance to a light rail stop.

I don't care for the organic market. A bit anemic, a kind of fashion statement. The second one is the real deal.

A real cure for cancer would cause a TMC building boom like nothing you could imagine. An effective cure would probably be very intensive.