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X.R.

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Everything posted by X.R.

  1. X.R.
    I use it everyday and its terrible. It works well, yes, if you exit Westheimer and then use the separate entrance. Once the Galleria/Westheimer/San Felipe street traffic is back to normal, its maybe at 60-70%, I don't know if that'll stay true. But on Saturdays, and any work day from 4-6, its worse than before. Its actually excellent, maybe even fantastic, for people leaving the Galleria/Uptown, which I suspect is a bit of the reason for the reconstruction. And yes, as @texas911 notes, the biggest reason is for linecutters, but that's basically everyone that gets in that lane. I'm one of the comparative few that takes it North, so its maddening to sit there and watch it unfold as 20-30 cars sit behind the person trying to cut. And like half of the line behind that car are also trying to cut as well. I've had more close calls in terms of "is he/she going to hit me?" since that opened than I did in the 4 years before. Edit: not trying to be aggressive or anything, its just the 59S flow has always been greater than the 59N and the construction did nothing to address that and in fact made it worse for both. Going 59S is just as slow if not worse. It may be faster slightly for the 59N crew, but it comes with constant slamming on your brakes as the car in front of you is trying to cut the line with no signal. I'd rather go slow.
  2. X.R.
    Its super trash. When traffic is really back, its going to be WAY worse than before. You already have people driving on the shoulder now to get to 59N as opposed to waiting in that line with all the 59S traffic. Its absolutely wild. I see that this junk and I don't know how anyone looks at any TxDot proposal in Houston and go "yeah, this is smart." Plus, it takes forever. This is a tiny intersection and it already has pretty decent amount of work done, and its closing down til 2022. Houston freeways are eternally under construction and rarely, maybe 1 out of 10 times, does it get any better. If I lived in Afton, parts of bellaire, and other areas around 610 by 59, I would be pissed. Because they are about to get flooded with traffic avoiding this nonsense.
  3. X.R.
    The grass will have grown back by the time they get started on this thing given the rate of speed they are moving.
  4. X.R.
    Paging @wilcal, I feel like he'd know best. The part through TSU (I know its only a bit) does have lights, so theres that. I thought they used some federal money to help complete it, but I'm not sure if its the houston parks and rec or the City that would be responsible.
  5. X.R.
    I agree with the boss lady. Didn't want to say this sooner because I didn't know if people actually like this thing, but after many sad lunches I was like, was this built to be the most antagonistic thing possible? It was largely uncomfortable and those big steps sometimes hid whoever else was there so you'd be settling in for lunch and look over and be like "oh sh**" because you didn't notice another sad sap who worked in the area either eating their lunch or drinking out of a paper bag. Plus, it would get unfathomably hot (hence all the drinking going on in that area) I'm assuming because of all the concrete. Just wanna know who thought it was a great idea. I don't even want to know how much money was wasted on that.
  6. X.R.
    It seems like TxDOT has been sniffing around and trying acquire land for the portions of this project that require more land. From a legal POV, how fun is it to watch local, state, and feds all in a legal fight (answer: so much fun because it isn't the most frequent thing): https://twitter.com/samjmintz/status/1399813701176287236?s=20
  7. X.R.
    Segment 3 is acknowledged to be the least impactful part, at least via Harris County's lawsuit, so I don't think its surprising its moving forward. In fact, I think in the other thread even the most ardent posters against the construction don't mind segment 3 going forward. I just say that to say that one segment isn't quite like the other and action on one part shouldn't mean that the whole project is moving forward. I hope Anomaly is here to stay (for a good while). True Anomaly is a great vibe. The beer is very interesting, they fill a niche in the Houston Market that is sorely over looked (emphasis on sours and tripels/dubels and higher ABV beer). Its a great spot to ride your bike to. Their tripel is good.
  8. X.R.
    Really shows you that whatever is happening in the Heights is being done in a way that is appealing with a broad audience if its resonating with the residents of Seabrook (sort of in a "if it appeals to them, it appeals to anyone" thing). Some people, in my professional experience and personally observed, like to paint the "Live Work Play" thing as millennial. But Seabrook residents are not typically millennial-aged. So its cool to see that desire make its way throughout Houston, both via age and location.
  9. X.R.
    If I was the city, I would promote the hell out of this because now developers can develop in less expensive areas and talk about "galleria/TMC only 20 mins away without getting into a car" type stuff. If @wilcal is right, and you could go from Eastwood to Galleria maybe in 45 mins or so MAX, I would call that a big win. Why would the Afton Oaks people whine? Anyone take Richmond through there? People fly down that road at like 45-50mph when traffic is crazy on 59. This would cause some natural speed limiting and then people wouldn't have to idle in their driveway waiting for the perfect chance to back out of their driveway and not die. And yeah, I think the 59 project is supposed to move forward regardless of the lawsuit but who knows. I can't imagine the city looks at the recent flooding of 288 (even if its supposed to flood) and goes "Yeah, lets dig a giant hole that will flood in the area where we have some of the most important land development in the midtown/downtown area."
  10. X.R.
    If y'all read Dug's article about the BRT line he mentions how the University line met resistance from those residents "west of Shepard" which eventually derailed ()the development. I can understand these detractors are a lot of people with money, but was that all of the opposition? I know Culberson was a naughty boy, so was it him and those residents? I was thinking about why now, like why did Metro feel these two particular BRT lines were the ones to push to get done (outside of the mandate by the voters). And I really think a good deal of it is Rice and their development around Wheeler. If it was still the old Sears, the Uptown development folks prolly wouldn't be too anxious to get BRT done from this direction (sorry Eastenders). But if Rice's development is at least partially successful (and it already is in terms of attracting tenants and Greentown Labs), that's a lot of potential spending power. Plus Rice is marketing this as a more walkable development with potential residents and users less likely to use cars; so they sure as hell want this. Just saying, I think there is now a lot of synergy between Uptown and Midtown and the East End that may not have been there even 5 years ago. And I'm happy for all the East End homies too 🥳
  11. X.R.
    @hindesky on the other side of the freeway at that same bridge, they've waited so long, you can see greenery sprouting at the bottom and underneath the middle portion of the vines. Its just the top that needs to come off. But if we're seeing green already, especially with all this raining, I would probably just wait it out at this point. My question is, there is substantive growth happening at the bottom of the vines/coming out of the ground, like you can see in the first photo but on a bigger scale, at further down 59 in the southern direction. Now did they traditionally prune those? Cuz I don't remember that being there.
  12. X.R.
    It makes sense, and I wouldn't be surprised if its because of pressure from entities within Uptown wanting to maximize the return on the Uptown BRT system. Its stupidly nice and while people are still slowing going back to normal why not begin the project. I've taken the BRT a handful of times, mostly for novelty and I'm near a stop, and I still don't know what I'm supposed to do with it unless I'm parking at my work and wanting to enjoy the galleria area. Connect it to Wheeler though, and ooooo boy. You know how many people could go carless to work? Or go carless to the galleria on the weekend and enjoy themselves? I would bet a lot, a looot of money that businesses would see a crazy boon. Edit: also, housing in the area isn't gonna get any cheaper and this allows the peons like me to live elsewhere and maybe minimize car costs and still work in the galleria area.
  13. X.R.
    You know how wild it is to get more than 1 or 2 spots on a committee like that, much less 4, just by asking for it and with limited leverage/negotiating power? Even if 4 isn't enough to be a majority or to be most of a majority, it at least lets you have multiple voices when putting together plans of action. The response letter from the Third Ward group, HCEDD is well written. However, the justifications for their request makes sense if Rice was the City, but they aren't and shouldn't be treated as this malevolent entity here to right any perceived wrong in relation to the direction of development in the area. Also, thinking the CBA agreement should primarily be with them and not the city isn't the best idea since Rice says its up to the contracted entity to keep them bound to the promises. I don't think the HCEDD has the pockets to employ the types of attorneys needed to keep Rice honest. Just getting any attorney wouldn't work on Rice, the letterhead matters. "RMC's focus on "minority and women-owned businesses,” for instance, is misaligned with HCEDD's goals. Our coalition, which extends far beyond the Black people of Third Ward, unanimously centers the Black community in our priority areas because we know that Black communities will be most impacted by the development of the Innovation District. Our coalition believes that this “umbrella term” will in fact make more probable the displacement of Black businesses surrounding South Main." Dunno my guys, I think the boat sailed on saying this development will hurt anyone's business like 20-25 years ago, and specifically this part of midtown hasn't been part of anybody's community for a while.
  14. X.R.
    uuhhhh wut. I'm already missing that Shipley's but that is nice compared to what the old location looked like. If ION and the other developments on Rice's acreage can make that viable and provide steady business to the other restaurants/food place just down Richmond across 59, that's a massive boon. Wheeler station goes from just another station on the way to downtown or Med Center/Texans games to somewhere you can purposefully stop at to get a bite to eat/hang out. To me, thats a huge shift. And before anyone gets on me, no, I did not love the Churches chicken in the Fiesta cuz it was either way too fried or under-fried and soft. I'd rather get the fried chicken at 8pm at Krogers that they made at like 11am.
  15. X.R.
    Southmore is generally done. They've planted a ton of trees and grass on the feeder by the bridge, its going to look green in a year or so. I think that portion looks nice. It makes the other bridges in the area look much more terrible however, so I hope they are getting redone or at least a paint job or some trees or something. I hate the white piping they used for the pedestrian bridge though. Makes me think of that sort of crappy bridge into the neighborhood over there by gulfgate.
  16. X.R.
    They have put together an all-star team of design, hopefully this bodes well for what they think of the Houston market and any other holdings they have *ahem* Montrose *ahem*. The design, given the space its working with (can it be any tighter?), has been growing on me and I'm at the point now where if they choose the right glass it could be stunning.
  17. X.R.
    The issue with relying on Ion and the subsequent developments is while its great for the area, its so far south that its almost the Museum District. A lot of what people referring to is now moreso north, basically the blocks getting close to downtown. Its funny, the Eastern, Western, and Southern parts of Midtown are coming along nicely, its the central and northern portions that need a little help. Theres quite a bit of foot traffic around the Gen/Artisans/Beer Market/Wholefoods area of Midtown even with the Pandemic. Just need to figure out whats happening there that isn't happening around the Drewery and such.
  18. X.R.
    Tbh, that area does need a Home Depot cuz while it is 5 mile drive, its 5 miles on typically busy highway so its a bit of a pain in the butt. Plus, like some noted a metric ton of development is going on in the Heights (both small and big) so there is a clear need. All that said, dang its a lot of parking. I'm wondering if HD caught wind of this development and just threw a big bag of cash at them. Its kind of funny, the most appealing images in that PDF are the neighborhood buildings shown at the end 😂
  19. X.R.
    I would say daytime, non-office life is getting close to pre-covid times, with weekends having me asking "COVID what?". Daytime office life will get a boost soon as the large law firms and some oil and gas offices are targeting June 1st as the D-day for returning to the office for all employees. That day has been postponed a few times, but I think June 1st is going to stick. A few friends have had the companies/firms do a two-three days in the office, two-three at home thing for the last month to get people acclimated to the office life again, which has kind of livened up downtown the past month or so. Friends and colleagues are weirdly happy to be back, I think moreso as a sign of normalcy than anything else. Courthouse is certainly getting to like 75% pre-COVID. The way I know June 1st will stick is we've started telling people in interviews work from home isn't an option, when before it was much more fluid. Nightlife is still a bit slow. Went out for the first time since COVID to the main street bars this past weekend and it was certainly much, much emptier than I was used to. Saturday felt like an old Thursday. I talked to the bartenders at every bar tho, and they all were like "yo, it has increased ALOT in the last two-three weeks" in terms of foot traffic, so I'm thinking June/July is when the reports of "we can't keep up with demand" at the bars and restaurants and such in DT will happen. I don't think people truly understand that while Texas and Houston (to a lesser extent) are "open" when compared to much of the remaining parts of the country, we aren't anywhere close to "back." When that happens in June/July, with all the offices coming back online, its gonna be a sight to behold. I expect 610/59s/45n traffic to be somehow worse that it is now and then people will be like "about those apartments downtown" lol.
  20. X.R.
    Anyone else kind of nervous for this? I for one am super excited, the only thing kind of holding it back a bit is how I feel this is like the ultimate litmus test for downtown. I think the views will undoubtedly garner a ton of wedding/corporate/special event money, I just hope the rest of the development like the food, music, and retail (assuming there is some kind of retail whether its a food market or clothes or whatnot) does well. I mean, there's no way this portion of the development could be a loser: https://twitter.com/JRDNLTHMS/status/1390451008367640576?s=20
  21. X.R.
    Its kind of sad if they really are getting out of Midtown, and it seems they are, because they made it to the end of COVID but still succumb to it. I'm seeing this with some of my other clients' industries, businesses that were sighing in relief in March only to find out in April that their runway was much, much shorter than they realized and had to close shop b/c demand is returning slower than some hoped. Given what Rice is doing in Midtown and what that will potentially bring in terms of demand for housing and attracting individuals to work there who have higher earning potential, its unfortunate that their timelines didn't match up.
  22. X.R.
    I thought this is a typical business model for most residential real estate firms. Buy land, build, lease out the retail to anchor tenant, get a certain % of rooms leased, and then sell. So not really big news?
  23. X.R.
    Is this going up fast or is this just me? It seems like they went from no crane and minimal site work to crane, pillars, and extensive site work in about a month? And thats with people being off for Easter. And the second building starts in August? Really incredible to see something like this really, actually happen and so quickly.
  24. X.R.
    I appreciate you kind of honing in on the central question. But I don't even think we need to go to the "if the project is worth it" part. I would assume everyone is happy since this is like a Texas politician's dream because before Biden/Major Pete it had minimal gov't support, they bought most of the land themselves, and the attorneys I know that have worked on this indicate that they are prideful about the private (rather than public) aspect of this. Its a private company that is going to set rates according to a market that they create. This is the type of capitalistic wet dream Texas loves. Like I mentioned before, I know a handful of people who have farms along this route that purposefully bought land they knew this company would have to buy just so they could sell it to this company. Other than those 13 or so landowners who are probably just butt-hurt about not buying more land to sell to this company, I honestly can't understand why anyone else would be against this. That lawsuit is trash, btw. The remedies can't even stop construction, lulz.
  25. X.R.
    A residential tower? There?? Lol, if all the people who regularly experienced san jac and wheeler a decade ago could see this now. I also literally laughed out loud at seeing Party City, Forever 21, and Dicks as the placeholders in that design. I think it was the party city that set me off. 🤣
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