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CaptainJilliams

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  1. CaptainJilliams
    This is a massive transit center, drove by it yesterday not realizing the magnitude of the work. Do we know if they are planning to overhaul/renovate the northern transit center or just leaving it as is? I know it has a pretty unique design (with the white pyramids on top and all), but will it need to be modified to handle the new BRT vehicles?
  2. CaptainJilliams
    The scene from this morning, the exterior is coming together. They are also painting the lower garage portion a light brown to go with the color scheme.
  3. CaptainJilliams
    Well, it's certainly encouraging to hear a perspective from someone who has been here longer than me and has seen the improvement firsthand. I'm hoping continued Downtown and Midtown development will create greater connectivity and community, decreasing blight and the areas where people have been gathering. I'm also hoping the Pierce Elevated rebuild along with the sinking of 69 near downtown helps break up more tent cities.
  4. CaptainJilliams
    This development is actually starting to remind me of a development in Pittsburgh known as Nova Place. Before I moved down to Houston, I attended college just outside of Pittsburgh, so I frequently made trips to the city to watch ball games and see performances, a nice mid-size city. Nova Place is a renewal project on the north side of town that took the former Allegheny Center (Mall) and turned it into a mixed-use hub with the largest co-working space in the city, restaurants, and even residential units nearby. From what I've heard, it's experienced a decent amount of success and continues to add a lot of tech and medical companies. You can take a look at it for yourself here: https://novaplace.com/about-nova-place/ I hope Post HTX can be a significantly better version of this, and hopefully grow and add more amenities with time.
  5. CaptainJilliams
    I don't want to speak for @UtterlyUrban, but I think I may know what he means. In the past 2-3 years since I've lived in Houston, and again, this is just my personal experience (no real way to quantify anything), I've noticed an increased aggression in panhandlers in my most recent ventures downtown. Now I'm not sure if it's just desperation, mental health issues, withdrawal from drugs or all of the above, but I've been called out by people on the streets asking if I can give them money. No conversation starters, no small talk, just straight to the point. It's uncomfortable and it's difficult when you have to navigate strategically around them as you walk through town. You could look at this situation, again, as a norm in most major cities, in fact we probably have it easy down here. But with a growing downtown population, many of whom have families, I'm sure many of them do not look favorably on the situation when those who are homeless congregate in areas of high activity (Market Square, Minute Maid Park, Main Street, etc.) Also, the tent cities keep shifting locations after each city clean-up, and recently they've moved to more visible locations.
  6. CaptainJilliams
    Underwhelming to say the least. I can echo the sentiments of everyone else. Although if this is a multi-phase project, then there is definitely hope for increased Bayou interaction and development on those surface level lots.
  7. CaptainJilliams
    Cranes, gators and eagles: Houston Zoo’s new wetlands exhibit showcases Texas conservation success https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/science-environment/article/Cranes-gators-and-eagles-Houston-Zoo-s-new-13882732.php
  8. CaptainJilliams
    Thank you, I too have seen that documentary and it makes it thankful that our situation isn't nearly as bad as Seattle's.
  9. CaptainJilliams
    Houstonia also has an article on homelessness: https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2019/5/17/2019-homelessness-count-houston-harris-county-coalition-for-the-homeless-way-home New Data Shows Promising Decline in Greater Houston Homelessness When the data is arranged visually, it really does look encouraging to see that progressive downward trend!
  10. CaptainJilliams
    Thank you! And there we go, new renderings, and honestly, it's different but it still looks pretty good in my opinion.
  11. CaptainJilliams
    Very true. It just sucks that these gathering places are in prominent areas of downtown (Main Street, Minute Maid Park) and along pathways that connect Downtown to Midtown, causing people to feel limited in how far they can safely/comfortably walk.
  12. CaptainJilliams
    Darn, thanks for pointing that out. Here's hoping they make minimal changes to what we've already seen.
  13. CaptainJilliams
    Dang, just a few weeks ago this was a grassy plot. Awesome to see this move so quick!
  14. CaptainJilliams
    Ah, now I see it...if this is the redesign it isn't very drastic at all. But I do see what looks like a pedestrian bridge and I thought that was scrapped.
  15. CaptainJilliams
    Thank you. I can’t tell you how disappointed I would be if they tease us with the old rendering on signage and then build something different.
  16. CaptainJilliams
    No, I’m not surprised too much. Houston’s homeless situation is actually far better than many other major American cities. Of the top 5 most populous, I think you could argue Houston’s in the best situation in terms of managing numbers. And you also read stories about places like San Francisco, which already had a massive homeless population, see a 17% spike from last year to this year. But Houston is primed to have some massive changes take place the next 5-10 years, more specifically the decommissioning of Pierce Elevated and the plan to sink the highway near Downtown and Midtown. Once the projects take place, there will be an inevitable scattering. And I acknowledge we need more affordable housing/shelters and mental health facilities to assist these people. My question is what part of town could have these facilities and not receive major pushback from nearby residents?
  17. CaptainJilliams
    I see a rendering on that signage, is it any different from what we’ve seen?
  18. CaptainJilliams
    I wanted to touch on a topic that has been weighing heavy on my mind recently, and I'd like to hear peoples thoughts. It's ironic that I discovered both these posts today. First, I read a somewhat encouraging article from Houston Public Media about a 5% decline in the homeless population from 2018 to 2019. You can read more in the article here: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2019/05/15/333384/homelessness-down-5-in-houston/ . Obviously the stat on mental health spending was a little depressing, but to hear that Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties experienced a 54% decline in homelessness since 2011 was surprisingly positive news. But shortly after that I ventured over to the Houston Reddit to find a post entitled "Walked down Main St. from McGowen to Congress yesterday afternoon", which can be read here: Simply put, the post did not give me the warm fuzzies, especially since the area in question stretches all the way down Main Street. Sadly, I have seen the sights described in this thread, maybe not so much the smells, but definitely the sights. I've experienced the yelling, the drunkenness, and the tents/garbage lined up under the freeways. Downtown and Midtown are experiencing decent growth and development right now, yet the presence of the homeless continues to linger and in some cases grow. Certainly new development is helping clean some of these areas, but it seems as though these people simply relocate to other areas close by. For example, when I first moved to Houston in 2017, the entrance to 59 South from Richmond looked like any normal feeder. But for the past 6 months it has become overrun with garbage and filth, and this is right across from the Post 510 apartment complex. You can check the Yelp reviews for the place and see the problem is creating negative reviews from the tenants. This isn't the only complex experiencing the issue in the area, and I feel as though it will continue to keep people away from potentially relocating to Midtown and Downtown. But again, I want you guys to tell me your thoughts on the matter. What is the best course of action the city can take to curve this issue? Does anyone living in Midtown/Downtown echo these sentiments and have their own experiences to share? How will this impact the growth of Houston going forward?
  19. CaptainJilliams
    They were installing brown siding today on the western side facing Timmons.
  20. CaptainJilliams
    Wow, this is great news! Granted the design isn't anything spectacular, but it still creates those neighborhood connections that allow for more walkability.
  21. CaptainJilliams
    If you are talking about the Uptown Transit Center, scroll up and check ekdrm2d1’s post from May 2nd.
  22. CaptainJilliams
    Darn
  23. CaptainJilliams
    Agreed on the Midway + HEB, that will be exciting. But do we know that BB&B is gone for sure? I mean, there are quite a few young families that live in the area and to my knowledge the only other close one is in Meyerland. I’m all for redeveloping the land, but I’m sure they are still getting decent business. They may linger around a little longer.
  24. CaptainJilliams
    Skeptical, but I want this tower to happen so bad.
  25. CaptainJilliams
    The Camden website for their Houston apartments indicates the Downtown tower should open by November 2019.
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