kzseattle
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Posts posted by kzseattle
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I have a few questions and didnt want to start a new thread for each so one have combined them here:
1: Which entrance to downtown is the best so far, in your opinion? It doesn
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I think the early adopters (the first 10,000) will probably be yuppie types, but the absence of zoning in Houston will let the market eventually provide opportunities for downtown living for other people as well.
How would the absence of zoning define who would be able to live in downtown? I thought zoning only dictate whether a particular lot should be used for commercial or residential purpose. Does it also dictate, for example, whether an affordable residential project can be built next to a high-end complex? I would assume that aspect is governed primarily by market forces. If the land in downtown is expensive, which it is, that would ensure that only those who can afford to live there would do so. Since families typically prefer to live in single family homes with backyards and such, this factor would ensure that mostly singles, young childless couples or retired couples would choose to live in downtown. I may be wrong but then I dont know that much about zoning laws.
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Cameras at intersections, smoking bans, the tow policy, and now talk of radar enforcing cameras all reek of Big Brother, but Houston deserves everything it gets because, after all, the city elected this man.
I think that in some cases, one has to act as a "Big Brother". For example, would you really trust Houstonians to stop trashing their city voluntary? I highly doubt it! Now if the city comes up with a law that says that littering is unlawful and the violators would be penalized, would that be equivalent to infringing upon our freedoms? The freedom to throw our trash anywhere we want? Freedom has its limits, beyond which results chaos. What would happen if we didn
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Thanks so much to all of you for your feedback, and your welcome. I really appreciate it. It makes me feel less apprehensive about moving to a strange new place.
One of you asked our price range and where we would be working. Our price range would be around $200-$235K. My husband would be working at the Houston Chronicle, and I would have to find a job yet, in the PR/graphic design area.
As goofy as it seems, trees are really important. Don't have to have a forest, just one big one somewhere in the yard. I'm a big gardener too, so I would like to have a decent size lot to work with. We live in the middle of our urban area in a 100 year old house with a decent-sized yard. I was hoping we'd find something like that in Houston, but it seems way out of our price range. Our current home has about 2,700 sqft and 4 bedrooms, and we only had to pay in the 200s.
As far as space, we were hoping to get at least 3 bedrooms. If that helps give you an idea about what we are looking for, and how much we can spend. If you have any other suggestions, I sure do appreciate them.
Thanks again for the welcome and suggestions.
H-Town man has spoken for me and has mentioned many areas that have trees. Would also recommend driving along Spring-Cypress and Cypresswood between 290 and 1-45. Lots of trees and many neighborhoods. Katy area and Sugarland would probably not work for you since they are mostly grassy although they have planted many trees that have matured in older sections. However, you could check out Sienna Plantation near Sugar Land on Highway 6. It is also wooded although you would find maple trees instead of pine. Of course, these are all suburbs.
Closer to the city, H-Town man has already suggested the area between I-10 and Memorial although it is expense. San Felipe that runs parallel to Memorial is also expensive. However, you could drive west on Briar Forest. The area between Briar Forest and Buffalo Bayou has a lot more trees and than the area between Briar Forest and Westheimer. On Briar Forest, you would find many established neighborhoods with many matured trees and they are a bit less expensive than those on Memorial.
Your third option is inner loop although, as has been suggested, Timbergrove Manor may be the only affordable option.
Finally, there are Spring Branch and Oak Forest areas although I don
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dalparadise, I don't know if you've been gone all this time, or if it's because I've mostly been gone, but I haven't crossed posts with you since last summer.
Now then... that's a pretty skewed list. How does San Diego end up at #9? How does Houston get ahead of Philadelphia? Better place to live, sure, but to visit? And Seattle only one spot ahead of Houston? Bet that was a squeaker.
Here is what I would think would be the list - of major cities that is. By the way, I'm not a real big Vegas guy.
1. San Diego
2. Honolulu
3. New York
4. San Fransisco
5. Orlando
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Los Angeles
8. Boston
9. Miami
10. Seattle
11. Chicago
12. New Orleans
13. Denver
14. Philadelphia
15. San Antonio
If this is the list of your favorite cities, then it is understandable. However, if it is intended as a list of popular tourist destinations in the US, then I am not sure if it is correct. Las Vegas is obviously missing (although you aren
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There are many bad ones out there. I consider Gehan to be one of them. I don't know enough about Royce to judge them. Most good new neighborhoods in Pearland carry real prices of $220K+ for 2200 square feet and above. These homes generally are advertised with starting prices of $150s-190s before upgrades and options. When a builder like Lennar, for instance, says "everything's included" at say, $150,000, it should register somethinng with you. Why are they able to sell for $70,000 less? The neighborhood, construction...something's gotta suffer.
Some really good builders I've found, whose customer service goes above and beyond the rest are:
Newmark
Coventry
Ashton Woods
Imperial
Emerald
I've experienced service after the sale for each of these brands. These builders get paid based on customer satisfaction surveys. Beyond that, my experience has been that, with these guys -- and I'm sure there are others -- they take great pride in delivering a great product.
For the record -- I am no longer doing real estate, so I have no interest in these companies or possible conflicts. I should disclose, however, that I am in advertising and have done work on the Emerald Homes account. My opinions of them are based on my real estate experience, however.
I think one could also add Trendmaker, David Weekely and David Powers. What about Perry Homes? Are they good or bad?
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Sure thing. Garson's is definately a diamond in the rough. Its next to that Tony's Flying Pizza ... which is actually decent itself.
Just went to Kasra since it's closest to where I live. The ambiance is elegant enough. However, I found the food to be a bit bland for my taste. Also, I think the portions are a bit small. I would try Fadi's and Garson as well. By the way, the parking lot in that retail center is huge! I am not sure if they need that much parking but oh well! Houston got too much parking space all around.
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I like Cafe Lili on westheimer and Bering. It is a little stripmallish but great food and wine.
For better ambience Id go to Garson's on Hillcroft. Its one of my favorite places for a more upscale lunch. The chicken laforet is to die for.... creamy dill rice, grill chicken in a sherry and crawfish sauce. They have definate french undertones but its middle eastern.
Kasra at westheimer and gessner is ok too. Its next to that new Yao chinese restaurant that our local Rocket is building. Cant wait for that place to open.
I'm sure someone would say Fadi's but it is more cafeteria style.. so that kind of kills ambiance.
http://www.b4-u-eat.com/ is a great resource.
Thanks LowBrow! I am kinda surprised that there is an upscale restaurant on Hillcroft! Someone recommended Kasra too. I guess that, for me, food comes first and then the ambiance. I just dont want to end up in a really rundown place. As long as the sitting is decent, I am ok with that. Thanks again for the quick response!
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I am looking for a nice middle eastern restaurant with good ambience and great food for tonight. Please help with your recommendations!
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Hi. We are looking to relocate to Houston and we drove around and saw the Woodlands. We think it is a beautiful area and that it would be a great place to live. We like the Heights, too, which is similar to the area we live in in our current city of residence. Unfortunately, the Heights houses are WAY more expensive to get something comparable to what we have. The only neighborhood we really thought was beautiful and affordable to get comparable space was the Woodlands. We just have one concern and would like to get some feedback from people who live there or know the area well. We are registered Democrats. We are not rabid liberals or anything, but we just want to make sure the Woodlands isn't like the Stepford Wives.
We are a 30s couple with no kids and we just don't want to be the ONLY non-Republicans in our neighborhood. Moving to TX/Bush Country is scary enough right now. I don't mean this to offend anyone, we have lots of Republican friends. We just want to live in a place that will appreciate a diversity of opinions.Any thoughts you can offer would be most welcome!
Thanks,
Kelley & Dave
Kansas City, MO
I moved to Houston from Seattle which, as you know, is a pretty liberal and anti-Bush city. I think that, unless you get involved in political discussion, you would probably not see the difference. Keep in mind that Houston is a very diverse city and you would find pretty much any ethnic group. I think that in such a large and diverse city as Houston where so much is going on, political differences become petty matters.
Which neighborhoods did you check out? I agree that Woodlands is a beautiful area. If you like Woodlands, you could also check out Kingwood which is very similar. It seems that you like wooded regions. There are several smaller communities along Spring-Cypress road and Cypresswood drive between 290 and I-45. That entire region is very wooded. If you are looking for a more diverse area, you could consider Sugarland in the southwest or Clear Lake area in the southeast which, I believe, enjoy more ethnic diversity than the north. However, these areas, while nice, do not have as much natural vegetation as in the north, from what I have seen.
I am not sure what's your price range but if you want to live closer to city, you could check out BriarGrove Park and Walnut Bend.
I forgot to ask the key question. Where are you going to work? Obviously, you would want to live closer to the work, other things come later. You would really need to narrow down what you are looking for since otherwise there are so many neighborhoods that you are likely going to be overwhelmed!
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You're right about Memorial. Part of the issue is local opposition to widening the street, especially in the two lane sections that run through the Memorial Villages, where the street is not in the city of Houston. There were efforts to rebuild Memorial through the villages to a concrete, four lane divided with curb and gutter street like it is east of Chimney Rock in the 1980s but those were dropped because of the opposition to the expansion.
Now, why the heck would those living in Memorial oppose IMROVING the main thoroughfare that runs through their area? At least the ditch could go. Do they think of it as a beauty thing or what! We all talk about modernization and progress in Houston while its wealthiest residents retain such backward mentality. Memorial Drive could be our version of Sunset Blvd.
Widening the road is one issue, but it could at least be resurfaced. I drove on it yesterday and the section west of Chimney Rock to San Felipe is a pretty bump ride. At one point, about half the lane is sunken. The section between Briar Forest and Gessner has similar conditions.
Apparently, there is an opposition to almost any change in the city. We have opposition to zoning, opposition to gentrification of depressed neighborhoods, opposition to improvements of the roadways, opposition to light rail, opposition to subway, opposition to cameras on traffic lights, opposition to new high rises... did I leave anything?
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That section of Rodgerdale is a remnant of back before Westchase was developed and that area was rural. Why it has not been widened between Westheimer and south of Richmond where it goes back to four lanes before now is an obvious lack of city oversight. However there is good news. City Council last year approved that section of Rodgerdale to be widened to a concerete street with four lanes, curb and gutters, and the open ditches to be replaced with storm sewers.
I understand the complaint about open ditches but there really aren't that many streets in the city like that. There are some obvious ones like Rodgerdale in Westchase (and Old Westheimer just west of there but it's currently being rebuilt) and some in the Heights and some low income areas of town.
Actually, when I think about it, you are right there arent many streets in the city along open ditches. Since I drive on Rogerdale everyday and it's is the first and last thing I see each day, it seems to me that ditches are every where. I am not sure if they need to widen Rogerdale though. Its more of a back alley and isnt heavily traveled. Also, there doesnt seem to enough space for additional lanes.
By the way, you forgot one important road that runs along an open ditch. It's Memorial Drive and thats kind of strange since it runs through very high income areas. Some sections of the road need to be resurfaced/repaved as well.
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Oh my God, I am so sick of this thread. For God's sake can we not write anymore in this thread until someone actually sees some movement at the site?
Well, the last couple of responses from shamrock_twr is something that we really needed. I would think of those as some kind of "movement" at the site.
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You have more patience than I have. I can only come on this thing once every few weeks.
I hope this was posted by someone who actually represents Shamrock Tower and that it isnt a hoax! However, the specific information provided in the post seem convincing enough. If this was indeed from Shamrock Tower, then I appreciate them for addressing our concerns and clarifying the current status of the project. People on this forum have high hopes for this project and would really like to see it come to fruition.
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Developers are competing to turn a key downtown Austin block into a place to live, shop and find entertainment.
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Suzerain
Hey Suzerain, I see you have been pitching new developments in Austin quite a bit recently. If you were from Austin, then I would understand. If you are in Houston, then I have one word: Traitor! Just kidding!
As I mentioned before, it is nice to see what's happening in nearby cities and possibly learn from that. I happened to be in Austin recently and was trying to figure out what all the fuss is about. It took me a while to figure that out. It seems that a big part of city isn
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Wow! I'm so happy to hear this becuz Third Ward is such an important neighnorhood to Houston and with its close proximity to downtown, i think it should get more attention.
I also think that the triangular region bounded by 288 and OST and I-45 has a lot of potential due to its proximity to downtown and because it is home to UH and TSU. I am actually surprised that these intuitions haven
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Clear Lake used to be crystal clear. Sea grass used to cover the bottom at one time, and helped keep the sediment down. When small trawlers started working in there, and draging their nets on the bottom, the grass was damaged and have not had a chance to reestablish itself.
Isnt the lake really an extension of the Gulf and so has always been connected to the Gulf? If so, how could it be crystal clear given that the water in the Gulf isnt clear. By the way, looking at the pictures, water really doesnt seem brown. It isnt clear, of course, but I thought that it's as brown and muddy as flood water and it surely isnt like that (unless the pictures didnt capture the true colors)
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I have always thought of that area as full of refinerys, and polluted, not as a place to visit. I also thought of the are as "country" and swampy, kind of like Louisiana.
I know that Texas City has a lot of refineries.
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Where did you get a negative impression from?
My question exactly! Clear Lake is supposed to be a nice area. After all, it is where NASA is as well as its related industry which supports thousands of professionals in the field. Clear Lake is also where you would one of the largest concentrations of pleasure boats in the country.
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Just joined the forum, what a great opportunity.
In regards the the Lifestyle Center, there is speculation that project may not kick-off because of another possible center further south on 288 near 518.
Hmmm, I have heard of the one that's planned at BW 8 and Pearland Parkway. The one for which I posted the link was planned for BW 8 and 288. Are you saying that yet another one is being proposed at 288 near 518? That would make it the third potential Lifestyle center in Pearland area!
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This topic was discussed in another thread a while ago in another thread as well:
http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=1048
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hmm, too bad, hopefully we see it next sunday.
I have noticed that quiet a few new members have joined the forum recently which is great! It makes you think that HAIF publicity did happen somehow.
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What Subdude is forgetting the reasons people moved OUT of the reach of Houston to begin with: the mediocre schools, quality of life issues, and the belief that Houston government will mismange their tax dollars. Why should we expect them to have any empathy for Houston anyway? I doubt anyone in Katy adjacent or Kingwood would welcome annexxation with anything less than scorn.
The problem with annexation is that a smaller region can be managed more efficiently than a larger one. It seems that the city of Houston is barely able to provide city services to the areas under its jurisdiction (consider the condition of many of the roads). When a new region is annexed, city's tax base increases but so does the area to be managed with new tax dollars.
I think that annexation is a lazy way of increasing tax base. Those cities that are not so eager to swallow smaller cities are forced to provide higher quality of life within the city limits in an attempt to keep current businesses and residents inside the city and luring new ones. In other words, they have to increase the tax base within the existing city limits.
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Hello everyone,
Then we drove through Rivercrest just for a little flair. It's fascinating how huge those lots are there, right off Westheimer. It's fascinating how many amazingly rich Houstonians there are around, especially since we didn't even go to River Oaks today.
I was in Rivercrest today as well and, wow, those lots are gigantic and some of the mansions on them are indeed jaw dropping. It does remind you of River Oaks.
You are right, there is surely no dearth of wealthy folks in this town. One can gawk at their impressive homes all the way along Memorial and San Felipe, not to mention those who live outside Houston city limit.
We are a 30s couple with no kids and we just don't want to be the ONLY non-Republicans in our neighborhood. Moving to TX/Bush Country is scary enough right now. I don't mean this to offend anyone, we have lots of Republican friends. We just want to live in a place that will appreciate a diversity of opinions.
Some Questions
in General Houston Discussions
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About Carrillion, yeah, one wonders what's going on. The portion facing Westheimer is stable and established. However, I am not sure how much of the portion at the back end is occupied. The area in front of Sherlocks has been under construction for a while. I believe that area housed a couple of restaurants or something but then they leveled the structure. I hope they arent converting the space into a parking lot. That would be HUGE shame!!