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Big E

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  1. Big E started following Woodway Tower: 33-Story Mixed-Use At 11 Riverway Dr. and Moody Place Mixed-Use Development Near Memorial City Mall
  2. Big E
    So I guess that means they plan on eliminating Clay St. north of interstate entirely and Chenevert north of Bell? And what of Hamilton? The current plan with the NHHIP is to reconnect it once the freeway is sunk, so this will interfere with those plans somewhat.
  3. Big E
    I doubt anything gets built here anytime soon. Other vacant lots sitting in the Uptown area have little to no activity, and this is no different from them. McNair was probably the only chance we had of getting anything on this lot in the near to midterm future. So much for that.
  4. Big E
    I mean, site work for the construction has already started. Pretty sure its happening at this point. If we were still in the planning stages, that would be different.
  5. Big E
    But, Texas hasn't approved casino gambling yet, right?
  6. Big E
    This is not completely correct. The cap for the NHHIP is guaranteed and is part of the project. What's going to be built on it, whether its a park or some other development, hasn't been finalized yet. But there will almost certainly be something built on it. And the cap will in fact cover most of I-45 and I-69 through downtown, with only the approach to the bridge over the bayou and the interchange where the highways split not being capped.
  7. Big E
    Because this is a thread about a building in Austin? Why would he ask about the vacancy rates in Chicago?
  8. Big E
    They pretty much have to. I-35 is an undrivable mess most of the day, and hasn't had any work done in well over 30 years, when they double decked the freeway in 1975, other than removing some of the exits for the lower deck because traffic made it too dangerous to keep them. It's a freeway built to 60s standards handling 2020s traffic.
  9. Big E
    Those areas are planned for future phases, I believe Phase III in particular.
  10. Big E
    They should really go for the historic tax credits, whatever strings are attached. That's the only way I see this getting done in this economic climate.
  11. Big E
    Once again, if there was a massive demand for that level of development, it would have already happened. The fact is, there just isn't enough latent demand to justify the expense of downtown redevelopment in most cases. Just like lack of office demand has curtailed the building of new office buildings. While there is a demand for residential development, its all happening outside of downtown, in areas where its cheaper to build, in more established or more popular up and coming neighborhoods. Downtown will continue to see piecemeal development for as long as this holds. You'd do better praying for another oil-fueled skyscaper boom.
  12. Big E
    Not enough to actually stop construction. My feeling is that all of this is largely speculative building at this point, like what Houston went through prior to the Oil Bust. Maybe they are counting on Silicon Valley's bubble bursting soon, and many companies relocating outside of California so save money.
  13. Big E
    An attempt to pass a federal law would probably be unconstitutional and be considered federal overreach. Eminent Domain would be expensive and counter productive for cities, and the courts take a dim view on eminent domain for the sole purpose of economic development. The fact is, if there was an economic drive to redevelop these lots, they'd already be redeveloped. The lack of demand for downtown development is why most of them still exist.
  14. Big E
    Considering all the world class, roofed stadiums Houston has, it makes sense that Houston gets a lot sports events; Houston has the venues for it.
  15. Big E
    Basically what @texan said. Taken altogether, its a lot of land, especially for being at the center of the city. You could build a sizable skyscraper on any one of those blocks. When you look at the rest of each block, you realize that, outside of the two highrises, the majority of the blocks are parking lots, one is a parking garage, and two are are occupied by low rise commercial buildings (one of which is a car dealership) whose owners would probably be happy to sell out to a new developer. A Methodist church and low rise, unassuming apartment complex make up the remaining two blocks. There are already parking lots under the Pierce Elevated. If they are just tearing down the structure, the parking lots would just be left intact and continue to be used to make money.
  16. Big E
    Pretty sure all of those proposals, other than the Convention Center one aren't happening.
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