jgriff

My problem with iPic isn’t the price. The issues that keep me from going more often is that the movies I want to see are either not showing or all the good seats are sold out. 

I’m with Texasota on this. Building just for vanity is a bad idea. A supertall when it’s not needed could actually damage the real estate market. Too much unused square footage is a very bad thing. Financially responsible development is better than ego development. We shouldn’t be concerned about height. Occupancy rates, unemployment rates, real estate prices and the price of oil are the numbers that really matter.

There seems to be some activity on this site today. They've got one of those large dumpsters next to the main building and a bunch of vehicles on site. 

Getting a major service done on my F355. Quite a few cool cars in the shop.

2 hours ago, ekdrm2d1 said:

Looks like somebody heard his graffiti was being torn down.

 

Some poor guy that makes very little money is going to have to explain to the bosses how the site wasn’t secured and now the company has to pay to paint this container.

Rowdy is a dick but at least he didn’t paint the townhouses at the back of the lot. 

On 6/23/2019 at 7:26 PM, Timoric said:

Would you vote living near this as the best spot in the city to live?

I would definitely put it near the top. I live near the old river oaks shopping center which I would put near the top also. I looked near ROD when buying my house and the prices were very high per sf. I could have bought there but the house wasn’t quite as nice for the same money. I’m not sure I made the right decision. There’s a premium to live near ROD. I would not pay more than $2mil for anything in the Houston area if it’s not within official River Oaks though. No matter what, real River Oaks is always the top.

I stand by my comment. It is not desirable to live next to government assisted housing. Live in a fantasy all you want.

2 hours ago, htownbro said:

With all the new development, it will only be a matter of time before this goes.  

Not likely. The political outrage would be impossible to overcome. 

Being next to the park and downtown is great but Allen Parkway Village brings the whole area down. I wouldn’t want my family walking in that area alone. Get rid of Allen Parkway village and it would be great.

3 minutes ago, thatguysly said:

 

I get I went too far but NIMBY stuff just wears thin on me.

I think you went the right amount of far.

18 minutes ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

 

My assessment from the outside looking in is they're banking on David Keck's name and their proximity to Houston restaurants and shops. You'll have Goodnight Hospitality's March and Rosie Cannonball in walking distance. Both have received national press before opening later this year. Also in walking distance, One Fifth & Hugo's. 

For people traveling to Houston and hate being forced to rent a car or an Uber to get around, the room rate makes up for the convenience to them. That's my guess.

The prices are steep. But it's a boutique hotel in Montrose, so it is expected.

 

If there are no other boutique hotels in this price range in the area then this hotel does "broaden the audience". There are people who want an expensive hotel. 

22 minutes ago, crock said:

i was going to respond to Luminaries weirdly butthurt defensiveness, but then i saw the "Room rates will range between $350 and $500 per night" and, well, this is a net-negative for millennial tourism in the city. 

 

The marketing people that have the gall to say " broader audience " after saying the rooms costs $350 are the worst type of people. 

Does this area already have any boutique hotels in the $350-$500 a night range?

They should be where land is cheap. 

Abatement crew and large excavator on site today.

I’m in the middle of an energy business merger right now. We don’t anticipate large layoffs due to the merger. Right now the energy business is desperate for talent. I would see Chevron keeping the offices in the Woodlands just to keep their employees who live up there happy. Chevron just bought a lot of acreage and TALENT. They’re not going to want to lose that talent. The people who are most likely to be let go are management and they are not a large number.

A dollar or two difference in the price of oil would have more affect on staffing levels than this merger.

11 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

 

 

they didn't learn anything from Green Street, huh...

Its not the same situation. All the retail is street facing and pedestrian oriented unlike Greenstreet.  Also, there is retail facing Allen Parkway clearly shown on the plan. 

There is a toilet at the Dunlavy building. I don't think there's anything between there and the skate park area. That's the only use I get out of the Dunlavy building. 

23 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

There's nothing quite like finding ones self at Buffalo Bayou Park on a sweltering summer day, realizing that dehydration is rapidly setting in, and that sinking feeling of knowing that it's at least a half mile walk to find a beverage.
COH should not only allow food trucks along Allen Parkway and Memorial, it should encourage them. Perhaps any revenue generated could be used to add drinking fountains along the jogging path.

I agree. There are quite a few water fountains though. I carry a water bottle and fill it at them. The water tastes pretty bad though.

It looks like there might be some retail in “A” and “B” facing the park. “B” is probably a long ways from starting construction though.

I thought the Dunlavy was going to fill this role a bit but it’s turned into Brunch and private party spot. It’s of very little use to people who actually use the park.

24 minutes ago, CaptainJilliams said:

Awesome stuff. Is it weird that the thing that excites me almost as much as the actual development is the infrastructure improvements? It makes me so happy to see developments like this bring new sidewalks and hide ugly power lines. Thank you for the info @jgriff!

I walk the sidewalks in this area quite a bit and cross at Shepherd and Allen Parkway to get to the park. It’s very dangerous. I almost got hit by a red light runner once. I’m very happy to be getting the improvements. The presenter said he plays crossing guard there with his daughters. 

We call it value plus and can get a bonus if we find something that will save the client or us money.

There is a meeting of the North Montrose Civic Association at the West Gray multi services center at 7:00 pm April 3rd. Hanover will be presenting information on the Buffalo Bayou project. I’ll probably attend and update this thread with any news.

10 hours ago, HtownWxBoy said:

As someone who is terrified of heights I have SO much respect for workers like this!  haha

You’d be surprised how fast your fear of heights goes away. It took me about a week to get used to it. It comes back if you stop doing it for a while though.

I looked seriously into buying in a high rise at one time. I found that most of the ones I was looking at were very close to 0.75 a sf for maintenance. It didn't make any sense to me at the time. To me it was a very high price to pay in order to not have to maintain a house. That plus no yard and having to get in an elevator to take the dogs out were just too much for me. I would love the views but the cost and inconvenience were just too high. You can pretty much get a standalone house in the same area for half the payment.