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skooljunkie

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Everything posted by skooljunkie

  1. skooljunkie
    No doubt roads will flood anywhere for a short period of time during 4-inch+ per hour rains, however it seems that drain pipes are way too small (and likely collapsed/clogged with silt) along many major roads in Houston. They were built 5-10 decades ago when we didn’t tend to think about regional drainage. For example, water sits for up to an hour on Westcott and Washington after intense downpours and these streets are on relatively high ground between two bayous. Drive along during a light shower and you’ll spot drain after drain clogged. Clogged drains are by far the most challenging item to get fixed via 311 (and believe me, I’ve 311ed a lot over the years). My guess is the old, small drainage pipes are also the easiest to clog up. How are rebuilds like Shepherd and Kirby doing now? A small car could be driven through the new storm pipes that were put underground along Tuam recently. I’m going to bet I could not even fit in the storm drain pipes under Richmond Ave. That road needs to be rebuilt with or without the train. In sum, Rebuild Houston.
  2. skooljunkie
    An Amazon drive-thru would do well here.
  3. skooljunkie
    ...just saw this announcement back in March: http://hcp1.net/News/post/commissioner-ellis-announces-street-repairs-around-tsu-and-uh
  4. skooljunkie
    The apartment building site has been under construction for a few weeks now.
  5. skooljunkie
    Doesn't seem like it. It looks like they consider that portion a separate property--notice there is a drop down above that allows you to pick the Kroger area (Loc. 20005)
  6. skooljunkie
    The building connected/adjacent to Sunbeam appeared to be undergoing demolition today.
  7. skooljunkie
    People actually live in the Cosmo? I assumed it only houses the erasers and pencil sharpeners of charter school students--oh and their Superintendent's fine china.
  8. skooljunkie
    I snapped this a few days ago to show progress. The crane is going up today actually.
  9. skooljunkie
    Yup.
  10. skooljunkie
    I'd like to see a rendering of this with the bayou flooded.
  11. skooljunkie
    The city continues to rebuild traffic signals and intersections throughout the city since Rebuild started--removing wired signals with masts and adding crosswalk signalization while removing pedestrian impediments. These improvements, in my opinion, help create walkable environments. Most of my guests don't notice setbacks or ground floor retail issues; they pick up on the crumbling sidewalks or ditch infrastructure we have. I tend to forget these infrastructure issues exist until I drive down new boulevards in Upper Kirby or visit other places. Its a whole other world in parts of Shady Acres, Washington, or Montrose. I just want curbs. I often find myself walking in the middle of a narrow ditch-lined street without sidewalks negotiating right of passage with Audis, and that's just not walkable. I used to think there was a charm to the lack of infrastructure--it made neighborhoods feel cozy and historical--moo, with all the added density it just makes no sense now. But yeah, I think GFR would be great at this site along Main Street. There are already sidewalks to support it! I can walk a mile in many areas and not notice the lack of retail as long as there are homes or people to observe on the ground level. When I walk a few blocks in Midtown (mostly central or south Midtown), I often notice the lack of retail because there is often nothing to view but vacant lots, garages, or walls of apartment buildings. Even with all the new apartment buildings going up, I think Midtown still needs more residents to fill in the gaps--then it will feel more walkable because you won't be walking by gravel lots and whatnot. Also, building residential structures with multiple entrances instead of entire block sides of wall would help create pedestrian movement and variation around structures. Solid walls facing blocks can be perceived as unsafe not to mention bland. Retail is definitely not the only tool to make neighborhoods more walkable. Residential building design and streetscape go a long way to help as well.
  12. skooljunkie
    http://imgur.com/a/Z474L I saw this happening on site today.
  13. skooljunkie
    The parking spaces will give the store a more active vibe I suppose--retail likely performs better when the perception is that people actually shop there. On a side note, 22 Waugh, Gordy and Sons Outfitters, looks done for the most part. I'm pleasantly surprised at this redevelopment. Yay, preservation. That crusty old HCC building is finally being put to good use. All these tracts proposed as Buffalo Heights could really transform the area.
  14. skooljunkie
    Getting in and out of these outdoor, mixed-use "malls" always grinds my gears no matter if it's The Domain, City Centre, First Colony, or The Woodlands. I tend to gravitate to developments without so many stores and restaurants packed into one area. I like that Regent Square would surround and directly link to existing communities that are becoming denser. The Domain and City Centre pack in all these shops adjacent to freeways and I tend to avoid going to them because of traffic.
  15. skooljunkie
    The concrete for the new street segment was poured a few weeks ago.
  16. skooljunkie
    Urbs omitted this other permit for 215 apartment units): 16097630 Impact WWater *WINTHER INVESTMENT, INC 2111 AUSTIN ST 77002 CONSTRUCT 215 APT W/ WASHER/DRYERS
  17. skooljunkie
    I have some proof from Friday that this started... http://imgur.com/lmscNYu
  18. skooljunkie
    The old slabs are being removed as well as trees.
  19. skooljunkie
    It is comical to me when multifamily or condo developments are called out as being the cause of a particular problem when the truth is development in the entire region causes the issue. So, yeah, I'd have to agree with lithium about the NIMBY plays used with traffic and flooding--I'd add schools to that list. The Tower of Traffic will add cars to Bissonnet, but the tens of thousands of added housing units and millions of square feet of medical/office/retail space within a five mile radius is the root of the traffic problems for the two lane road that is basically a transportation funnel between Southwest Freeway and Rice University. Is the density a problem though? If we didn't add people in the city, we'd just be developing more hinterland and causing even worse flooding and a greater need for new roads. Each watershed is different. The truth is the White Oak watershed is nearly 100% built out save for a few larger tracts of land inside Beltway 8. Even the suburban areas outside the Beltway are developed. Yeah, more land should have been saved in the 100- and 500- year flood plain. Unfortunately, time machines and common sense wands haven't been invented yet. The White Oak watershed will need changes at both the lot level and infrastructure rehab level to make a difference. Blaming this particular lot for exacerbating flooding doesn't make sense since it was mostly impervious to begin with, but lot-based regulations can make a difference long-term--the problem is it will take too long on its own in an already built out watershed. The city does require storm water detention in various ways. I do not know city code backwards and forward, but I do know that many new infill developments require storm water detention under driveways if it can't be provided in a basin. Just because you can't see a hole in the ground, doesn't mean water isn't being detained during heavy rains by storm pipes. One could easily argue that new development with storm water detention above or below ground will actually hold back more water in a subtropical downpour than a half-paved lot with a clay soil parking lot that has been compacted for the last 70 years. Flood control in other watersheds that still have undeveloped land should be approached slightly differently. The Addicks Reservoir, Cypress Creek, and Spring Creek watersheds have land that can still be developed smarter or not developed at all. It's obvious we don't have enough historical climate data to know just how intense rainstorms here can be. Actually, maybe we do know that sometimes feet of rain can fall in a matter of hours over very isolated locations, but we just choose not to believe it will happen again until Meyerland floods twice in a year. Instead of pointing fingers it would be more beneficial to get creative and figure out how to solve our problems.
  20. skooljunkie
    The majority of this site already had structures on it prior to this development. While they may have not been fully slabbed, water still drained off the buildings and into our drainage system during heavy rains.
  21. skooljunkie
    Here's a pic of the first visible sign of progress here since the Dickson St. abandonment sign was put up last year. It looks like utilities and trees are being marked. Not in the pic: all the utility boxes in the way of the proposed extension of Leverkuhn St. are marked up and staked off.
  22. skooljunkie
    I have limited intelligence on this one, but I figured I would share. I've heard second hand that residents in the NW corner were given ample notice a few months back to find new apartments because their leases will not be renewed. After I heard this, I got to thinking...survey stakes went up around the Heights/Washington corner a few weeks ago. Maybe it's nothing...or maybe it's something?
  23. skooljunkie
    http://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/mixed-use-allen-parkway-eb-5-Houston-8315544.php
  24. skooljunkie
    The entire neighborhood between White Oak Bayou, Heights, Washington, and this development is receiving new public infrastructure because of Rebuild Houston. It's a Capital Improvement Project slated to begin at the end of 2017.
  25. skooljunkie
    Yeah the biz journal is totally incorrect. There will also be an apartment project on site. It's a New Hope project. That's why they expect more than 600 people. Journalism these days…
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