clutchcity94

17 hours ago, hindesky said:

Completely gone. I wonder what will be built here.

Would be a great spot for an independent book store!

19 minutes ago, CREguy13 said:

Fortunately, this will not be the case for site.  Skanska is going to build something amazing here, but with that, comes proper master planning and understanding the best overall use/market size for what will be a transformative project for Montrose.  Then factor in the Kroger site next door and its a lot to consider, all while engaging numerous community stakeholders.  

We might as well raze the ex-Chinese consulate while we’re at it!

1 hour ago, cityliving said:

Usually when an empty lot sits undeveloped for more than two years means that the company who purchased the property may be having issues getting financing for their proposed projects.

Has it been two years already?

On 4/4/2022 at 4:22 PM, Luminare said:

Now we definitely know what this site is destined to be....a Mattress Firm distribution center haha

Should we start a petition to get the Bedquarters moved? 😂

2 hours ago, hindesky said:

I noticed that too. Today I took a picture.

I wonder why they would spend all that money to turn it into a parking lot? Not much demand for parking there, unless they plan on leasing it to the construction crew of the 710 Richmond high rise.

I didn’t get a chance to snap a pic, but it looks like they’re getting ready to turn this site into a parking lot. Looks like it was ready for a concrete pour with rebar set up and it definitely wasn’t deep enough for slab.

6 hours ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

 

Rendering of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams coming soon to 1719 Westheimer in Montrose.

 

Unfortunately, I think Milk & Sugar down the street might be put out of business once Jeni’s opens. Milk & Sugar was fantastic when it first opened pre-Covid, but I’ve noticed a considerable slip in quality since then.

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

Ion Fitness Center.

Architect - http://www.tramontedesign.com

Any word on whether it’ll be an independent gym or a larger chain?

Isn’t Soundwaves up the street also being sold? And what about that Chinese consulate…is it still closed?

46 minutes ago, Amlaham said:

I actually REALLY like it, it looks very unique

It looks like an Eado townhome that gave birth to quintuplets. 

19 minutes ago, hindesky said:

Lot is cleared and smoothed. I wonder what will end up here?

 

I just searched for 819 Richmond on the permitting website and it lists the “Owner/Occupant” that pulled the permit for demolition as Drews BBQ, but when I search the permitting website for the address next door that was also demolished (817 Richmond), it lists the Owner/Occupant as The Toning Zone, which appears to be a gym in the Montrose area (http://www.thetoningzone.com).

What’s the deal with small gyms being constructed from the ground up in this pocket of Montrose? First it was Timberline Fitness a few years ago and now apparently The Toning Zone.

My annual bump of this thread. There’s signage for the upstairs unit that says “Echoes”. Looks like it’ll be a place called Echoes Cafe.

44 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

Good question.
Many walkable places in older cities have overpasses but they're usually for rail, not automotive traffic. Does that make them more acceptable?
Personally I'd rather walk through an underpass than on a bridge over a highway. Anyone with even a mild case of acrophobia can understand what an uncomfortable experience that can be.
Of course, if Mayor Turner hadn't been hell-bent on rebuilding the obnoxious Spur 527 we wouldn't have this problem. 
 

Good point. The overpass near the Air Canada Centre in Toronto comes to mind. Tons of pedestrians walk underneath.

Would be really great to see the stretch of Richmond from Wheeler station to Montrose Blvd become walkable and developed.

Are there any examples anywhere in the world where an extremely walkable pocket includes a highway overpass? Just thinking through whether folks from the Ion (future state; once it’s more developed) would even walk to developments at, say, Richmond & Roseland?

On 1/27/2022 at 3:42 PM, hindesky said:

So I drive by here about once a week to see if anything is happening. Last week I could see that all the office still had furniture and looked in use. Today I drive by and see all the offices are empty and a locksmith is changing the locks. Talked to him and he knew it was sold and the 3 houses were bought but didn't know what was taking it's place. Showed him a pic of the new apartments and asked when work is starting, he said next month.

 

 

Doesn’t look like any demolition permits have been granted yet.

22 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

Doubtful. When I saw it, the backhoe was completing demolition on the back of the building, and the front didn't look like anything had been removed.
Seems unlikely that they would stop halfway through demolition to do any salvaging. 

It looks like part of the roof line of the building next door was damaged as well.

Bets on how long this land will sit vacant before they start building on it?

Anyone know what’s happening here? As of this week, all of the windows are blown out (on the first and second floor) and the building looks like it could collapse at any second.

According to HCAD, this property traded hands last year and the current owner is delinquent on property taxes.

**UPDATE: I see that a demolition permit was issued on 2/9, so this is coming down soon. Looks like the same owner that bought in 2021 also owns the property next door at 817 Richmond. I did some digging on the owner of the entity that owns the property and it looks like he is the owner of a printing service company. I hope this doesn’t turn into a Kinko’s..

Are there any recent renderings of what this will look like when finished? Based on the photos in the other thread for the new Big-Tex Storage on 11th St in the Heights, it looks like Big-Tex’s design aesthetic varies quite a bit from location to location.

I hope 4503 Montrose looks more like the 11th St location than the Richmond & Hazard location. In fact, the 4503 Montrose location should look better than both given its prominent visibility from 59.

Did Bank OZK buy the land or lease?

1 hour ago, wilcal said:

It's not 😒 Only the future BRT line stations are included, not the 82. Yes I am salty about this. Yes I harangued the city about how silly this was when they were discussing TOD. My gut says if they asked for any sort of variance to implement TOD standards then it would probably be granted, but Livable Places was initially talking about expanding some TOD-style relaxations based on access to BOOST bus lines and some other things, so this will fall into that eventually. Additionally, TOD is still opt-in, so Skanska wouldn't have to adopt it. 

What effect, if any, will being part of a TOD have on residential property values in those areas?

2 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

In terms of size and big city vibe, Houston is really on it's own in TX. For all of it's mishaps and mistakes, this city boasts some of the most urban, densest, eclectic neighborhoods in the entire state. The presence of architecture firms this large and well known is something I feel a lot of us are forgetting or taking for granted. It's firms like these that basically put a city on the map at a much greater level in terms of being a "cool, socially accepted city." Whatever get's developed here is going to have a massive impact. 

But wouldn’t you say Dallas is comparable in that regard?

Apologies in advance for prematurely exciting anyone for bumping this thread without any news to share…but…is anything going to be announced soon? We’re almost at the one-year anniversary of the lot being leveled!

Skanska…show us what you got!

58 minutes ago, twisterhunt said:

The middle section with the windows on the lower floors is surprisingly nice, agreed. I think the rest of the structure leaves a bit to be desired considering the surroundings, will give some credit to @hindesky for the nice photo lighting 👌 Hoping for some good landscaping to block the view at street level, and that they don't plaster BigTex Storage on the front gray panels!

Oh you know they will.