sapo2367

What is the significance of the original name? 

This sounds very similar in concept to the new putt putt place going in the Houston Shops, I wish them both the best of luck! I'd definitely enjoy a night of bougie putt putt :)

8 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

When you start getting support from guys like Mattress Mack and articles on the front page of the Chronicle then it's becoming much more than a vocal minority. I mean Mattress Mack had his sign lit up off I-45 with the words PEOPLE > CARS. 

To be fair though, he has a direct financial incentive to oppose this as it would impact his store off of the highway. Not to say he couldn't be genuine in his concern for the community, but the skeptic in me sees the $$$ lining up behind this decision. 

This was written by someone in the Woodlands lol. All of inside the loop is 'downtown'

2 hours ago, thedistrict84 said:

The name on the second notice lists “EADO Canal Development” so it sounds like some sort of new development is expected.

If Pruitt was behind it, I don’t think it would be listed in that manner (and since they have been in the East End since the beginning of time, they certainly wouldn’t call this “EaDo” for a number of reasons—first being that this isn’t anywhere near EaDo).

It is sad to see Pruitt go, with their sign proudly announcing they've around since 1919 :/ Hopefully it's a moving vs a closing situation a la Olshan. That being said I'm all for some more retail/walkable development in the area, so I'm part of the problem as well hahaha.

How far can EaDo go? Will East River be EaDo (probably)? The area by the coffee plant on Harrisburg? Gus Wortham?

28 minutes ago, wilcal said:

Also, if they turned this building into a giant 17k sq ft ice house, you would need 170+ parking spaces. Wild. 

Thats an insane amount of parking -- how many does the cidercade/common desk parking lot hold? It can't be that much more.

1 hour ago, ljchou said:

There are basically no permits in this system for East River yet

The project screenshot above lists a start date of 10/15/21, when would you expect to see permits to meet that date? I'm just curious what sort of lead time is needed typically.

15 hours ago, Justin Welling said:

For comments regarding the capping of the freeway and adding open space in EaDo, remember that is conceptual and TXDOT will not fund that. TXDOT is relying on private investment or other entities to do the amenities on top of the freeway. Renderings sure look nice, but that it is not guaranteed. TXDOT makes you want to think that is how it will end up looking like...

Yes, TXDOT will burry the freeway, but what goes above it can still change.

The city is at least talking about making this space into a 'green loop' around downtown, which would be a transformational project if it ever gets built. Of course it is easy to make these fancy sketches and a lot harder to actually get it built, but seeing the direction the city is going right now (focus on green space, walkability, alternative transportation), its a real possibility this could get done.

http://swamplot.com/a-roundabout-first-look-at-the-green-loop-the-newest-idea-for-a-houston-ring-road-around-downtown/2017-11-09/

To be fair, electrical utilities are (understandably) very risk averse organizations. Even if it is profitable to move to another block, they might be concerned enough about reliability etc to not make it worth it. You'd probably have to do some work on rerouting the underground wiring that comes into/out of the substation, which could complicate things. 

Maybe they can build a fake building around it

https://www.messynessychic.com/2013/12/13/lights-on-but-nobody-home-behind-the-fake-buildings-that-power-chicago/

I know there were some variance request signs on that property (west of Jensen), but I didnt get a good look at the details. Wonder if this is related.

9 minutes ago, enriquewx91 said:

Im so glad that this project will cover up that horrid building from view from Discovery Green

Agreed, although it will block the view of the Astrodome from my office, which I am sad about.

"Located directly off the Buffalo Bayou to the North-West of downtown Houston"

Trying to visualize where that is and not having any luck. Anyone know where this development is supposed to be going?

When you’re a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. When you are a transit department staffed with highway design experts, every transit problem looks like a reason to build more highways. 

14 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Yeah and considering this area doesn't require parking, I wish they could do away with one of the parking lots. Preferably the one right next to the building. 

Agree. the area behind the building could make for a neat outdoor space.

On 7/28/2021 at 7:38 AM, thedistrict84 said:

This project looks to have been held up a bit due to all of the rain we have experienced over the last several weeks. They are finally starting to make some progress. 

Based on locations of framing and plumbing going in, it looks as though the building will front Commerce, which is probably ideal. As an added bonus, they look to be retaining the two mature trees at the corner of Commerce and Velasco.

Save the trees!! Goodness knows there aren't enough of them in that part of town anyway. Maybe we can come full circle and fill the Olshan Lumber property with a bunch of mature trees

Stopped by this weekend. The building itself is very cool and I like the 'pod' offices made of shipping containers, especially the double decker ones. Might be annoying to have the second floor office, but it made for some interesting variation when you walked around. Segundo was good, although I would agree a little pricey for what you get. They had Koffeteria pastries, which is always a win in my book, and there were plenty of people sitting around enjoying the space. Overall a neat spot! 

One pet peeve -- they had just paved the parking lot and it was way too hot and stank. I wish more places did a porous parking lot! Better for runoff and also doesn't end up getting so hot in the summer. Its not like we have to worry about plowing snow in the winter around here haha.

On 7/25/2021 at 4:30 PM, thedistrict84 said:

So this is another new place going in at this strip center which is definitely in the path of the I-45 reroute. Leads me to believe that the owners of this land know something about the project that perhaps hasn’t been made public. Maybe the federal Title VI investigation has some momentum to it and the efforts to undermine the project have a chance of succeeding. 

Idk, seeing the state that strip mall is in these days I feel like they are just running out the clock. BBQ might be a good fit, seeing as the actual cooking equipment can often be attached to the back of a truck and driven away when the time comes. Plus you can just slap down some cheap plastic tables and chairs and that makes it a more 'authentic' BBQ experience :)

My old office was in this building, loved the quirks:

- Elevators rang an actual bell when you arrived to your floor

- There was a mail slot that connected all the floors to the lobby level. If you were lucky you would catch some mail whizzing by on its way down.

- Niels Esperson's family crest being mounted everywhere.

- The carved cattle skulls on the stonework on the Travis street entrance.

- They used to do a monthly tour of the copula (show above) and Mellie Esperson's old office. Neils passed away before his eponymous building was completed, and Mellie went blind before her expansion (Walker Street side) was completed. She lived in the building for the rest of her life, there is a set of apartments on the very top floor.

- The building is allegedly haunted by Mellie. Don't really believe in that sort of thing, but also didn't stay late into the night to find out....

Fun memories!!

I hope this lives up to the renders! The wood construction will be really unique :)

‘Views at Hutchenson’