j.33

2 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I expect the city to really take off during Whitmire's term. 

From what I have heard, Whitmire will not be very transit focused. I hope to be wrong, but I am worried how METRO will stand during Whitmire's time. 

For example, during his Inauguration today, he literally said "we will make METRO pay for the roads that their buses tear up". I guess he forgot that 1/4 of METRO's current sales tax revenue does go to the county and city to spend on road projects. He has also made numerous anti bike lane comments and anti transit comments in debates. Doesn't seem promising for METRO and transit for Houston. 

12 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

A drunk driver took-out a city light pole down the street from my house.

report the damager here: https://gis.centerpointenergy.com/sloreporting/?_ga=2.141481842.1556518958.1640149509-1422039426.1640149509

and Centerpoint will fix the light pole in a few days 

7 hours ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

Does anyone have insight if there are plans to demolish the strip center on the 1806 Richmond Ave parcel? King Cole Liquor, located at 1802 Richmond Ave, is a tenant.

Someone posted on NextDoor that the landlord has sold the property and is not renewing the liquor store's lease and they will be closing Dec 31. 

https://nextdoor.com/p/jmWNkbnKsbt5?utm_source=share&extras=NzI1MTQwOTA%3D

Appears to be that Northside Management District's safe streets will be grouped with International District's so that is why Bissonnet Street is included in the description. @steve1363 and @Houston19514

Greater-Northside-SS4A-FY23.pdf (houstontx.gov)

Workers were on site this morning. 

You're right, planners strive to make American cities more human scaled. But that does not mean we want them to be European.  Planners just want cities to be safer for all road users. We want people to have options moving around and to have a choice in their mode and a choice in where they live. We want cities to be livable. We want cities to be vibrant. And we want cities to be enjoyable. It is not that we want our cities to be more European, it is just we want our cities to be better than how they are today :). 

32 minutes ago, Big E said:

That's the one thing that I can't really stand about modern urban planners.

Which modern urban planner are you talking about? On behalf of urban planners, I dont think any of us think that way in the profession. Now, if you are referencing people on Twitter or Youtube who post content and commentary on cities, that is a different story. That group is vastly different than the people who actually work in the planning industry. 

And there was a cyclist death two weeks ago just north of here. Although the safety improvement shown in the thread will not go where the crash was, at least it is a start to slow down traffic and make portions of the corridor safer. 

I would also say that the issues around the Greyhound station in Midtown was not just because of Greyhound. It was also because of the Pierce Elevated, the gas station that continues to change hands every few months/years, and St Josephs Hospital. I am sure some activity will increase around Magnolia TC, but I don't see what is happening in Midtown follow to East End. Of course time will tell, but I do hope that Greyhound is a good neighbor and responds to the community concerns by hiring more security. 

Houston Metro Area Traffic Signals - Traffic and Transportation - HAIF - Houston's original social media (houstonarchitecture.com)

@X.R. METRO is leasing the old Megabus lot off of Travis at Pierce, which is a few blocks away from the Greyhound station. I think Brooklyn173 was just posting about it because it is kind of related. 

Oh the people on NextDoor never fail to spew misinformation and fear among each other. Its been unfortunately funny and entertaining seeing all of their posts on Montrose Blvd Improvements and 11th Street Bike Lanes. Also, a whole lot of them fall for scams (seems to be the other main topic they talk about in addition to hating bike lanes and road improvements). 

3 minutes ago, enriquewx91 said:

Noticed on my drive by downtown that there is a crane with a building going up next to this one.

 

Is there another being built?

You might be seeing this project. 

I wonder what the plan is for their branch across the street. 

Most of the nearby homes have their garages face an alley, so when cars do park on the neighboring streets, the number of driveways that can be impacted are already minimal. Additionally, that part of White Oak and Heights Blvd is still pretty empty in terms of on street parking. 

Saw this on Twitter talking about HGAC 2023 update. Looks like it is delayed a bit. 

23 hours ago, HoustonMidtown said:

Sorry for the horrible pic - dirt is being moved around

Dirt has been moving around for a few months now. One strange thing I have noticed is most of the activity I have seen with dump trucks on the site is typically on Saturdays (typically very quiet on the weekdays)

Yay for new development, but it will be right at the Green Line and University Line. In a few years, the land use around this area will drastically change and makes me think that 10 townhomes might not make such a huge impact long term.  

TIRZ 12, which is in the area between TC Jester, Hempstead Road, and the North Loop, is in the process of doing a mobility study. There is a map and survey you can fill out on their website to mark where we feel unsafe biking, walking, and driving. I know a lot of us bike in this study area so sharing it with the group if anyone is interested in marking up the map or taking the survey. They will be using these comments to help figure out where to place improved and safer cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. 

City Park | TIRZ 12 Mobility Plan | TIRZ 12 Mobility Study (mysocialpinpoint.com)

12 hours ago, steve1363 said:

You see!  This will be awesome when completed! Why couldn’t this have been done to 11th Street?

Retrofit v. Reconstruction. 11th was a retrofit, so the street's bones (curb to curb and sidewalks) remained roughly untouched. This is a reconstruction so of course more things could happen and be more transformative. 

Aww the mid rise tower would've been fun. At least this one has parking in the rear as well. Thanks for the update. 

4 hours ago, BeerNut said:

I have no reason to doubt the source considering industry/HOB connections.  End of the month supposed to be last day.  

Do you mind clarifying? You're only talking about the restaurant portion of House of Blues, right? I think you've made it clear in above posts, but just wanted to make sure haha. 

Yea, Vegvisir CrossFit & Personal Training (which is currently a few blocks north), is moving their gym to this location. It was at the planning commission a few weeks ago for an offsite parking variance. 

We have to shut down BCycle. It breaks our hearts. (Opinion) (houstonchronicle.com) 

"At Houston Bike Share, the nonprofit agency that runs the BCycle system, we’ve been working to find new funding for more than a year. We’ve made tough decisions, suspending stations and raising prices. And now, in the face of a major cash crunch, we plan to shut down the operation completely in the next two months."

Article goes into more depth on the success they saw over the years and how they really propelled Houstonians to adopt bikeshare as a mode of recreation and transport. Unfortunately, they were not able to remain profitable as funds and donation terms ended. Very sad to say the least to hear that the end is near for them. 

More discussion is going on in the linked forum.