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astrohip

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Everything posted by astrohip

  1. astrohip
    The last email I rec'd from them (last week) said they were at 40% sold, and construction had started (which of course, doesn't mean diddly squat). This would be a real blow to Randall Davis & Co, if he had to cancel this. Two in a row? High end buyers will steer clear. I drove by this last week, I have a good friend in The Revere, who's been complaining about all the noise. It didn't seem that close to me, but maybe the noise carries. Or maybe she's delicate.
  2. astrohip
    This is a real problem for these young people, and I admire the City for taking steps. I was very active (one of the founders, 10+ years as a Board member) in a non-profit that worked to create transitional housing for the homeless. Focusing on youth and women. Our focus was those who were homeless for reasons beyond their control, such as (for example) the youths left behind when parents were imprisoned, or women who left an abusive spouse and had no place to go (as versus the intentional homeless, often called "street people"). Transitional means a place to stay short-term, until they can get re-established. We helped create thousands of "beds" (that's the metric that counts), often in partnership with better known groups, such as Covenant House, New Hope Housing, HAWC, Santa Maria, etc. The reason I mention all this is the specific problem @hindesky quotes above. There's a decent system of care & housing for foster youths, but once they age out, they are much too often SOL. They may age out because their current place has an age limit (12 or 16 or whatever), or they hit 18, at which point foster care stops. Sadly, their homelessness, and lack of support, doesn't stop. We worked, as an example, with Angel Reach up in Montgomery County, which specializes in helping these kids. Fantastic group, has some big bucks backers, does a great job. Often the difference between living on the streets and turning to drugs and prostitution, or making a go of your life, are these groups. So... glad to see the city is working and funding this. End sermon.
  3. astrohip
    A couple shots from new drone. Thanks to @hindesky for advice on drones. A shot from the NW corner, showing the entire project. You can see the work they're doing on Alabama. And a shot from the south (hovering above Richmond), looking north. In the far background, that's The River Oaks condo straight ahead, with Lamar Towers to the right, and St. Lukes to the left.
  4. astrohip
    View from above...
  5. astrohip
    Take this with a grain of salt. I read an article (sorry, been a couple months and I don't have a link) about front-loading crime stories on NextDoor (and other sites), as part of a Red political oppo campaign. Details: Republican political consultants felt one of the best ways to defeat Hidalgo was make crime front & center in voter's minds. So they flooded local web sites with crime stories. For example, on City-Data, a popular site for locals, they kept starting threads with subjects like "Crime in Houston is out of control", or "Are people leaving Woodlands due to crime?", etc. Then they would keep posting replies to keep it at the top. On NextDoor, they started posting every time anything happened. "Someone stole my bikes out of my garage", "A friend had their car stolen last night", yada yada. Half the ND feed was minor crime events. I quit reading ND as it became 99% useless. Does crime happen? Sure. And making people aware of it can help. But this was a deliberate campaign to over-saturate voters thru web sites. I need to go find that link...
  6. astrohip
    Is that pic from Lamar Towers?
  7. astrohip
    Why was I thinking the first building was going to be office, not resid? Did they change their minds because of the upheaval in the office market?
  8. astrohip
    Traffic is challenging along that stretch of Westheimer. It's tolerable during non-rush hour, and %#$@ during rush hour. And the entire area has more traffic during the Holiday season, making it even more fun (PS: <- sarcasm). I speak from experience, as I live on Westheimer. It can't be widened, there are stores/offices/buildings that come right up to the street easements. What trail are you referring to?
  9. astrohip
    Yes, they do. I don't know the percent or dollars, but it's a part of const costs, like any other repair needed during const. When we sold windows to multi-family, we used to offer free labor on all reglazes. GC only had to pay for the glass. Sometimes, if we really wanted a project, we'd even throw in "X amount" of free window replacements, ex: the first twenty free. It was easier than it sounds, as both the sash and the fixed panel were removable (Ply-Gem windows; we were their distributor in Houston at the time). So instead of having to send a glazier (an expensive employee) to actually replace the glass, a 15-30 minute chore, we would send a service person with the panels. Pop the old ones out, the new ones in. Takes a minute or two, and can be done from the inside (no scaffolding, easy peasy even on the higher floors). We (Gulf & Basco) were also the first company in Houston to offer film on our windows, instead of wrap. Starting sometime in the mid-90s, window companies started wrapping the entire window in a loose plastic bag. The idea was it kept const debris, esp drywall mud & mortar, off the glass, and made the final cleanup MUCH easier. It was a big hit. But one problem was in the summer, you couldn't get airflow, so workers started punching holes in the bags. So in the early 2000s, we heard about this film that could be applied directly to the glass. The window was still operable, airflow worked, and at the end, you peeled it off. It was being used up north, but no one in our area did it. We offered it for $3/window, both sides, and it was an immediate hit. Within months, every window company in Houston was doing it (Champion, BFS, Kaiserhoff, etc). Sorry you asked?
  10. astrohip
    Nice pics! There's a small plot of grass behind this now, buffering the Metro Bus Barn. Is it new, or have I just not noticed it before?
  11. astrohip
    I emailed again, very polite. "thanks for replying, still very interested, etc. But I'd like some info so I'm not walking in cold into a sales studio". Same type reply, again. They said they would call me if I wanted. But I don't want a call. I don't want to be on their marketing email list, or phone bank. (I used a spare email I only use for purposes like this). I'll wait until info leaks. It always does.
  12. astrohip
    Tried to get some pricing info... rec'd this reply: Thank you for your interest in 1661 Tanglewood. Due to the confidentiality of our clients, we are not sharing pricing or floor plans via email, however, we are now scheduling appointments at our sales gallery
  13. astrohip
    I found a "Captiva Westheimer LLC", registered in NJ. I can't find any local address info. https://www.bizapedia.com/nj/captiva-westheimer-llc.html Captiva Westheimer LLC is a New Jersey Domestic Limited-Liability Company filed on June 13, 2022. The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is 450824833. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Ryszard Osika and is located at 299 Market St Suite 220, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663. The company's mailing address is 299 Market St Suite 220, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663. The company has 1 contact on record. The contact is Ryszard Osika from Saddle Brook NJ.
  14. astrohip
    I'm stunned they've sold 70%. It's a fairly limited market for high-end condos, and I know several projects that were either cancelled or downsized because of sales. Good for them, if it's legit.
  15. astrohip
    Is this the type of permit that would be used for the project as proposed? Or does this indicate a change in direction?
  16. astrohip
    Have we seen prices yet? I perused their web site, but couldn't find any. Or HOA fees?
  17. astrohip
    The challenge is that LRT takes up about three lanes, or 1.5 from each side minimum, sometimes more. Main St downtown was three lanes each way, now it's one lane. Six lanes of traffic down to two. Washington Ave and Westheimer Rd are size constrained, and they both carry a shotload of traffic. Can you imagine if Westheimer lost any lanes? The peasants would revolt!
  18. astrohip
    I thought her name was Lina.
  19. astrohip
    Some great aerial pics! I'm sure this has been asked & answered, I apologize for missing it, but what are you using to get these?
  20. astrohip
    I believe you are correct. I drove thru there yesterday, and I noticed there are small sections of the roadway being replaced. I found it odd that some sections that appear perfect--not a crack, hole or patch--were being demo'd and replaced. They're also putting up some curved concrete walls as entrances to the tunnels. Cool looking!
  21. astrohip
    Does this mean they're finally doing something with that old structure at the rear?
  22. astrohip
    I walked over today, to get a closer look (and came back drenched--it's hot!). It looks like they're trying to save the trees. I don't know if they're going to move them, or build barriers around them, but it's definitely not your typical "doze 'em to the ground" process. Lots of them have those dirt walls around them.
  23. astrohip
    I drove by last week, first time in a while. We actually had a reunion lunch of a bunch of us who worked there back in... well, before most of you were born. 🤣 I got a crappy pic from my car before lunch:
  24. astrohip
    The owner is an old friend of mine. Did a lot of business with him years ago. They build a typical "Houston builder" mentality townhouse, nothing special, decent quality, lots of flash (SS! Granite! Island!). He is a PITA to work with. One of those "I'm smarter than you" type people.
  25. astrohip
    "An old furniture depot is being converted into a four-story loft building next door" Only if "converted" means demolished and a new structure going up.
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