Parrothead

Trophy, that's what they are doing with the Katy Freeway. They are putting two toll lanes in the center. I tend to think you are right with this!

I saw that too! It should be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks...

Trophy, thanks for the useful info!! Wow, that is really incredible. Anything substantially under what poor Matt has to deal with now is fabulous. The only thing keeping him sane is that he isn't driving. At least the Park-n-Ride buses are comfy and he can relax for that hour/hour and a half

We are staying put ourselves until at least the majority of I-10 by us is complete or at the very least, mess-free ('cause it is SURE messy by our place right now LOL) and we estimate that to be another two years. Our first baby is due in June and she'll be two by that time so hopefully we can make some decisions before she will be off to preschool. It is really going to depend on how strong our property values become as a result of the construction.

So hey, ya never know, we may be neighbors someday!

Son of Bob Perry of Perry Homes? Oh, GREAT....

In my opinion, with the growth of that area in just the past two years alone, it will most definitely be as successful. I think it's just a matter of how soon. Either way, they have something a lot of the West Belt doesn't have: land to grow on both sides!

It really must be very cool to see the results of your own hard work on something like that.

Well, I ended up taking Matt into work the other day, so I dropped him off at the hospital and headed down Main/90 toward the SH Toll Road. Sometimes I go home that way and take it all the way to Memorial but today I was on a mission. I wanted to see how far they've come on the Fort Bend Toll Road and I have to say I was impressed but left with a few questions.

They have completed it to Beltway 8, pretty much. I entered the Toll Road and there was no one on it save for an SBC truck that ended up passing me because I was too busy looking all around at the development and just the road itself.

The road is well done and attractive, but only two lanes on either side. My initial concern was the rapid growth of the area and the fact that the Toll Road has no official "off-ramp" to Highway 6. It just ends, period, and you go left or right. I can see how that might be a problem in a few short years. I hope they have a solution for that.

The toll booths are interesting. There are two EZ Tag lanes, one exact change lane, and one "change for bills" lane. It is an unmanned change machine that will change out your $1 or $5. Interesting, like I said. I am anxious to see how well that does. The biggest issue I can see happening is that there is no signage that there are no manned toll booths. If there is a problem I do not know how that will be handled. What if you only have a $20? What if the gate arm doesn't open? ...that kind of thing. Other than those two things everything seems to be on the right track.

What is so amazing to me is that this toll road plows right through the middle of the crop of gigantic antennae that stick out of the landscape. These towers from afar are amazing enough but to see them in person up close gives you a sense of just how HUGE they are and what exactly has to hold them to the ground so they don't blow over. It is truly incredible and gave me a whole new appreciation for them.

If you are interested in a quick commute to the med center, your best bet will be to live in Lake Olympia. There is an on and off-ramp just for Lake Olympia Parkway, which is scheduled to be completed to the toll road by summer. I like the trees found in Sienna Plantation or else I'd be lined up in front of the builders' models at Lake Olympia most definitely. That will be a huge feature for that master-planned community, and also will serve Quail Valley residents as well since they can cut right through to Lake Olympia Parkway easily.

It took me 6 minutes to get from Beltway 8 to Highway 6. Of course we are talking about no traffic, but it took me 14 minutes to get from MD Anderson to the Beltway on Main. That's not bad--and considering HCTRA is working on the toll road from the Beltway/County line to pretty much where Main expands to a large freeway near 610, I can see that drive becoming even shorter as time goes on. I can also see how the Fannin/South park-n-ride for Metro might become a lot more popular once this all gets in sync.

I also timed my drive from the FBTR/Hwy 6 interchange to the heart of Sienna Plantation at Steep Bank Drive. It took less than 6 minutes and that was with plenty of cars on the road. That was nice.

It made Sienna Plantation all the more appealing to me. The thought of my husband being home from work in traffic in less than an hour makes me absolutely GIDDY! Right now we are near Town & Country but Matt has to go 6 miles out to Highway 6's Park-n-Ride and take the bus in. It takes him about 45 minutes in the morning, but at night it can take him over an hour and a half to get home. If he leaves at 5 then I don't see him until after 6, and if he leaves at 6 I definitely won't see him until 7:30. It sucks.

I would like to take the route again and time it from one end to the other, start to finish, and take some photos along the way. I wish that I had my camera but it's a lesson to me to always bring it because you never know what you might find!

I get the frozen ones when I am craving them but they aren't nearly as good as fresh, IMHO.

Steak-n-Shake would be wonderful here! I love it.

OMG are you insane?!

White Castle ROCKS! I can't wait to try Krystal, though my Yankee sources tell me they can't possibly be as good as sliders

Okay, well, I got the 411 from Metro National. Here is what they said to me:

Polly-- I don't have any info for you right now other than it will be a mixed-use development-- healthcare, retail, hospitality... Look for more info on future Memorial City developments in the near future in the press. We will also be lauching a website memorialcity.com in the next 2-3 weeks that will contain updates.

Thanks!

angie sallee

Well all that tells me is that they haven't come to an agreement yet on anything LOL! Let's see, doctors, stores, and.....hospitality? Hotel? Motel? Restaurant?

Sounds like all of the Memorial City area. How vague can you get?!

Methinks doth liketh the Woodlands not.

On McCue? Are they tearing down the Marquee Apartments?

I'm all for anything that will make my property value go up! We will most likely be moving within the next few years and I'd like to make a tasty little profit off of our condo which is right across the street!

Well, according to the owners/developers, Yazd, Inc, they are going to make it a mixed-use thing. There is talk of a new grocery store, condos, etc...and apparently it is going to be very ped-friendly. We'll see!!

Here are my photos so far. I have some more I have to take of this really cool wall they have left standing all by itself. I keep wondering how it stays up because there is nothing to brace it. I guess they are waiting for it to fall on its own. I will head over there this afternoon and add to these.

I took these two weeks ago:

http://www.tropicaltexans.com/images/Houston/tcfeb05.jpg

From the TGI Friday's lot perpendicular to the Tollway.

http://www.tropicaltexans.com/images/Houston/tcfeb05-2.jpg

Same angle.

http://www.tropicaltexans.com/images/Houston/tcfeb05-3.jpg

Dillard's goin' bye-bye.

http://www.tropicaltexans.com/images/Houston/tcfeb05-4.jpg

The backside of the mall--JC Penney is gone already.

I thought some of the best sports bars in town were synonymous with boobies. Who needs ESPN or FOX when you have a bunch of naked chicks sitting on your lap? Sure, less expensive....but....

OH MY STARS!!!!! Does that bring back some memories!!!!! My mother was an avid Another World watcher, so naturally during the summers, every day for that brief two years we watched Texas. Thanks for the link!!

How funny! I love your web page, BTW, it's great!! That's my dad in that pic with his first wife Pat. She still lives in their house--after all these years!

I live right next to Mem Bend in Georgetown, the condos. If we end up staying in Houston, I told my husband it's a Floyd house or nothing! Good thing he loves them too!

Hey texasdago, I think you might have read an old article about that? The 9-story prof building III has already been built. It sits at 923 Gessner. The old Oshman's lot is 975 Gessner, according to Metro National's website.

However, I'd love to know where you heard about Central Market going in T&C? That is literally right across the street from me and I'd be just tickled to death if it went in there!!!!!

Well, the man played great basketball. Sure doesn't mean he has a brain, does it?

kzseattle, isn't that the truth! UGH! That place is HORRIBLE!!!!!! It's so tacky! On a more nostalgic note, I remember when that used to be Luke's, they had the best bacon cheeseburger around at 3AM....how I loved Luke's!!!!!

BTW I forgot to include this link to the HBJ article indicating Central Market and CVS as competitors with Mem City Hospital:

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...ewscolumn3.html

Looks a lot like 2016 Main.

Thanks subdude for the welcome! I've been a lurker for a long time, I love this forum!

I just wrote to the management at the Westheimer CM in the hopes that they will write back with some answers. I can't find anything on the MetroNational site at all.

Hi, I'm new, but I have been actively watching what has been transpiring on the south side of I-10 for some time now. Jared does have plans to move to space along the south frontage road in between Gessner and Bunker Hill, in front of the Foley's parking garage. They began building it just a few weeks ago.

I keep scanning the Houston Business Journal for any info on Central Market moving to the spot that was once occupied by Oshman's, but I don't see anything. Has anyone found out any information from Metro National? I would never move from my condo if I found out Central Market was coming! Good gravy!

FWIW, I love the hybrid H-E-B in the Woodlands. It's so new, still, that a lot of folks don't even know it's there, which could account for a lack of crowds. It's a really nifty blend of CM and a conventional grocery store.

It will be very interesting to see how the new freeway expansion changes things around these parts!