desirous

Agreed... well, kinda. It's obvious now that HP just turned out to be a very risky development (at least that's what the developers think) so i't not going to have near the impact that it could have. But I think it's still a good keystone for downtown. If HP lights some much-needed fire under Houston Center (extending store hours for evening patrons, competing for HP's business, etc.) downtown could end up with a decent little retail hub. Because of Discovery Green and OPP both HP and HC have potential that they've never seen before.

But the Galleria will NEVER lose it's business base to downtown... those are just the cold hard facts. Some people like myself, tend to avoid the Galleria at all costs... especially if it's during weekends. But for others, it's the air that they breathe. BLVD Place is just huge-mongous, and if they build everything they're planning, it'll create the greatest shopping district outside of LA, Chicago and NYC. However I'm still gonna wait until the rail gets built to go see it.

Uptown indeed will be huge. Galleria, BLVD Place, High Street, River Oaks District, Highland Village -- that's impressive. All we have now is a damn mall with a damn ice skating rink.

Hey guy I just sent a email to Park 8 Land Of OZ and the main guy Jenny responded back saying this.

Yes, I delayed Park 8 construction. Because there are some un-predictable things, like permit, bank restrictions, etc. We are trying our best to have everything to be ready. The project is expected to re-start in 3 months.

So maybe the Land Of OZ is coming back to construction after all.

That can't be a native speaker of English.

Got a clear shot. They indeed are Adicke statues -- will they be relocated to Pearland?

Last night, I finally found how to get to the statues from Houston Ave. Unfortunately, a large gang of bums (or not bums) was loitering around the area, and I had to scram before I could take any pictures. Anybody know the story to those presidential statues?

I've never explored that area before - what's over there?

I didn't know there was a Chipotle there. Okay, I am not gonna get derailed with thoughts of their delicious pork burrito.

And I certainly am not gonna drive downtown for THEM!

At the Rice Hotel. Doozo is good, but driving here just for them... you must love food.

What about expanding the ROW along Post Oak? It's mostly parking lots and lawns.

Hell, I've had people that thought the medical center was "downtown". I've had to correct quite a few people on that one as well.

I kinda' wonder what people think downtown was when they pass it by.

The converse happens too. This one lady was wondering when she was going to be in the city, when she was already in the city. She said most of Houston looks like "countryside."

Excuses! Run around! Do something!!

:lol:

They're right about the line. The Chipotle downstairs here takes twice as long, and their line looks shorter than the Doozo line.

oh my ,oh my ,where will the new residents of OPP shop or socialize or eat?

I think he's saying West Ave is a drop in the bucket within River Oaks' plentiful retail, whereas HP makes more of a splash. Rice residents are pretty excited about HP opening too, at least some of my neighbors are. It's not just OPP.

West Ave. will have a much larger pool of nearby residential to gain customers from. But it does have some competition with Highland Village.

Highland Village will have High Street and Oaks District for competition as well. They have more to worry about than West Ave.

Buttinsky?

That sounds vaguely Polish when pronounced correctly.

Nothing, Mr. Buttinsky. I was asking madmann101 for the reasons he chose Houston, reasons that apparently outweigh his desire for rail transport.

Maybe for a reason similar to mine, for moving back down from Chicago: I get a posh 1-1 in the Rice for the same price as my roach-infested dump in downtown Chicago.

Besides, Houston's got the best Chinese food between the two coasts, and the chode of a rail line isn't bad when you live next to a station.

Good luck. Let me know when you need a ride.

Does anybody know how many parking spaces HP will have? The unique problem with retail downtown is that parking is a huge hassle for visitors. Nobody wants to pay for parking.

Do you honestly believe this tripe? Or are you just trolling for the kind of response that'll get me banned from HAIF?

It's so outlandish, you need not get riled up by it. I could see how it's hypothetically true -- if, through a divine act of God, there is suddenly light rail everywhere in greater Houston, many people would be dissatisfied. Case closed.

Houston is too big of a city to have only a 7 mile rail system. If you don't want rail, than don't live in the core. If you think Houston is a great walkable city when you have so many streets without sidewalks and not much pedestrian traffic,than your wrong.

I don't think anybody thinks Houston is a very walkable city -- I live downtown and still drive to places. Guess what? All my friends are in the burbs. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with driving. It's a free democracy; if you like urbanity, vote with your real estate choice; if you like rail, vote with your Q Card. Then vote for the rail propositions and make sure all your neighbors do too.

One huge advantage of public transit: you can nap on the way. That applies to buses too; I got a pretty good snooze in riding the 255 Kingwood bus.

Huh? You're wishing for some sort of donut shaped asteroid impact?

Why do people pick Houston as a residence if they want everyone crammed into downtown? It's never going to happen.

It's called wishful thinking. Every city has sprawl around it... except maybe Hong Kong.

Enjoying density does not mean killing suburban growth. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive.

There are "town centers" within the beltway? I can't think of any. Anyway, a "town center" is just a mall without a roof.

Most "town centers" are mixed-use developments.

CityCentre. BLVD Place. High Street. Regent Square. Oaks District (sp?). Even West Ave roughly fits the mold. All the new upscale retail inside the Beltway are going into "town center" developments. In the investment profession, past behavior does not reflect future performance. In cities, past development does not reflect future growth. It is a fallacy to assume continued reduction in density just because that occurred in the past; a fluctuating equilibrium of density may be in play, and right now it is shifting toward city centers. Every major city is experiencing rapid core growth -- are you sure you're speaking for others, and not yourself?

A big chunk of Los Angeles County is denser than Neartown Houston neighborhoods. I'd say at an entire Metro Houston's worth of LA County residents live in neighborhoods denser than the Inner Loop here.

there's a lot of empty retail over there now perhaps?

I agree. A few new strip centers just entered the market in the area. They're still pretty empty right now.

Why go downtown when you can go to the mall?

Malls are on the decline, at least within the Beltway. "Town centers" are all the rage. Downtown, if developed correctly, could end up being a whopper of a "town center."

not for long. how old are you?

I'm 21, and teetotal. The stereotypes are screaming murder.

Anyone notice the car is ready to drive back on to the sidewalk again in the third photo after being fixed in the second?

Who said Houston doesn't believe in recycling?

Hooray, is that a Barnes & Noble I spy? About time I get an alternative to Waldenbooks.

They're all outdoor malls. Real town centers surround private property with public space. Real town centers have cops instead of security guards. Real town centers scare people.

The same people that make right turns from the left lane and change colors with a bum two furlongs away. I, DT resident, know full well.

The electric taxis run on tips. Metro is still cheaper where applicable.

PTC isn't a town center, it's an outdoor mall.

Good grief, there shouldn't even need to be consideration for the others.

So this is supposed to have residential available in August? That's weeks away.

Maybe August 2009.