C2H

I like the fact that they took the approach to preserve history and restore a historical building. I'm just not too crazy about the new orange-ish tan-ish color of the brick on the building. Even though the previous green color they used may have looked a little dated, they could have pulled it off if it was done right.

maybe they'll paint it and add some color later.

I agree with scarface and think it is somewhat of a copout to use that as a reason not to take the high speed rail downtown. It's not like it's straight development all the way down from the northside. There are some barren spots where there could've been other options; such as those suggested: tunneling, or elevating. Running it alongside the tollway wasn't a bad idea either, but I'm uncertain what kind of impact that would've had.

At least make plans to turn Northwest Mall into a nice mall/transit center with the option for a rapid lightrail line into downtown, and another route from the NW station right into the Uptown/Galleria area. Hey LIGHTBULB!!! Bring the planned Uptown BRT line up to there and this could be the push it needs to get federal $$$ to go ahead and convert it to lightrail. But hey, I forgot this is Houston. A rapid lightrail line into downtown from the mall probably wouldn't happen. They'll probably just end up running some shuttle vans and buses to do the job.

I don't mean to sound like a Debbie Downer, but when I learned of this HSR plan, I was excited that it might increase activity between our State's largest city centers. In a way, it just kind of defeats the purpose of our hopes of a more urban Houston for it not to go downtown. After all the development going in and around downtown: Hardy Rail Yards, Buffalo Bayou, Eado, Midtown seems all in vain.

I'm just wondering what Dallas was able to do to hurdle this that Houston couldn't (or not doing?)

A stop like this that is so peripheral from the center focus of the city just seems like a move like Lubbock or Amarillo would take. Not a big metropolis like Houston.

Very frustrating to say the least. Not saying that this is Houston's fault. But I have to assume that if Dallas was able to jump this hurdle, there's something our city is not doing.

I'm just wondering what Dallas was able to do to hurdle this that Houston couldn't or not doing?

A stop like this that is so peripheral from the center focus of the city just seems like a move like Lubbock or Amarillo would take. Not a big metropolis like Houston.

Very frustrating to say the least. Not saying that this is Houston's fault. But I have to assume that if Dallas was able to jump this hurdle, there's something our city is not doing.

Are you proposing a Houston center number 2?

C2H! Wow!! What a letter..can I copy it for another letter to Midway

Apologies for my previous posts. I've always had a ton of respect for you, your viewpoints and passion...since the early days of HAIF (before the first website crash). In my previous posts I was just hoping to get across what you so eloquently did in your letter to Midway. Seems like a bunch of us were hoping Alessandra would be a masterpiece and usher in a new day for architecture and development in Houston. Even so, I think these are exciting times in Houston and developers are getting better. Let's keep the pressure on these guys!

Absolutely. Please do.

And no worries. No need to apologize. Hopefully if we get enough letters in and they see enough people passionate about the situation, maybe they will listen.

 http://midwaycompanies.com/about/contact

My email to Midway.

Excited for mediocrity...so Houston

If we do not start demanding better from our development community, design professionals, management districts, elected officials, etc...and just "kick back with a six pack," as just about every apathetic Houstonian does, we'll continue to get more of these bland and predictable Hotel Alessandras...and we'll deserve it.

I invite you to attend a development community board meeting in NYC, Chicago, LA, Boston, SF...anywhere good design flourishes, and see how many people "kick back with a six pack. That's precisely why so much Houston architecture and urban development is so underwhelming...no one ever speaks up about it.

LargeTEXAS,

I've begun a new approach to life which has helped me keep unnecessary worry and stress down. So I'm sorry by my applying that to this situation has left you with the impression that I'm all for mediocrity In this city.

Now you are a poster that I happen to go way back with ever since I first joined on here more than 10 years ago before the old HAIF was hacked. I have always had a high respect for you as a poster, so the last thing I want to do is become your enemy BUT.... you got me all wrong.

I remember one of my first posts ever on HAIF was a complaint about the downtown night skyline. It used to depress me to no end to drive from Dallas or Austin which actually seemed like vibrant cities at night with their well lit skylines to come to what was supposed to be Texas's largest city and see its dark, crummy lit skyline with Christmas light bulbs on its rooftops. You may not remember, but it was you who actually teamed up with me on the idea and made up an electronic petition to start in which I even printed out and got some additional signatures. I also wrote letters to the mayor, downtown management, and several others. Shortly after, several building owners decide to do some stupid "lights out" program and now here we are more than a decade later with an even worse lit skyline than before ( although glad to see less Christmas lights)

Then we were all worked up with the University light rail lines plans. We had all been waiting patiently for at least a decade. Just when we thought we had gotten rid of that roadblock Tom Delay, here comes somebody else making sure he follows in every print of his footsteps. Again, here we are, the most important line in Houston indefinitely put on hold because of a few residents and some @$$hole who only cares about winning votes for another term. And I'm not even going to get into the Houston Pavilions scrapping the original residential plans and then the Embassy Suites design literally being decapitated.

So LargeTEXAS, maybe you're right, I do feel a tad powerless. After a while of disappointments,corrupt politics, I've found that it's easiest to not get so worked up and stressed out about things is best for my OWN sanity. I'm not saying I'm one who gives up, but I have practiced on the positive side of things rather than the negative. Although midway failed us on Alessndra, we still have some other new skyscrapers coming up which offer some pretty interesting designs.

Back to not giving up, I still attend city hall meetings, show up at every election time, voice my concerns, etc. Some people will change the world. Maybe you're one of those people and perhaps I am not. I just now am more focused on controlling what I'm able to: my health, my finances, my career, etc. Because at the end of the day, everything we bicker about on these boards comes down to those with $$$$$ in which I have none.

Couldn't agree more with por favor gracias and Monarch. To also use the word of one of my favorite posters...DUDES, I don't usually get into this kind of hyperbole, especially on a website like this, but, heck, oh well. We on this board probably represent the most passionate voices on architecture and development Houston has. That's valuable and we should use it.

I find it sad that C2H and others feel such powerlessness and disillusionment as to say that Midway and other developers "owe us nothing." That's simply not true. We are residents, businesspeople, students of this city. We entertain our clients, families, selves here...spend our money, make our lives here. Developers develop the buildings and spaces where we do those things - spend our money and build our lives. They sure as heck owe us, the city, and everyone who makes it possible for them to build and profit from their developments a great deal.

We need to feel more empowered to make changes we'd like to see here. The faster we do, and more vocal we are, the quicker we'll start seeing really awesome s#%t! Developers do take notice of what people say. They are ultra-sensitive to the market and to their friends', neighbors', cousins', sisters' co-workers' input.

On a totally different yet somewhat related topic - I happened to be in a meeting with TXDoT the other day and they have completely reimagined their plans for I-45 and 59 around downtown because of "all the uproar" residents in the surrounding neighborhoods made. It was remarkable to hear how TXDoT has changed their tune and are now considering things we'd only dreamed of a couple of years ago such as tunneling highways and creating parks on top of them. All because of the input people gave them! They actually admitted to that very thing. The only neighborhood that they said didn't create a "big stink" was the Near Northside. So, guess what, no plans to radically change I-10 there. The elevated freeway will likely remain.

Call me an optimist or whatever.

But I don't see what continuing to whine and complain about what we can't change is supposed to do other than make our lives further miserable. Promises or not, in reality, Midway owes us nothing. None of us ponied up any $$$ for this so why should any of us expect anything? I'm more inclined to believe Stonian's story because at least it somewhat softens the blow, because happy or not, this is what we're getting.

Misery loves company. Am I happy with the new design? He'll no. But what I'm gonna do is kick back with my six pack beer and watch some of you all cry about whats not changing while I rejoice that we're getting a unique hotel to Houston above a mixed used development that Houston has never seen before amist much other construction and development, in a new time that also Houston hasn't seen before.

Children behave or I swear I will turn this car around.

They are tearing the new rendering apart on swamplot. Not with any solid ground to stand on, just the usual pseudo-elitist stuff.

I read this to mean that maybe there's hope that the developer might change back to the original design due to the outcry of the swamplot comments. Wish it was enough.

I too am extremely disappointed. Such a missed opportunity and is a painful relived moment of the ES hotel. Still glad it's getting built nonetheless.

I can do without the cool, that brings in more people.

Totally disagree with this. If those are your expectations, perhaps you'd be happier in a city like Amarillo or Lubbock, not the state's largest city and among the top 4 in the nation.

The only way I see lightrail even being remotely successful on Washington is if its tunneld. Knowing houston, thats a pipe dream. But washington is far too narrow. I do wish metro would start considering some other urban streets though since this mediocre plan on richmond cant even get tread.

The building is really not all that to me, just average. Although it is good to see the development and infill.

It would be nice if the ULine could be put back on the board, but I think BRT would be the next best thing.

Here is one article describing the problems filling retail spaces in Dallas.

 

http://www.ucrurban.com/press_detail.php?sec=4&id=141

That article is a little old. I wonder if they're still having that problem up there?

It's terrible it closed but I mean downtown is becoming a hot be for development. Don't be surprised if something better fills that spot. I was in downtown about two weeks ago and saw a few empty spots where restaurants used to be, and like two days later I read that 4 new restaurants are coming downtown and filling those voids. Barnabys and PepperJacks to name a couple. I used to be very sceptical when something was proposed downtown because I felt it had little chance of surviving, but in the 26yrs I've been alive, I've never seen Houston go through such a rennaissance of new development and better planned infrastructure. This is an exciting time to be from Houston. The attention we've lacked for years nationally is about to explode.

You take bad news pretty well, i must say.

I'm sorry to be a debbie downer, but this doesn't pose as any good coming out for downtown. Just think how Main Street square (or what used to be) has completely gone black at night. Pretty much void of any nightlife whatsoever. Driving through downtown at night looking for the blocks of activity it once literally brings a tear to my eye.

I really had high hopes for downtown when i moved here just under ten years ago. I thought after all the additions downtown has added over the last few years, it would add to what was already there. With all these closings, it takes something away and it almost seems like downtown is having to start all over again from scratch. The nightlife has almost gone non-existant and is more scattered around which takes away from the vibrancy of it. Main Street Square 2004/2005ish and even through part of 2006 seemed to be a little glimmer of hope that downtown was on the rise as an entertainment area.

Oh well, i'm going to end my rant by saying that maybe i'm ignorant to all the things that may be moving forward. I don't frequent downtown as much as I used to, but the few nights that I've gone was dissapointing to say the least.

I'm all for affordable healthcare, but here?

How incredibly boring!

Yeah, it looks like they're only engaged in a planning capacity, not a development capacity. Their client would be the developer.

I think you're right. But i guess some update is better than nothing.

According to Contour's site, the project is supposed to start late this year, early next year.

http://www.contourentertainment.com/

Still not getting my hopes up.

I'm pretty sure that I am the target of the "bully" comment. I don't mind, of course. I stand by my criticism as being constructive. I'm not completely sure of his vision or purpose, but that's just the thing. The message was ineffective. By tweaking his content and presentation, the message can become more cogent and effective.

Of course, if no lesson is learned and future videos are posted in the same style, I'll either stop watching them (which probably is not his intent because he's bothering to make them in the first place) or I'll watch them and get annoyed because my time is being wasted.

That's the thing Niche.

I can't speak for scarface or anyone else on here, but yes I personally thought of you first when scarface made the bully comment. Trust me, you're not the only one on here though and you're not the only one in this thread alone.

I don't really come on this site as much as I used to, but I've been an HAIF member for a long time, even before the old site crashed. For years, I've read your comments. Many of which were so long and wordy, they've darn near put me to sleep. But i never attacked you for being who you are or your choice of wording. I've always respected your viewpoints because all in all, you seem knowledgeable and experienced. But many people don't share your knowledge and your use of technical jargon would often make it hard for an average reader to understand your posts. That may have had something to do with why you were given that Nickname back in the day, "The Pedant."

My response today is not to attack anyone on here for being who they are, but to get a point across that we all have different ways of doing things and should be open and allow others to have their viewpoints without attacking them.

Now i've said what i had to say on that!

Now back to the topic: how to revitalize downtown. We need more residents, but we also need more variety of choices in grocery stores. Phoenicia's is great, but not everyone is going to want to pay more money for specialty items. We need something kind of like a small Walmart neighborhood center, kind of like how Dallas has one off Central EXPWY

C2H (ComingtoHouston)

I'm with scarface 100%.

Some of these comments on here are downright unnecessary. I understand there's freedom to disagree, but there's no need to be an a%% about it.

There was no trolling involved with this post, just merely a viewpoint. Everybody on here is like "He should've opened his post like this or that!" Screw that! As far as i'm concerned,as long as this post did not violate any forum rules, who the heck are we to tell someone how they should've opened up their post? And yes, i'm glad it was stated that there's alot of bullying going on this forum, most notably by the top posters on here (no names). I used to hold back my opinions on here in fear of getting challenged to death or attacked but now, I don't care!

People need to respect everyone on here, as well as their viewpoints and understand that their opinions aren't the only ones that matter.

I remember the O/P from the old HAIF before it crashed, before i even joined. Since then, this site has grown rather hostile and unwelcome of others viewpoints.

C2H (ComingtoHouston)

Denver Pavilions, although much smaller has more energy as a result of the spillover affect from pedestrian activity off the 16th street mall. The developers really screwed the design phase of the Houston Pavilions project up big time. It all started with them eliminating the condo component. At first, i didn't think it was a big deal because i knew how successful Denver's was without them, plus i knew One Park Place was opening up right down the way and thought it serve to fill that void.

Also, the loading docks are very unattractive and quite a turn off. There's been countless number of times i've been hovering around the House of blues while they're loading/unloading merchandise and the pedestrians have to go around it. Who wants to see all of that? The design also being enclosed inward didn't really help create a vibrancy.

I'm somewhat glad to see that other developers will take over. Hopefully, they can fix some design flaws as an earlier poster pointed out.

so it being typical to other shopping centers means its nothing to get excited about. I don't get why its so difficult for Houston to land urban style shopping developments especially in this part of town? Not trying to throw Dallas in this, but they seem to have no problem getting them.

A Victory style development is just about the last thing Houston needs.

well, i guess you're right in terms of the unsuccess rate its had in Dallas, but i still would like to see a little more flash in Houston