nucklehead

At the risk of starting all of this nonsense up again, I just have to say...every time I've ever been to Las Colinas, I feel like I've stepped onto a movie set that suddenly shut down production. The place is eerily quiet, both during business hours and during the evenings/weekends. There was never anyone in the restaurants, no one on the streets or sidewalks, and the apartments seemed to have maybe 50% occupancy. It felt like the end of the world or something. All that infrastructure -- roads and canals and "people movers" -- just sitting vacant, going to waste.

I don't get it, I guess. Why is Las Colinas such a big deal? I understand that there are some big companies based there and I know they have some decent housing (I've got a friend who rents an apartment in the "CBD" for an exorbitant amount of money...), but it seems deathly quiet considering those facts. Have I missed something every time I've been?

It is quiet now because DART claimed they didn't have the money to finish the rail to Irving [Las Colinas] as planned. There is 4 billion dollars of personal investment in TOD [transit oriented development] waiting to meet up with the rail stations planned along the orange line in Irving. These developments will be in Las Colinas and in its lead in developments. What I find incredible is that one can expect investments to increase the closer one gets to the opening date of the rail stations.

When splitting relocations up into global, national and regional headquarters, Las Colinas is a great place for a global headquarters because of DFW airport, the answer most often given why companies move there, although the business district does have all kinds of national and regional headquarters also.

Hey, I've been trying to get HAIF to close the DFW section for years now. I think it causes nothing but trouble. If you want to know anything about what is going on in DFW, why the hell would you come to a website called Houston Architecture Information Forum. Why not go to Dallas Metropolis. And if you don't think that will give you a better idea of the projects going on why not go to City-Data.com or Skyscraper City or Skyscraper page or any of the other more 'neutral' ones.

A lot of DFWer's use the DFW section of this forum to bash our beautiful city. Some just create posts to let us know what's going on in Dallas. But YOU are in a class by yourself. I haven't even seen ONE person (from Hou or Dal) that has agreed with ANYTHING you have said on this website. At least the other DFWer's would support each other's views (however misguided they might be) which might make me give them SOME credibility (however little). But you have ZERO here. You have made too many really stupid, flaming and inciting comments just to get a reaction to be taken as anything more than a troll. I think it would be best if you retired the nucklehead account and started over with new one. At least then someone might entertain one of your weird ideas for half a second.

Just don't let Editor catch you again.

One has to read between the lines.

http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/archive...ons-in-dal.html

If Central Dallas is the premier business district in DFW, then why is it having to pay out benefits to keep ATT? The queston of what business district will become the premier district in the DFW area is in flux. In my opinion, it is in a state of transition from Central Dallas to Las Colinas. This is why the buildings in downtown Dallas are similar in style or size from the types of buildings that are being built or planned along the Platinum Corridor, Telecom Corridor, downtown Fort Worth, or Las Colinas. All one has to do to see a more suburban downtown Dallas is understand how its office development has become less dense because of it being converted over into other uses.

To the question above. You won't find much of value at Dallas Metropolis about DFW. You will find information about Central Dallas or Dallas in general because that forum is very Uptown biased. That was my point. One stands a better chance of getting the unorthodox view of DFW in here.

Right now the prevalent blame in that forum for the downturn in Uptown investment is that there has been a downturn in the national economy. There is no mention about the investments about to be ramped up in Las Colinas that will certainly distract investor attention away from Uptown. There isn't any mention of how politics in Central Dallas may have frightened investors away for that matter.

If there is anything I can say to get this thread closed I will. I find it completely pointless. Your predictions will never come true so why should this thread stay open. It serves no purpose at all except to give you an audience of hecklers. The DFW section at HAIF has sunk to an all time low. You can be proud of that much nucklehead. Even the regular Dallas guy's won't touch it.

Why not close the DFW section altogether then? By closing the DFW section, then DFW will go away. I can tell you this though. If you want to know about DFW, don't go to a DFW forum. They will just tell you what they want to hear and what you want to hear.

This guy's threads/posts are so outlandish that even the regular Dallas posters are staying away, and that's saying something.

For now I'm going to quit posting in this thread. This thread was intended for occasional updates. Thank you.

And when the oil boom reemerged, where did that happen? It begins with an H. And 20 years after the last oil bust most people still are not even aware of LC's existence outside DFW.

BTW, It's my job to think outside the box, but you are thinking outside the brain. There are too many X factors in you logic that you are not even considering. To think outside the box one must establish what the 'box' is, but your logic is in a world of your own. Have you ever even met one person who shares your vision of Las Colinas becoming the energy capital of the world? Never mind, it is scary enough just thinking that there is one of you out there loose on the streets. LC will never be capitol of anything. It may be a threat to the office parks on I-35 E, or maybe the Dallas Galleria Area, but it makes no sense to move a HQ and relocate thousands of people just so they can be closer to an airport. The oil companies in Houston would build their own version of LC in Houston before they would move to LC.

Losing global headquarters of energy companies to Las Colinas in the future would do nothing to take away Houston's designation as the energy capital of the world. I could see energy companies moving their global headquarters out of the state of Texas altogether with the reason that it would improve their image with the rest of the nation. So, that wouldn't bode well for Las Colinas either. But none of this would alter Houston's designation as the energy capital of the world.

See, my argument is that Las Colinas is the big magnate because of its close proximity to DFW airport. Has nothing to do with its noteriety. DFW airport itself is just fortunate that it's present location just so happens to place it at the heart of a major metropolitan area, at the center of both its population and its transportation infrastructure, while it has a mild climate in the center of the nation. When companies answer why they move to Las Colinas, what do they say? DFW airport.

I predict Houston will make a run to relocate all the debt collection firms from DFW.

Speak of the devil, MidtownCoog. Did you ever know a professor Austin? He was one of my philosophy professors at U of H. My philosophy professors knew more about English than my English professors which is kind of incredible because the English / Creative Writing school at U of H is supposed to have some of the best English / Creative Writing professors in the world. But U of H also has a great philosophy school too.

Ad hominem -- a meaning in the dictionary which people can read and understand clearly and yet take no heed. A mysterious word whose definition always seems to exist just out of reach for the vast majority of those who call themselves intelligent. A word that perplexes modern scientists as its definition exists clearly in the observable realm of the five senses and, yet, evidence of its meaning still remains lost in the possibilities of deep theory.

I though it was a Black Hole?

Seriously, though -- I have deleted the alternate identity you created on HAIF. Most people get tossed off the forum for having multiple identities. I'm only leaving you here so you can complete your trolling in this thread and then go home.

Look. I attended the University of Houston. My minor was in philosophy so I know what ad hominem means. This means you too have the ability to know what it means and behave yourself.

Let me take the time to praise the University of Houston. It had the second rated school in the nation in regards to English and Creative Writing while its philosophy school, although an undergraduate program, was rated, at that time, number 4 in the nation. Of course, its physic's school got it internation attention as well.

So, please, let us try to meditate on the meaning of 'ad hominem.' It means focus on the topic while trying not to divert attention on the crazy characters of the person. Thank you.

I was really wondering what the strategy was in letting nucklehead continue to distract at HAIF. I guess it will blow over eventually, but it's a real shame to allow nucklehead all this power. It's so hard reading these crazy predictions based on far fetched assumptions and not try to discredit them.

I guess next nucklehead is going to tell us the the port of Houston will also be relocating to Las Colinas after all our energy firms move there so that everybody will be close to DFW airport. What comes after that? The Williams tower will be moved to Las Colinas. And then San Jacinto Battle ground. And then the beaches of Galveston. That all follows the same logic to nucklehead arguments. Eventually, Las Colinas will swallow up the entire state of Texas so that we can all fly out of DFW airport and live in a great big (albeit lowrise) community of office parks.

End this madness and lets all get some lunch.

Please. Don't spark the end to this thread with your ad hominem behavior. I need it left open for future updates. Thank you.

How many oil companies has Houston lost to Las Colinas? You are basing your entire argument that Las Colinas will draw oil companies away from Houston so that it is easier for the executives to get to the airport from their offices. Have you ever driven from DT Houston to IAH on the Hardy tollway? It takes about 20 minutes. Why would a company move its HQ away from the energy capital of the U.S. so that they could knock 10 minutes off their travel time.

You are crazy. Las Colinas will NEVER be a threat to Houston. YOU ARE CRAZY!

The future is always crazy for those who can't think outside the box. If you contend that Houston has no threat then not only are you failing to think outside of the box but you are being unwise. I witnessed this type of attitude in Houston before the last oil depression.

Who exactly are these people?

I am referring to the political situation in Central Dallas. There is always a cat (black panthers) ready to pounce across the Trinity River at the slightest provocation. The "I" word (Industrial) scandal probably served to run off a lot of investors from Central Dallas. The political situation in Central Dallas is a powder keg.

On top of this, the economic development in Central Dallas is top down backasswards. The social effort there subsidizes the development of empty office space at the detrement of the whole metropolitan area. The bottom to up philosophy that small businesses develop into fast growing small companies that pay employees better and fill up office space faster tends to exist in areas north of Central Dallas.

So your saying that Houston, THE energy capitol of the planet, may begin to lose it's oil companies to LC? That's laughable at best.

No. I said the biggest threat to Houston is Las Colinas because it is the best place to base a global headquarters -- Exxon. The companies could keep most of their operations in Houston while shifting their global operations to Las Colinas. My point is they would never consider moving to Central Dallas because there is no benefit in them doing so. So, yes, Las Colinas is Houston's biggest threat.

I don't now nor will I ever consider Las Colinas a threat to Houston. Or Las Colinas to a threat to Dallas for that matter. Now, Houston and Dallas will be a threat to one another until the end of time. But all this Las Colinas stuff nucklehead has been pushing down our throats for the last few days is just mindless dribble from a bored lunatic. No offense, nucklehead but it is.

When one divides the concept of "relocation" up into global, nation and regional headquarters, I think the advantage of Las Colinas will be as a global headquarters. Example Exxon. People in Houston tend to be unaware that the majority of Exxon is based in their city. They just consider the global headquarters of Exxon in Irving. That is a real threat to Houston in the future that more of the oil companies based there decide to base their global headquarters in Las Colinas. Now, it is very unlikely that these companies would ever decide to move their global headquarters to downtown Dallas because it is further away from DFW airport than downtown Houston is from IAH. So, I do think Las Colinas is Houston's main worry.

Now one could argue that IAH offers better international flights than DFW airport which is true. But then again, the global headquarters for Exxon is based in Las Colinas.

This is why I call DFW airport and Las Colinas the big magnate. While the relocations might not always be heading in its direction, the pressure to do so is always headed in that direction. This is true of companies based in the Metroplex itself.

This does allow me to ask the question... given that Las Colinas seems somewhat isolated (and intentionally so), I'm sort of surprised by the relative dearth of restaurants in the area as well as general retail.

Downtown Dallas doesn't have that much retail either. That designation goes to the platinum corridor with its malls and the city of Addison. The next wave of development in Las Colinas will tend to that shortage of retail.

http://www.cityofirving.org/news-articles/02-15-071.html

I think people in Houston don't Care about the office market in DFW.

When bickering between aspects of the two metropolitan areas, which is Texas culture, Houstonians tend to concentrate on Central Dallas. Central Dallas is not at the heart of the Metroplex. It has been moved off to the east and to the south. It is even further away politically from what some consider the real Dallas. Most think the real Dallas moved north years ago and will continue doing so until it moves to Oklahoma.

Las Colinas is a suburban business district in Irving. It has its own little people-mover system, and with DART's financial troubles, the Orange Line won't be going there for a while (something nucklehead won't mention). It's close to DFW Airport, too. That's about it.

Las Colinas was just a suburban office park before its last expansion. We tend to think of urban in established terms, tall buildings for example, rather than including whatever it has become in its contemporary form. Right now contemporary urban is low rise, mixed use developments based around TOD and town centers. The developments in Irving will begin with small amounts of office space.

Las Colinas isn't a suburban office park but something between that and the conventional downtown best defined as a boomburb:

http://www.mi.vt.edu/data/files/talks/planning_boomburbs.pdf

Unlike the typical office park, Las Colinas is developing into the undenible centerpiece of its own lead in developments. This would include development north of it along the LBJ freeway in Farmers Branch, developments west in the Freeport office park and in DFW airport itself, along the 161 corridor to its south, and the new developments expected to happen to the east once the Cowboys move to Arlington so that Texas stadium can be demolished.

Why are you concerned? In fact, why did you create this idiotic thread? In fact, why are you doing any of this at all? Not that we don't already know the answers to these questions. The subject of this thread is not about Las Colinas, DFW or Houston. It is about YOU and you know it.

In the never ending battle for title of Texas' superior city, I'm glad you are not on our side. You are not helping to promote the Las Colinas metropolitan area at all. You don't sound bullish about it, you actually are coming off sounding like you are trying to make fun of it. That is just how 'crazy' your prediction is.

It would be like me going on to the Chicago forum and creating a thread that predicted that Houston was going to build the 5 tallest buildings in the country within the next year. I would only be setting Houston up for a barrage of insults and no one would take me or my city seriously. And what would be the point? What a waste of human energy.

I'll be glad when school starts up. Maybe then you'll worry about getting your algebra homework to your teacher on time and stop wasting bandwidth on this otherwise terrific web site.

I just think people in Houston don't see a shift in the office market in DFW. Once again, downtown Dallas hasn't been the premium district to build office buildings for a while now. That designation goes to the little micro downtown of Preston Center which only has that distinction because of its marvelous location and its very limited area to build. The premium area for business in the future is going to be around Las Colinas, in my opinion, with the premium area in Central Dallas concentrated around the Arts District.

People keep focusing on Central Dallas which has been a shrinking market for some time now when compared to the business districts of Las Colinas, the Platinum Corridor and the Telecom Corridor.

Take the added office space in Uptown and in downtown Dallas and subtract that from the office space lost to conversions to that of a hotel and to that to housing conversions (Mercantile and Republic) in downtown Dallas and the office market has been shrinking since the 80s.

When this pridiction was made, I wasn't expecting it to do anything for a while. Right now I'm just waiting for numbers.

I think regardless of what does happen with this prediction, people are going to be impressed with the pocket Hercules Las Colinas has become.

And their Bennigans shut down last week.

I didn't expect much from this thread until some numbers do come in which could take some time. I'm just thinking that part of the reason Uptown is slowing down, besides a dip in the economy of course, is that a shift is taking place with investors deciding to invest in Las Colinas in the future. The investment in Uptown, and in Central Dallas in particular, is going to be focused rather than spread out as has been the case.

Las Colinas tends to attract phenomonal investment. I'll post numbers on this in the future. The last investment which was over 7 billion lost steam as most investors decided to wait on the arrival of Light Rail while demand for office space fell. Then the plan for what to do with Texas stadium was submitted which became another dead line.

I think development from Las Colinas is going to spill into this new Texas stadium site and not the other way around.

Let us see if any of this does indeed come true.

Back to waiting.

"Whistling"

International?

DFW: 2,220,035 Down 0.6% from 2007

IAH: 3,374,026, Up 7.3% from 2007

So, I was wrong in saying DFW's international traffic dropped by over 3%, because that was the airport's overall traffic dropping by over 3%.

The international traffic at IAH was up. How was the overall traffic?

At first I was annoyed by this thread, but now it is really is starting to make me laugh out loud. I guess next, nuckledhead will tell us that within 10 years Las Colinas will surpass New York City in population and that from now on DFW will be referred to as the Las Colinas metropolitan area and Dallas and Ft Worth are just suburbs of Las Colina, Texas (where ever that is). In reality no one outside Texas (and few outside DFW) ever even heard of it. It isn't even on the map.

If nucklehead can start a thread called 'Crazy predictions' then maybe we all should. I predict that within 1 year DFW will have been eaten up by global warming and everyone will have moved to back to where they came from. It was 107 today, it's supposed to be 108 tomorrow. I think this explains all these nonsensical and incoherent ramblings coming from the north.

Well, my real concern is that Houston added in value this year the entire net worth of the real estate in the city of Irving. But I am still bullish on Las Colinas. It always attracts enormous investment as it will during this next round of expansion. We will see.

Wow. About 2/3 the size of the TMC. And completely, utterly, incomparable in just about every way imaginable.

Okay. So I won't then.

Wrong again! That $4 Billion in PLANNED development (not even under construction) is for all of Irving, according to Irving city officials.

Man, I do love b##ch slapping this troll!!!

Why are you ruining my thread?

I already posted those numbers and I'm not going to do it again.

Please go back and look it up.

Of course, all of the TODs in Irving will be built along the stations along the orange line which are either in Las Colinas or in the lead up developments before or after Las Colinas.

I know it's stupid to even entertain this thread, but I would assume that the Med Center alone would be in competition with Las Colinas. Anyone?

I would compare the Medical Center to the Telecom Center in Richardson. Telecom Center: 25 million in quality high tech space. Medical Center: 25 million in total space. The Medical Center does look awesome. Certainly one of 3 major business centers in close proximity that make up Houston's single polar metropolitan area.

Las Colinas really has developed beyond the Telecom corridor or the Medical Center in Houston in that it is developing its own lead in developments. In order to arrive at Las Colinas, one will pass through lead in developments first.

OK, Houston metro had over $13 Billion under construction in 2007, an increase over the $12 Billion in 2006. Not planned. Not proposed. Under construction. 2008 is likely up over 2007. Total 5 year construction total is over $53 Billion.

Your turn.

Well! One year total? That is going to be tough to beat. There is 4 billion in private TOD investment now in Las Colinas but it is waiting on Light Rail and for Texas stadium to get demolished. Development has already began in anticipation of the stations but it is certain to accelerate the closer those become a reality. Perhaps development will fall a little in Houston while Las Colinas has its best year. The business district could also get a large relocation or two.

Whenever something eventful happens, I'll post it in here.

Stay tuned.

"Whistling"

Nucklehead, you really are a Nucklehead.

Thanks. My first choice was Numbskull but I didn't know how to spell it.

Oh. By Las Colinas this includes its lead in develops also. This would be the new developments planned on the land freed up when Texas Stadium is demolished, both corridors of 161 leading into it, and the Freeport development to the west of it.

Now comes the hard part.

Waiting.

"Whistling"

Okay. I'm going to go out on a limb to make a prediction here. Sometime during the next five years, the total value spent on developments in Las Colinas in a single year will superceded the total value spent on developments in all of the Houston Metropolitan area in a single year. If I am wrong, then I will bow down to the mighty tall skyscrapers in Houston.

Let's keep an eye on what is going on and update that information in this thread from time to time. Thank you.

I guess, but DFW International service declined by like 3% this year from last year. Houston's increased by over 7%.

What did Houston's total passenger traffic increase by?

Wow, what garabge.

Look, the people in this forum were saying things like "Well, all the development in DFW is happening in and around Uptown while the development in Houston is all spread out." Yet, Las Colinas is booming also. You can't put your finger on what is happening in Dallas because the market is in transition. Has been for many years in fact. When the micro urban area of Preston Center is the premier business district in DFW (only 3 million square feet of office space) something is amiss. I think the premier status in DFW is moving from downtown Dallas to Las Colinas; while, I think the premier status in Central Dallas itself is going to center around the Arts District area. Central Dallas has become too large a district to isolate its premier designation to within a freeway loop as it once did before the 80's collapse.