totheskies

I'm forever amazed at the annexation/anti-annexation arguments. The amount of mis-information relative to the awesome sum of experiential evidence is somewhat stunning. I think the problem is that the pro-annexation crowd can't get over the myth that those who live "in county" somehow manage to receive "free" services from the COH that the residents of COH pay for but aren't compensated for. Whether or not the concerns alluded to are legitimate isn't something I can validate; it's a topic that arose in the thread. It's possible that the COH might see that again, the low property values wouldn't compensate them for the services they'd have to provide and do one of their "strip annexations" up the feeder of I-45 to take in the Exxon office park.

What I find somewhat amusing is this thought that we get the benefit of HPD without having to pay for it as though HPD was a benefit. HPD is the problem, not the benefit. Or to put it another way, we get the benefit of HPD being virtually non-existent in the form of roaming criminals who eventually run afoul of the law in the County jurisdiction. "Getting Annexed" means that we get what they got in Kingwood. Fire and Ambulance service that can't find the residences and Barney Fife, three half days a week in a Blue & White who sees it as his job to pass out tickets to the unsuspecting on Kingwood Blvd. It would be hilarious if it weren't for the fact that there have already been reported deaths of people waiting for bambulance service, (I have a friend who lives in Kingwood who will regail anyone in earshot of the horror stories). What actually happens is that once an area is annexed by COH, it's as though it's been roped off. Emergency calls are bipassed by Sherrif and PCT. 4 because HPD/HFD are now seen as first responders. So the only way around this is for those neighborhoods that can, continue with the same contract constabulary service they paid for before Annexation, but..............for whatever reason, and I suspect it's turf war problems, the response times go way, way up. If you really want to see the benefits of annexation.......take a trip to Willow Brook mall. It's not Westwood yet......but it's getting there fast.

Having said all that I don't have a dog in this hunt; I only live in Spring because the house is paid for and with only a few work years left there's little reason to move. Upon retirement, we'll sell the place and move permanently to the Hill country. My hope and prayer for those of you who live in COH is that one day, maybe, (but I won't hold my breath), you'll get a Mayor that will see services as a priority and not a problem.

Services are a priority... especially for the current mayor. But the problem is that everyone in Texas is cheap and they want something for nothing. If we want more policemen, better roads, more frequent and reliable transit etc., the city has to make more money. The only way for the city to make more money is for us to pay higher taxes. HPD is severly under-staffed, and they're not about to go and find more officers until we start footing some of these bills. I wish we were paying higher in sales tax or something... as long as the money is put to good use.

Yikes, and their website says there are 50 store fronts. So in year, they will still have 44 empty retail spaces?

no bueno

Don't think so. Unlike Houston Pavilions (downtown is still considered a deadzone for the serious retail shopper), West Ave is right across the street from River Oaks, and only a few miles from Rice Village, Highland Village and The Galleria. This is prime retail space for sure.

Also, I think enough Houstonians have been to Dallas and been jealous of how nicely the uptown developments have come together there. They want spaces like that in central Houston. Now we finally have one.

My guess is parking.

It would be so great to see someone build a parking garage with some street-level retail right here. That way, we take care of the growing parking needs for the area, generate some more retail interest, and form a solid link from Houston Pavilions to Discovery Green.

You make a valid theoretical counterpoint, but by your own admission the evidence (cite sources) would seem far from conclusive.

For instance, I'd be a lot more willing to take the 'inattentional blindness' of drivers towards cyclists more seriously if cyclists actually were common on roads in the inner city. As it is, I might encounter one on the roads every couple of weeks...maybe less. Also, I'd be more willing to buy into the counterargument that congestion slows down traffic to speeds that are safer for cycling if the few cyclists that I encounter on congested roads didn't impatiently weave in and out of it.

Like yourself, I'd like some serious research on the matter.

Really??? Every couple of weeks?? Don't you live in the East End?? I see 3 to 5 cyclists a day in this neighborhood... and that's a minimum. Always on Polk, Leeland, Dumble and Dowling. East End has a lot of regular bike commuters. We DON'T however have a lot of "cycle groups and events" like you see all over Midtown and Montrose. But yeah, unless it's a hard rain, I always see people on bikes in this area.

I thought they had said that the East End line would open in 2012? Why the pushback???? It seems like they have been working consistently since construction started.

I agree that the infrastructure and line of site is better, but overall I still feel safer in the urban core. My experience comes from downtown/midtown compared to Clear Lake. I feel like more people are aware downtown of their surroundings, the locals (meaning locally driving in the urban core often) are used to dealing with bikes, buses, scooters, potholes, etc. The people coming in town for a specific event that don't regularly drive are less familiar, so they are cautious because they don't know the roads. I feel like in the burbs people don't deal with other vehicles (non cars), they know their roads and they're on autopilot. They take right turns without looking, get frustrated if they can't go 45 in a 35 because that's the normal flow. I only ride on the sidewalks in CL, but they are spacious and smooth and never abruptly end so it works out.

Tomorrow I'm heading down Montrose across 59. I usually ride on the sidewalk out of fear, but this thread has inspired me to take the road (defensively of course). Hope to still be posting on Friday...

The further out you go, the newer the area (generally). And newer subdivisions have far fewer actual roads. An area like Clear Lake or Pearland mostly has "parkways" now... bohemouth 6-lane roads with no sidewalks, and a minimum speed limit of 40 until you have to slam on the brakes at the occasional red light. It's very unsafe to try and bike in these areas (though I do see people doing it all the time). If one were to define bikeability as getting from one area of town to another area of town, this becomes apparent. Obviously, you can ride a bike easily in your one subdivision (let's use Cinco Ranch as an example). you can even get to a few places like Katy Mills or Mason Rd. But would you be able to get to Town Center with ease and safety??

Run that same scenario inside the loop. From where I live in Eastwood, I've got a trail network that takes me from Eastwood to downtown, downtown to the Med. Center, Eastwood to the Med. Center, Eastwood to UofH, Eastwood to 5th ward, Downtown to the Heights, Downtown to the Galleria, and the list goes on. 60% of this can be achieved on independent bike trails, and that will go up to 80% in another year or two.

But once you're outside the loop... you start running into fewer bikeways, more dead ends of side streets, and heavier car traffic on the main roads.

Did anyone catch that the Chase building has BLUE LED lights now?? They were on briefly tonight!!! Woohoo, downtown is going to get its lighting back!!

My guess is that all of the major towers are now working on replacing their lighting with energy-efficient LEDs. The Chase Building wins the race though, with red, white and blue settings (perfect for Independence day)

From the Mayor's website...

http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/20100315.html

MAYOR ANNISE PARKER FIGHTS FOR NASA/METRO FUNDING IN NATION'S CAPITOL

Mayor Parker will have a media availability to answer questions about her trip to Washington D.C. at 1 p.m. in the Proclamation Room, 3rd Floor, Houston City Hall

March 15, 2010 -- Mayor Parker is headed to Washington D.C. this week for meetings with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood and members of Congress. She will reiterate her support for METRO’s planned expansion of light rail and seek reconsideration of the cancellation of NASA’s Constellation program. The mayor’s visit is part of a broader effort to save the manned space flight program that involves the local congressional delegation, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, the Greater Houston Partnership and the city.

The trip follows a personal letter sent last week in which Mayor Parker urged President Obama to cease current efforts to terminate the Constellation program. “Human space flight is vital to the Houston economy,” Parker wrote. “The Constellation program would help our Johnson Space Center workforce transition effectively as the Shuttle is retired from active service. Without Constellation, we could lose anywhere from 4,000 to 7,000 high-tech jobs. The economic impact to Houston and the region would be devastating, on the order of $560 million.”

Mayor Parker is a strong supporter of expansion of light rail in Houston and she wants to make sure the Federal Transit Administration knows that. The President’s budget proposal includes $900 million for the next phase of rail. “I strongly believe the funding is secure,” said Parker. “However, due to the revelations of the last few weeks and the ongoing district attorney’s investigation, it is important that Washington hear from me that Houston remains committed to this project.”

Concerned about an apparent lack of transparency, the mayor appointed transition teams to look at METRO’s finances, regional coordination, light rail plans and basic services. She has called for new management at the transit agency. To that end, she will be announcing new city appointees for the METRO board later this week.

Hey, its not my story its abc13's. And the story is not specifically about ridership its about the development (urban infill) that it has created. Ridership can change at any moment, who knows what will happen in the future that could change ridership. Gas could go up to over $10 a gallon and which system would be better equip to service its city? Surely not METRO.

Two main differences between Houston and Dallas...

1) Dallas is a smaller central city with much larger and more powerful suburbs. So they built their system with the suburbs in mind first, and are just now getting to build an "inner city" rail system. Aside from Downtown and a couple of nice interest spots, their rail line is mostly a commute alternative. Whereas Houston built a very very short line where few people can use it for commuting, but it connects two of the city's three largest employment areas, all of our major sports venues, the majority of the arts and museum community and a whole host of other stuff. Dallas is getting closer, but it doesn't get near the "bang for your buck" that the one Red Line in Houston does. They are very different rail systems with very different goals.

2) Houstonians (in general) are far more concerned with cost and "assumed" practicality than Dallasites. I.E. we're cheap. Because of this though, Dallas is building a much better system than anything that we've got planned here. It doesn't have to fight traffice because most of it is grade-separated. You don't read about a DART-Rail collision every week because they don't have them. I would love to see how much money METRO has shelled out to repair trains and busses, settle win or lose lawsuits and how much additional maintenance we're paying for the at-grade system in comparison to DART. THAT is a story that Ted Oberg needs to tell.

The money should be spent according to whatever will create a larger pool of better-qualified applicants. At the undergraduate level, that has very little to do with academics and more to do with lifestyle amenities and sports programs; these are also the programs that foster alumni involvement. At the graduate level, research spending is the name of the game.

If they can select from a better pool of prospective students (more like UT-Austin) then they're going to do better on average, one way or the other, and corporate recruiters won't need to be sought after...they'll just show up.

Fully agree. Another big issue for the main campus is a growing concern for safety. This is a big open campus that is active for basically 10 hours of the day, five to six days a week. Yes, there is a "police force" but they (like most departments) are grossly under-staffed. So most of the time, this place sits vacant and ripe for vadalism towards the few people that are here after hours.

So campus improvements and encouraging student life help in another very important way... they make UofH safer because more people will be around. Not to mention that many of these new additions include retail components that are desperately needed on campus as well.

Not much skyline imparct, but it will be so great to get much needed hotel space in downtown!! And great to see another burned parking space.

So KINDA back on topic....

The East End and Southeast Lines are farther ahead in construction AND funding b/c they are being built in minority areas. Less expensive property for METRO to buy up, more government incentive because it's viewed as a "service" instead of a "novelty" and oh yeah... less people filing lawsuits against METRO for wanting to take their land. It also helps that groups like the East End Management district did half of METRO's job for them to get the Harrisburg business communities in agreement that the line was needed.

NONE of this happened with the University line. It's been a publicity and lawsuit nightmare from day one. Of course much of this blame has to be shared by METRO, and their poor planning and levels of notification on how they chose to implement the line. People don't see that the East End Line got built thanks to a very powerful lobby within the neighborhood (perhaps too powerful), but the U-Line was forged from a see of controversy and piecemeal allowances.

I had the distinguished opportunity to talk to Mayor Parker about this virtually one-on-one at UofH a few weeks ago (it was a class of 30 people). She wants to get these lines built, but is not willing to put them ahead of the budget concerns of this fiscal year. She has a team that is "scrubbing" METRO from top to bottom. Once that is done, she is committed to finding funding sources for these lines. But (save for some direct government help) it ain't gonna be easy.

In terms of our current fiscal situation, I agree with her... we should not throw money at METRO for the lines that aren't funded yet, and we need to get the ones that are DONE. But I do hope that these lines get built soon, because we desperately need them for the continued growth and development of our city.

Yes... we now have setback

What floor is MP on now? When is the topping out party?

Has your friend been to Houston? Because I have been to San Antonio and there are many more parking lots in Houston than in San Antonio. I am not talking about how "inexpensive" they are, I am talking pure quantity. Let me change my statement to "most people" instead of "anyone."

Your last sentence is rather confusing. When the photo I previously posted was taken, in my opinion the condition of downtown Houston, compared to other cities, was a travesty. Today, I would not use that strong of a word, but there is still too many lots IMO. No, I do not think your friend is a "travesty." He has the right to have a different opinion on something than me.

BTW, you did not answer my question, you are dodging it: Do you or don't you think that Houston has an unusually large amount of parking lots in its downtown for such a large city? By sheer quantity (no I am not talking about "inexpensiveness") I think we have more than other large cities, and this is because: a) we have no other transit options besides the automobile, and the reasons I listed in my original post on this thread. What was so wrong with my statement?

Despite having a far larger tourist population, downtown San Antonio is significantly smaller than downtown Houston... both in size and scope. It's far more fun and more interesting than Houston, but that doesn't change the fact that it's smaller.

And like has been mentioned already... Houston is making up for the craziness of 70s and 80s building patterns. So if you don't like the pace of our building trends, please go and start buying up land and plan and build your own skyscrapers. If you're mad about what was in the past, invent a functional and dependable time machine so you can go back to the 60s, buy up some land and either save existing buildings or build your own skyscrapers. Otherwise, there's just very little use to continuing arguing about what has been done.

I for one am proud to live in Houston during a time where people want more than a plethora of surface parking in downtown. I moved here in 2005, and since that time I am priviledged to witness the downtown going through a transformation and becoming a place where people actually go to... not just blow through. We've still got a hella long way to go on that, but changes like Discovery Green, the renovated Market Square Park and (to some extent) Houston Pavilions are most definitely needed and appreciated. I wouldn't have wanted to live near downtown Houston in the 70s or 80s... but thankfully I didn't have to. But I like the downtown Houston of today, and it's getting better by the minute.

The portion of the 'We may not be as immune as we thought' thread that went OT is transcribed below:

Good luck, and thanks for wanting to serve our country. Do you play any instruments or can you sing?? That's a nice avenue to take in the military IMO. Every military branch has its own structure and arrangement of musical groups.

nt isn't as long. That would work for me. Air Force has similar kinds of jobs that appeal to my nature; Army not as much, but again, it's still an option on account of commissioning possibilities.

Anyway, I'll let you guys know when things firm up. But I'm pretty sure that this is my path.

You don't know what you're talking about. Hip-Hop IS a culture in our community. Please speak on what you know. Many of those people that you see lined up to enter clubs are indeed young educated people from various universities throughout the region. People from even as far as Mississippi and Louisiana to party in Houston for a weekend. I wear baggy clothes and big shirts and a fitted hat and I am FAR from a thug. Like it or not, anyone that has seen your posts in this thread will look at that as racial. You know nothing about these people but you judge them. Also,we don't wear our clothes big to conceal a weapon. That's rediculous to even think that and shows again you do not know what you are talking about. Can't speak for the few bad apples. But I know me and the people I know do not own a weapon and ever carried a weapon. We also never think about carrying a weapon. Big clothes, loud music, pop bottles, having a good time, loud djs and more are part of our culture whether you like it or not.

Also, there is NOTHING ghetto about it. I assure you have barely been to a ghetto if you make comments like that. If anyone's comments have been offensive and wrong, it has been your judgement on a community you know nothing about.

+1 all the way.

This is not my "regular scene", but I have no qualms about going to an urban club on occasion. What Marksmu is likely not aware of is that it takes a lot of money and planning to be committed to urban fashion. A LOT. You have be fluent in the various trends like FuBu, Apple Bottom, House of Dereon, Ed Hardy, etc, and you have to know how to accessorize these trends and which one fits the best. Sometimes oversized or baggy pants complete the look, and sometimes they don't.

We are 21st century people, and we need to get over this hump that assumes black culture is below white culture, or that they're even so different in the first place. As a classical musician, I have this discussion with my colleagues at least once a week. Urban culture is a part of American culture, and very popular in many parts of the world.

And yeah, the club scene in downtown is steadily growing at all levels. People have yet to mention the recent additions at HP... Pete's Dueling Piano bar and Cork are already open... with Polk St. Pub on the way.

Wow, this reporter really phoned it in. She went to only one event, probably looked at a couple of brochures, and drove around very little. She mentioned Lucky's and Huynh (who catered the event) but none of the other edgy offerings that have cropped up, like Calliope's, Sparkle Burger, the meat pie vendor, District 7, or the taj mahal of Vietnamese food, Kim Son.

And it was a good event, mind you. I was there, so it had to be good by default. ...or maybe it was just free and that made it good, and not me so much. Still, not worthy of a travel article in Austin.

What????? Ou est le Meat pie vendor??? I've been looking for some good meat pies ever since before the Super Bowl!! In fact, i was supposed to bring meat pies to a Saintes des Gras SB party, and could not find them.

Businesses (i.e. street level retail) are already "creeping back" into downtown because of increased interest and demand. I think the first rail lines will aid that process, but we may not see a total rejuvenation until the full system is completed and operational. Once that happens, downtown goes from being a stop on the rail system to being a hub of the system. I say a hub instead of the hub, b/c most of the traffic will be at Wheeler station as the Red Line and the U-line will be the most used. IMO, Lower Midtown will be the main focal point once the system is built, followed by downtown.

Have you walked between Dallas' CBD and Uptown?? There's a big difference... it's called vacant land.

This difference will be eased in a few years thanks to the awesome new design for the park in place of the Woodall Rogers, but even with this link, they are still separate. You have to have some sort of substantial retail and commercial for them to be considered one IMO. The West End would be it, if it weren't struggling to stay afloat.

As an East End resident, I hope that the city and county stick to their guns and build it downtown. I am good friends with the President of the East End Management District, and she has been organizing citizens to put more pressure on the City and County to close this deal. We don't want to lose this stadium in our area!!

The benefits to the East End are much greater than the Galleria/ Meyerland area. This will help spur developement along the East End rail line and for the whole neighborhood. Plus, the last thing that the Galleria needs is another major traffic burden during rush hour.

I think I prefer the Red lights atop the JP Chase Bank Building... it looks really nice. They should consider keeping that lighting throughout the year (and using it). It would be especially classy if Chase kept the red, and Enterprise Plaza went back to it's white lights. Would be a nice contrast for the lighting scheme, which is something we haven't seen much of lately. It certainly wouldn't hurt if Wells Fargo decided to rejoin the party and fix its damaged lights too.

One thing's for sure... the performing arts crowd will be taking full advantage of the new park for our constant rehearsals and shows. This is going to be very exciting.

Kylejack and Redscare: I appreciate your input. I figured that BBQ would be a good business downtown because it appeals to a lot of people and figured it would be great to have a place for lunch or the late night crowd frequenting the bars. I think Phili sandwiches would do well also, very unique. I have heard that on the weekends there are limited places to eat in downtown and that people end up driving either to Mai's or to Katz in the montrose area. Del Rey and Frank's pizza are apparently the only operators open late night and have heard that they have a line so long it requires a police officer to monitor it. In speaking to Nit Noi it is my understanding that this weekend they are going to start staying open late night to acommodate the crowd. I believe they will stay open until 3 am.

wow that's awesome... thanks 312!!! I have a rehearsal in downtown late Saturday night... I'll be sure to tell people about Nit Noi!!!!

BTW... restaurants for downtown. We need more "chain places" in downtown too! A Freebirds, Taco Cabana (don't understand why this hasn't happen yet) and some other places that can immediately help to stir late night and weekend culture. Mongolian BBQ joints are always a plus for me too.

Might also look at bringing back the free "trolley" buses downtown. I know they killed that in '04 but it was too soon; now rail is established and there's more stuff to see and do downtown than there was six years ago and that trend should continue. Would be a nice connector not only to the various office/commercial buildings but to amenities like Discovery Green and the new Market Square when that gets finished.

This is an excellent starting idea IMO... only have a couple of trolleys,

-one that connects the various quadrants of Downtown (this is most needed and needs to be free)

-one that connects Downtown and Midtown

-one that connects Downtown and Montrose

-one that connects Downtown and the Washington corridor

The key is that they would have to run like clockwork, and be more frequent than every 20 minutes. If you do those things, it would a rousing success.

Unfortunately, the recovery raito is Houston is very important... we simply don't have enough riders that are using mass transit to warrant large areas without a fare. One of the main reasons that people move to Houston is because it's C-H-E-A-P, which means that we're not paying enough of our tax monies to METRO for them to warrant something like "free zones". I'm willing to pay a 2 cent sales tax or something towards METRO, but it would be impossible to get that to pass a city-wide voting measure.

But yeah, do that, and "no fares" would be a no-brainer, along with aggressive expedition of our transit lines and expanded HOT lane system.