citykid09

If you were seriously forward-thinking, you would be down with the former Astrodome as an Agri-Center.

Movies are bullshit, kid. Think of the agricultural future of the planet, and not TV for a change.

Of the options that have been given crunch, the moviedome is the best. Agri-Center was not an option, and if it was it wouldn't be my top option. The entertainment industry is much more attractive than an agri-center.

More news, 9.21.09

http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-houston-movie-industry-story,0,6682965.story

http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-astrodome-studios-story,0,151069.story

Thanks for posting, I just posted a topic about the entertainment industry in Texas, and how it lagging behind States like Georgia, California, Florida and New York. I really hope this happens, but for some reason, I think the people in charge of the decision will choose not to because that is the way it usually works in Houston, its like nothing cool is allowed for the city.

that's talent?

Uh, yeah.

The point that I am trying to make is Texas can't retain its actors, musical artist, etc because there is no infrastructure.

Just wanted to add, that some in the Houston area have tried to have some form of the industry in the city. Fox 26 studios tapes 2 courtroom shows, and the Debra Duncan show tried to go national. There is also the Astrodome studios plan and Jarvis Johnson of I'm Ready Productions is making at least 5 movies in Houston within the next 4-5years.

We have signage.

Thanks, signs don't excite me anymore. I have seen too many signs sit in places for years saying coming soon, but nothing ever happens. Hopefully that is not the case with this one. If the sign says opening 2012/2013, doesn't that mean construction should start soon?

What's up with the Entertainment Industry in Texas?

I have always wondered why the 2nd largest State in both population and size, is not really big on the entertainment industry. When I say "entertainment industry," I don't necessarily mean theater arts, etc, I mean the music industry, film industry, etc. Texas has lots and lots of talent, in television music movies, etc, but the talent seems to always have to move out of State to be successful. Why can't this State retain its talent and even attract talent? The reason that I asked this today is because there is a nationally syndicated urban radio show out of Dallas called the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, well today he announced that he is moving his show to Atlanta because that is where the entertainment industry is, all the artist, award shows, media outlets, etc. Well he is telling the truth, there is a new nightly talk show being taped in Atlanta called the Mo'nique Show, there are cable networks and television, movie and music studios based in that city. Georgia is a smaller State, but has some how found a way to attract and retain its talent. So why not in Texas? Our talent leaves for California, New York, Florida, etc, because there are no options for them here.

What are your thoughts?

Lots of cities are replacing their at-grade crossings with underpasses. Canadian National Railroad recently bought a big regional railroad in Chicago. In order to get the towns involved to approve (and thus win Federal Railroad Administration approval) CN had to agree to build overpasses at a bunch of intersections.

My understanding of the law is that the railroads are under no ordinary obligation to build over/underpasses. The railroads have legal priority, and the roadway is technically the interloper.

Also, the big logistical challenge isn't keeping the cars moving, it's keeping the trains moving.

Redscare, we now have them on both sides.

Editor, do you see railroad track crossings in Chicago city limits like in Houston? Any other cities this size?

You're comparing apples to oranges... grapes to watermelons

Look at the villa maria site plan in the link you posted... then go to google maps and look at the westheimer intersection.

Scale and context of the two locations is night and day.

We know what underpasses look like.. we have them all over the city. Whether the westheimer location is a good candidate for an underpass is certainly something that can be debated.. but for you to highlight essentially a rural underpass as backup for why an underpass would work in a dense urban setting is ridiculous.

Have you ever been to that intersection (Villa Maria @ Wellborn)? Its not rural at all. And the image that Google maps shows of it is at least 3 years old. I was just comparing the area to Westheimer because I wanted to know if the city was planning any kind of separation for that Westheimer, because I have seen how bad it gets backed up when a train comes through. The reason the city of Bryan did it was because traffic was backing up so bad and it was slowing emergency vehicles from getting to locations on the other side. It just seems kind of crazy that on a major road like Westheimer in the 4th largest city in America still has railroad crossings.

I was just wondering if there where any plans in place for the railroad crossing at Westheimer near Highland Village? The city of Bryan finished an underpass for one of its major streets that cross railroad tracks (Villa Maria Road)a while back and I was wondering where their any plans for Westheimer? Is that something the citizens of Houston would like to see happen in the near future?

For more of what it looks like click on the first link

http://www.bryantx.gov/departments/default.asp?name=vm_road_info

http://www.theeagle.com/local/Underpass-above-and-beyond2008-05-28T04-19-57

It's been my experience that the more pedestrian-friendly cities with multi-use buildings have zoning.

Also, I don't think anyone would be crying if zoning had prevented CVS from building in Midtown. Regardless, Randall's was able to cost-effectively open a more urban store in Midtown (in their case, with underground parking and a pharmacy). I think most people are more upset at CVS, for choosing their shareholders over the Midtown community's pleas when they built these two locations, then at the lack of zoning. This was the cheapest way for CVS to build their cookie-cutter drug dispensers, but as Randall's illustrates it's not the only way. A more creative developer or retailer might have chosen to build something that would fit the community long-term instead of something that will be torn town in ten or twenty years.

That's the point that I was trying to make. By CVS building suburban style stores in those location even after the community pleaded with them to build a more walkable location, they showed that they really don't care about the community, they care about the money.

Again, this has virtually nothing to do with zoning. What you're referring to has more to do with easement rules and restrictions. Besides, considering both Midtown CVSs occupy their entire city block, it would be impossible to build to where the "parking is behind the store." That's just not geometrically possible unless you're MC Escher.

Oddly enough, there are cars in that parking lot, and the CVS hasn't shut down for want of customers. Not yet. If people were really bothered by CVS's lack of "urban lifestyle" vision, they wouldn't shop there.

You are totally right, I don't know why I was think it was zoning, its easement rules that are the problem. So the actual problem is the city of Houston's management.

No zoning only makes development random and unorganized. But the easement rules are what require the suburban style easements.

But hold up, I remember when one of those CVSs was getting built, the people in midtown wanted them to build an urban up to the sidewalk CVS, but the did what they wanted to do any ways. So they had a choice, but didn't choose the urban way.

So... are you suggesting that by restricting developers, you're actually encouraging them to build? So you know, no area is "trying" to be urban. It either is urban or it isn't urban. The difference, I suppose, is the model of urbanity you hold ideal, which based on your posts seem to be more inline with the Manhattan model, is that correct? Let's use Midtown as an example since I believe that's what you're referring to in the first place. There are two suburban-styled CVSs in Midtown, which is something that stick in the craw of some people like you. But how, pray tell, would zoning have prevented that? The buildings are built as they are for reasons dictated by the real estate market in the area, not by lofty hopes of Houston becoming the next New York. Reality's set in here. This isn't the Field of Dreams. Just because you build it doesn't mean they'll come. The reality is CVS built "suburban" stores because Houston in car-centric (even in Midtown), and people need places to park. Why would they build it in a way that would doom it to failure? That would just be dumb. And, forcing them to build in any specific way that would be dumb would be even dumber on the part of the local government. CVS wouldn't have built anything at all if the costs were too prohibitive and the store wasn't built to meet the needs of the consumers. Then, there'd be no pharmacy in the neighborhood, which would make it even less "urban" which would make it less cool which would drive the property values down which would make it a ghetto again.

I believe you have it all wrong. If people that live in the midtown area wanted suburban living, they would move to the suburbs or somewhere other than midtown.

Why couldn't CVS just build a store like the one below? Where the parking is behind the store but it also allows people to walk to the store. The reason is because they don't have to, Houston doesn't have zoning so they can do as they please even in areas that want to cater to the urban lifestyle.

I could not agree more. I remember the last go around on this issue and the opposition kept saying that "Zoning will make your taxes go up." I thought that was quite funny. Yes taxes would go up because your property values would go up with zoning. Is that bad? Property values going? But the Texas mentality of "It's my land, and I'll do what I want with it." prevailed. In this regard Houston is still living in the 19th century. Also, developers have long had a tight hold on Houston politics. And they don't want anyone interferrin with their building of strip malls all over the city and county.

I don't understand how developers in Houston ever planned to standout if the city is felled with strip malls. I think the reason that no zoning in the past in Houston was so popular because the suburban way of life was the popular thing to do in the past. But now that that has changed and urban development is more popular, zoning is needed or else it wont work because there will always be a developer that wants to put a suburban style development into an area that is trying to be urban.

The most natural way to deal with the summertime heat is common in tropical countries but runs counter to our northern European culture. That would be to siesta during the hottest part of the day and do your walking/shopping at night. Think of places like Bangkok or Saigon where the throngs come out in the evening.

I really think that the way that Houston is developed makes it hard for people to walk anywhere, its not the heat. Yeah there is downtown, but say you want to walk from downtown to somewhere else, its possible, but you're going to have to walk through parking lots, empty lots etc. I have always said that its good Houston has no zoning, but now I am going to change my mind on that, HOUSTON NEEDS ZONING!!!! PDQ!!! I see all of these other cities with all of these cool walkable developments and I always say that's what I wish Houston had. Houston has it all, the attractions, and some urban developments, but none of its connected. Dallas gets hot, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, etc, yet they all have walkable areas.

All of this about Houston being an ugly is false, yeah many areas and many freeways are ugly, but there are many beautiful areas of the city.

And let me get back to something else I heard the man say in the NPR interview. It was like he did not acknowledge anything good about Houston. He made it seem as if it was just a place where millions of people have moved to that did nothing but build strip malls, loop freeways, and endless suburbs.

He said less "environmentally attractive" by which I think he means less environmentally friendly/conscious, not necessarily that its an ugly environment, but I can understand the confusion. That seemed to be the thrust of his point, the well-meaning environmentalism is resulting in a high cost of living for people and making them move away to places where the government doesn't have as many environmental restrictions.

You're right, but it just seemed like they were hating hard on Houston and Texas. I agree that the area is far to spread out though, hopefully this next century we will start to see more infill and much less spreading.

Also why is the grass around the Mount Rush Hour statues not cut? I think those statues would have been better in the Museum District or in a more touristy area.

I also want to say this about how this area needs climate control. Is Houston the only city in the US that gets this hot and humid? Is there nothing that can be done in the year 2009 that could make the city more walkable without the people being turned away by the heat? Couldn't tree help?

NPR's Morning Edition was broadcast from Houston today. The first segemnt was Inskeep talking to Stephen Klineberg about housing prices and sprawl.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112896915

Ironically, I would have ordinarily already been at work and not heard it, but was at a stand still in traffic on the gulf freeway.

Tomorrow Bill White will be on.

I can't believe he said people are moving to less attractive places like Texas. Is Texas as a whole that unattractive?

can we no longer attach Youtube Videos?

The H-O-US-T-O-N Video:

Shows a lot of the famous buildings in Houston in a cartoonish kind of way. Also shows the Greenspoint skyline. ts kind of old, but I thought you guys would like to see it.

Metro's Town Center

And I MEANT to put the thread title as "City personifications", but now I can't. Editor, admins...?

I've got more:

Fort Worth: The rich, cowboy-hat wearing "good guy" who is, unfortunately, married to Dallas.

Arlington: Their overweight son.

Temple: Killeen's estranged/separated wife.

Harker Heights and Belton: Killeen and Temple's kids.

Caldwell: A trashy person with very little care for himself or others. He does clean things up for special occasions, however.

The Woodlands: A snob!

Caldwell's really could have went for Hearne, except for the "clean things up for special occasions."

Is that the site where this is supposed to go? If so does that mean its not getting built?

Thanks for the late welcome.

More info has been added to their website.

http://www.astrodomestudios.net/

I would have been wondering what ever happened to puPpup if I never read this. What made you change it?

What made you think that? The smallest market I worked in was 76. The largest was 3. In none of those markets did anchors write scripts. Sometimes they'll come in and review them and make tweaks so they fit the anchor's style better (though a good producer will already have done that). But actually writing a story? Maybe once a year. Maybe.

You're right, that's what I was thinking about, they read over it and tweak it. So what do anchors do besides read the news and try to put a few jokes in to make the news flow? How much money do they make? How much do the meteorologist make? How much do reporters make?

Who cares about the anchors? They get to sleep until 3:00am for a 4:30am show.

It's the writers and producers who have to come in at midnight or earlier you should feel bad for. For a 5am newscast in Houston, the producer should be at work no later than 11:00pm. When I was on the 6:00am news in Cincinnati, I was at work at 10:00pm the night before.

Anchors? Please... There's a reason the quotation on my Facebook page is, "Shut up and read, meat puppet! I don't pay you to think!"

I thought the anchors wrote some of their stories?

Is the 4:30am news cast done in the other major markets? NY, LA, Chicago, Dallas, etc

I would hate to be those anchors, having to wake up that much earlier. They must sleep all throughout the day and probably have to wake up at 2:00am to get to work. How do they do it? I remember a while back Tom Cook switched to the 4:00pm news only until the morning ratings went down and they put him back. I would bet that he is mad about this.

While doing something earlier and hearing the news in the background, I heard Dave Ward on abc13 say something about the Redo Drive of Houston. I looked up and saw this really nice urban shopping area, and I thought it was in LA or something then I realized that it was BLVD Place. They were showing it because a Houston store called Festari had gotten robbed. BLVD Place is VERY NICE! I had no idea that it was open like that yet. Well any ways, below is a clip of it. Its not the clip I saw, but its a clip from a broadcast from earlier today: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6939082&rss=rss-ktrk-article-6939082

To me it looks to be the premier urban shopping area in Houston (besides the Galleria).

One more click might've done it.

Yeah, Dallas was #11

The first building is essentially finished. Hermes, Festari for Men, New Balance, and RDG/Bar Annie have moved in, and I believe one other retail tenant whose name escapes me at the moment.

Could you maybe take some pictures if you have a chance? Appreciate it!