JJxvi

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i10 the ROW already existed, they took over land from the RR that ran right alongside the freeway. that was convenient and why there wasn't a lot of fighting about the ROW expansion. 

You are very mistaken.  The Katy Freeway row expansion was not just the railroad ROW that already existed, and even in those areas where both railroad ROW and old katy road ROW existed, the highway ROW expanded even beyond those boundaries.  Over 1000 homes and business were subject to eminent domain between beltway 8 and 610, which is the richest area abutting a highway in the city.  In Spring Valley between Blalock and Bingle, I think two entire rows of single family homes are gone now.  You can still see the blank area near the freeway where the homes used to be in an aerial on like google maps (see the park area where the culdesacs of Teresa Dr and Ben Hur Dr. end), but that land is just the northernmost line of homes.  There was another line of homes demolished that would be way out into where the main lanes are now. Where the Katy feeder road is now was actually a residential street with neighborhood houses on the south edge and then the railroad beyond that before you got to the highway. 

I recommend you open google earth if you have it, turn on the road layer which shows where the modern roads are, and then take the imagery back to 1995 and just look at all of the stuff that freeway and its feeder road blasts through.  The impact was very significant

The NHHIP, I believe might have more significant total number of impacts, but I dont think it does when you're talking about just sections 1 and 2.

The "racial injustice" or "social justice" component of this is really just a dogwhistle that more effectively gets the attention of some of the current powers that be (especially those far away, like the federal government) than just general "we don't like freeways" on its own would.  In sections 1 and 2, the project is happening where it is because the freeway already exists there, they aren't deciding to ram it through because of who lives there. 

Similar projects have already been completed in the last 30 years on highways that could be considered  mostly blue collar white (northwest freeway) and both of the highways that run through the richest, whitest parts of town (west loop and katy freeway). 

Fighting to kill the entire project seems more counterproductive to me than fighting to fix specific problems.

On 4/27/2021 at 3:48 PM, Houston19514 said:

 

Good news!  Metro is in discussions with the City and Memorial Park Conservancy exploring the possibility of adding a station at Memorial Park for the Inner Katy BRT.

Excellent

16 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

that mound looks like it's about 10% of the dirt needs for this project

It definitely doesnt look like its enough for the whole thing, but I bet its more than 10%.  It looks like there are a fairly good amount of embankment dirt being built up on the site, just because the reconstruction of Memorial Dr even way beyond where the hills begin look like its several feet lower than the current roadway/original elevation.

There is already decent size mound that has been sitting just north of the construction site (across Memorial Drive and the walking trail) that I think was saved from the reconstruction of the golf course. 

The complete impossibility of connecting these two lines with Memorial Park annoys me.

Well, I can only speak for myself, but if that Barnes and Noble hadn't been built I wouldn't have even stepped foot in this shopping center at all for the last ten years. So I guess even if it supposedly did  lose some aesthetic appeal, it gained a lot in utility from my perspective...

I will say that this center is one of a handful of historic Houston shopping centers that are gems, so I hope they dont screw it up.

Los Angeles is a much older city.  It already had a population of 600,000-1,000,000 in the era where automobiles became ubiquitous, whereas Houston went through that era of its growth in the 1960's and 70s.  I suspect that most of the inspiration of New Urbanism (especially that which has an American flavor) and things like main street theme park design, etc is all mostly just trying to replicate LA in 1915 or or 1925 or whatever.

So transit would end up running down both the North and West boundaries of Memorial Park with no access.

Pretty sure this actually did start as primarily a crusade against "affordable" housing.

Uh oh...

They likely say that those two fields aren't moving because those two fields are still in the same location on the master plan, one just has its orientation changed. 

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Not one major city in the U.S. has multiple 4 year major state university system campuses from different systems.

This exists within our state. In 2009, a new Texas A&M University-San Antonio was founded with eventual plans to reach an enrollement of 25,000+, and San Antonio is also served by the 35,000 student enrollment University of Texas at San Antonio.

Im sure that is a very big concern

On 7/23/2019 at 4:35 PM, Nate99 said:

 

 

How much of his parking lot would he lose? 

Between Tidwell and Parker all of the ROW aquisition is on the opposite side, so none.

On 6/13/2019 at 2:12 PM, cspwal said:

Also I looked on streetview - this is across the street from a strip center, not the historic 0' setback buildings

The best word for this immediate area going back 50 years is "dump" not "historic" in any sense.  It was very 50s-60s era commercial industrial mix with a railroad spur right through the middle of it. 

The only thing memorable or consistent about the area that felt like they tied together were the two big water tanks, they were very similar to each other...they had a nice giant water tank-ey aesthetic that really tied everything up in a beautiful bow.

Personally I think it looks fine.  I dont see what makes it any more or less stylish than like Broadstone Waterworks. I suspect based on that rendering that, like Broadstone, its going to use a significant amount of brick to match the Braun Waterworks shopping center, for example. So Im not sure the idea that they are just plopping down something generic here without any thought is borne out yet. Perhaps you have more information.

4 hours ago, s3mh said:

 

If the only substance of your posts is to attack me, get a day job and go away.  

 

They are drilling piers for the foundation already on this one.  It is on W 20th at the corner of Nicholson.  Nothing has happened to the old Chase bank building yet.  

100% substance is boring, which ironically seems to be your problem with this building.

54 minutes ago, s3mh said:

Shit sandwich.  The Alliance Broadstone at least paid some lip service to the historic architecture in the Heights.  This is just generic modern multi-family infill that you can find in Dallas, Washington DC, Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix and so on.  I wouldn't be surprised if the design was 100% recycled from another project (or two or three) that has already been built somewhere else.  At least it will front 20th St. instead of 19th.  But Greystar will also build another building where the old bank currently sits.  Knowing Greystar, it will be another boilerplate modern design.  

I find it shocking that s3mh thinks a new development in the Heights is a shit sandwich...

On 3/6/2019 at 9:35 AM, cspwal said:

 

Looking at this image, it doesn't look like they are expecting any transit at all - anyone not already at this site will arrive by car.  It's set back from the main road by probably 1/4 mile, so everywhere well inside it will be 1/2 mi from a bus stop at Jensen and the entrance road.  I doubt they will have buses inside it, and of course this is on the other side of the bayou from the Green line, so light rail is out of the question. 

 

Having at least a pedestrian bridge cross the bayou might help the idea that you can walk to this place

Really? It is only 1100 feet TOTAL from Jenson on the West to Meadow St on the East. Everywhere on this whole site plan you posted is less than 1/4 mile from anywhere else. This phase is only about 1/5 of a mile by 1/5 of a mile total.

double post

On 11/21/2018 at 6:36 AM, Angostura said:

Rendering shows two-way traffic on Shep.

 

 

Rendering realistically shows the one guy who turned the wrong way down Shepherd.

The major difference is that they seem to have purchased a home on Dorothy St to use as an additional entrance/parking.

The main downside I guess is that through traffic on Heights/Waugh will now have a light to stop at.