swtsig

On 4/5/2022 at 9:06 AM, cityliving said:

Usually when an empty lot sits undeveloped for more than two years means that the company who purchased the property may be having issues getting financing for their proposed projects.

It's almost as if you have no development experience whatsoever haha. I mean no offense, I could see why a layperson would think this but largescale developments take time and that's true in even the most stable of markets which this is most certainly not. 

No insider info but a part of me thinks the scaled back plans mean they have bigger long term plans for the 4HC site. Granted, I'm talking 10+ yrs down the road but still. The problem w the building is that as currently configured they'll never be able to maximize rents, especially on office space, without a MASSIVE capital commitment, the kind of capital commitment that would make demolishing and redeveloping a more lucrative long term investment.

Just my opinion.

2 hours ago, shasta said:

I still am shocked how much they VE'd this project from the original design and layout. This project is right up there with the downtown Embassy Suites level of ruined projects, if you ask me. maybe even worse because it will continue to get worse. It looks really bad.

 

It went from a collection of architecturally different buildings and interesting urban streetscapes to a cheap looking ruin of the mill monolithic apartment building . Even the retail is cheap looking..I drive by it everyday and shake my head of what could have been!

 

At least we have City Center and the River Oaks district for developers that understand what quality mixed use developments are supposed to look like.

 

Too bad because this one has the best location and the potential to be the best new project in all of Houston. What a colossal disappointment.

 

In 10 years, this project will be considered so low quality that it might be well below market rate apartments.

They've definitely botched it so far. I almost loathe The Sterling compared to what they initially envisioned. It encapsulates Houston development in every sense of the phrase. No need to cut them any slack, they're a massive development firm. 

From CoStar in an article regarding McNair's recently announced Westchase multifamily/active lifestyle development on the old Dow Chemical site:

Quote

Elsewhere in Houston in the Uptown-Galleria area, McNair Interests has put a proposed high-rise, mixed-use development on Post Oak Boulevard on hold. The project at 3200 Post Oak Blvd. has secured financing and the design is complete, but McNair Interests is waiting for the right market conditions and timing to proceed, Steffen said.

This is a terrific looking building. 

Brookfield acquired this property when it acquired Park Towers a few years ago. They almost immediately sold Park Towers, though. 

20 hours ago, MidCenturyMoldy said:

Looking at the façades on other BIG projects just makes me go "WHAAA???" with Discovery West.  https://bit.ly/3bNnIdJ

It's decisively their least "BIG" project, that's for sure.

this is a very handsome building. excellent addition to the skyline.

2 hours ago, X.R. said:

Add me to the category of hoping that the City jumps on this and gives HPE whatever they want to create some kind of presence near Rice's development or downtown. To let HPE move here and then just bury itself into Spring would be kind of an L. 

They've already bury themselves into Spring - that ship sailed a couple of years ago. Hopefully they give some thought into establishing a significant presence ITL, though. HPE Labs at the ion or something.

5 hours ago, thatguysly said:

The Allen is the first mixed-use project in Houston that features both condominiums and a hotel since the Four Seasons hotel in Downtown Houston was completed in 1982. 

 

Doesn't The Post Oak have both or are they talking about inside the Loop?

Pretty sure PO is hotel and office only.

2 hours ago, jmitch94 said:

God I dream of making as much money as this apartment costs. I just cant imagine spending that amount while building zero equity.  

you're discounting the amount of debt, maintenance and upkeep owning a home requires. pay rent, live where you want, and take that down payment and invest it. doesn't work for everyone but it definitely works for a lot of people.

On 7/3/2020 at 10:38 AM, ZRFkris said:

Good infill. Personally I like the look of it, it fits in with surrounding area. We only need a handful of glass towers in the area in the future. 

Agreed. It's stately, for lack of a better word. Something that I think works quite well in the Museum District.

they've signed a lease for the eastern corner w a punch bowl social-type entertainment concept. can't remember the name.

I'd support a redevelopment here if it meant street and infrastructure upgrades to westheimer and streets like mcduffie, harold, kipling, hazard, etc. It's incredible to think the city has allowed this area, now officially a very high rent, high profile, cultural and mini-economic engine, to deteriorate to the condition that it has. "Gross negligence" is a term I would consider applicable at this point.

1 minute ago, Urbannizer said:

Deborah Perke Partners:

https://competitions.malcolmreading.com/houstonendowment/finalists/deborah-berke-partners

 

 

 

 

Olson Kundig (listed as ‘honorable mention’)

 

https://competitions.malcolmreading.com/houstonendowment/finalists/olson-kundig
 

 

 

 

Now that we see all the finalist entries I personally wish they went with Olson Kundig. The design ties in with with existing structures at Buffalo Bayou.

agree wholeheartedly. love that design exactly for that reason. which isn't to say i'm not happy w the design chosen.

2 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I would have loved to see this built in Midtown or East End. You're right, the location is terrible. I'm a creative, and my friend has her company here. The problem is I don't see many creatives wanting to drive 30 mins from the city center just to work in a spot in the long term. I mean it's def exceeding expectations but this would have been so cool near downtown. 

what these comments ignore is one itsy bitsy minor point - economics. you want to know why this is located where it is and not "near downtown"? money. go look at what dirt is trading for "near downtown" and compare it to this. it's easy to bemoan something when it isn't your money but  the cost difference is massive. and you know who would bare the brunt of those increased costs? the cash-strapped startup community this city is desperately trying to foster.

instead of complaining that this doesn't meet some subjective aesthetic or location criteria, how about we support our still tiny startup community? how abut applauding the fact that this 120,000 SF start up community is essentially at capacity just a few months after opening? or even acknowledging that the very fact that it is full means it met a very real market demand that may not have been met "near downtown"? and besides, in case y'all missed it, there are several startup communities, incubators and coworking concepts planting flags in and around downtown so it's not like the cannon prevented those areas from attracting those concepts anyways. these things aren't mutually exclusive and in fact that will likely work in harmony. not everyone lives or wants to be "near downtown".

to think that in a startup barren city like Houston someone would use the word "hate" to describe one of the most successful startup communities in the city is ridiculous. houston hasn't earned the right to admonish concepts like the cannon. get off your high horse.

from the website it seemed as if the "streets" moniker referred solely to this particular retail component, no?

1 hour ago, clutchcity94 said:

Anyone know what tech company already signed a lease? Did we steal a company away from Austin??

tech is a broad term but it's the perfect type of tenant for this kind of development. don't think this is a nab from another city as i'm pretty sure they have an existing presence here but i could be wrong. either way it's a great anchor office tenant.

no need to argue about the merits of this design, this won't be it. this was simply a proposal.

carry on.