bach

probably lease dispute. i was talking with someone who works for reliant who shuts off power when tenants/owners don't pay. he mentioned that he recently shut off power to at least 5 businesses in the area for failure to pay.

Harris County's website indicates the building is theirs:

www.hctx.net/fpm/DowntownCourtHouseComplex.aspx

Pillot Building

Annex 16

1012 Congress St.

Houston, TX 77002

They only open up at 5pm?

Man, that kinda' sucks, I was hoping to head that way during a lunch hour to meet a date there, I would have figured that they would open up during an extended lunch hour.

I guess I better look at their website.

Just like their other location, they're not open at lunch.

And re their market, it's 1) expense accounts 2) well-to-do, and 3) impress your date.

if i lived in the downtown area of a large city, i would expect noise period.

if i had a business and the police were frequently doing the sound meter tests, it would be frustrating because there are several more important issues that the police could help resolve. i think HPD tends to overreact to complaints such as this which will piss off the good merchants too. if there are specific instances where sound is loud, HPD should act then, not during the day where there is no problem.

If you had a business and the police were frequently around, I would think you'd be happy, because your customers would feel safe and secure, because there is police presence. And you'd know that obnoxious neighbors would be addressed. Why would you have a problem that they're walking around when there is no problem? Do you just want a reactive HPD? Jeez.

the bar area looked fairly busy last night.

I was there tonight, and it was doing very well. Couple of 12+ business/expense account tables, plus others, and bar full for much of the night.

On a recent Thursday night I went to the bar at 5:00, when they open. By 5:45 the bar was packed.

Great "happy hour." Martinis still $12, but appetizer prices at $4.00. Try the mini steak sandwiches -- a light meal and terrific.

A great addition to downtown.

I'll address it here. I live downtown. Before living in Houston, I lived in central DC. I consider myself to have a very high threshold for dealing with noise. I'm fine with the levels of noise typically produced by sirens, gunshots, 3 alarm fires, and 5 am street brawls. I'm confident that neither Warren's nor Market St Grill could produce enough noise to disturb my night even if they wanted to. However, I am not fine with bass that vibrates through several brick walls and into my loft at 3am. Hearing music at 1:00am is fine. Audible noise all night all night long is not an issue. Feeling my pillow vibrate at 3:00am is where I draw the line.

Totally agree.

And yes, the rounds are made to check out the neighborhood. And aren't business owners pleased that HPD is around? Unless they're like a certain unnamed establishment with long lines of people but a low level of liquor sales being reported.

Residents get used to -- and embrace -- most noise. Car traffic, trains, people. Bus noise, even if it's the same level or higher than music, is noise that one gets used to. Even yelling outside. But a speaker set outside a club or restaurant blaring is another thing completely.

s it going in where Suede was on Main. it looks like there is construction going on in the space at this time...i heard this space was recently acquired ?

Suede hasn't been replaced, and the building continues to be owned by Stowers.

So the old M-Bar was leased to a high end art gallery...

The M Bar location has not been leased to an art gallery or anyone else.

But what about the idea of bringing in a couple of art galleries to fill space until more/strong/established businesses such as restaurants come in? At least filling space with activity?

Fretz Construction was the original construction company. When the building came up for sale, Bob Fretz bought it -- had the original drawings and everything. Very cool rooftop -- indoor/outdoor kitchen, wall for outdoor movies, etc. Converted floor 2 to three residential units and floor 3 to two units. He lives in one of them. He sold four, possibly all five units. Is actively looking for a compatible (to residential) restaurant or other establishment for the first floor.

does anyone think they will expand the tunnels from the houston center to connect with HP, Park Tower, and Discovery Green

To One Park Place: no, because it's expensive and not needed for a residential development. Not enough of their residents would live within the short distance people are really willing to walk, even when you add those true inner city types (like those from Chicago, NYC) who are willing to walk. Just not enough of them to pass the cost/benefit analysis.

To Discovery Green: no, because it's not needed. That would be like bypassing the stairs and taking an escalator upstairs to a gym. (Seen that pic?)

To HP: would definitely benefit the office component, is possible, but the developer isn't currently going in that direction.

I would describe it as I-45, Clay, and Dallas (directly across Dallas from the Allen Center Parking garage and the Metropolitan Racquet Club parking garage, and directly across Clay from the Goddard/Heritage site you speak of, and man, what a waste of property it would be to build just a parking garage on that site... but I digress; I guess they may not want to build a tower that would obstruct the views from Heritage Plaza.)

I hope this .jpg works (haven't posted a pic before). If not, let me know. It shows where definitely the Heritage lot is, and where Goddard/Heritage is planning a garage.

Next to it with the ?? -- that's the Brookfield office location #2/the Gateway Site?

Two of your three sites are in the wrong locations. Your blue marking should be on the parking garage just to the north (the one that is attached to 1400 Smith via skywalk). Your orange marking should be even further north and a little west, just to the north of the parking garage that has the racquet club on top (the black-ish rectangle at the upper left area of your image. I would mark an image for you, but I don't know how to do that. :-(

Judging from the descriptive language on the Roche Dinkeloo website, that design appears to be a for a past project that is not happening. ("The design was for two buildings on a single block, with the entrances to the central atrium lobby marked by monumental columns. The buildings, of varying heights, would have produced a strong identity on the Houston skyline. The exterior was to have been a graphically delineated skin of glass and smooth stone with the structure tapering upward to the stepped pyramidal tops.

Goddard/Heritage Plaza is planning a parking garage on the property between Bagby, Dallas and Clay, across from the Doubletree.

Brookfield's Gateway Site is across the street, between I-45, Bagby, and Clay?

is this the location (above the arrow)? or am i totally off?:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1600+smith+7...m=1&layer=t

That's the location.

There's almost an acre of space there, between 1400 Smith, Smith Street, Continental Center and the parking garage. The complex was designed for a tower to go there -- at a different angle than Continental Center I. Would use the existing parking structure. The building would be 700,000 sf+ and could include a 40,000 sf trading floor if they needed to include it in the design. Would be 2.5-3 years to completion, assuming they build it.

^^^^^^^

Thanks for the link and yes, SORT OF what i am after........but if we could compile a comprehensive lists of ALL projects occuring in Houston, i think that would be cool. Even if we get to click onto other threads/topics etc. to see more details or pix., having one list in one place would be easier. At least that is my thinking on it.

m.

See www.houstondowntown.com/Home/GeneralInfo/About/Development/.

Hey guys let's just be happy the groundbreaking is actually happening. A month ago we were still worrying about whether or not this thing was going to happen. How much retail space is left for the Pavilions? If there was 360,000 sq. ft. to begin with, how much is left after all the tenants that have been anounced? Who knows there still could be some great places coming that have yet to be announced. I'm sure once this thing is complete, we won't care what's down there, we'll just be happy to have it.

Exerpts from today's press release:

HOUSTON - The Houston Pavilions, a four city block mixed-use development that will become downtown's premiere entertainment, retail and urban office hub, broke ground on Tuesday morning, February 27th. The $170 million project is scheduled to open in October of 2008.

The project will be comprised of 360,000 sq. ft. of retail space, 200,000 sq. ft. of office space, and a 480,000 sq. ft., 1,525 space parking garage. The development will be bounded by Dallas St. to the north, Polk St. to the south, Main St. to the west and Caroline St. to the east.

The developers, William Denton and Geoffrey Jones, who separately have been responsible for numerous commercial, office and residential projects in Houston and other major cities, revealed the identity of the Pavilions' two latest anchor tenants during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Each of the new anchors is in excess of 24,000 sq. ft. A two-level Books-A-Million Superstore and Forever 21 will join the project's original anchor tenants, the House of Blues

Per Hines, they're replacing the colling towers and window washing rig, and the equipment will probably be up there for another month.

Does anyone know what's up at the Kirby Lofts on Main St? Was full after Katrina, but doesn't seem to be very occupied now. Especially compared to other downtown resid. props.

Some city officials want news racks off the streets

06:56 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 4, 2005

By Doug Miller / 11 News

Read all about it -- some of Houston's city council members are upset about paper racks.

What is bothering them isn't so much the newspaper racks as the advertising sheets popping up on city sidewalks.

But the city might have a hard time controlling what critics call sidewalk clutter.

Read More: http://www.khou.com/news/local/politics/st...s.c1316df1.html

The news rack vending ordinance passed. Mor info: www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4277799

CoStar can be very, very expensive, and when used, because of accuracy issues, should only be used as a starting point. Ex: they had the former Houston World Trade Center as a vacant (and thus available) office building, when it had been the Inn at the Ballpark hotel for a couple of years. And they don't want to change designations unless a rep of the property (there was none) reports it to them.

So it's exclusively for CQ's clients? I guess they're going to have someone full time to monitor people coming and going on it.

I believe the tent-covered spaces are for guests of the hotel. But the parking lot is more than what the hotel needs, so it's probably the same parking operator working the lot, for public parking as well as for the garage.

Man, is the guy operating that lot is good. Squeezes a ton of cars on it.

The other day I was walking by the area and saw a few workmen putting up lights (or whatever) in the tents and I asked them about it.

Turns out the tents are for Club Quarter's guests. I don't know if they own the lot, if they don't, then they're probably paying a premium for that particular section for their guests.

Club Quarters (Master Works) purchased the lot in 2006.

What are the dimensions of the tunnel? Width and ceiling height?

Practical width: 2-6 people wide,depending on where you are.

Height: You never have to duck.

I guess sources aren't en vogue anymore.

Not that it's not true.

? There's an official invitation that has been sent to select individuals.

Amazing. What does this say about downtown and maybe even our city in general? We are so hungry for a development like this that we wait on baited breath for every little development. When was the last significant $200+ million private development like this in Houston? This can't be the first, can it? I'm sure there were some anticipated office towers, but what else? Either way, I am just as excited as everyone else here!

By the way, it may be 5 days until the "official" ground breaking! But then I wouldn't be surprised if they got going at the pace of One Park Place soon afterwards.

Official groundbreaking ceremony: 2/27/07, 10:30 am

So looking from that, is it possible for the Park Tower to have tunnel access. Is it possible to extend it to the Pavilions, too?

Downtown residents don't have to be on the tunnel system -- only two properties are on it now. One Park Place (formerly called Park Tower) could be on the tunnel/skybridge system. All it takes is a lot of $ and the OK from your neighbor to connect to his property, but Marvy decided a tunnel connection wasn't necessary.

Pavilions doesn't plan to connect. The tunnel is a huge amenity for office workers for downtown workers, but Pavilions won't feed of the downtown worker -- it will be a destination for people who don't need the tunnel. They will, however, have a skybridge linking the project to the Main Garage. A connection would probably help the 198,000 sf office tower, but you're going to have a different office tenant in that building than most of the rest of downtown. Those tenants are going to want different/interesting/unique/creative space, and they won't be as adament about a tunnel connection.

Niche is correct. A few buildings (including Bayou Lofts) are exempt from city taxes for approximately 10 more years. I believe the city of Houston tax rate is around .06% so the exmeption knocks off about 20% as compared to non-exempt buildings. It' significant, but not a deal maker/breaker.

The city and county have historic tax exemption programs. If you take a historic building and renovate it, they can abate your taxes for 14 or so years. If it's converted to residential, only the city will do it. If it's converted to just about anything but residential, the county goes in, too.