totheskies

Market Square is open now, and from what I've heard we need more bars in the area again. Isn't Hearsay doing pretty well?

Amazing news!!! So great to hear/see all of the restorations going on in Houston now!

BTW... what the HELL were people thinking in the 50s and 60s? It's like their only goal was to make buildings look as fugly as possible.

I really hope they go for mixed use, and something that's at least 6 stories. Given the organic transformation that's already well underway in Montrose, this block is a golden opportunity to turn this neighborhood into an urban jewel of the US.

Whatever they decide, it's got to have both retail and residential!!

It's further north... Louisiana at Tuam.

Houston, We Have Two New Alamos

http://drafthouse.com/blog/entry/houston_we_have_two_new_alamos

(HOUSTON, Texas, May 30, 2012) – Triple Tap Ventures LLC, owner and operator of the Houston area Alamo Drafthouse Cinema locations in West Oaks Mall and on Mason Road in Katy, Texas, is pleased to announce it will bring two new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema locations to Houston in 2013.

...The first new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is slated to open in Northwest Houston in early 2013 and will be located in the Vintage Park Shopping Village off of Tomball Parkway 249 and Louetta Road.

...The second new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, scheduled to open after Vintage Park, is a highly anticipated inner-loop location, which will be centrally accessible and located in Houston’s bustling Midtown area. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Midtown will be located at 2901 Louisiana Street as part of a mixed-use project developed by Crosspoint Properties and, like Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Vintage Park, will offer state-of-the-art auditoriums featuring 100 percent digital projection and sound as well as an expansive and inviting lobby bar which will be visible from Milam Street and boast panoramic views of Houston’s impressive downtown skyline.

Houston needs a themepark. Take out the seats, and turn the Astrodome into an indoor themepark. Bathrooms and vending areas are already in place. I mean sheesh we already do a large-scale fair outside for the Rodeo. Just move it inside and make it year-round! Is this so difficult to comprehend?

The timing actually had a lot to do with the decade of construction work that has only just begun on US 290. Beltway 8 to I-10 is already a preferred alternative just due to pre-construction congestion, but that detour is going to become much more heavily utilized in the next few years and they want an alternative to the alternative.

Spot on... for once we agree!!

An alternative to the alternative's alternative. But the central question remains... when does this cycle of Sprawlmageddon stop?

The only fair way to do this is for someone to pay for it. METRO benefits everyone in our region. More people using METRO for transportation means fewer individual cars on the roads. That's less traffic and increased mobility for everyone.

I'm a Texan too. We all have that stupid independent streak of hyper-NIMBYism, but it's got to go. Houston is one of the most rapidly growing regions in the country, and we need to invest in public transit improvements now while we have the chance. As more and more people move here and clog up the freeways, we continue to put our citizenry at risk. This money should rightfully be used 100% to fund public transit.

Sports stadium planning is a definitely plus for Houstonians. Regardless of who is attending the games, The simple fact is that more people have BBVA Compass as an entertainment option because it's in downtown. It's right at the heart of our mass transit network so Houstonians without a car can also get there easily. This cannot be said for the FC Dallas Stadium which is in Frisco (27 miles from Downtown Dallas) or even for Cowboys Stadium. As transit improves in our city and more people choose to use transit, we'll look back on these stadia as one of the best things Houston has ever done to promote urban development.

Not necessarily. I'm thinking more like a college hang-out place than a bookstore. Coffee houses, etc.

UofH might actually meet its goal of having all Freshman on campus by 2014. Once that class goes through, it's going to be a very different university. The culture is changing rapidly from its commuter-college ways. But we're still hurt by the severe lack of area retail.

As someone who works full-time at UofH, it's really exciting to see so much activity. You can tell how much the new dorms contribute to campus.

Now we really need to recruit some more area retail. More bars, an off-campus bookstore with amenities (we lost the College Store, but I'm thinking more like a full-service Barnes and Noble with coffee and lounge area), and late night places to hang out.

Retail would be really great if you place it near Elgin and Scott. That will be the eventual meeting of the two rail lines.

So back to the hotel...

I would argue that the demand has been there for a while. It's in the number of Conventions that have been lost to the GRB/ Downtown Houston due to a lack of adequate hotel space in the vicinity. More rooms close to the Convention Center means bigger conventions can come to downtown. It also means more conventions overall, as it decreases the wait time for attendees to have to wait on hotel rooms (checking in/checking out). Downtown Houston is still at a massive lack for hotels rooms in downtown when compared to other cities.

I presume you meant the HIlton Hotel garage, not the HIlton Hotel itself? Yes, the Master Plan calls for removing that garage and replacing it with additional convention center space. The hotel itself survives, as is clearly depicted in the rendering.

Yes, the Master Plan discusses the need for the north-end garage addition to accommodate the MetroRail line on the ground floor.

So it'd be Houston's version of "Mockingbird Station"?? That solves the major retail component right there. Factor in increased retail need from nearby Dynamo games, and you've got a good recipe for retail in the area.

WHOA they have music there??? How cool is that?!!

I've never so much as seen a Forever 21 bag.

I had figured that it was oriented to upper middle class women and was bringing the attention of monied individuals to the downtown area as an option for their shopping needs. That's the sort of foot traffic that it takes to develop a viable shopping district. But if its only attracting poor people to spend money on items that they can scarcely afford, then screw it. It serves no purpose compatible with social policy. Thank you; your comments have soured me to the prospect that a subsidy of Houston Pavilions has any redeeming qualities.

Forever 21 has mass appeal. It's a not a super high-end store, but on the same competitive field as Old Navy (which would have been an even better retail choice for HP I think) and draws a wide spectrum of shoppers.

Yeah sure, rail to the barrio will drive sales at Houston Pavilions. Maybe the new owner can generate interest from pawn shop operators and refresquerias, and then strike it rich!

So I take it you don't ride the 50, 52 or the 30 very much?? I've been on each of those buses and seen 4 or 5 Foever 21 bags on them at a time. 2nd and 3rd Ward know about Houston Pavillions, and the rail lines are gonna make for a faster trip.

I've been now 3 or 4 times, and I just totally love it. Agreed, the first floor gets a bit bunched up in the pita/ deli section, but aside from that it's an amazing addition to Downtown. Store layout feels a lot more like a European grocer than anything in the states. The second floor may be small, but that's where the really good stuff is... mega-sized cans of hummus for $2!!

So what main line hotel chains are not in downtown yet? Maybe a Conrad??

Wow just imagine if Congress were to magically pass Obama's Jobs Bill in tact. These lines would have enough money to get finished!

Wow thanks for the awesome updates!!! They are flying on the new Stadium garage. They must be doing the garage and the expansion simultaneously. This Fall is going to be TOUGH having lost so much surface parking, but at least we'll gain it back once the garage is built.

Btw on the stadium garage... 15F is going to be an actual Stadium seat expansion. We'll still lose the parking, but it's not going to be a garage.

This campus is truly mad with construction right now.

New pictures of the developing developments (LOL)

Midtown is definitely in a building boom. So glad to see!!

Speaking of, does anyone have the scoop on a very fast construction at Louisiana and Hadley. My guess is a Taco Cabana, based on the store layout.

I LOVE Taco Cabana!!!

I don't think they planned to expand their interior space. They bought the building next door last year, demolished it, and put in a parking lot. Where the parking lot used to be is now a large patio area. I had hoped they would flip it around and put the patio on the "quieter" side (farther from the intersection), but one of the employees said the city parking requirements necessitated how they layed it all out (even though there is plenty of street parking, city regs strike again). I have been to Mandola's probably half-a-dozen times since moving over here, and like it more and more. It's got a real neighborhood feel, and a couple of the employees there actually remember us (we had to go to Dry Creek at least two dozen times to get the same "friendly" treatment), and it is funny to hear the banter between long-time customers and employees. I love that we can walk there!

On the downside, I would like to see more interesting food options, it is too heavily focused on "deli" for my taste (though I love their Chicken Mandola po-boy and their carrot cake is better than House of Pies). I heard they were going to add pizza, which would make me very happy as we spend way too much at Star.

They seriously need to get the word out on the change in hours. Other than the sign out front, I wouldn't have known! Maybe they are just working out the kinks first, who knows.

I love love love this place!! So laid back and so "real" and with food that is excellent every time I go!! BTW they now serve alcohol, and have St. Arnold's brew on tap!!! Can't beat that one. So go to Mandola's, and you can support 2 local businesses in one trip!

BTW I like the patio where they put it, but it would be kinda cool if they built a deck and raised it up a bit. Even a few feet higher would help expose the KILLER skyline view they've got!!

I salute the Mandola family for being on the leading edge of the curve. The East End feels like it's coming together now.

Good for HCC Central!! It perplexes me to no end why we don't have more commercial investment in the surrounding areas of our schools inside the loop (Rice being a glorious exception). This really is standard fare for any major school because students NEED STUFF in between classes! We need to have a Starbucks, Target, couple of restaurants all surrounding HCC. Fiesta and Subway alone aren't cutting it.

And of course the same goes for UofH.