102IAHexpress

For purposes of this discussion it seems that your analysis of the light rail's costs/benefits only begins after the ribbon cutting and after passengers start boarding? Using that logic the light rail can only have a positive affect on development! If a business fails during construction It's not fair to count it. And if it fails after construction its because of the business itself not the light rail!

393. The number of business affected and awarded compensation by Metro due to the light rail between 2010-2014. http://ridemetro.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=1262&meta_id=24560 The light rail has had an impact on business development indeed!

It doesn't surprise me that publicly funded schools happened to be built near public transportation. That is not news. Just about every high school in HISD is on a Metro bus line.

No, but by the logic of many on this forum (per Bobruss' post a few pages back) the light rail was the reason for a "billion dollars of construction development and improvements for the general public, etc". In my opinion that is a claim with almost no evidence for support. Which is why i posted in the first place. On the other hand there is evidence that many developers received tax breaks for developing in downtown. And that those developments also developed huge parking garages. There is also evidence that many business have failed along the light rail in downtown. For example, shops that left Houston Pavilions, ground floor vacancies that are still available at GreenStreet, failed restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc. Even during the construction of the light rail businesses were affected. The Metropolitan Transit Authority admitted as much by setting up a grant for businesses to receive compensation due to the light rail construction. If the light rail is so successful and so beneficial for downtown then the CoH doesn't need to provide tax breaks to developers in downtown right?

Fair enough, I want them to succeed despite the killer train. Lets hope those businesses last for a long time. However, just off the top of my head, what about Goro & Gun which HAIF was in love with? Also an awful business? What about Tacqueria La Marco on the light rail line (although not in downtown) closed and relocated to the Washington Street area instead, Also awful business?

Except the only common denominator is the light rail. If a business operates a franchise at two locations and one fails and the other one does not then at some point you have to make conclusions about one of those locations. A different example is Chipotle just down the street on Main and Texas. That Chipotle can't even successfully operate its business on the weekend. Is Chipotle an awful business? Is there some secret to the other Chipotle's in Houston that operate on the weekends? Perhaps the simplest explanation is that the light rail doesn't bring in enough customers to that Chipolte on the weekend. Perhaps the light rail doesn't bring in any customers to that Chipotle even on weekdays. Perhaps the parking restrictions around the rail line have made it so drivers would rather avoid the businesses along the rail if the same business exists somewhere else and with free parking.

LOL so which is it? The light rail caused the development of those business yet played no role in their demise?! Can't have it both ways. Georgia's concept (local farm to market food) may have been awful to you, but that same concept has worked at their Katy Freeway location.

You cannot negate the few business that have opened with all the ones that have failed prior to the new businesses opening. Georgia's should have been perfect for the neighborhood. A small sized Whole Foods concept with local produce catering to high end shoppers that lived at Rice. It didn't last too long. Neither did Byrds prior to Georgia's, nor whatever was their prior to Byrds. Their is a vicious cycle of failed business next to the light rail in downtown.

We don't have to wait to see if any activity builds around the new residential. There's evidence already around existing residential. 420 Main Street, has a perfect location according to HAIF, in front of not just the light rail but the light rail platform, behind a huge residential community (Rice Lofts), even near a park. Yet, all the grocery stores that have operated in that location have failed. Dead Zone indeed.

It's also fair to note that the light rail red line replaced existing bus routes and consolidated them into the rail line. It's also fair to note that the routes the light rail replaced were the most boarded bus routes at the time for Metro. So essentially the rail line has added a few more riders compared to what already existed but at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.

You're not completely wrong actually. My point is only about the light rail. And specifically the light rail in downtown. I don't have a problem with mass transit. I've been riding metro buses since middle school. Heck my screen name is named after a bus route. I just don't see any evidence that the light rail has spurred development in downtown. If anything all the buses that feed into downtown have had a bigger impact. The light rail is a cool toy. It's not a serious people mover. And that's fine. If you think a park or a light rail or public swimming pool adds value to the city, then fine add them. Their a nice amenity to have, but don't tell me their benefits are anything more than that. Buses on the other hand and especially buses in Houston can have bigger impact (still relatively) small but an impact, which i think helps explain some of your data. However, all those buildings you mention have huge parking garages for their residents/workers. I can promise you none of those developers were thinking, great news!, we don't need to construct huge parking garages because we have the light rail near by, all of our workers will stop driving their cars. Give me a break. nonsense. Downtown is a district with higher income offices and higher income apartments. The higher income you earn the less likely you are to ride public transportation. Your argument is like saying the 82 Westminster that passes through River Oaks is the reason there is such nice residential development in River Oaks.

Biased sources? Okay, so I'll assume not biased sources are liberal sources? Fair enough: http://progressive.org/dispatches/rahm-emanuel-failing-chicago/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/chicago-police-spike-in-gun-deaths-represents-clear-failure-criminal-justice/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hilary-gowins/chicago-public-schools-are-failing_b_5488973.html http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-chicago-aldermen-and-corruption-kass-1215-20161214-column.html

There's actually not a lot of buses on the weekend. Not sure why you think there is? Yes there is rail, again not sure why think it's a couple of blocks away. The Red Line station on State Street and Grand Street is the closest stop near my lake shore and ohio street address, which is about 3/4 of a mile away. Regarding Houston's metro buses that don't operate on the weekend, yes there are some park and ride buses from the suburbs that don't operate on the weekends however, and correct me if i'm wrong because i may be wrong, but all of Metro's local routes operate on the weekend. Chicago cta buses on the other hand have lots of local routes that don't operate on the weekend. For a transportation system that almost prohibits you from operating a car within downtown Chicago and practically forces you to ride public transportation or walk, having so many local routes not operate on the weekend is woefully substandard. How it all ties into the retail district is that people have choices in how they reach those shopping districts or how they choose to ignore those districts and instead shop online. Why would a Houstonian drive to a retail district in downtown when they could drive to a better one in the Galleria with plenty of free parking and security? If i lived in downtown (which i did for many years) why would i want to walk for half a mile in the heat to reach a retail district filled with panhandlers? I suppose i could get into my car and drive within downtown to the proposed district but once i get in my car i can easily reach any district. Anyways, we have a retail district already in downtown and it's privately funded. It's called the tunnels. It's awesome and unique, embrace it.

For example I live in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago. You can think of it of their Med Center. Huge hospitals, Northwestern Med, Law and Business schools are here and just a few steps from the Navy Pier; the most visited attraction in Illinois. So not exactly a remote area of Chicago. So lets say i want to ride the CTA bus outside my apartment today (Sunday). Wait i can't, it doesn't even operate on the weekends. Only on weekdays and only during rush hour, and only for a couple of hours of rush hour. So please tell me how that's better than Houston's Metro? http://www.transitchicago.com/bus/121/ Chicago's public transportation has to be the most overrated system i have ever ridden. And yes it is a failed city. The city is bleeding population growth and bleeding citizens literaly. Outside of the gleaming towers in downtown the city is a disaster. Anyways, I'm just going to assume you're being sarcastic because you don't know anything about public transportation.

A few reasons. The high end stores at the Galleria are better. On the mag mile we're talking Gap, Under Armor, Disney Store, Apple Store, etc which are all fine stores but pretty much available in every major city. The Galleria however has all those plus more high end stores from Italy, France, NYC. Also, i think access to mag mile via public transportation is not as good as access to the Galleria via automobiles. For high end shopping you really don't want to be in a "walkable" area for too long and be dependent on public transportation for security reasons. Nothing screams rob me, more than walking around with a high end shopping bag on Chicago's streets. And then there's the weather. Outdoor shopping in Chicago is way too cold most of the year. We're in May and the lows today were in the 30s and highs in the 40s. So yeah, the Galleria is way better.

I've been living in Houston for more than 30 years. I recently moved to Chicago because my wife is a doctor and we decided to pursue an opportunity at Northwestern Medical. I will most certainly make judgement calls. Houston's overall mobility is better than Chicago's. Public transportation inside Chicago's loop (their downtown) is really only accessible via CTA buses. There are tracks and stations around downtown but, it does only that, it goes around in a loop around downtown, hence the name. Auto traffic for commuters into the Loop is horrendous at all hours of the day and night. I have not been on the commuter rail (METRA) yet since i live in the city so i don't know if it's good or bad, however i often read news alerts about METRA disruptions due to various reasons. Regarding retail districts in general, The Galleria puts the Magnificent Mile to shame. The mag mile is a joke, yet the city of Chicago is all too willing to dump money on that street in lieu of much needed attention on the south side. The most visited Chicago attraction according to Yelp is the Navy Pier, again pretty much a joke. The privately owned Kemah boardwalk is more fun. Overall Chicago is a failed city and a specific section of the city; the Southside, if it were a country would be considered a failed state due to its violence, decay, corruption and a lack of caring. The parts of the city that are livable are dying as well due to high taxes. So yes, I will make a judgement on Houston. Houston is winning. Houston, please don't become like other liberal cities. Stick to a mass transportation mobility plan based on buses and stay away from subsidized retail districts. In my opinion Houstonian's will continue to prefer Amazon.com for most of their retail and will go to a high end district like the Galleria for their high end needs. Houston if you're reading this, please don't buy into the fallacy that the Metro rail has spurred downtown development. It has not and nor will it ever.

It was wasted money. For many years It barely added additional ridership levels compared to the preexisting bus routes that the main street rail line replaced yet at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, failed businesses along its construction path and pedestrian deaths. Also no one on this forum has ever been able to show me evidence of development along the downtown portion of the red line attributed to the rail line itself. Instead what is more likely is that tax breaks given to developers who developed in downtown is what actually spurred development in downtown. Regarding the retail district proposal. Just more wasted money. I live a couple of blocks from Michigan avenue and retail shopping is not doing that great here. Shops are closing. A big Crate and Barrel that has been on the magnificent mile for 27 years is closing and is being replaced with the worlds largest Starbucks. no joke.

The signage is not up to standards. As a guest you should not have to call the front the desk to find out where the gym is for example. The pool bar not being open was a disappointment, not sure why it maters for Houston whether it's winter or not? I recently moved to Chicago (wife was a doctor at Methodist but got offered a job up at Northwestern) and i was surprised to meet someone up here who two weeks ago went on a vacation to Houston/Galveston then down to south padre. Surprised because i have always been told that Houston is not a tourist destination. Anyways, our "winter" in Houston is considered absolutely balmy by many up north and if they traveled down here and stayed at the aLoft and saw the pool bar closed they would also be disappointed and probably not come back.

Wife and I stayed here over the weekend. It was okay. nothing special. But for the price, I can't complain too much. But compared to other aLoft's I've stayed at i'm not that impressed. There is no signage inside the property. As a guest you have no idea where anything is. Every SPG hotel I've stayed at, includes a booklet or binder inside the room about the property describing amenities, area attractions, etc, except this one. The elevators have not been updated either, so as a guest you wouldn't know which button to push for the gym for example (I heard it's on the second to top floor but I'm not sure). The interiors are typical aLoft design. The pool looked nice, but the pool bar was not open yet.

I don't think the issue is change. Nobody (from what I remembered) was enthusiastic or had fond memories about the undeveloped area around GRB and therefore negative towards change. The issue is public money to finance private enterprises which sometimes raises negative concerns. Discovery Green is a very nice park. I'm glad there is development around the park. But did the Marriott Marquis break ground because it was near the park or because the city offered $138million in incentives? Is new residential poping up around Minute Maid Park because it's a great public development project or because the city offered tax incentives to developers to build residential in downtown? Is there any private development along the ride line north of downtown?

Scathing article in today's chronicle regarding the latest harrisburg rail overpass delay. Article is on Houstonchronicle.com not chron.com. The writer called it a nightmare. People are quoted as saying they want to leave their neighborhood. A board member admitted it was not managed well. Hate to say it but this portion of the line is a disaster.

Just curious as to why you think it has aged poorly? Is the building in disrepair or has it suffered from neglect that has not been disclosed? I have worked on the 73rd floor going on 6 years now and I think it's one of Houston's more beautiful buildings, inside and out. Tourists queue up sometimes to take pictures on the 60th floor. I also see tourists take selfies outside with the tower in their background. Seems like an iconic, classic building. Count me in on wishing for a twin tower building being built one day. Not a similar or fraternal twin, but an actual twin tower.

I don't know if the district is currrently in a soft opening, or sneak peak, or fully opened but my co-workerd went yesterday. She said the service was terrible. She only ordered a salad but it took 50 minutes for it to arrive. They did comp it for free and included a free coupon for a future meal. I doubt she's returning though, her salad looked pitaful. Bummer, I was hoping this place would be good.

Negative? I was just agreeing with what ArchFan said. He found it disappointing but wants to try it again. He liked the staff. What are we supposed to do when we talk about our experiences at a restaurant? Lie? Jackson St. is Awesome!, (does that make you feel better?) It's not better than Pappas by quite a bit. By saying stuff like that you're doing a disservice to good bbq and to readers who take this forum seriously. It's about the same quality as Pappas (but lacks a drive thru and with less reliable hours) and maybe a little better than Otto's downtown locations. I would say Otto's has a much broader menu than just bbq, but they call themselves otto's BBQ, so just comparing otto's bbq and Jackson st. bbq, then Jackson st's is better than Ottos.

Yeah I agree about Jackson St. I've been a couple times. Eh. Nothing special. The restaurant is a typical bbq restaurant setup, meaning it's counter service. No hostess, no waiter waiting on you. Yet they have one of those iPad point of sale machines at the register that forces you to click on "no tip". I'm not stingy with tips at a typical restaurant, but come on, this is counter service. And who is receiving this tip?