Dobiestud

I found some information on CBRE's website, its from 2006, but worth taking a look at anyway:

http://www.cbre.com/USA/US/TX/Houston+Gall...ds.htm?pageid=1

http://www.cbre.com/USA/US/TX/Houston+Gall...erty/hardyyards

http://www.cbre.com/USA/US/TX/Houston+Gall...anredevelopment

I haven't verified whether its still on the market, but there are some contacts on the links if anyone feels like digging for more info.

Any updates on this project. I drove by this week and it appears a bit more cleared than before, but not much going on. This project will definitely move forward sooner or later, the many factors (economic, regulatory, and financial) have to fall in line for such a large and speculative project to come on stream, but simply put, you simply cant replace a location like this! I look forward to seeing some significant development in the Near North Side. Please update anything new on this site

When you look at satelite view of the area along Spring Creek just west of 45 up to Creekside Village, theres clearly NO development in most of that area, which also seems to be the only area in the north that hasnt seen development. Any ideas? I know alot of the area sits in the flood plain, any other thoughts on this? Will or can the flood control districts do anything to improve flooding along this area?

Actually Danax, that last suggestion isnt a bad idea at all.

What exactly is going on in the Near Northside lately. There were several residential projects pending last I was through there, but thats on the far west side of it. Further east toward Jense and 59 is awfully downtrodden, but if you look at a satelite photo of it, there is soo much vacant land and unused property there, that coupled with its proximity just 5-15 blocks away from downtown should be prime for development, I'm not talking about just high end townhomes, but actual affordable middle income housing, where normal people too can buy and be happy with in a very close in area.

Any thoughts?

RayLSU, why dont u think the area will ever develop into anything but a hood?

I drive around the area often, there are several small development projects, like 10 or so residential units being put in right off Holman and some off Alabama both west of UH campus. Anybody see any development going on? if so where? There is a whooole lot of vacant land and unoccupied teardowns in the area. Anyone have knowledge of developers' plans? The location is great, but then again there is many years worth of land supply in the east and southeast areas of downtown. I see the area developing, if for no other reason than the fact that once the properties become so delapidated, there is no choice but to develop them, otherwise they just sit there accruing taxes. I think the city and county should bring tax incentives for the area and really help integrate the UH campus back into the whole city by promoting development in the area. The planned rail will help too

What do you guys think about the city of Houston owned housing project Cunney Homes right by TSU at Alabama and Tierwester. It has been a breeding ground for crime and drug dealing for decades but has noticeably improved over the years. What will the future hold for this and other housing projects?

I second that! But we have to selectively add new areas, otherwise we'll end up with a looong list of table of contents and as a result less exposure of ideas.

Westwood Mall has been turned into a corporate center for many years now, its not a very recent transition. Sharpstown is just up the road, and they have not done much to improve it, but I think we will continue to see improving demographics (atleast commercially speaking) in the area and if the owners (last I heard it was a group led by self proclaimed 'developer' Tracy Suttles who has been in financial trouble himself - almost had his house forclosed on recently) can capilatize on it, it will become a much more revived mall, although just with middle to lower end catering.

Town & Country was a great mall when built, but the contruction of the highway stacks next to it, at the corner of Bltwy 8 & I-10 W just killed it. If you have ever driven by, you know that it was just plain inconvenient to drive around all that highway to get to the mall; however, that location is nonetheless prime for development, as it is in the heart of one of the highest income areas in the country. (look up its demographics). The mall itself, including the land and everything was purchased and consolidated in two phases by a prominent Houston businessman, and then sold to Midway, which razed it and is planning various residential/retail/office developments, which I look forward to. It would be nice to have the highway construction done though before we see this area develop fully.

Also, right across from Town & Country was a huge piece of land with a teardown, which looks like is now being developed. Any word on what exactly will occupy this last remaining chunk of commercial land on this part of town?

Any thoughts on this area? Anyone heard of new projects going in? The area has seen a considerable amount of change over the past 5 years that I've been through. A handful of new retail centers and redevelopments have come in, and CVS has a brand new corner new location. Crime used to be the biggest inhibitor, but that seems to be going away marginally every year. And I've seen scattered new residential single family and multi-family developments, but nothing sweeping the area as of yet.

Would love to hear what everyone else knows of this area.

BAS, the Brazilian restaurant u're referring to is called Emporio. Its got a really nice laid back design, usually a guitarist there on weekends, and great food for awsome prices. I looove to eat out, and this place is definately a favorite because of the really amiable setting, good food, good portions, nice veriety, and it surprises me every time how reasonably priced it is.

Anyone who hasn't tried it definately should.

I would possibly try to call the police on them. Especially if you have a survey and know exactly where your line is, try the police or go to I think JP court to get an injunction on them to permanently stop coming onto your property. You can always consult an attorney to handle it for you.

Also see if you can work out a deal with them. Its sad though how irresponsive the city and its police is in these circumstances.

Hahaha, Bus Rapid Transit does sound like bs. they basically have sleeker lookin buses that look like the rail cars, so we can be happy we have some sort of mass transit. Basically its their way of saying something is being done. I have no clue why they would waste such money, since even if they have a special purpose, they will not be visibly more efficient than any other normal bus. What we do have to realize though, is that unlike the mail line stretch of rail we have now, all these extensions are primarily funded by the Feds, so nobody really cares about what money is spent. Infact, since we get all this money, and we cant really use it for anything else, they figure to waste it instead of speed up the existing rail projects. But atleast they try, huh?

I was at the airport the other day, and observed a group of european tourists (I have nooo idea what would bring them to Houston) who just could not understand that there is really no settled way for them to get from the airport (IAH) to the center of Houston. So, my opinion: rails should definately serve all major transportation hubs, such as airports and inter-city bus stations, and major work zones such as clear lake, katy corridor, greenspoint, and toward fort bend and east to pasadena. And although I dont disagree with widening certain roads, I think its really got to end at some point, we cant just go on and on widening everything, it just doesnt look good and serves little purpose!

East end has really come alooong way in the past 5 years. The numerous townhome developments, of varying qualities, have been in the works for a number of years. This is important to note, since the developments we see now were planned, and their lands purchased years ago, mostly btwn 2000-2002. Like anything else, human psychology kicks in, and when people actually see development, they expect more for their land. Hence, land prices have gone up atleast 2 to 5 times on average within the past few years. Everyone wants to sell at 'tomorrow's higher prices' as opposed to now. Any of you in the investment or development business can probably relate to this, and the fact is that it takes alotta steam out of the new momentum the area has gained. Much higher land prices mean higher home prices.

There are a handful of scattered developments going up, and really filling in the blocks bit by bit. The location is obviously great, and any development whatsoever will be help the area, especially since it will bring new residents, mostly professionals, into the area, who tend to actively voice their demands for expanded city services, security, entetainment, shopping, etc. But hang tight, this will take many years to happen. There are sooooo many vacant and out of place industrial blocks of land and land with environmental problems that really make this place look dead, not an attractive feature for the short-sighted average homebuyer. Nightlife and clubs/bars will begin to pop up in the area soon I think, as they are pretty simple to set up (given they meet ordinance restrictions) and will also help make this place more habitable, especially for the younger professional crowd.

Also, bare in mind, that just past the industrial and vacant zone just east of downtown, still in east end, there are cozy tree lined neighborhoods with quite alot of potential, and not just cookie cutter type construction that we see these days. Many of these older homes are in fairly good condition and the mature trees on their lots really set this area apart and give it a unique value. I just hope that people continue to take care of and better their properties as values in the area will rise and push out some industrial eyesores.

Speaking of an eyesore, does anyone know what will ever happen to the Maxwell house coffee that sits smack dab in the middle of East End?

Any ideas on the revitalization of Sharpstown area, Sharpstown mall, etc.? Things have really picked up from west and east sides along the Bellaire corridor, and around fondren a few car dealerships have left over the years, freeing up some prime development land. Any ideas on what will be coming in? General price appreciation in area is sure to drive out atleast some negative elements that made the area less desirable over the years, but there is still quite a large number of apartments in area, so, any ideas?

Houston Chronicle Article (click link):

Shamrock as planned is definately dead. Possible alternate has a chance of getting off the ground at some point, but Tracy Suttles has to get his own personal finances in place first so his house doesn't get foreclosed on, then maybe he can use some of that talent to promote another hollow project.

On a much more positive note, a seemingly responsible company has purchased a block next to the new propopsed park, and may go ahead with a residential project there. Read for yourself and share your opinions please.

Article Link:

What are your thoughts on the new property tax reduction proposals? I am not quite understanding what they mean by the property tax system being 'illegal'. I do think the Texas property owners are severely overburdened by their property taxes.

We get hit with a double whammy, first there are really no limits on tax RATES, nor is there an efficient way to control VALUATIONS. State spending has got to come under control, you cannot be taxing property owners out of their ownership rights!

I'd like your views on this too, on either side of it.

Definately try using a KeyMap. They have pretty much all subdivisions listed on the map and by index. You can also try www.har.com and search info on subdivisions there.

Any insight of whats going on in the Near Northside part of town? (area just north of downtown, with 45 to the west and 59/Jensen to the east) We have not heard much about this area, although I've seen limited renovations going on, not much new other than a few small townhouse developments, and toward the 59/Jensen side, as well located as it is to downtown, I haven't seen a single project of any sort.

There is talk of redoing the Elysian bridge going from downtown to this area also, and possibly linking that to Hardy toll road. Any thoughts on all this or any word of what new projects are planned, and even maybe your vision for this area's future?

Its a mixed area really. Sharpstown itself is actually much larger than the specific area you mentioned. Sharpstown mall is right to the east of Fondren, its been on the decline for quite some time now. There is a large mix of all sorts of people in the area. Some of the nearby apartment complexes are nice, but some have been plagued with crime. If u're looking to move there, I'd drive around the neighborhood streets all around, and look at the quality of upkeep on the houses, cars, trash, lawns, etc. At best, you will not be too far from crime.

I had a feeling this deal would never materialize. Although given, many projects never make it to the development stage, this one was doomed from the beginning. Tracy Suttles entered the princely lifestyle with his purchase of a River Oaks mansion, which he now cannot afford to pay for: article and I really question a project when its developer can't even afford his own house, which is now up for sale listing for his house . Plus with such an ugly taste for his personal residence, I wonder what plans they had for the 'Shamrock's' interior!

Also, I know of atleast 5 large unoccupied buildings in downtown. Everything, commercial and residential has alooooootta room to grow in downtown, and even after years of development, its awfully dead (with exception of few blocks on a few nights) at nights. Theres just nothing attractive to bring people down to live, but hopefully Mayor White's new proposed 13 acre ($80M+) park will mitigate that.

Thank you all for your help and insight. All of your information has been very helpful. With your help I found this link: City of Houston Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan Map (pdf file link there)

Thanks again

Yes, exactly, or not even soon, but when. Maybe someone here has some insight on what criteria the city uses to expand roads, such as population growth in area, etc.

Density growth in Houston will be an ongoing thing for decades to come. Houston is by far one of the youngest cities, its infrastructure is only recently taking shape, and as we have seen in the past 10 years, multi-level residential units are now the norm, basically bringing 3-4x the number of people per unit land as before. There is however alot of vacant and unused urban land which will give room for many years of in town density growth. As our density rises, so does the tax base, and transporation services have to be planned now to handle multiple units of population per acre of land in the not too distant future.

Urban sprawl will continue, theres really nothing to stop it. Cheap and level land, little if any regulations, and tens of thousands of available acres in any direction outside of Houston sure makes for affordable housing, considering not every family can afford $400k townhomes! Job centers are also less concentrated than before, and employers tend to prefer cheaper out of town locations in many instances. Houston is still in its infancy, 10 more years and we'll get a much better picture of the years to come.

Does anyone know how to access the city's plans for road expansions around town? Specifically, I am wondering about the only stretch of E. Tidwell between Mesa and C.E. King which still remains one lane each direction. Thanks in advance.

Here goes the article, I found it:

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