Jump to content

TheNiche

NP
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    14,015

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    120

 Content Type 

Everything posted by TheNiche

  1. TheNiche
    No, I plugged the word "spine" into Wikipedia from work, knowing that I'd get a disambiguation page. I did. It supported my argument. I posted a link to it. Yes. I was wrong not to use the word "linear" in place of the word "straight." My mind was grappling with the concept of Main Street (which is straight) as a spine (which is linear). My bad. This is the region, as defined by the US Census Bureau. The red line is the Red Line LRT route, only part of which is even located along Main Street. These proportions are all out of whack. If this is a "spine", then our region needs the built equivalent of diet and exercise. If, as you claim, the function of the spine is "to provide strength, support, and to facilitate movement and serve as a connector to the limbs," then it seems to me like Loop 610 and Beltway 8 probably do a better job. ...nah, they DEFINITELY do a better job. Moreover, once the future connections that you're talking about are built, it seems to me as though the Red Line loses primacy as a corridor. It becomes just another guided rapid transit route. Nothing special. One limb of many. And my original point, by the way, was that a couple of towers with ground level retail in downtown Houston aren't going to turn Main Street into a "social spine of the region". They're drops in a bucket...nay, a swimming pool. I'm not saying that it won't improve downtown as a district, but I think that my point stands.
  2. TheNiche
    Personally, I like their way and the completely grade-seperated approach. Our in-between approach is something I don't care for.
  3. TheNiche
    Agents come at a price, and somebody has to pay for it. A seller paying for the agents' costs and selling the home at market rate is the fiscal equivalent of paying no Realtors and selling the home at 6% below market. If a buyer and seller hook up without a Realtor, then it is entirely possible to negotiate a case where the home sells for 3% below market, which equates to net benefits for both the buyer and seller. If Cityliving101 is angling at being your agent, just be aware that City's either already misled you once or City is incompetent. My apologies to Cityliving101 if he/she isn't a Realtor and isn't in the industry... The above statement is FALSE, and the operative word here is only. They can help you. They can utterly and completely screw you, whether intentionally or by accident. And no matter the outcome, you will pay for them, whether directly or indirectly. Foxmulder, if you need a recommendation on a mortgage broker or a title company, PM me. But if you've got good credit, you can probably deal with your own bank and a few others, or just use bankrate.com like Puma mentioned.
  4. TheNiche
    Ah, ok. You had me concerned there for a minute. When you said "the river," I was thinking about Brazos or San Jac, and wondering who dropped you on your head as a child... There are several places along the Guadalupe where you can rent tubes and arrange for transportation. Probably a better deal than buying and storing a bunch of inner tubes at home unless you're going to do this kind of thing every other weekend or something.
  5. TheNiche
    Which river?
  6. TheNiche
    To what extent?
  7. TheNiche
    There are a few at irregular intervals along the rail line, but it seems that they have a tendency to be in the middle of blocks for some reason.
  8. TheNiche
    y=x3 is produces a linear function. The graphed curve has multiple inflection points, but that does not equate to non-linearity. But hey, Kinkaid isn't an econ fella, so I will forgive him. Of course I can, but then we need to change our wording and talk about "social blobs" rather than "social spines" to keep from confusing people. I classify yuppies at a lower income level than you do, it seems.
  9. TheNiche
    A pedestrian cannot legally cross the LRT tracks except at an intersection, right? In Downtown, that's OK because cross-streets were maintained throughout. In Midtown, that's a problem because the grid was disrupted. Pedestrians have to go out of their way in many cases to get from A to B...or break the law and possibly get ticketed by METRO cops.
  10. TheNiche
    Kitchens, bathrooms, and curb appeal. Only handle the fundamentals (foundation, roof, A/C, plumbing, electrical, etc.) if there's a problem.
  11. TheNiche
    Honestly, I don't get it. How are a couple of highrises with a tad bit of ground-level retail built by Hines going to turn Main Street (or downtown, if you're so inclined) into the region's "social spine?" Take your pick. I see a pattern of long slender things, not so much blob-like things.
  12. TheNiche
    [sigh] No charity for the left-brained...
  13. TheNiche
    From previous threads, we all know that you're really good at putting together lists. But the topic being examined at the moment was not about downtown as a cluster. It was about Main Street. This is why someone tried to describe it as a "social spine." Because spines are straight. They are corridors. From your list, it looks like there are only two social scenes on Main: Houston Pavilions (not even completed) and Allen's Landing. Hardly a "spine."
  14. TheNiche
    ...because nothing attracts prospective buyers like:
  15. TheNiche
    It is Target. And it's unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon.
  16. TheNiche
    Actually, it was developers that designed and built most of the old street grid system. ...just giving credit where credit is due.
  17. TheNiche
    Monthly.
  18. TheNiche
    So it isn't going to be a club scene and it isn't going to be a yuppie playground. What else could it possibly be that attracts people such that it might be dubbed the "social spine of the entire region?"
  19. TheNiche
    I contend that such a thing is impossible. It may very well become a yuppie playground, but that is a far cry from being the "social spine of the entire region."
  20. TheNiche
    The majority of The Woodlands is apparently in the "Great Northwest" section.
  21. TheNiche
    Nope, this is way too expensive a placeholder, and its value as parking is immense as a stimulant of downtown office demand. If demolished, it would only have to be rebuilt somewhere else.
  22. TheNiche
    So, to be clear, we're talking about 47 stories of office (≈14' * 47) plus 10 stories of parking (≈8' * 10)? Adding to about 738 feet. Is that about right? Can you say what you've heard rumored about the possible second tower? We'd uncovered a rendering by Kobi Karp a couple months ago that showed a building that looked like what would result if the Dallas and Chicago Mandarin Orientals had a baby. Sleek and angular. Looked to be 50+ stories. I think that there is a state law in effect that new developments (and this may not apply to single homes on single lots) can only go on wells if the average lot size is a half acre or more.
  23. TheNiche
    Well if you were going to be underhanded about it, the best way would've been to post the list as semi-misinformation and see which ones get knocked off the list by insiders. You might've gotten banned from HAIF, but you'd have had a better chance of getting what you want.
  24. TheNiche
    Here's something! It is not good form to post a tenant roster first and explain it as guesses later!
  25. TheNiche
    Priorities, priorities! Perhaps 5th Ward would rather use money allocated to utility beautification to install curb and gutter? Or flood control? Or grafitti abatement? Or extra police patrols? Or parks? Or [FILL IN THE BLANK]. I can think of a lot more important things that would reduce their suffering than making things look pretty. Whatever the case, I like the idea of letting the citizens of 5th Ward figure out what they want rather than have some yuppie outsider that can't fathom their own position in the world dictate what they should and should not want. I'm not clear on how you concluded that it would cost individuals less to pay for utility relocation by electric bills rather than by property taxes. One way or another, all of the costs will be passed on to the consumer. Additionally, since the primary aim of utility relocation projects would be to make nicer neighborhoods, and the marginal benefit of the project should be reflected by rising property values caused by increased demand for those neighborhoods (another aspect that may not sit well with the 5th Ward crowd), wouldn't it make sense to tax the very same property owners that stand to benefit from the project?
×
×
  • Create New...