NoMoHouTx

Got the official Notice of Variance notification from the city the other day.  It looks like the ground floor retail is no longer part of this project.  Under 'Statement of Facts' is the following:

'The plan for the building is to provide 70+ luxury residential high-rise units with 5 floors of parking and no retail on the street side........The Montrose favorite Khun Kay Thai is planning to relocate just down the street and open to continue to serve the Montrose area their delicious Thai cuisine.'

It also mentions that inspiration for this building comes from ICONSAIM in Thailand and Garden by the Bay in Singapore....

The views of downtown from this location are amazing.  Actually the best views in my opinion.

On 9/21/2018 at 6:18 PM, wilcal said:

@nomohoutx Your thoughts? They're going to cover the garage at least and do some walkability stuff with the sidewalks. 

I think it's great what they're doing with the walkability improvements and am very happy to hear they are taking into consideration the neighboring townhomes with the design of the garage.  I am very curious to see how this project develops and to see what the final product will look like.   

LOL...good one!   

6 hours ago, skwatra said:

Is your Japanese Blueberry in the Montrose median?

I used to own on the block just south and was a regular at Khun Kay through when she retired (food went downhill after that IMO though some items were still good).

 

It does seem like a small block to fit this size in but as far as the area, but this is the direction things are going. Every apartment going up or proposed in the area are in the 8 story range. I for one look forward to the density.

 

 

Oops..I misspoke.  The 20 story building will be directly to my WEST!   The sun sets in the west...duh! My bad.  It's the afternoon and evening sun that will be almost totally blocked out during the summer months by this building. 

The proposed 20 story building is directly to my east.  I'm hoping the tree survives as due to its size and branching out the way it does, it will serve as nice foreground to the parking garage that will rise directly behind it on the adjacent lot where the restaurant currently sits

2 hours ago, samagon said:

 

I applaud your reasonable expectation that they allow neighborhood feedback. Unlike so many that just go straight to the "fight against it with all of your being", it's refreshing. 

 

I personally would miss the sun, but the lowering of my energy bill during the summer thanks to the shade this thing will create would be very welcome. And the ability to sit in my backyard in the shade on an August afternoon enjoying a summery beverage without getting a massive sunburn would be awesome. 

 

what kind of tree do you currently have? it will still have direct sunlight for a portion of the day, and perhaps that will be enough, and maybe, if it's in the shade during the hottest parts of the day as you suggest, it might flourish in those conditions. 

The tree in my backyard is a very mature Japanese Blueberry.  It's tall (I'm guessing about 40') and does a great job of shading the back side of my townhome in the summer time while also shading the yard.  The tree is listed as full sun to partial shade so I'm not sure what it's severely limited direct sunlight exposure will mean once this 20 story development goes up.   While a reduced electric bill in the summer time may be nice, it's not nearly as nice as being able to look out of my kitchen window/back door window and see greenery/sky/sunsets etc.  I'll be staring at the backside of a parking garage.  Let's see if the developer cares enough to at least make the backside of his building not a 100% eye sore.

So to the question of what changes I'd like to see...well, first of all, it would be great if no changes were needed due to the developers being diligent and respectful of their neighbors and the neighborhood as a whole. I'm doubtful that will be the case.  So, my concerns center around things like traffic flow - how will the entering and exiting traffic be directed.   Things like lighting...since this behemoth will be my new backyard neighbor, what kind of intrusive lighting will they stick on the outside portion of the building that faces my property?  The parking garage is a concern...will it have a covered facade at least on the backside for privacy and so that i don't get bombarded with the headlights of cars in the garage?  What will the exterior wall look like - if all I"m going to be looking it is the monstrous building it better be something at least pleasant to look at.  What about the trash and dumpster locations - a building that size will generate a lot of trash.  Fence locations and material of construction are a concern.   Locations of all the utility stations and equipment.   Also, the developers are asking for approval of variances....what are they willing to give in exchange as far as improvements....an improved pedestrian experience?   What is the landscape plan?  Anyway...those are some of the items I hope all get worked out favorably.

As for a 20 story monster in my backyard vs a 3 story townhome or townhome complex?  A 20 story wall will completely, and I do mean completely, cover any view i have of open space/sky and my guess is that in the summer time the backyard will go dark around 4 pm.  in the winter time, there will never be any direct sunlight.  With a townhome development or something half the size of a 20 story building, the impact on light, sun, sky etc would not be nearly as severe.

And as for traffic impact, maybe a 20 story building with only 100 units in and of itself will have a minimal impact.  But it's not an isolated development.   1308 is being replaced with an 8 level apartment building...Wharton Elementary has just been tripled in size....Gibbs boat shop is being redone into some sort of restaurant/entertainment destination...the car wash directly across West Clay from Khun Kay Thai is for sale and so there'll be new development there.  All these things need to be considered so that wise decisions are made.  I'd venture to say that the redevelopment at the corner of Washington/Heights/Montrose will also lead to increased traffic in this portion of North Montrose.....

There's still the question I've got of whether a separate laydown yard will be needed during the construction of this project for material, equipment, construction trailer, etc.

So, just a quick intro.  This is my first post ever on this site although I've been a lurker for years.  I like keeping up with what's happening in Houston, particularly inside the loop, and this is a good place for getting information and what I consider great insight from people that know way more than I do about architecture and construction projects.  That being said, I'm following this thread and project very closely because I just happen to share a property line with Khun Kay Thai.   I'll be honest, if I lived anywhere else in Montrose, I'd be thrilled with this project.  It's a mixed use building with ground floor retail and I'm a huge proponent of this in close-in neighborhoods like Montrose and Midtown...I think we need way more of it.  However, the shared property line has dampened my enthusiasm considerably...LOL.  I'll be staring at the backside of a 20 story apartment building and I just cannot get excited about that.   I'm also not sure what's going to happen to what vegetation I have in my backyard.   This building will block most of the afternoon sun.  In the summer time, I'll get a few hours of sunlight.  In the winter time, probably zero.  I have a very large tree (~40 feet tall) and I don't know what lack of sunshine will mean for its overall health.  This being Houston, the project will likely move forward.  As a concerned property owner, I'm just hoping to have a say in what the final product looks like and a say in minimizing its impact on my property and overall quality of life as I'm also concerned about the traffic this thing will generate in an already very congested area of North Montrose.

I did notice this for sale sign go up at the car wash directly across West Clay from Khun Kay Thai.  Any thoughts on what this might mean?  My initial thought is that maybe the lot is needed initially as a laydown yard for all the construction equipment and material and that after the 20 story tower is built something else will be put in on this corner.  But that's based on my assumption that because of the small lot size for the 20 story project, a separate lay down area will be needed.  Any thoughts on this??