Montrose1100

2 hours ago, houstontexasjack said:

Considering the location, the restaurants list is eye-poppingly generic. 

It's adjacent to suburban office campuses 🤷‍♂️. Not sure why they didn't include anything on the other side of Brays Bayou.

16 hours ago, editor said:

I wonder what will happen with the toxic sludge pits that are adjacent to the existing bridges.  Maybe this will help that project along.  Or maybe that project will make this one cost even more.

Curious about this too. Have yet to see a completion date or any update after the remedial design community meeting a couple weeks ago EPA.GOV.

Let's keep it on topic. 

39 minutes ago, wxman said:

I feel like so many of these 30-ish story residential high rises look the same. It’s not grand but it’s not ugly. I just sort of feel so-so about most of the shit that has gone up in uptown/downtown. No?

Amegy & Aspire had a Hannover baby. I dig it. It's nice filler. Certainly cleaner and not cheap looking like most of the stuff we get. The views from the higher and south facing units will be amazing. 

1 hour ago, editor said:

Top of my head:

• The Lancaster
• The Whitehall
• Does The Laura count?  I haven't been there yet.

56 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

• Icon
• Sam Houston

• Hotel ZaZa
• JW Marriott Downtown (If we're going for smaller Hotel with focus on service & art).
• Magnolia Hotel
• Hotel Derek
• Granduca
• The Housontian (Probably the least vibey of them all)
• Hotel Indigo
• Le Meridien
• C Baldwin - While not small, is arguably one of the most stylish renovated Hotels we have, and smaller than a few of the big ones. 
• Heights House

Boutique Hotel - "a small stylish hotel, typically one situated in a fashionable urban location". That's textbook. There's others I've seen online that go from 10-100 rooms, refurbished buildings, no flag or small chain, really depends on the person's own definition. However, all listed fit at least one.

Point being, I would recommend all of them except maybe Heights House since it's the only one I haven't personally set foot in. 

57 minutes ago, clutchcity94 said:

La Colombe d’Or?

I wouldn't bother replying if they refuse to even google search boutique Hotels in Houston. Sure a few have been bought by corporate, but there are really nice Hotels in Downtown and a very few in the Galleria area. 

37 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

It was on a page of examples of their work in "Rendering & Visualization", so not really so strange.

That is also where the renderings came from that Urbanizer posted above, so they are very possibly not meaningful with regard to Memorial City North.

It's strange to me the McNair Tower is on the potential Hotel Equinox/ROD, and that the Brava is taking over some Afton Oaks lots. Especially since both have full blown renderings on their actual locations. Also weird there's like a 432 Park Ave in between them in... West Oaks?

The location for Memorial City North looks correct (given the building to the east is 10100 Katy Freeway).

19 minutes ago, kennyc05 said:

I was looking through their site last night and they had a rendering in the Galleria area of a tower that looked like the Brava tower downtown. 

Strange. It is the Brava, and that's the bigger McNair Tower to the right.

14 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

I come up with 32nd tallest (counting Pennzoil as two buildings), just after Pennzoil I and II and in front of Two Allen Center (we haven't had a Devon Energy Tower in Houston for about ten years).

Ah. Memorial Hermann Tower is only listed as 500ft on SSP. Guess it's not the most reliable source. And you're right about Pennzoil being 2 buildings ;)

Thanks Paco!

Grew 2 floors. 521'11" will make it the 30th tallest building in the city, just after Pennzoil Place and in front of Devon Energy Tower.

20 minutes ago, shasta said:

Serious question...why did the Karens scream over this project? There are many examples of mid rises in the Rice University area, and surrounding area. Many over looking residential. This is not out of character for this district.

 

The do need a stop light at Dunlay @ Bissonnet, with or without this building.

I get why they went up in arms, but this is Houston, and it's getting increasingly dense by the day. It's a beautiful neighborhood (personally I think the most beautiful in the whole city). 

3 minutes ago, Ross said:

If trains deterred new home buyers, this sort of thing would not have happened, where hundred, if not millions, of townhomes are built right next to the tracks North of Washington https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7727768,-95.4091931,950m/data=!3m1!1e3

I always wondered if the people who bought those homes didn't care, or just didn't notice.

Or, it ends up like this How often does the train go by

 

I bought a townhouse across the bayou, McKinney & Cullen. Investigated the area at different times and never heard the trains. Then when I moved in it was all I heard. 2-3am they would blast battle as they creeped over Cullen. Meetings, XBOX matches, phone calls, everyone would ask "Is that a Train"? White noise machine solved my sleeping issues.

For this development, the problem really is the Train chilling on the tracks. Hirsch & Lockwood are I-10 West Bound connections for not only visitors, but shipments to the retail. Is U-turning to get back on I-10 and head down Gregg a problem? Not really, but with all the trucks and industrial developments I'm shocked either street never went under the tracks in the first place.

19 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

To be fair, when the Federal Reserve was built that location was not really a very "urban" location.

That's not fair. When the Jeff Davis Hospital was completed in 1929 on this land, it was very much an "Urban" location.

Apologies to the forum for dragging this off topic. Just complaining about the suburban layouts of this development's neighbors. 

19 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

Actually not weird at all, since most of their buildings, especially with regard to Federal Reserve Branches (which Houston's is one of) are not high-rises.  Except for a few that have been reduced to small leased space in commercial office buildings and thus are housed in high-rises, the Branches are all very much low rise buildings. Presumably it has to do with the functions of the Branches as compared to with the functions of the 11 Federal Reserve Banks.

🙄 Allow me to rephrase. Weird that a Federal Reserve Branch in an urban environment, was built in such a suburban style. Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, all just fine. Charlotte's only takes 1 Block. Denver & San Antonio's are a "block", but half surface lot.

Columbus & Baltimore are the only examples I see similar to ours. Sprawling across a large chunk of land.

14 hours ago, jmitch94 said:

Why all the hate for the Fed building? I don’t see them moving it anytime soon if really ever. That would cost a fortune. 

It reminds me of those giant cardboard bricks you played with in Pre-K. Cartoonish colors, giant suburban layout with surface lots, what I imagine a prison for toddlers would look like.

Weird they didn't build a high-rise like most of their buildings are - on an empty lot Downtown. Would leave this huge area for better purpose fronting a premier park in a highly expanding/densifying area. 

29 minutes ago, kennyc05 said:

Has there been any talk about converting 800 Bell into residential? That would be a lot of units!.

None except here. Shorenstein still owns it and still maintains the "Updated" facade on their site. 

This area of town needs some love. The former Skyhouses and additional residential on Main have been great but it's my hope we'll see more aging office to residential. 

If Y'all want to argue with each other, do it over PM.

Suppose the indoor pool is the only option and better than none. Really hope this is successful. Gives me hope for an 800 Bell conversion to residential.

2 hours ago, Ross said:

That property is owned by the Houston Housing Authority(or whatever they call themselves these days). There's a lot of history related to Allen Parkway Village that makes it difficult to just sell. The history is here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Oaks_of_Allen_Parkway_Village

Selling the property would likely be seen as a City sponsored attempt to gentrify the area, pushing the poor, mostly minority, tenants further away from Downtown.

The HHA could build a high rise building or two. Not only replace the aging housing, also add more units. Obviously keep that portion and property for affordable units. Sell off the remainder or even extend the park. Create a bigger urban garden, incorporate the boys & girls club, add a pool, outdoor athletic infrastructure with a playground. 

I'm sure at one point this may happen. In no way am I advocating getting rid of the affordable housing - only improving.

1 hour ago, arche_757 said:

I didn’t mean to imply that the public housing was bad, or shabby.  It’s just these three pieces of land with their respective complexes/buildings make strange bedfellows.  So to speak.

I don't get the reasoning to put the suburban Federal Reserve there, but I'm sure the housing complex will densify & sell off part of the land. It's a huge lot and some of the buildings are what, 80 years old?

https://abc13.com/where-was-bachelor-filmed-in-houston-scenes-locations-blood-bros-on/11875121/

Looks like there will be 2 Houston episodes on the Bachelor. Our Houston spotlight dreams can finally come true.

Favorite new tower in Austin. Sleek! The balconies are amazing.

The whole thing is offensive. Mercer of the next generation.

17 hours ago, freundb said:

Not with that attitude!!

 

I'm thinking this works. Ferry from Galveston to Bolivar. Or we build a sweet bridge!

 

Actually, The Winnie to Galveston section is interesting.

4 hours ago, astrohip said:

That's a really pricey area for student housing.

Rice is a pricey school.