roadrunner

I saw a Variance Request sign in front of El Patio and the Red Door. I'm guessing this is for the building next door. Any news we don't know about?

Yeah I don't really know what this means, but I would definitely like to hear more. Nothing else suggested has really made sense. It would be nice if this somehow created a small media/entertainment economy piece of Houston. Once again, I still don't really know what or how this soundstage would work. But that's why I would like it.

Like I said, I'm not going to complain about this. The only things that bother me are that it isn't residential and that it looks boring compared to Main Place (which isn't really fair since Main Place looks fantastic).

Westchase has similar buildings in the 20-30 story range. Same with Greenspoint. It just looks like a suburban office building - boxy glass.

These are pretty much my thoughts. This looks like a bland Westchase tower thrown into a prime block in a great downtown location. I don't think we are really in a position to complain about filling in surface lots downtown with 30+ story towers, but I'm not that excited about this.

This will fill a huge whole in Main Street. Once again, I hope this has street level retail. Still no confirmation if Main Place does. However, I must admit that I was hoping this block would be filled by a residential tower ever since the Shamrock plans were released.

http://www.ctchouston.org/blogs/christof/ The map is on his blog link above. Here are the points he points out about the changes: [*]I

I also work with consultants and it really is tough to do anything downtown. Especially the east side. We rotate between the only 3-4 restaurants down there everyday for lunch or dinner. It gets old. They stay out in Uptown and like the area a lot. Needless to say, I'm very excited for the Pavilions to open.

I would like to keep Main more traditional. It has a trolley down the middle of it, brick road, classic architecture, and history. We don't need to make it into Houston's version of Times Square. If we need to have TVs (which is still lame), put them down the Pavilions walkway or something. Let Main be Main.

Installing big screens next to a bland office building, an empty building used for parking, and a Courtyard by Marriott doesn't seem like a good idea.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/sto...tml?t=printable Grand opening tonight, if anyone cares.

They were doing work on this building today. Definitely some sort of event they were setting up for. Really strange. Is this a permanent thing? Or just for this weekend?

If they just get this thing going before the end of the year I will be very happy.

I took some guys from Dallas and Chicago to The Grove to eat lunch today. The park was packed with people playing frisbee, sitting on the benches, kids playing, etc. The guys I was with were very impressed with the restaurant and the park. They were telling me how they have a completely different image of Houston now. Didn't even feel like my home town.

Yeah any serious runner wouldn't use this park to run in. I don't know why they even attempted to put a running track in. I've yet to see any joggers. However, the park over on the bayou by the north side of downtown is perfect for running. It's concrete, but it's still a great running park. If there were more residential around there I think there would be more activity in that park other than the homeless under bridges.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/5715041.html Looks like the old zoning debate is stirring again.

Best take I've seen on this issue in Kuff's blog. It pretty much illustrates everything I feel about the issue. http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives/011492.html

It has been pretty active during the day, especially during lunch hour. I would hold off judgement on the park's pedestrian activity during non-convention days and nights until One Park Place is built. Even then, I don't think there will be many people frequenting the park at night unless there is an Astros or Rockets game. The neighborhood around it still needs to be built up. Like any other park, I expect it to be much more active on weekends.

Not surprised. As healthy as the Houston economy is relative to the rest of the country, it still matters if the financing is there or not. Unfortunately, I don't think these projects are locally financed.

I really hope this "Oaks District" (or whatever it's called) project makes it. With all of the other mixed use projects stalling to break ground, this looks like the most ambitious one that will make the biggest impact. I'm getting skeptical about Regent Square.

Is there any word on potential tenants?

To be honest, I haven't been that excited about this park. I have been much more interested and enthused about the development around it. However, I walked around the park today before I went home from work, and I must say that I was impressed. I was pleasantly surprised by the Lake House, the ampitheater, and the canopy trees. The skyline views were okay. It will be nice when Disco Tower and the Embassy Suites are done. What really made me enjoy the park was the fact that it already feels like it has its own identity. It isn't trying to replicate Central Park, Millenium Park, or any other famous parks. It is pretty consistent with the Houston cultural image, as muddled as that might sound. I am confident this park will always be busy and will be a huge catalyst in attracting more conventions. Also, I am buying into the hype of this helping downtown turn the corner. I think this is the first time I realistically thought downtown could evolve into an actual neighborhood. The park feels like downtown's playground. This along with the Pavilions really will give the east side of downtown the spark it needs. Greenspace to enjoy nice days, and entertainment for the nightlife. If a grocery store actually is placed at the bottom of One Park Place and residential development takes off downtown, I could actually see myself wanting to live downtown in a few years.

If a developer would take a chance on the lot south of Market Square, I think it that area would be the most attractive district in downtown. That surface lot and the ugly Kim Son make Market Square pretty blah.

Here's a random pro-rail post. I live in the Med Center/Reliant Park area in a crappy apartment, but I got it for the location. I work downtown, frequent the Village and Midtown on weekends, and enjoy the affordable housing in the area. It takes me 30 minutes to drive to work, park my car, pay for parking, and walk to the front door of my building. When I take the light rail, which is as much as possible, it takes me 35-40 minutes to walk from my front door, get on the train at the Reliant Park station, get off the train at the Main St Square station, and walk to the front door of my building. That's close to the longest trip you can take on the Red Line. It is very much worth the extra 5-10 minutes that I get sitting on the train reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. Now, that is during the peak traffic hours during the day. I admit that taking the Red Line on weekends for non-major events is silly. But, if I ever wanted to go to the Galleria on a Saturday, it would take me at least 35-40 minutes to hop on 610, sit in traffic at the Westheimer exit, slug through the Post Oak intersection, try to find a parking spot, and finally walk to the elevators. If the University Line was built, it would probably take me about the same time. I wouldn't be paying for parking, paying for gas, sitting in awful traffic, wear and tear on my car, etc. All of this is true for me, who is someone who lives at the second to last stop at the rail line. It would be even more convenient for Midtown, Montrose, Greenway Plaza people. I have a friend who is living north of Central Park in Manhattan and works downtown. He has a 45 minute commute. The Inner West Loop is Houston's Manhattan. The density is a different animal, but the transportation is comparable. Finally, I don't understand the congestion around the Red Line argument. I fly down Fannin in the morning to go to work without any problems, including the Med Center. The only bad light I hit is the Braeswood light, and I only have to sit through it once. If you're driving on Main St in Midtown or Downtown, then you are an idiot. It's a grid system....there are other routes.

I can't say I've ever heard that one before. Is this a serious post?