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Big E

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Everything posted by Big E

  1. Big E
    If someone had some dynamite to just blow it up, that would be nice.
  2. Big E
    They haven't stated what they are doing with the ROW, which leaves the door open for something good to be done with it. Just moving the freeway will be a boon for the area because it will give that whole surrounding neighborhood a little more room to breathe. couple that with the canal they are planning to build and redevelopment of the bayou shore near downtown, and they can do something really nice with it all.
  3. Big E
    The one thing I don't get is why Austin of all places is seeing this massive supertall boom while Houston struggles to get 50 story towers built...
  4. Big E
    Nobody mentioned this, but the new owners of the Marathon Oil Tower are moving to have most, if not all, of its vacant space (at least 21 stories) converted to residential, as stated in the tower's thread here. Not exactly downtown, but this is the largest residential conversion I see anyone talking about in Houston right now outside the one happening in 1801 Smith.
  5. Big E
    You are only looking at the bayou. I've moved on from that. I'm talking about the large parking lots that are already fronting the bayou in this picture, which will be what will be taken out once the highway is moved. The bayou is just a small part of the land the new freeway will cover when moved, and, as has already been pointed out, the freeway already crosses the bayou right next to that location, so nothing of value is really lost. You're just trading one area of underutilized greenway for another.
  6. Big E
    I mean, in the end, we aren't losing much. Its still crossing the bayou, just in a different spot. Any land the highway vacates can be redeveloped, and most of what the new highway will be covering is existing parking lots.
  7. Big E
    I'm not sure what you are trying to prove. The freeway is already there. You can see the current alignment in the picture. They are just moving over not even a mile.
  8. Big E
    This makes absolutely no sense. There is already a freeway over that part of the bayou. What do they really hope to accomplish. If Turner is really for the project, then he needs to start being more vocal and shooting these bad ideas down before they start.
  9. Big E
    Me, I'm not torn up about what was torn down, so much, as what was planned and never came to fruition. Its the lost potential that bothers me more than anything else. Which is why I really want this Discovery west project to get off the ground and succeed. That potential is still there, and what Skanska is promising is one of the most exciting projects I think downtown has seen in years
  10. Big E
    That's largely only because the Oil Bust tanked the economy, which is also why those buildings weren't built in the first place. In a world where those buildings were built, it would have to be a situation where Houston's economy didn't collapse in the 80s in the first place.
  11. Big E
    At least in this case, I think the garage being particularly obnoxious is intentional.
  12. Big E
    Of those properties listed, First City Tower, Two Houston Center, Lyondell Basel Tower, 4 Houston Center, First City Parking Garage, Four Seasons Hotel, Fulbright Tower, and Houston Center Garage 1 were the only buildings built that were part of the original Houston Center plan (5 Houston Center wasn't built till the 2000s, and is very different from the building which would have occupied the space in the original plan). The original building planned to carry the "4 Houston Center" name would have been a 53 story building, but it was never built; the name was given to the current building carrying the moniker instead. It was the only building to actually be named and have its height revealed prior to cancellation. Of those original 32 blocks, that's just 9 that they managed to ultimately develop. Alongside the Bank of the Southwest Tower, this is one of the biggest disappointments in Houston's real estate history (which still produced some great skyscrapers anyway, which shows how even a ultimate disappointment can enjoy some success if its ambitious enough).
  13. Big E
    At least 32 blocks were demolished to make way for Houston Center. If completed as originally planned, it would have been one of the largest private developments ever completed. As things currently stand, a lot of the land cleared for it still hasn't been redeveloped.
  14. Big E
    You know what would actually be a good candidate for this? 800 Bell, aka the ExxonMobil Building, aka the Humble Building. That building has been practically empty since ExxonMobil moved out, and, if I remember correctly, has no major tenants. Its long touted renovation hasn't happened, probably because of this. Converting the building to residential use, or some form of mixed use, might be the most logical way to move forward at this point, since I doubt a building that old is going to get a marquee tenant anytime soon, no matter how much its renovated.
  15. Big E
    Its ugly. How do you feel about it?
  16. Big E
    Keep in mind, Clayton Homes is a mold infested mess subject to flooding, and its demolition has been in the cards for awhile now, whether the freeway was going to happen or not.
  17. Big E
    This is never getting finished is it?
  18. Big E
    This rail line's relative success or failure will not effect TxDOT's decision to expand I-45. There is a whole lotta factors that will determine that that this rail line will have no effect on. This project isn't officially cancelled yet, so kinda putting the cart before the horse.
  19. Big E
    Seems like a bunch of people who have gone out their way to delay, if not kill this project, complaining because the project has been...delayed.
  20. Big E
    I love it when losers in court battles always say "We'll appeal to the Supreme Court!" Anyone with two braincells will tell you that the Supreme Courts appellate jurisdiction is largely discretionary and they, more likely than not, they won't take your case. Its the legal equivalent of a Hail Mary.
  21. Big E
    Well I've always been partial to the demolish + develop camp. I've always said that the land should be sold and the proceeds used to help develop the freeway caps. But that's just my personal idea. You are the last person who should be talking about people being disingenuous.
  22. Big E
    The difference being Fulshear is incorporated, and Cypress isn't.
  23. Big E
    UT weren't mentioned in the announcement though, were they? It seems that TMC bought the land from them, which would make sense, since UT were selling it. I just wonder how much of that land they acquired? Though, however much of the land they got, this is a much better use of it than simply leaving it vacant.
  24. Big E
    This project is taking forever though. It seems to have slowed to a crawl since they finished the garage portion.
  25. Big E
    Ominous. Did something change?
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