thedistrict84

2 minutes ago, I'm Not a Robot said:

Does anyone know where the second planned project is? They are calling it "East Bayou." I really hope that the health amenities (Yoga etc) they speak of become available to the public to use. This area is kind of lacking in the health options that EaDo seems to be collecting. 

Based on the description of the location, I was thinking it might be the large lot just north of the Bayou and west of Jensen, but I’m honestly not sure.

6 hours ago, ZRFkris said:

I always liked the sound of East End 

These kind of developments help give the “East side” a stronger sense of a neighborhood, I’m really not a fan of the rows upon rows of individual town homes.

Not everyone wants to live in an apartment though. It’s good to have a mix of apartments and higher-density single family homes (i.e., townhomes).

This part of the East End/Second Ward is starting to fill out nicely.

1 hour ago, Texasota said:

They really need to claw back some sidewalk from the street parking. That's my one real issue with the green line- it seriously messed up the sidewalks on Harrisburg.

Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. They just redid the vast majority of the sidewalks in this part of the East End, starting in 2013, by adding new ramps and insets with the East End Management District logo and street name. I doubt they will look at reconfiguring them any time soon.

19 hours ago, ljchou said:

Hi! Noticed that 3509 Harrisburg has been vacant for some time. Any news on tenants taking up residence? It seems like a lot of developments in the area are starting up and then subsequently falling through over here.

Are you referring to the small white office building on the northeast corner of York and Harrisburg? If so, I agree, it is super disappointing that it hasn’t been leased out yet, they did a good job on the renovations and it seems to be a very appealing building.

My only guess is that it’s because there is an abundance of people loitering in the area due to both the light rail stop and the New Hope Housing facility a block or so away. I use that light rail station frequently and drive through the area regularly as well, and regardless of the time of day or night there are people just aimlessly standing around, sitting under door awnings, etc. 

It definitely discourages pedestrian traffic, and I’m afraid that it’s at least been a factor in some developers second guessing projects in the immediate area (such as the proposed project to redo the Rey building at Milby into a retail development). Hopefully the Kaldis redo of the Cameron Iron Works building, inevitable reworking of the coffee plant, and the residential developments that will follow help the area turn the corner, because it has a lot of potential. 

15 hours ago, hindesky said:

I would try it. Need a new spot for my Tex Mex fix.

This is walking distance from my office, I’ll definitely give it a try too. Glad they’re filling that spot with something relatively quickly.

I make the left turn from Harrisburg onto Delano every day on my way home from work. The location of the driveway on Delano is going to be an issue—it’s literally right next to the Harrisburg/Delano intersection. I can just picture someone leaving that drive and trying to cut over to Harrisburg across a car (with the right of way) turning left onto Delano.

I like the overall idea of developing this site, and the renderings look good, but they really need to rethink the location of that driveway (to the extent they can). 

Could be worse, honestly. At least the Corky’s patio fronts the sidewalk. 

Definitely better than the abandoned commercial building it’s replacing.  

There hasn't been any meaningful activity at this site in months. Looks like Lovett is content to just sit on this property for an extended period of time with absolutely no progress, much like they’re doing with Post HTX and several other sites around town. I guess it’s their M.O.

15 hours ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

Trust Bisnow with a grain of salt. I noticed Bisnow FREQUENTLY publishes wrong details or outdated details as if it's new (when details have changed).

You're not joking. The Sprouts rumor was dismissed well over a year ago. I can understand still mentioning it if the change in plans was a recent development (say, within the last month), but to still mention it now is a glaring oversight for a source that is presumably up-to-date on commercial real estate development news.

33 minutes ago, Texasota said:

Eh, 13 Degrees Celsius seems to be doing just fine. I think you're expecting the customer base to be a lot older, bougier and more conservative than it is likely to be just because it's a wine bar.

That’s kind of my point, 13 Degrees Celsius and other places in that part of Midtown are doing well because there are more new residential developments (MidMain, Camden McGowen Station, etc.) creating a customer base and pedestrian traffic. This in turn disperses the concentration of homeless populations from the immediate area or otherwise reduces the negative effect by the homeless on pedestrians in the area due to higher concentrations of pedestrians walking in the area, using light rail, etc.

2 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Are you kidding me? Lol It's like one block away. The homeless walk past VooDoo all the time. Now speaking of Star of Hope, the housing is very strict. My girlfriend worked for Star of Hope for a while and she managed who was allowed housing and who wasn't. There are very strict requirements to live there, so while there may be stragglers here and there, this place is for people who WANT to get back on their feet. 

I meant “isn’t as bothered” as in “they don’t care as much about it.”

No doubt the homeless people and some of the sketchier New Hope SRO residents frequently loiter around VooDoo, I go there maybe once a month and see it firsthand.

But as I said, I’m not personally bothered by it and, due to walking in all corners of this city for years and encountering all types of people, I don’t have trouble interacting with even the most aggressive of transients. But, the typical customer who would be drawn to a wine bar might be more likely to be bothered or annoyed with that situation. 

That’s all I’m saying: the homeless and quasi-transients in the area (due in part to light rail and the New Hope SRO facility) might have a meaningful negative effect on business. I hope that’s not the case, and will definitely go to support it regardless, but until more new residential development occurs in the immediate area to provide a built-in customer base and critical mass of pedestrians to counter the negative effect of higher concentrations of homeless and transients (as is currently happening in the heart of Midtown), it is a real possibility.

3 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I mean VooDoo bar is right down the street and people go there all the time. 

That’s a fair point. I think the crowd at VooDoo skews younger and more blue-collar though, and isn’t as bothered by dealing with quasi-homeless people engaging in loitering and other transient behavior.

Even taking into account Sammons’s intent for it to be more casual than typical wine bars, I still think you’re talking about a different clientele target than VooDoo, Sigma, Moon Tower, etc.

1 hour ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

It is not. Eater took this from Houston Business Journal & paraphrased their ENTIRE report. It's the reason why I didn't post it.

1. Yes, it technically is. It is a short article about the bar published on the Eater website. The fact that they summarized information from another article by another publication or source doesn’t detract from that fact.

2. Not everyone has a Houston Business Journal subscription. I assume your quote from the HBJ article is complete, and thank you for providing that from behind the paywall, but it doesn’t hurt to have additional sources with the same or similar information for people to access.

Another brief write-up on How to Survive on Land and Sea, from Eater Friday. 

https://houston.eater.com/2019/5/10/18564597/mike-sammons-wine-bar-coming-soon

Looking forward to another bar/food place opening on the Sampson/York corridor, although I am a bit concerned about how well it will do with the New Hope SRO facility right across the street. It might discourage some pedestrian traffic in the immediate area (for the record, the New Hope facility is on my way to the nearby Green Line stop and I walk by here regularly, but am concerned of the effect it may have on others’ willingness to go here). 

Walked by the Gribble Stamp & Stencil building on my way to MMP and noticed that there are renovations underway. It’s certainly a cool building with an interesting layout, so it’s good that it’s being renovated instead of torn down. 

Old Loopnet listing on the property in question:

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19940204/121-St-Emanuel-St-Houston-TX/

Couldn't find anything else. Anyone know what’s going on with the property?

4 hours ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

This is the site of the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center in Near Northside. Is that the right neighborhood?

I think that would be correct. As I understand it, “Near Northside” is a blanket term for the area east of I-45, north of the UP railroad that runs through Hardy Yards, west of the BNSF line that runs parallel to Hardy and Elysian, and south of 610. It covers a large area that includes several distinct neighborhoods, similar to the “East End.”

2 hours ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

Yes. That's why I SPECIFICALLY ADDED to this post that the discussion of the automated garage's new location has been updated and included a direct link to that discussion in two of the posts above earlier this week (and quoted below from the post above several days ago)

Why don’t you go ahead and move the other 20+ comments talking about the automated parking garage from the first page over to the other thread too, if it bothers you so much.

It has been an ongoing topic in this thread for months. I’ve specifically commented on it a few times, as have many others. I was more focused on the new site plan you posted instead of your one-line link, sorry I missed it...

I know the initial speculation was that the automated garage would go where the current 10-stall, sorry-excuse-for-covered-parking lot by Christian’s Tailgate currently sits, but the updated brochure puts it on a larger lot further east towards Studewood and White Oak, where a few older homes currently sit.

Since there is more land area to work with there, it looks like the automated garage will not be as tall as we initially thought.

4 minutes ago, mollusk said:

Tandem garages would also work with a narrower driveway.  Lots of us already play Musical Cars in our single lane driveways - it'd be nice to have more than one under cover.  

That’s a good point. I almost bought a townhome in Second Ward that had what would have been (at least for me and my affinity for small cars) a three-car tandem garage. It definitely would allow for a narrower footprint and less frontage on the street.

A single-capacity, single care garage would be a deal-breaker for a lot of inside the loop buyers. Even if you do not need a car for work or most local travel, they’re necessary to get around to other parts of town (especially if you have friends and family in the suburbs, as I do). And, given the car culture here, a lot of people have second cars for recreational use.

https://www.nextseed.com/offerings/bumpy-pickle?utm_source=FB_ANMT_ALL_newoffering-bumpypickle

Proposed new Pickleball/Volleyball courts and adjoining bar, from the people behind Sports Creek in EaDo. Currently seeking investors, per Nextseed link above.

Anticipated opening of February 2020 at 534 Lockwood Dr., near Lockwood and Navigation.

1 hour ago, Texasota said:

I say partially because proximity to transit is absolutely worth considering too. I think keeping as close as possible to the Red, Green, and Purple lines, as well as anywhere high frequency transit is planned is a logical priority. 

Just FYI, this development would be almost a mile from the nearest Green Line stop, Altic/Howard Hughes. That’s borderline in terms of close proximity to transit (although the 20 bus line on Canal is of course closer).