bachanon

George Mitchell Lays Groundwork for New Texas A&M Science Initiative With $35 Million Gift Thursday November 3, 9:30 am ET Noted Architect Michael Graves Commissioned to Design Two New Buildings for A&M Physics Department HOUSTON, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- George P. Mitchell of Houston is spearheading the development of a new science initiative at Texas A&M University with a $35 million gift to support an effort to propel the institution into the front ranks of fundamental physics and astronomy. LINK

also, remember, that living in houston and watching the papers and websites daily, it can feel like a project is taking forever. and, if you only periodically check on the developments in another city it can feel like many things are happening quickly. whereas, if you lived in the other city you may feel the same as you do about the progress of things here. just a thought.

mi luna is a great idea. it's a great place to have a drink and nibble on various, delicious tapas.

saturday was big fun!! (just in case anyone was wondering) we couldn't decide on a patio so we bounced around montrose for about 10 hours. we started at la strada at noon. the weather was amazing. i had the jalapeno fettucini. it was delicious. the food at la strada's brunch is not the best food i've had, but for the occasion it was perfect. the six of us wore out our welcome at la strada after 3pm and headed over to mo mong. those ginger infused martinis are super. we ordered bo luc lac and spring rolls to share. after one too many $7 martinis we headed down to zimm's (for $10 martinis) on montrose blvd. the atmosphere is very relaxing especially early in the evening. the crowd gets a little uppity after 8pm (IMO). if you want to visit with friends and have a cocktail, i would advise going as soon as they open (5PM). by 9 we were feeling the need for more solid nourishment and headed over to baba yegas. of course, the patios were packed and we had to sit inside. "give me smoked turkey and brie or give me death" i always say. the fresh fruit sides are always a welcome surprise. bouncing around montrose is always great fun. it's so nice to not have to resort to a chain establishment.

I was searching for a rendering on Kirksey's website for the new project over the rail station and came across this. I searched HAIF to see if this article from Texas Construction had been brought up before and didn't find anything. It's a laundry list of Memorial Hermann projects in the works for the greater Houston area, many that we are already aware of. It is construction focused though and has interesting details on some of the projects. The Making of a Med-Tropolis Memorial Hermann Building More Than $1 Billion in New Projects Memorial Hermann is utilizing a variety of financing mechanisms to build dozens of new structures --including the largest commercial project currently under way in Houston--at the same time. By Rob Patterson Houston's Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, the largest not-for-profit health-care provider in the state, is actively building to meet the coming needs of its community. Link

it's more like the woodlands crime report. most of these items already were already included in the weekly insert in the community section of the chronicle.

i haven't been to cafe annie's for years. i'll suggest it to the group. thanks katy.

dearest haif foodies, i'm thinking of spending a weekend revisiting old haunts this weekend or next at restaurants i love and miss. is there anything i should try that's not on my list (that is to follow)? my friends and i have a couple places we cannot stand to be away from: backstreet cafe van loc mia bella mark's americas la strada (ok, if the sundays are still as rowdy as they used to be, otherwise, i'm over it. haven't been there for awhile) cafe japon zimm's mo mong the teahouse on shepherd at randall's with that said..........is there anywhere that we might try for a birthday dinner? we have two birthdays in october and usually spend a day or afternoon restaurant/bar/lounge hopping. the weather can be great and we like to schedule a couple of designated drivers and bounce around the inner loop area. your suggestions are welcome.

speaking of games and large scale events downtown: wouldn't the pavilions project succeed (overwhelmingly) at keeping people in downtown longer? i hope the project remains viable for the investors. it will be (fingers crossed) a great addition to downtown.

"And you Bachanon, i can't believe you'd actually use the Bayou Place as an exampe of Houston's progress. That place is as dead as a doornail, not to mention depressing. Where are these residents that place is supposed to be adding? No signs of any progress on that? Why can't we seem to get federal funding for more rail while Dallas keeps building more and more miles of rail? What's the deal Tom Delay? Do you hate Houston that much? I hope his indictment goes through." bayou place helped to develop interest in downtown houston. it was brought about by cooperation between the city and private investment. it is not on the scale of the pavilions project, but i think it has been significant in a return of investment and attention to downtown. it may not be all it was cracked up to be (and may have already passed its prime) but it was amazing that it ever occurred and when it opened it gave a place for people to hang out after or before a show. has everyone already forgotten what it was like to go to jones hall or the wortham for an event, enter from the underground parking garages and exit the same way, straight to the freeway. you had to go to montrose or the galleria before you found any restaurants. people from the burbs (not in the know) had to drive 10-20 miles back to the burbs before stopping for food. bayou place helped to create a focal point in the theatre district that didn't exist before.

i completely agree on the need for affordable housing downtown/midtown. midrises with incentives and mixed use concepts can work if a developer will set their mind to it.

tierwestah said: "You can't be for real. Are you serious? You can't see my point and look back on how many projects in Houston have failed in the past? Major things like this rarely happen." what about? Reliant Stadium Minute Made Park Toyota Center Cotswald Project Bayou Place All the infrastructure improvements to downtown. Light Rail These are enormous accomplishments that required many entities working together to bring each of these projects about. Development ebbs and flows. We are revving (sp?) up for another wave of development (IMHO). Of course, it may not be the kind of projects we hope for. Just because a development (or three) do not get off the ground does not mean that projects in general aren't going to pan out. Be patient and enjoy that ones that do get off the ground.

party pooper

Sept. 12, 2005, 8:21PM $1 million grant boosts creek project Greenway takes shape along border of counties By BETH KUHLES Chronicle Correspondent The Spring Creek Greenway project, a linear regional park that will meander along the border between Harris and Montgomery counties, has received a $1 million boost from the state to help acquire up to 630 acres of land. The joint county project is expected to preserve up to 12,000 acres along Spring Creek from FM 2978 in Spring to U.S. 59 in Humble. link to full story

Westchase District by Rives Taylor, AIA PROJECT Westchase District Long Range Plan CLIENT Westchase Municipal Management District ARCHITECT Powers Brown Architecture with SWA Group CONSULTANTS Robert Charles Lesser & Co. LLC (real estate); Spillette Consulting (urban development); Walter P. Moore (infractructure); Knudson & Associates (economic development) DESIGN TEAM Powers Brown Architecture: Jeffrey Brown, AIA; Baldemar Gonzalez; John Cadenhead; SWA: Scott Slaney; James Vick; Kinder Baumgardner At twice the size of downtown, the 4.2-square mile Westchase District is one of the aging "edge city fragments" from the 1970s and '80s that now compose the milieu of Houston's rapidly multiplying town center precincts. This area, fairly indistinguishable from the city's other car-centric suburbs, encompasses the typical mix of boulevard strip shopping centers, two-story apartment complexes, and mid-rise offices buildings (with more than 17.5 million square feet of commercial space). Local landowners ultimately decided to organize and consider how the west-side district's prospects could be made more attractive to re-investment. What was missing, they realized, was a distinctive identity for the district that would induce development over the next 20 years. link to full article

for instance, one firm will work on infrastructure, one on planning, one on interior, etc.

i really don't want to get in the middle of this one. however, it must be said that there are people who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances/in need and behave in a manner respectful of public property with consideration of others and there are those who do not. i believe saigon is the former and cannot understand why others are not the same. it is true that we must show compassion regardless of the behavior or lack of appreciation of those we show compassion to. the greeks called it agape love. we know it as unconditional love. lighten up on saigon. let me be more specific. i meant to "lighten up" on the issue saigon had with trash throwing evacuees. some of the other posts i've read from saigon are indeed inflammatory.

i remember finding the doc martin's i wanted at dream merchant. also, my first cabaret voltaire cd was also purchased at sound exchange, as well as meat beat manifesto and vicious pink. i still have a bowling shirt from the 50's a friend bought for me from step back or timeless taffeta, i can't remember which. good times.

is it really possible in a free market to concentrate on these "sparks"? the various accomplishments that have occurred within the downtown area will eventually produce the critical mass we all long for. it simply takes time. it does seem like a lifetime when you watch it as closely as we do. the new park is a perfect fit IMO. if and when the pavilions project gets off the ground we will see more pieces of the puzzle come together. it is truly exciting the changes that are taking place for houston. not just with new development but the mindset of houstonians. unfortunately for us fans of urban renewal, long term change takes, well, a long time.

yes. in fact, the swimming coach implied at a parent/student meeting that the natatorium (to be built at/near the new stadium site) was already in the works. i don't remember hearing the word "proposed". he did encourage everyone to support these upcoming issues. it seems that the school districts are so confident of funding that it's all just "red tape" (my words). i'm all for these facilities, but i don't like feeling that i'm being fleeced. the football team booster club has had two fundraisers since may (i have a football player in the house). my school taxes have skyrocketed for a rental property i have in spring isd. don't get me wrong, i love this stuff (not the tax increases, the activities surrounding and including education). i went to a private school in a metal building for 10 years and was better off (imho) than the majority of kids being educating with 250 million dollar plus bond issues every few years. i digress. with all that said, i'm excited about the new stadium and natatorium. i wish i could be confident that the school districts were being frugal.

the article identifies The Woodlands HS on Research Forest as overcrowded (despite the opening of The Woodlands College Park HS), not The Woodlands College Park HS on 242. College Park's capacity is around 2,400 and current enrollment is closer to 1,800 (according to principal Mark Murrell).

did anyone just see the story about the pavilions development on channel 13, six o'clock news? maybe they will rerun the story at 10PM. it sounded like the journalist followed our forum for her story. with the exception of it being presented to city council by the developer and his partner, there was no new news for us.

HOUSTON MATTERS Old problem: taming new sprawl Counties, voters, developers have roles in guiding our growth By ROGER L. GALATAS ALONG roadways around Houston the landscape is changing in a way that is worrisome. Closely spaced houses replace trees and open fields in many areas. More houses each day. New billboards advertise our future. But let's also recognize that the Houston region is rich in resources

the demographics are completely different. check out page six of the market street fact sheet. market street fact sheet