Urban Monster

Looks like something is stirring on the property next to Spanish Village on Almeda. It seems like it might include the old restaurant. Also, Localist signs on the fence. 

They did it!!

Installing barbed wire might do even more wonders for this already incredible project 😳 

This is kinda old news now, but I hadn’t seen it here: https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2021/04/09/midway-cos-ceo-steps-down.html

He seemed to be the one pushing this development, so we’ll see what happens. 

34 minutes ago, Ross said:

The old rail buildings were far more cool than anything we've seen on that property so far.

Almost every day I think about those buildings. They were about as cool as anything ever built in Houston. If they hadn’t been demolished, they would surely be transformed into something cool like The Post or some really big farmers market/food hall. Instead, we have 1990’s-era Spring Cypress manifesting in their place. 

44 minutes ago, Two said:

Overall. I gotta say as disappointed as I am, I am glad they're building anything. As others here have put it any development is better than empty fields for another decade, they can always build something else but it won't be for another decade or two unless the property value just skyrockets at least this helps near north commercial prospects. But if it does flip again that'll be thanks to SWA, Midway, others like POSTHTX, and Urban genesis knowing what the hell they're doing. If Near north becomes a success story it will be because it does so despite it's leadership.

From your lips to God’s ears! I surely hope so. Although, as someone who lives nearby this development, the empty fields were actually really nice and almost like a big park. So many of us treated it as our neighborhood’s green space, which it sort of became. Crappy development is definitely going to be a net negative for the neighborhood.

11 hours ago, hindesky said:

These are marketed to be work force apartments so for the developer to make money they have to do everything on the cheap. Not everything can be luxury apartments if they want lower income employees to live close to work.

Is your assertion that good urban design, good development = luxury? I believe a lot of architects, planners, developers, city officials, and policy makers would take issue with that. Including the 2 projects right next door - The Exchange and Hardy Yards Apartments, both of which are examples of decent workforce projects.

4 hours ago, hindesky said:

Yes it does. That is probably why it will be so much cheaper to build.

If it indeed is as bad as it looks, this is truly awful development for being so close to transit, so close to downtown, and in the year 2021. What an incredible disappointment the Hardy Yards has become. Truly a lack of leadership and vision. 

So far it looks like a lot of surface parking and 90s-era garden style apartments. 

If you haven’t already shared your opinions on how the area gets planned with the Downtown District, here’s how: https://swa.mysocialpinpoint.com/wdvisionplan_2

BTW, it’s the “Warehouse District”.

1 hour ago, ArchFan said:

I think the Downtown Living Initiative was (and is) a really good idea.  A question in my mind regards whether it has built up the resident population downtown enough to support a lot of the things many of us would like to see created.   In view of that, I think it would be risky to build tourist attractions too early in the overall process of reconstructing a vibrant downtown for Houston. People who visit one tourist attraction will want to have others easily accessible nearby, plus interesting places to eat that are open after the downtown workers get off work.  We've improved in that regard, but downtown Houston (to me) doesn't offer as much to do as it did when I was a kid here in the 50s and 60s.

 

I think the "Mercado del Sol" project east of downtown is an example of investing public + private money too early in a particular sector of the process.  Perhaps the re-use of the Albert Thomas Convention Center is another example, but it does have a few surviving businesses.  Discovery Green has been rather successful and (I think) hasn't been completely leveraged yet.  

Agreed. I’m a fan of incrementalism and think if we can keep improving the public spaces and streetscapes while adding residential, retail will follow. To me, a bunch of connected small places and spaces in a walkable area is better than big projects like aquariums. That said, I’d love to see one or two public squares added downtown in key places. Similar to how Mexico City and many European cities have several plazas separated by only a few blocks. 

On 2/29/2020 at 10:27 PM, ekdrm2d1 said:

 

What a travesty to cover it up again.