texan

7 hours ago, hindesky said:

"The City of Houston will temporarily delay granting demolition permits to the Texas Department of Transportation while federal authorities review their acquisition of the Lofts at the Ballpark near Minute Maid Park, city officials said on Wednesday."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-to-delay-demolition-of-apartments-near-17258539.php

Why are he and Jackson Lee framing this as if they had no idea about it? Are they that disconnected or are they taking the opportunity to cash in on political clout?

And on the net-zero housing pledge demands: I'm pretty sure that will happen naturally when these lots are replaced with something twice as tall with less parking...

10 hours ago, Big E said:

Interesting that a good chunk of phase one hasn't started yet. Of course they are working on the helix gardens, and they've started construction on the Mixed Use Garage, Collaborative Building, and Industry Building One. But correct me if I'm wrong, they've done no work at all on the Member Institutions building? They for sure have done nothing for the Hotel, Conference Center, and Residential Building, and I don't think the UTHealth or MD Anderson buildings have started either.

One of the main reasons the UTHealth, MD Anderson, and Texas A&M buildings haven't started yet is due to state funding for CCAP projects (formerly called TRBs)- which fund each project to the tune of $70 million- still being in the process of flowing to the institutions and the institutions then having to get the final approval for the projects from the state. I believe each individual project was delayed past the most recent legislative session to try and get this funding so the previously allocated PUF dollars could then be reallocated to other projects (for example, in Texas A&M's case, the PUF funding displaced from A&M's TMC3 project by CCAP dollars is being moved to build a new small animal teaching hospital in College Station).

8 hours ago, hindesky said:

Chase Bank is moving across the street into this.

 

Now I wish I wouldn't have asked. What a disappointment.

On 4/21/2022 at 8:08 PM, dbigtex56 said:

I notice that 1927 W Gray (same block, formerly Pier 1) has had a construction fence around it for the past couple of weeks.
 

 

Pier 1 is now gone. Anyone know what's happening?

This is a METRO presentation but slide 4 has a (updated?) schedule of the downtown segment phases.

https://ridemetro.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=2286&meta_id=60546

On 6/10/2022 at 2:45 PM, editor said:

Is that Milan building real, or a rendering? 

I've seen dozens and dozens of proposals that look exactly like that.  The only ones I've ever seen actually built never lived up to their hype, largely due to maintenance issues.  Not everyone is a gardener.  Not everyone is home all the time to give the greenery the care and attention it requires.  Surprisingly few people will allow an in-house gardener/maintenance person into their home when they're not there in order to take care of the plants.

Ditto for the thousands of "green roof" and "green walls" demos around the world.  90% of them I've seen are dead, or dying, with no hope of being re-planted.

The Optima properties always looked to be alive when I lived in Phoenix, the best example in my opinion is Optima Camelview Village. I think they could be a successful brand in Houston.

https://www.optima.inc

https://www.optima.inc/projects/optima-camelview-village/

54 minutes ago, Urbannizer said:

Does anyone have access to this article 

https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2022/03/16/cj-development-buys-independence-heights-property.html

Mixed use development going in at Yale and Crosstimbers. U-shaped building with 9 floors of residential over 3 floors of garage, 500 units, 16,000 sf of ground floor retail. Architects are Korb + Associates Architects and Identity Architects. Plan to break ground by the end of the year.

Arch “Beaver” Aplin III has donated $50 million toward a building that will serve as the home of new university programs in hospitality, retail studies and food product development involving innovative degree programs including viticulture, fermentation processes, coffee, and food science- to be located between Kyle Field and Wellborn near the hotel. This will be a learning and gathering place and will include outdoor and indoor student recreational space, retail and food service areas managed by students and faculty through the educational programs, product development laboratories, and food tasting centers which can be utilized in partnership with related industries.

One of President Banks' visionary goals is for Texas A&M to play a major role in shaping Texas culture. A start to that goal is the school of visual and performing arts as well as the museum mentioned above but I think this will have the greatest impact to that goal!

https://today.tamu.edu/2022/06/02/buc-ees-creator-giving-50-million-for-hospitality-entrepreneurship-program-at-texas-am/

A few additions to the capital plan that will be huge additions to campus!

Business Education Complex - $79,000,000 (to be located to the east of Wehner on what is currently a ridiculously sized quad)

New Small Animal Teaching Hospital - ~$175,000,000 (to be located at the northwest corner of Harvey Mitchell (2818) and Raymond Stotzer (60)).

Visualization, Fine, and Performing Arts Center - $175,000,000 (no location yet)

Museum of Natural History - $100,000,000 (no location yet)

Aggie Band Residence Hall - $75,000,000 (to be located behind Duncan, next to the White-Walker Music Activities Center drill field)

The Gardens Phase II - $40,000,000

https://assets.system.tamus.edu/files/treasury/pdf/FY23/TAMU.pdf

9 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

May 4-5, 2022 Meeting of the UT System Board of Regents

https://www.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/meetings/board-meeting-2022-05-04

MD Anderson TMC Projects that were approved:

• Ambulatory Clinical Buildings 2/3
• Bed Tower Mobilization
• Renovate T. Boone Pickens Academic Tower - Floors 20 and 21
• Finish Out Mid Campus Building 1 - Floors 23 and 24
• Replace UPS Systems - CPB Data Center

2/3 ACB:

Consistent with the institution's Master Facilities Framework 2030, U. T. M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center is proposing to construct two new buildings, Ambulatory Clinical Building 2 (2ACB) and
Ambulatory Clinical Building 3 (3ACB). These new buildings are to be located on the institution's
Texas Medical Center campus (TMC Campus), south of Holcombe Boulevard and bounded by
Pressler Street on the south, Richard J.V. Johnson Avenue on the east, and Fannin Street on
the west.

While the project includes two separate buildings with integrated parking garages, 2ACB and
3ACB are expected to be joined at the podium level to form one contiguous ambulatory
treatment facility (2/3 ACB) that is proximate to and interconnected with the existing Lowry and
Peggy Mays Clinic and the Dan L. Duncan Building. Overall, the 2/3 ACB facility is anticipated to
consist of approximately 3,300,000 gross square feet (GSF).

2ACB will consist of 950,000 GSF of clinical and departmental program space located on
seventeen floors above grade and 550,000 GSF of parking located on three floors below grade
as well as a central parking structure. In total, there will be 1,500 parking spaces added on five
levels. 3ACB will consist of 1,500,000 GSF of clinical and departmental program space located
on nineteen floors above grade and 300,000 GSF of below-grade parking adding another 785
parking spaces.

The project is also expected to include the construction of two seven-story connectors that will
complete a circulation route between 2/3 ACB, the Mays Clinic, and the Duncan Building,
forming a complete quadrangle around the central parking structure. The top of the parking
structure will align with the existing exterior plaza decks of the Mays Clinic and the Duncan
Building to form a raised exterior garden.

If this recommendation is approved, the project is expected to proceed with requested inclusion
in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) in August 2023, design development approval in
May 2024, construction start in November 2024, and substantial completion in December 2027.

Inpatient Bed Tower:

U. T. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is preparing to construct a new inpatient bed tower to be
located proximate to and interconnected with the institution's Main Building complex, on a site
currently occupied by the Percy and Ruth Leggett Jones Basic Research Building, the Bates-
Freeman research building, and the Anderson Central Building. The proposed Bed Tower
Mobilization project will involve a multi-step approach to include the vacating of approximately
527,100 square feet of existing buildings and preparations for demolition. To consolidate
science research laboratories and clinical support functions currently housed in the buildings to
be demolished, approximately 400,000 gross square feet of space will be renovated in other
facilities proximate to existing inpatient services and associated clinical science laboratories.
The project will also include abating vacated spaces, facility modifications to accept connections
for temporary bridges installed around the site for the future inpatient bed tower, and detailed
analysis and planning to facilitate the decoupling of utility infrastructure in anticipation of future
building demolition.

 

Looks like this site plan and cutaway includes the new ACBs from when Duncan and Mays were built. I would assume it's still mostly accurate? Mays at right and Duncan at bottom.

9 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

Per the Dallas Morning News  (yes, the Dallas Morning News, not our pathetic local paper), Meow Wolf will open in Houston in 2024.  Also planning to open one in Grapevine, Texas (Grapevine Mills shopping mall to be exact) in 2023.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2022/05/11/meow-wolf-a-santa-fe-immersive-art-experience-is-coming-to-texas/

Love the fact that Houston's will be in the Fifth Ward, while "Dallas's" will be in suburban Grapevine, in a shopping mall . . .

That's just Dallas culture vs. Houston culture...

"In Houston, we’ll engage a burgeoning arts community in the most diverse city in the nation, which we believe will result in a groundswell of revolutionary artistic expression.” - Dale Sheehan, executive creator director

https://www.abqjournal.com/2497979/meow-wolf-will-expand-to-grapevine-texas-in-2023-houston-in-2024.html

On 4/15/2022 at 9:25 PM, texan said:

http://www.downtowntirz.com/downtownhouston/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Board-Book-FINAL-3.8.22.pdf

Plenty of red meat here for y'all to argue about. For what it's worth, I did genuinely find this informative and very fair in terms of how well TxDOT is working with Central Houston and how they are actually open to negotiation/changes. Very different from the story given in the media.

http://www.downtowntirz.com/downtownhouston/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Board-Book-4-12-22.pdf

Cost information has been added to the original document packet sent to the FHWA. Additionally, two more exhibits were added that discuss the future of Pierce Elevated and effects on parks on the west side of downtown. 

8-floor student housing complex in permitting at College Main and Cherry St called the Everett. This is right down the street from Parallel's project currently under construction. College Main will soon be an urban street too!

https://www.cstx.gov/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=18469393

Parallel's second project in College Station (between Wellborn, Maple, Louise, and First St) is slated to begin construction in June.

Can't believe I haven't posted this yet, Aggie Park is a redevelopment of the area between Kyle Field and the Corps Quad. It will include a lake, grand promenade leaded up to the east side of Kyle Field, and an event center for Ring Day.

Construction camera:

https://app.truelook.com/?u=ma1629835378#tl_live

The Gardens:

https://gardens.tamu.edu/leach-teaching-gardens/

37 minutes ago, august948 said:

Is that within his power as governor to do this or does it require legislation?  Proposals happen all the time so I've learned to ignore the words and wait for the action.  Is action imminent or is this something that's just being bandied about?

It requires an appropriation from the Texas Legislature and his signature which is far easier than a PUF restructuring (constitutional amendment). He has said it's part of his agenda for the 88th Legislature so it will be seriously talked about it within a year.

Well good morning, Aggies!

https://www.thecentennialcampaign.com

Football Indoor Performance Center:

Academic + Wellness Center:

Indoor Track Stadium:

One step better, although our steps are measured in increments of hundreds of millions of dollars

10 hours ago, august948 said:

They've been trying to do this for years.  Has something changed that makes it likely to happen?

Abbott recently proposed a $1 billion transfer into Tech's endowment to quell people who want to open the PUF up to more universities as a more realistic option. Probably the same thing happening for UH.

There are renderings floating around but they were not approved due to the location (right next to the pond). Instead, this building will be on the right as you near the library in the area enclosed by the road, service driveway, and library building. Additionally, there is a request in with the Air Force for one of the current Air Force Ones (I know that's the callsign and not the aircraft name but that's what everyone knows them as, you nitpickers) when they are decommissioned which were introduced during President Bush's presidency. I think the library has a good shot at getting one, especially since the request included a letter from the late president shortly before his passing.