largeTEXAS

This is the way all strip centers should look in Houston! Glad to see this. Hope it actually gets built this way. 

Another bar by the funeral bars folks

Always loved this building. Could be really cool with some tlc.

If I remember correctly, Gus Wortham is about 140-150 acres. 

I agree with HoustonIsHome, Howard Huge, and the last few posters about affordable housing being desperately needed. Welcome to likely the biggest issue facing Houston for at least the next generation. "Affordable housing" is a hot-button topic in just about every major city in the world. The denser and more attractive Houston's core becomes, the more expensive. People who aren't rich are forced to the fringes.

Many cities have programs such as 80-20, where developers are forced to include 20% "affordable" units in their developments. Developers, of course, fight this tooth and nail. Section 8 is another program. For all the negatives of sprawl, Houston has long enjoyed cheap housing all over town because demand was fairly displaced and not everyone wanted to live inside the Loop. Things have changed, though. This is a new era for Houston, It's exciting that we're building like crazy, but market-driven cheap housing is a thing of the past. Maybe after the Downtown District gets its fill of all these "luxury" apartments, it'll start seeing just how desperately needed a mix of unit types is and work up an incentive program for affordable units! Wishful thinking I'm sure...

Not yet, but exciting things are about to happen to the Stowers building.

Good to hear. I'm still bummed that Diller Scofidio + Renfro weren't chosen to design the project. I'm hoping HSPVA pushes Gensler to design a more interesting building than they likely would otherwise.

True enough.  I think it will take a basic retail infrastructure for residents to be in place first though.  The thing is, if you polled downtown residents on what retail they would like to see, my guess would be it would include humdrum things like:

• cleaners
• convenience store / gas station
• good grocery store
• Walgreens
• Target
• hardware store
• Starbucks
• pizza chain

I worry thought that this isn't what the Downtown District has in mind, even though they haven't said exactly what kind of retail they want.  I suspect that instead of the above they are, consciously or not, wishing to attract the kind of retail targeted at that ever-elusive marketing sweet spot: people who are both stylish and wealthy.  Trust-fund hipsters as it were.  I would feel better about the idea if it were more clear what the retail goal was.

I'm sure the Downtown District has visions of grandeur not unlike most developers when envisioning what could be - Apple, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, etc. But, you're probably right that more basic retail is more likely right now. The Sakowitz building was built for large scale retail, even if it's currently a parking garage. To me, that's the one opportunity to get a big anchor retailer such as H&M, Target, or something of the sort. If the new building where Foley's was has ground floor retail (and it better!), that corner should be the center of the retail action, at least early on. 

I disagree. I think part of the reason Phoenicia has managed to do well is the fact that it's basically a "destination" grocery store. Even in Montrose I live closer to half a dozen grocery stores than to Phoenicia, but I'll still shop there because they offer something unique.

 

I think the trick is finding retail that is useful to people who live downtown but also attracts people from the surrounding neighbrohoods

Good point. Destination retail is always great, if you can get them downtown. But, to build a truly sustainable retail district, all kinds of retail is necessary. 

I'm not sure if the retail district is a good idea, it seems like a waste of taxpayer money. For one thing, it would need to attract people who live in downtown (not 9-to-5ers exclusively). As I have stated before, Target is a reasonable idea (perhaps connected with apartments and the tunnel system). Any attempt, historically in America in the last 50 years, to attract suburbanites back to downtown to shop has been more or less a failure. 

This is not about attracting "suburbanites" to shop downtown. While they might make up part of the mix of shoppers, this is about providing a district in the heart of the city for the growing number of people who live, work, and visit downtown. Ground floor retail and retail that is open on the weekends is sorely lacking downtown. As the new (and not even announced yet) residential towers and mid-rises get built, as the rail lines are completed, as the new hotels are completed, as the convention center expands and new and bigger conventions are added, as the East End and Midtown fill in, as Buffalo Bayou continues to be transformed and becomes even more of an attraction, etc, there will be more and more reasons for downtown to need retail. In its current state, downtown will not be able to meet that need. A little planning for current and future needs would go a long way.

Just look at Market Square's revival. Most people seemed to write it off as dead forever just a few months ago. Then the little park that many said would always just be a homeless hangout was rebuilt. Things change, cities change; Houston is finally starting to change in ways that many of us probably hoped it would a long time ago. 

$125 psf is probably about right.

Cool project but hopefully there is no road abandonment by the city to accommodate it.

There will be, Berry St. 

Thanks largetexas! def deserves it's own thread, but wanted to confirm first.

Thank you, Urbannizer, for posting! They've been working on this project for many, many years and it sounds like it's close to actually happening. We'll see!

It's serious. The developer owns the block(s) to the south where Continental Club, etc are located. He's a big fan of Austin and wanted to bring a lot of that feel to Houston. I'm not crazy about street abandonment, but this looks like a decent project..

I'm shocked/ elated/ skeptical about the potential of one of these scenarios happening. It almost seems like Houston us waking up to some planning! Imagine downtown seamlessly merging with Midtown, Montrose, and even, the East End!

It took a retail team to tell them what others have been saying for years.. The focus to make main street the  retail center was flawed.. The area is shaping up to be a bar/ restruant scene.. I have always thought retail should be focused toward the convention center and other area..

 

what next that eado would be a great place for highrasies given that it would afford great views of DT...shhh something are common sense

Agree about Dallas St. I'm glad the task force at least chose the right street, though; now I hope the incentives actually help lure tenants. It did with Tipping Point, so we'll see.  

EaDo should be a bar/restaurant/entertainment district with design and furniture shops mixed in, I think. The warehouses are perfect for that. I could see it feeling a lot like early 2000's Deep Ellum or the late 90's/early 2000's Meatpacking District. It's gritty, but in a good way for those uses. Mid-/high rise residential will probably follow.  

I'm curious how this will compete with the GRB. Aren't the depicted events such as OTC and FanZone currently held in the GRB? And, for the SuperBowl, it seems the focus might shift from downtown and Discovery Green to the Astrodome if major events such as FanZone are relocated to the Astrodome. Hope I'm wrong, but just seems odd that we'd be expanding the GRB, adding hotels and retail around it, then shift some of its biggest events to another location. 

(Query, will this replace or be in addition to the current Glassell)?   

The current Glassell building will be torn down and in its place will be a new courtyard for the new building which will be built in the current parking lot to the north and east of the current building. The new Glassell building's design currently has a sloped green roof that connects to the sculpture garden. That could all change with cost, but it's pretty freakin' awesome looking. 

There will be multiple buildings, one of which will be on top of the existing parking garage. Steven Holl is not the architect of that building. The architect should be announced soon...hint, grocery store. Holl's buildings will be on the north side of Bissonnet/Binz, replacing the surface lot and the current Glassell building. I can just say that these buildings will be breathtaking.

I have no info on this. But me senses are telling me that we will hear something on this soon. Anyone else sense anything?

Steven Holl did a presentation to the staff a couple of months ago and showed a bunch of (amazing) renderings for the new contemporary building, the new Glassell, new underground walkways and performance spaces, and new plazas. We should see more refined images soon, as well as the announcement of a new building on top of the existing museum parking garage. 

P.S. From what I hear, the Westheimer Montrose site is going to be fairly dense mixed use. Maybe 2 stories of retail overlooking a decent-size plaza. Buildings might be 12+ stories (possibly up to 20+). 

Of course. It will make a beautiful addition to the skyline. In that area, though, would it be tunnel connected?

Yes, there will be access to the tunnels. From what I hear, the entrance to the tunnels will be very public and accessible from the street (almost).

Here's another rendering: http://images0.estately.net/25_6191428_0_1371681794_636x435.jpg 

What a bland, disappointing development

Current plans I've seen show the building will have a decent amount of retail on the ground floors - 2 stories with large restaurant balconies overlooking the park on the 2nd - a small plaza, and a significant entrance from Market Square to the tunnels. It seems there are efforts being made to tie it into the park and neighborhood as much as possible while also creating a signature tower. Could be interesting if current plans are developed.