roadrunner

how do you feel about add'l apartments vs individually owned condos/townhomes?

Well I think both are vital to establish a strong neighborhood, especially one that is supposed to be for yuppies. And both are under development in Midtown.

non-bar growth is what midtown needs. there are quite a few bars that did a great business that are now history. i'm talkin stable nightlife.

Yeah I agree. However, there is currently residential and retail under construction, and even more in proposed development. I don't think Midtown is going away for awhile.

Dallas is very impressive, especially those new Towers going up in Uptown. I hope they can finish cleaning up Midtown Houston so it starts to see a boom of newer skyscrapers. The old ugly ones such as Central Square building and the Vacant Old Days Inn are not helping for the appearance of Houston. I wish they would knock those buildings down if they're not going to try to rejuvenate it.

I agree. Houston has just as much construction going on, including high rise living, but it's just scattered all over the city. Dallas has it all happening in Uptown. I guess there are pros and cons for that, but I am envious of a truly urban area in the city.

Midtown just has so many obstacles. The Greyhound Bus Station, the Central Square abandoned highrise (that seems to attract homeless in drug dealers), the empty lots around the Red Line....the list goes on.

I was in Dallas this past week for work, and being a single 23 year old, I must say that I was extremely impressed with Uptown. It really is dense, urban, and walkable. Lots of neat cafes, bars, etc. Seems like a cool place to live.

The closest thing I see to this in Houston is Midtown, but without the bums, rundown shopping centers, and retail banks. Midtown is making some strides, though, and hopefully there will be more ambitious projects that can relate to Uptown Dallas.

As a Houstonian who usually rags on Dallas, I went in with an objective view. And in the end I realized that I would love to go back and spend more time there.

midtown is almost has been.....

I would disagree with that. With the development Crosspoint has going in, the new Farb properties, and Camden's 250+ complex going up a block away from the Red Line, I think Midtown is getting its second wind. Plus, just look at Shot Bar, the new Midtown bar by Tipsy Clover. That bar is doing great business. The Washington Corridor still has a ways to go.

Houston's nightlife scene is getting big enough to support another weekend destination.

I was reading the Houston Press last week and noticed an ad along the lines of "New Sammy's" or "Real Sammy's". Anyways, the location was downtown, not the Midtown Main location. Does anyone know anything about this?

Probably true. However, this seems like something that should have been included in cost estimates. The surprise announcement that the I-10 corridor was 100% over budget happened (if I recall correctly) when the whole thing was more than halfway done. I wish that were the case with this LRT "revelation."

I am thinking this is a decent chance to make a case for real rail. Why not spend a few extra bil (get the feds to pay for it) and put in something longer-lasting that could be a showcase of engineering?

What could possibly be "real rail" besides a subway system? I don't see that happening.

I would love to hear any other solutions, but I really don't think there are any. Use that money to improve the bus system? The streets are already crowded with buses...and I thought we are trying to reduce congestion.

And if it truly is the construction costs that are driving the soaring price, then BRT isn't going to be much cheaper. LRT is still the only logical option left. And how much money has Metro already spent on LRT studies? Are they just going to start from scratch after 4-5 years of planning and engineering?

Glad no one took any of the comments about the bar the wrong way... I don't care if they have a bar right there (I could stumble home easier). I do care if they have music blaring till 4 am. The guys that live in the row houses across the street on Genesse from me are all very nice and very respectful of everyone in the area (and it looks like they throw one hell of a party - need to get an invite some day). Across West Gray... now that's another story. At least most of the drug traffic stays on that side of the road and HPD is constantly in the area. Not to mention the constant drove of ambulances and fire trucks that head over their every night. At least I know the medical personel will know what area I am in if I ever have a problem But alas, it is what it is...

As for Casa Di Modena, I'm glad it is still going forward. I thought they might be stalling with some of the recent economic concerns. I know Post has been waiting to break ground on Post 3 in the area until most of the new Apartments at Camden were filled (not sure how well their doing because I haven't looked).

Where is Post 3 supposed to go? Is it a part of Midtown Square?

The Katy freeway will have a vehicle count of around 250,000 per day, many of those with multiple passengers in the car, meaning that much more than 250,000 people will use it on a daily basis. All the light rails lines might average what, 70-80k(?) people per day, given rosy estimates....and would cost ~50% of the cost of the Katy freeway? No thanks. This doesn't even take into account the goods and freight moved along the Katy Freeway.

I'm all for cost containment, but the Katy Freeway looks to be the better deal here.

This is debatable, but I do think that having an inner city rail network will attract more businesses and residents to the core of the city. It will also attract more events (Super Bowl, Final Fours, Olympics...long shot but still), and likely make the city more accessible for tourists.

Overall, it helps the image. That's a part of this argument, too.

It isn't going to get any cheaper. The city put itself in this situation.

I know people renting apartments in the museum district on one side of campus as well as on the opposite side across from the Medical Center (Maroneal, Brompton Court, Greenbriar Apartments, etc). I also know people who live in Montrose. My first apartment as a Rice student was a 2 floor garage apartment in Southampton for $600/month (less than the graduate apartments charges).

I would say in general its easy to find an apartment for $500-700 alone or maybe a bit less if you share with a few people. I live with somebody and my share of the rent is $500, and my apartment is pretty nice. I don't know anybody who pays less than $500. Do you consider that expensive? When I factor in the gas I would need to buy if I commuted every day, I figure that would add at least $100 on top of any cheaper apartment, plus I wouldn't enjoy it as much (I absolutely love my neighborhood).

Well I'm thinking more of college houses with 4+ people. I always lived with 3 other guys in a house right by my school's campus, which was in a nice neighborhood, but we were still able to find the more rundown parts of the neighborhood to find cheap rental housing. I live in the Med Center now and spend a lot of time around the Rice campus, and I have no idea where Rice students could live like this.

I hope the new Washington nightlife doesn't kill Midtown. Even though every Midtown bar is packed on weekend nights, I enjoy having an area of the city like that. If the Washington area identifies itself as more upscale than Midtown or the laid back bars for the Midtown graduates (26+), then I'm okay with it. I like Midtown for the kids right out of college.

I mean grad students who have spouses and kids, not just any families. Student families. Rice doesn't allow that in the grad apartments on Bissonnet (it's more traditional college residence style), but they did in the old Rice Village apartments (more apartment style). I think these ones are taking the place of the old apartments so I hope they continue allowing families. Because there area a lot of married grad students, and some even have kids!

I guess Rice saves all of the good architecture for campus. I won't be living there anyways. It's usually a better deal (money wise) for a student to live off campus. But there are a lot of international students who can't find an apartment before moving to Houston and end up living in Rice student housing.

Where do Rice students rent houses? Anything around the campus would be pretty pricey I would think.

Looks like this broke ground a couple of months ago. It is a great location at University/Morningside....a block away from the Village bars and nightlife.

Does anyone have any renderings?

This line is only featured on the news when there's some sort of controversy, so coverage is patchy at best. Would some knowledgeable person pass on any information as to when there might be a prospect of breaking ground on this line? I would appreciate it.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say sometime in 2009

That's great news. Hermann Park really is a fantastic park. It is packed on the weekends and actually very populated during the week as well. It reminds me of Regent's Park in London. Lots of stuff to do...but lots of open space. Very European.

I'm glad that the city isn't neglecting this park. Disco Green will be a great addition, but I don't think it will ever measure up to Hermann.

Judging by that map, it looks like it will face Caroline.

Ah, right you are. I wasn't really looking at the map or the renderings around it...I just assumed.

I believe you're correct as far as parking goes. They were so full, they even used a good sized portion of the Museum's lot as well as some street parking along oakdale on both sides of main, prospect, and Calumet.

Totally forgot about the Fiesta, but now that brings to mind the excellent day care/Montessori schools on Wentworth St/Caroline streets. Going along that path, that Sears, Julia's and neighboring businesses should fare quite well once the residents discover these areas.

I would think the residents of this complex would much rather travel a little further to the Randalls or Kroger in Midtown than go into that Fiesta unless they clean up the area around it.

It looks like the front of the building will be on Walker. I'm wondering how they do the side facing Rusk, which is supposed to have rail running down it by 2012.

Thanks! I was trying to remember that. There are are some old apartments on the east side of the tracks, a new Weather museum(!), plus The Park Plaza Hospital is within easy walking distance as well.

So the north there isn't much, and it might be a retail deadzone for a couple of years. The Nearest grocery store is Disco Kroger, but some good eating is over at the Chelsea street area.

EDIT: For those not familiar with the area: Google Map View

There's that Fiesta at the south edge of Midtown. Although, that is kind of the ratty area of Midtown.

Does the church next door own the parking lot to the south of this project?

Truly, plus I'm trying to remember exactly what is in that area (my Alzheimers will pass shortly), but it should had a substantial boost to the area.

MFAH and ZaZa to the south, churches to the west, townhomes to the east, and Floral Row or whatever to the north.

No retail, but it will at least give some more action to the Museum District station on the Red Line, which is just a couple of blocks south.

I don't see it as that big of an issue, either. Look at the west side of downtown. The west side is exponentially more populated than the east side, and there are, what, 3 roads that provide access to downtown? All I can think of is Allen Pkwy, Memorial, and Preston. I don't see how the Dynamo Stadium could create more traffic than the west side.

I will admit, though, that the west side funnels in some of the streets to Memorial and Allen Pkwy. If something like that can be done to the East Side, then that might alleviate some worries.

Hello, I don't know if this is the correct thread to ask this question. My friend is planning to open up a High End boutique type athletic footware store. It will be franchised from a company in Paris France. He is looking for 2,000sqt and looking to open by June or July. Do you guys have any recommendation where the store should be located? He is aiming towards downtown pavilion but that wont open until October. He has already checked in the Gallaria area but he really like Midtown because there will be no competition.

Thanks in advance and kind regards,

Brawnz.

Well, The Tipping Point is already downtown on Main St., so trying to put it in the Pavilions probably isn't a good idea because of the competition. If there is any available retail space, he should look into the project going up right across from the one discussed in this thread. Not sure what they are calling it, but it's a Crosspoint Property.

Also, the West Avenue project would be a good idea as well. However, none of these will be open until months after June or July, so I am not really sure with that time period.

Well, I guess the answer was fairly obvious. I guess I should have qualified it. I'm just wondering how long we'll have to wait for them to get higher. With each new land parcel that's built on, it quantitatively becomes more scarce, but would we really non-techinically say that the land downtown is 'scarce?'

I mean, I could still see them being built at a moderated height of 30-40 floors for at least another ten buildings. How many parcels need to be left until it's a necessity to build at least 45-55+ high?

South and Southeast Downtown have a ton of blocks open for development. I'm thinking after the east side starts filling up, we'll see the south end of Main St and southwest downtown start being developed. Then, I think land would start becoming scarce. I can't imagine this happening for another 3-5 decades, obviously depending on the city's economy.