TheNiche

Do you not find it odd there are no private companies already competing for the Houston/Galveston shuttle service? A quick google search turned up limo services, but no express shuttle service (not tied to a hotel or cruise line).

No, not in the least. Private-sector fare-based transportation is highly regulated by the City of Houston and does not usually make sense.

Agreed, it wasn't listed as one of the four options at the open house meeting. Anyone who wanted Maglev trains should have brought it up then.

Airport direct: $15 for 20 miles, so from downtown to Galveston would be about $30. I would not pay $60 a day for a commute. Are you kidding?

I don't think that the commuter market is what METRO has in mind with the Airport Direct business model. That's what they have P&R for. With the tourists, they're competing primarily with taxis, and to that end METRO can engage in price discrimination. A fee of $45 to get to Galveston ain't that bad considering that that'll only get you as far as downtown in a taxi.

Go have a beer at Anvil, trust me, you won't feel like you're in a "gay neighborhood".

Ah yes, that's the place where my gay roommate goes with his "fag hags" so that he can pay $10 for a 6 oz. Kir Royale.

Airport direct is too expensive.

Explain how Airport Direct is more expensive than commuter rail (mile for mile, of course).

If I were a tourist I wouldn't take it anywhere even if it were cheaper.

Well that statement certainly isn't very informative. Why not?

If I were a commuter I'd rather have an express bus or rail.

If I were a commuter, I'd rather have a Maglev system in a vast network of depressurized transparent elevated tubes (theoretical top speeds of 4,000 mph), with express routes to dozens of destinations throughout the region, and with service to each of these destinations from each of the others at five-minute intervals or less.

So...about going on thirteen months after the fact and I'm still in the job market. Economists seem tentatively optimistic about the broader economy (if only perhaps out of a sense of duty), but refuse to express anything but dread over commercial real estate. And my career as a developer might as well have been a career in negotiating commercial default swaps. Nobody knows what to do with me or why I'm wasting their time.

I've managed to identify a niche industry that I will target intensively as part of my job search. I'm not going to reveal which one, except that my role would be akin to a marketing director.

Let's assume that I can pretty easily game the system to reach key decision makers in fairly small organizations using phone calls, direct mail, and e-mail. Let's also assume that these organizations are scattered far and wide, so sttombiz's strategy doesn't work so well in this case. Under those circumstances, I'd be tempted to start a personal employment campaign that goes beyond the simple resume and cover letter approach. I'm thinking about a tri-fold employment prospectus that shows my portrait, my bio, my accomplishments, and my contact information and that has a flap containing the standard 8.5" x 11" cotton resume, letters of recommendation, a list of references, work samples, and copies of degrees and transcripts, etc. I'm also thinking about a personal business card with an abridged resume printed on one side with my contact info on the other. Another consideration is a website splash page with a highly-scripted video embedded on it; the URL would feature prominently in all physical documents and personal communications.

I've got a programmer in the family that can do the website for the cost of a Tex-Mex dinner. For the rest of it, I'm going to either need to learn some new desktop publishing skills right quick or someone to do the work for me. And I suppose that most any reputable print shop could handle the physical output. I'm not sure what to expect of the costs.

There's still doubt in my mind whether all this would be either 1) worth it, or 2) possibly be off-putting to prospective employers. Would typically-conservative decision makers in this niche have the vision to comprehend that someone who can present themselves in an intensively-developed and polished manner can also present their organization in the same light? Or will they see it as someone who'll go against the grain of tradition and be a perpetual thorn in their side? What would a good ol' boy do?

Another question is whether an employer might expect an ass-load of output, commensurate with the expectations that I built up from my unadulterated employment campaigning.

What say you all to this weary job seeker?

They need to create a real regional transit authority, but first they need to get certain suburbs to get over this idiotic mentality that their crime will go up if they are part of it. Real criminals drive. They either have their own cars or they steal them.

Hope Parker whips METRO into shape and maybe does something to make this happen. It's time for Houston to get into the current millennium.

Do you think it's really about crime, or is it about the one cent sales tax? Personally, I think that crime is a red herring to satiate voters ignorant of municipal finance.

A lot of suburban entities take full advantage of the capped 2.00% sales tax rate that they're able to levy on businesses within their jurisdictions. By state law, they can't go any higher. If they join METRO, then fully half of all their potential sales tax receipts must go to METRO...even though METRO's board is essentially controlled by Houston's mayor. If they don't join METRO, then their residents can still piggyback off of nearby METRO park & ride service...but they can also allocate their sales tax receipts to other functions such as economic development.

Regionalism as it pertains to transit policy isn't really something that Houston's mayor has the authority to address. If it is to be addressed, it will have to be at the State level.

Well best case scenario for that person would be if there were a 228/229 equivalent from downtown to Galveston. There actually is, but it stops at Baybrook Mall, and Island Transit picks up at Mall of the Mainland. Maybe they can combine the two.

However, I do think tourists would still prefer a train.

You know, I think that METRO's Airport Direct service is a successful model that ought to be enhanced. It ought to go back and forth between IAH, the Downtown TC, Hobby Airport, and downtown Galveston. All of those destinations are critical for tourists, and are conveniently along the same corridor. With increased bus frequency and vastly improved publicity, perhaps with Island Transit chipping in for some of the costs, I think that this could be a very successful route that could be implemented immediately with very low start-up capital.

...of course, we'd have to get various regional entities to pull their heads out of their collective asses in order to work together. That could be difficult for numerous reasons, some interpersonal, others legislative.

I could be completely wrong, but if Houston comes and claims the area they'll build in, will they be taking taxes away from some other entity, or no?

No, not unless there's a MUD present. And in that case, what traditionally happens is that the City absorbs the MUD's infrastructure and its debt, replacing the MUD tax with the City of Houston tax. Negotiated deals between a City and a MUD can be had, though.

If the City really wants to screw over Exxon--which may not be in its best interests if the corporate headquarters location is in play--it'll immediately annex the land and then refuse to provide utilities for Exxon, making Exxon set up an in-city MUD on top of the tax that they pay to the City of Houston.

Commuter rail to galveston would be nice. I am reminded of the thread posted by the guy whose girlfriend needed the fastest route from Hwy6-Westheimer to UTMB-Galveston. Since he did not specify the mode of transit, I decided to see what the commute would be like via bus. Unfortunately it turns out there is no direct route from downtown to galveston, but if there were commuter rail in place I think his girlfriend could make her entire trip in about an hour.

Let's say that there were commuter rail extending westward from the Hillcroft Transit Center, the terminus of the future University Line. Actually, to avoid a lengthy transfer at Hillcroft TC, let's assume that this section of commuter rail is just been light rail technology with higher levels of grade separation and fewer stops per distance traveled. And let's have commuter rail extending from the future downtown intermodal center to downtown Galveston. I'm not going to assume that our commuter rail is going to be some super-fancy TGV-like technology, or Maglev, because you know that's just not going to happen here.

0:00 - Leave the house

0:07 - The person, not quite within walking distance, drives to the commuter rail station, parks, pays the fee, and gets to the platform, allowing themselves a five-minute margin of error so that they don't accidentally miss the train.

0:12 - In-bound train arrives

0:13 - In-bound train departs

0:28 - Assuming three one-minute stops over eleven miles and an average speed of 55mph (including acceleration and deceleration), the person arrives at the University Line light rail at this point in time.

0:56 - Assuming an average light rail speed of 19mph (including acceleration, deceleration, and stops), starting at the Hillcroft Transit Center, and nine miles to the Wheeler Transit Center, this is when the person arrives

0:59 - Waits at transfer; northbound Red Line LRT vehicle departs

1:05 - 19mph for two miles to the downtown intermodal center

1:15 - Waits at transfer; commuter rail departs en-route to Galveston

2:12 - Assume 6 one-minute stops over 55 miles and an average speed of 65 mph (including acceleration and deceleration), arrives at the railroad museum in downtown Galveston

2:20 - Waits for transfer; Island Transit departs en route to UTMB

2:26 - Island Transit arrives at UTMB

*DISCLAIMER* For lack of access to good technology where I happen to be right now, I pulled distances and average speeds mostly out of my ass. I think that they're reasonable, but they may actually be slightly higher or lower; hopefully the errors average out alright.

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If I had to make that commute, I'd definitely consider transit in this case. It takes a little longer than a commute by car, but that's time that I can still be productive. On the other hand, if the commuter rail doesn't run with great frequency or isn't always on time, or if I couldn't be absolutely certain of when I'd be able to get off of work (as has been the case with every job I've ever held) so as to make the scheduled train departures, then the auto commute would likely still be preferable.

And of course, this analysis favors commuter rail inherently because we're assuming that commuter rail (or something akin to it) would serve this particular person's neighborhood within a reasonably close proximity. Not too many neighborhoods in our region have the potential to be so convenient to transit, requiring that the initial leg of the trip be much longer, and possibly out of the way.

I meant as far as Houston City Limits go. They can't go into Montgomery County along the I-45 corridor because of Oak Ridge and The Woodlands. Maybe up to Rayford Rd. But I'm not sure. I'm ignorant on these issues.

The ETJ extends as far north as FM 1488, the furthest northern extent of The Woodlands; along I-45, the furthest northern extent of the ETJ includes the Wal-Mart at the northwest corner of I-45 and SH 242. Additionally, the ETJ includes all of Rayford Road and the subdivisions along it.

Yeah, they can go all the way to the Montgomery County line (about a mile north of the proposed location). The Woodlands and Oak Ridge have control of everything in south Mont. county I would suspect. Spring really isn't a city and Klein is way to the west. I guess Houston could take over most of it. But will they?

The Houston ETJ encompasses The Woodlands and a fair bit of southern Montgomery County. link

Also, Klein isn't a municipality. And the proposed location is a tract of land right along the Harris/Montgomery County border, just on the Harris side.

When I first saw the title in the HBJ, I was thinking Exxon finally decided to come home to its Humble roots. The good news is the area is about to get a few thousand more high paying jobs. The bad news is, most will probably reside outside of city limits and will contribute nothing to the city's coffers! At least the Energy Corridor suburban campuses are inside city limits.

I doubt that'll last for long. The City of Houston has a knack for pulling off limited-service annexations of commercial property in its vast ETJ. Again, the HP campus is a case in point.

What kind of structure(s) are we likely looking at? Would this be class B office space--aka, some 'nice' warehouse or will it be midrises? That seems like an odd place for any highrises, but then again, once the Grand Parkway begins, I suppose it won't be so odd. Man, this is great news for the Spring/Woodlands area!

I'd imagine that it'd look a lot like the HP campus (see below) or the proposed KBR campus (for which I can't find a rendering). Probably structured parking. Probably LEED Silver or better. That is to say, it'll definitely be Class A office space, even if the view from the corner office sucks.

Thanks for the input. I am not single, and I do enjoy bars and going out. I am not familiar with Eastwood, roughly where is that? I didn't mention this in the OP, but decent access to 59 is important to me also.

Eastwood is about a mile east of downtown and just to the north of I-45 from UH. Cullen, Lockwood, and Dumble are north/south thoroughfares. Polk and Leeland are east/west thoroughfares. The housing stock is very similar to Montrose in many respects, but it's a quieter neighborhood. There are a few small multifamily properties (including the one I live in) and many garage apartments. You can rent a house in Eastwood for what some people pay for a one-bedroom apartment in Montrose.

It's still something of a transitional neighborhood. It was predominantly Hispanic but is increasingly white. This is different from Montrose because Montrose is pretty much all white...even the dark-skinned people in Montrose are white. That would make me feel uncomfortable, which is of course a characteristic trait of a white person. Go figure. There are a fair number of gay folks here, but it isn't really a gay neighborhood. There are a number of UH students, including both my roommates, one of whom is gay. But it's awesome because he cooks for me and is often overwhelmed with the compulsion to bake muffins and such other things, and he is generous with them. Apparently there are also some Angolans down the street. They practice voodoo rituals in their backyard with their children and cook barbecue, which they share with you if you happen upon them. My Mexican-Chinese neighbor does too, and is generous with it.

In the mornings, if you sleep in at all with a window open, you can hear the PA system at the schools wafting through the neighborhood. In the afternoons, the neighborhood rings with the sounds of children walking home, and then with the sound of the Austin HS marching band practicing. There is a near-constant aroma of coffee being roasted because of the monolithic plant over at Harrisburg and Dumble.

Retail is somewhat limited. Deed restrictions will do that. But we've got Bohemeo's and Kanomwon (BYOB) within walking distance. These are good. There is also a Kroger (circa 1979) and convenience stores such as are adequate for malt liquor runs when you're in need.

But I'd say that to fully appreciate Eastwood, you have to be a UH student, introverted, at least 30 years old, or a tightwad that is always searching for the best deal.

Here's a link to the Eastwood Civic Association website.

I'm a native Houstonian but don't really know too much about Montrose. I found a very reasonably priced 1 br at the address and like amenities around this area. I'm a 23 year old straight recent grad who works near the Greenway Plaza area currently and will be working in the Medical Center in the near future so the location is pretty close to perfect. I'm really trying not come off as homophobic nor do I think there will be a gay pride parade down my street every day but I don't want to feel out of place. I'd prefer to live in a diverse area with straight, gay, minorities, singles, families, etc. and that's my impression of Montrose from what I've heard. I was hoping to hear some input on the area so I can make an informed decision.

If you're a single guy conscientious of 'The Scene'--and especially the ability to walk to and from it--Montrose is the place to be. But for my money, a neighborhood like Eastwood is hard to beat. More of a neighborhood feel. Very balanced demographics. Off-the-radar. Lots of curbside parking, even on Friday and Saturday nights. And I don't have the complete dataset to prove it, but I "feel" much safer here than in Montrose, FWIW.

Are the sources available to the public? I would be interested in seeing the data and to see which suburbs are the employment bases of which districts.

See Page 2 of this Energy Corridor report. See page 3 of this TMC report.

The data is all sourced from the Census Bureau's LEHD program. Google it. It's not user-friendly, but you can run your own reports on the Greenspoint District if you wish.

Any employees in Clear Lake, Pearland, Sugar Land etc. get hosed though.

Employees tend to distribute themselves in the suburbs nearest their place of employment. For instance, most Energy Corridor employees live out west. Most TMC employees live south and southwest. Data actually exists to prove this, and I've seen it with my own eyes.

I'd strongly suspect that more Exxon employees will be benefited than are hurt from their move.

I understand the need to consolidate, but why such a strange location? I-45 is already a mess. I would hate being an Exxon employee that has to get to work at this location (especially w/out a park-n-ride/hov system, etc. leading to it).

There are plenty of good reasons that this location was chosen. It's close to the existing offices, meaning also to where existing employees live. It's along I-45 North, which is convenient to someone driving in from the Irving, TX corporate headquarters. It's at the terminus of a toll road, giving workers an easy alternative to congestion. It'll soon have east-west freeway access allowing it to more effectively tap the northwest Harris County and Kingwood labor markets. It's close to IAH. It's the largest tract of vacant land fronting I-45 that's south of the San Jacinto River. The land is cheaper today than it will be in several years when retail developers would otherwise have bid up the price of it. The land was cheaper than in a place like The Woodlands Town Center, and it's vastness allows for the construction of inexpensive low-rise office buildings instead of high rises. The land is forested, offering seclusion, privacy, and security.

And as for P&R lots, this campus is further out into the suburbs than any P&R lot. If someone is currently using P&R lots to get to work at present, they're more likely to be benefited by Exxon's move than not.

I don't know if Niche was being sarcastic or not, but in truth, this really is your best bet.

I took the Census worker exam this morning. And the military option becomes basically unavoidable for me if I'm not employed by mid-summer. So...I'll let you be the judge as to my level of seriousness.

Sorry if I've been a little edgy lately, btw. I've applied to dozens of jobs throughout the United States since just the beginning of the year and have received zero (0) responses. I'm starting to wonder whether it'd be advantageous to eliminate all my post-collegiate work experience from my resume in order to distance myself from real estate and hopefully land a clerical job in a large organization that I can move up within as hiring improves. Also, I've been reading Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground over the last several days. A 110-page stream of consciousness interspersed with introspective back-and-forth argumentation is my rhetorical point of reference.

helpful discussion would be appreciated

You're screwed. Pick one:

http://www.jag.navy.mil/

http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/

http://www.jagusaf.hq.af.mil/

http://www.uscg.mil/legal/

http://www.2010censusjobs.gov/

Very interesting. This tract of land is also part of the future alignment of segment F-2 of the Grand Parkway. The record of decision was just issued on 12/31/09.

That article is dated 2005, but it mentions that Kathy Whitmire is up for re-election. Something doesn't fit, there.

Cool!

Too bad KUHT produces next to no programming. It's lack of local presence is shameful for being affiliated with a major university (with a graduate level comm department) in a city this size. I wonder if the grab means they're up to something?

If I had to guess, I'd think that it might have to do with trying to capture a higher distance ed. enrollment. I'd imagine that the margins are pretty good as compared to a traditional course.

The expansion to Victoria makes particular sense, since UH has a campus there. Beaumont is a head-scratcher, though.

i gave an example of how i prefer streets to highways, then explained that i don't think you should have to give me a cut through in your neighborhood b/c i choose that kind of route. i'm sorry it was perplexing.

Oh, I see. You went back and edited your post.

i said no such thing. i always prefer to take the streets than the highway. although i could take 45 to get downtown, i always take studewood to washington /houston or even allen parkway as an example. and i never suggested anyone should do anything to make it easier for me. if i want to deal with the pain in the ass of the streets, that's my call. no one should should

I'm sorry, but this is just too confusing. I can't make sense of you.