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OkieEric

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Everything posted by OkieEric

  1. OkieEric
    Surprised Lovett hasn't already grabbed that parcel. I'm expecting yet more townhomes there That flyer has some great aerial shots - my question is how much longer will those single story storage units last? Talk about a waste of real estate... Hopefully these new developments along S. Main will eventually spread East of Main St down there as well
  2. OkieEric
    I'll get a bit more excited if this (or 7200 Main) ever get announced. Or heck, even if they break ground on those apartments/Intercontinental Hotel It seems to me that traffic congestion really holds the area back. I know OTC is in town but it has been ridiculous down there lately.. Whenever I tell anyone I live that general area the first thing they comment on is the traffic. I know the Galleria is awful as well but at least there are freeways cutting through
  3. OkieEric
    Did/can they disclose when they did the renderings? Just wondering if this was 2 months or 2 years ago
  4. OkieEric
    How the heck do you find this stuff? lol A slightly different rendering (with a few more buildings) is in a different slide pack at the same site: http://www.slideshare.net/QingjingZuo/smilodonrendering-collection-47319486
  5. OkieEric
    This bike lane is very, very lightly used on weekday mornings, at least on the western side of downtown. I've probably seen just a handful of people ~8 a.m. the last few weeks. A surprising number of those have been people on those shared bikes I've actually seen some mounted police using the lanes and spotted some...errr...droppings in the lane this morning. Wanted to snap a pic but traffic was moving
  6. OkieEric
    Has anyone ever successfully protested land $/sq ft when it appears they have adopted the same increase and $/sq ft for an entire area? In this case land values in one section of Old Braeswood shot up 40% to $70/sq ft, while the land values in the original section (which I think is generally more desirable) stayed at $50/sq ft. It really defies logic, but I think I know of a single lot sale comp they are using. Can you realistically expect to wind up with a lower $/sq ft than literally all of your neighbors? Wasn't expecting this
  7. OkieEric
    Stopped by Target today and noticed a crane was up on this one
  8. OkieEric
    lockmat, have you checked out this site? This guy does a pretty decent job debunking what the conspiracy folks have been saying - or at least were saying at the time. It's a bit outdated so I'm sure the conspiracy folks have changed their tune, but he's got some good images showing the extent of the damage to south side of WTC 7 http://www.debunking911.com/WTC7.htm NIST addresses the free-fall question here about 1/3rd of the way down. Unless you are a structural engineer or have a better understanding of the physics of this than these folks, I don't see why you would question their response I did a quick youtube search regarding these phantom explosions that weren't planes, and all I see are nutcases trying to claim there were no planes, or trying to pass off a window blowing out as an explosion. So if anything this tells me there are a lot of folks even more delusional about this whole thing than I thought This whole thing makes me wonder - has there ever been a case of a conspiracy theorist changing his mind? Unfortunately it seems to be a one-way street
  9. OkieEric
    A demo permit was issued 4/16 - not completely sure what this means, though. Given the connection to Lovett, the condition of the building, and the fact that it abuts 9604 S Main I would be surprised if it is not torn down. I guess it could wind up being a Lovett Commerial deal, though. Details Project No: 15034285 Date : 2015/04/16 00:00:00 USE : DB/COMMERCIAL/DEMO/CERTIFCATE OF COMPLIA Owner/Occupant : DIAZ KAREN Job Address : 9714 BUFFALO SPEEDWAY 77025 Valuation : $ 0 Permit Type : 4P FCC Group : Demo; Other Building(s) Buyer : *HERNANDEZ MONREAL PLUMBING CO Address : 2603 KELLEY ST 77026 Phone : (713) 691-1383
  10. OkieEric
    WTC 7 was not mentioned in the 9/11 Commission report because the goal of the commission was investing the events that led up to the disaster and outlining recommendations for the future. It was not a detailed study into the actual collapse of the buildings, so there was no point. The report is out there if you want to look at it (I'm sure you have) Maybe the 9/11 Commission was "set up to fail", maybe not. Here's a book by the co-chairs of the commission: http://www.amazon.com/Without-Precedent-Inside-Story-Commission/dp/0307276635/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429711781&sr=8-1&keywords=without+precedent From the beginning, the 9/11 Commission found itself facing obstacles — the Bush administration blocked its existence for months, the first co-chairs resigned right away, the budget was limited, and a polarized Washington was suspicious of its every request. Yet despite these long odds, the Commission produced a bestselling report unanimously hailed for its objectivity, along with a set of recommendations that led to the most significant reform of America’s national security agencies in decades. This is a riveting insider’s account of Washington at its worst — and its best. The conspiracy theorists would have you think he blocked the commission because they would uncover one of the biggest conspiracies in history - give me a break. The reasons I've read are that he was concerned because it could reveal sources of information and methods of intelligence....or maybe he was just afraid that it would discover inadequacies in the FBI & CIA that would reflect negatively on his administration. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bush-opposes-9-11-query-panel/ "I don't believe the govt themselves planned it. Maybe they knew the terrorists planned it and they just conveniently let it happen" - you can't have it both ways. If the government had information and let it happen (which may feed into the objection of the 9/11 Commission, sure) then the controlled demolitions and other crap theories don't make any sense as the terrorists would not have done anything more than fly the planes into the buildings. As ludicrous as it is to think that the government could have pulled off this elaborate combination of planes/controlled demolition, it's even more ridiculous to think terrorists would have been capable of such. Susan Lindauer has a questionable background, to say the least. From wikipedia: "Lindauer was incarcerated in 2005 and released the next year after two judges ruled her mentally unfit to stand trial." There are other unfavorable items in her wikipedia that I'm just not going to bother looking into. I suppose you will say she really was involved and is now a whistle-blower. Logically, if the government were capable of murdering 3,000 of its own citizens do you really think they would allow a loose end like her? It defies logic Unfortunately, nobody on this board will be able to convince you otherwise, so this "debate" is destined to fail. This is exactly like trying to convince an anti-vaxer
  11. OkieEric
    I just had to look at this group of 2,000 experts - basically, these are people with a degree in any engineering field, an architect, or even students. If you look through the list a significant portion are from outside the U.S...and all they have done is sign an online petition. This 9/11 conspiracy crap is a lot like the anti-vaccine movement. Search and you will receive from the "University of Google" Edit: I can google, too http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a6384/debunking-911-myths-world-trade-center/ WTC 7 collapse was strange, sure, but what exactly would have been the point of a controlled demolition hours after the others? And with no casualties?
  12. OkieEric
    Galveston County is also apparently getting in on the increases. After years of stability (admittedly a bit under-appraised) we just got hit with a 48% total increase for this year, all of it in the improvement value of a 129 year old home Still pending in Houston
  13. OkieEric
    Not sure if it was intentional or not (probably was), but this definitely seemed like a great PR stunt. Hopefully they can structure this new indoor park deal so that the taxpayers won't see a $200+ million bill. The people commenting on Chron must be the same folks that rail on Galveston at every opportunity. Must be a lot of fun at parties... Edit (again): The Guardian has a pretty nice article out on the Astrodome
  14. OkieEric
    Anyone else go to the 50th anniversary? It was a heck of a turn out - gives me hope that some people actually care. Or maybe just want free stuff? The line to enter the dome was absolutely ridiculous, probably one of the longer lines I've ever seen. Yet people were patiently waiting to get inside. Unfortunately, with 2 small kids that was not an option for us
  15. OkieEric
    Still pending here as well. It seems like areas to the west and SW (portions of River Oaks, West U, Braeswood) are still pending for some reason
  16. OkieEric
    From what I've read Project Brays as a whole (including the widening and some new detention basins upstream) is supposed to remove most of the 100 year (1%) floodplain from homes and businesses along Brays Bayou. Large areas of pricey real estate (including portions of West U) and the Med Center are currently in the floodplain, and based on the timing of this I would guess there was a push for something after TS Allison
  17. OkieEric
    If the bridges wind up like the new Cambridge St bridge that would be awesome. Unfortunately, in their current state bridges like Kirby/Buffalo Speedway/etc have extremely narrow sidewalks - OK (but probably a bit harrowing) for a single runner, but that's about it Hopefully the new bridge design would be somewhat less attractive to the homeless. I swear one dude under the Greenbriar bridge (I think) has a full set of furniture down there. I'm all for a new thread, surely someone on here is more in the know than we are I did find the link to that more detailed study on Project Brays here
  18. OkieEric
    FWIW, "7200 Main Corporation" is listed as a client on PDR's website http://www.pdrcorp.com/client-list/
  19. OkieEric
    I did some more digging on "Project Brays" today and finally realized that they are widening the channel one segment at a time heading west... Lidstone to Calhoun is apparently about to start, followed by Bertner to Buffalo Speedway which is going to start early next year (Project Brays website is outdated). I found a document from 2004 stating that retaining walls would probably be used nearly Main & Kirby (can't find link now) Here's an excerpt from the Braeswood Place newsletter from earlier this year: Project Brays: At the January meeting of the Brays Bayou Association, I talked to Gary Zika, Project Brays Program Manager, with regard to the widening of the Brays Bayou channel through Braeswood Place. He said that originally the plan was to widen the channel from Bertner Street in the Texas Medical Center to Buffalo Speedway. The plan now is to extend the widening a distance of 2200 feet west of Buffalo Speedway to the outfall on the south bank at the foot (north end) of Bevlyn Street. The Bevlyn outfall is a natural break point and is a good location to end of this phase of the project. Gary estimated start of construction will begin in about a year and will then take a year to complete. There are some obstacles to overcome, particularly with regard to loss of a number of trees due to widening the top of the bank by 25 feet. There are several "memorial" trees that will have to be dealt with as well as the small park on the north bank east of the West University waste treatment facility at Kirby. However, HCFCD will utilize its tree program following this phase of the project and replace any trees lost during construction. Bridge replacement is not part of this phase of the project. So the good news is this will almost assuredly mean new, cleaner trails. Bad news is loss of some mature trees and...we'll still have the concrete. No fancy dog parks just yet
  20. OkieEric
    and the HCC Coleman Campus expansion, new Debakey High School, and the 21 story apartments going up at Holcombe and Cambridge. Time for TMC to get some of these cranes
  21. OkieEric
    Just noticed the link shows that this will be an Intercontinental Hotel. Not bad... I'm wondering how Southgate residents will take this 32 story tower. Not really an Ashby situation if you've got property adjacent to the medical center
  22. OkieEric
    These guys have held this land for decades at this point, while adding some parcels over the years. They appear to be in no rush... If I recall correctly they held the land for Springwoods Village for nearly 50 years though the situation isn't completely comparable. I was just hoping for some activity by the Super Bowl in 2017 but it appears that's not in the cards I'm still betting on an awesome development here someday until I see a for sale sign
  23. OkieEric
    Ditto, Nate. I do not have realistic expectations for removal of any of the concrete, but steps can be made to improve functionality and aesthetics. Hopefully someday there is an initiative from the medical center - makes sense given its potential as a bike route for the area. In its current state its certainly usable but the stretch through the med center itself is pretty unappealing. I've taken a stroller on the lower path a few times but given the homeless under the bridges and the tendency towards sloping into the bayou (particularly under the bridges) it's not that great. The upper trail is poorly paved in some areas and has awkward crossings @ both points along N Braeswood West of Kirby or so (well, past the water treatment plant) there is more of a park-like element given the trees along the banks, and I know towards Hermann Park the trails are quite nice
  24. OkieEric
    Old Braeswood, Southgate, and West U all still show up as pending for whatever reason. I think you are right for areas that have had the appraisals released, but for whatever reason certain areas/neighborhoods aren't yet out there
  25. OkieEric
    This is not a Heights only issue If you look at the map linked on HCAD's main page (http://gis.hcad.org/2014/Percent_Change.aspx) they are showing some pretty massive average changes across the board The one that sticks out to me is River Oaks (24% increase from $1.664 million to $2.087 million). Spring Branch and Oak Forest had the highest increases at 28% and 27%, respectively Many areas saw 20%+. West U/Rice/Bellaire areas were "only" up 18% (lucky us) on average The maps they have available suggest all of the assessments are done, so I take it they are just staging in those of us still "Pending" in order to prevent a deluge of protests. They are going to have a busy year
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