kdog08

On 12/31/2017 at 0:54 AM, nate4l1f3 said:

I hope I’m wrong but I just don’t  see how this will be successful.  What do you guys think? The location stinks for something like this. 

I share your pessimism regarding this. It's just not in a good location considering the frequency of conventions and sporting events. Downtown needs to consolidate and improve on its activity centers instead of creating new ones. If they were so hell bent on creating a new area then why not along the rail nearby, primarily at the Convention Center stop. 

4 hours ago, urbanize713 said:

I think Randall's and even the Kroger's may not be long for this world. Especially if HEB moves forward. 

 

**edit: Some stores, not the entire companies.

 

Go go to any HEB and people are crammed in there. Head to Randall's and its crickets. Kroger is better but not by much. 

 

I'm hoping the next Central Market is in Midtown or Downtown. Space them out a bit if the company is not going to build as many. 

And Whole Foods will be undergoing a major change with Amazon. I used to work for HEB corporate in Houston, albeit the pharmacy side, but they aren't afraid to try new concepts.  Pure speculation on my part... but I think this concept will be a HEB twist on what Whole Foods/Amazon plans to do. The store footprint in my mind will be mostly devoted to a cafe that serves beer and win and the "warehouse" section where grocery orders are put together and stored. Fresh fruit, veggies, meats, and fish along with basic staples will take up a smaller foot print as the focus will be more automated ordering. 

HEB does their homework. This must be a radically different concept. 

Those pictures make it look like a sizable urban park. Great updates. 

11 minutes ago, AnTonY said:

I understand your viewpoint, I just showed why the requirements aren't necessarily neglected.

Fair enough. Highland Village on Westheimer is a place that actually gets some foot traffic that is lined with just palm trees. Just never understood that type of streetscape. 

15 hours ago, AnTonY said:

That's only a problem if they are the only type of landscaping being used. But in most cases, various types of broad leaf trees are planted with the palms, so the shade requirement is never neglected.

 

Well yes obviously as I was referring to just palm trees

On 3/2/2017 at 8:33 PM, AnTonY said:

I'm not sure why people have a problem with palm trees being planted. While SE/coastal areas of the metro feature the most optimal growing climate (and with the largest varieties of species), everywhere in the Houston has a climate warm enough to support the planting of many types of palms.

 

There are two native palm varieties specifically to the Houston area (sabal minor and sabal brazoria), but even if there weren't, it doesn't matter, since many palms have been shown to do well in Houston's climate, from dates to washingtonias to sabals. No palm is native to coastal California, doesn't stop places like LA from planting loads of them.

 

It really doesn't matter if a plant is native or not; if it can grow well, then there is no problem using it. Crape myrtles aren't native to the US, yet they grow just fine in Houston, and no one throws a fit at their presence.

They just don't provide much shade in a city that needs shade along sidewalks. 

On 3/16/2017 at 7:43 AM, Nole23 said:

"New York-based McKinsey & Co., a global consulting firm, is relocating its Houston office to 609 Main, a company spokesperson confirmed to the Houston Business Journal.

 

McKinsey will move into 36,000 square feet of space in 609 Main, per Colvill Office Properties’ Michael Anderson. Anderson, alongside Damon Thames, represents the building’s developer, Hines. McKinsey will relocate from 5 Houston Center, where it currently occupies 35,000 square feet, according to a McKinsey spokesperson and PMRG research."

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2017/03/15/exclusive-big-three-consulting-firm-to-relocate-to.html?ana=fbk

 

Any clue what % of the building is leased up? 

On 3/1/2017 at 0:17 PM, Triton said:

 

Easy answer to everyone's question because I expected it. It's all of those projects but on steroids. The sheer size of this project is impressive. Blocks upon blocks upon blocks of stores, bars, and apartments AND the light rail is immediately to the east of this near Top Golf. I saw quite a few riders hoping on and off to the apartments near by. And even though it's in the suburbs, it's so well connected to the surrounding area, including the JJ Pickle Research Institute. Sure, we have developments similar to this, but nothing at this size. Perhaps Rice Village comes close but it doesn't have the nightlife nor the bigger retail you would see from a mall. It's honestly the perfect combination for all sorts of people. I couldn't find any pictures online that really do it justice.... hopefully when ya'll are in Austin, you can check it out and you'll understand what I mean. Or do Google Streetview and "drive around" I guess.

 

Edit: And perhaps even looking again at the renderings for Regent Square, this project won't quite match that either. But I seriously believe we need some type of project at this scale and so well connected like this in Houston. Fingers crossed we get this at Hardy Yards with the Burnett transit center connection but who knows...

Austin doesn't really have any other of these types of developments, aside from Mueller, which is also very large and has more potential in my opinion. The Domain works so well since Austin has grown massively northwards and this fills a giant need for this large swath of middle class suburbia.

It would be very hard for Houston to match the size and scale of the Domain. City Centre in Memorial could possibly do it in a piecemeal fashion connecting City Centre with Memorial City Mall area. 

Crazy considering how much space is being underutilized in West Houston after the boom. 

On 2/19/2017 at 6:06 PM, UtterlyUrban said:

Seems that the Billionaires Boys Club has left the city.  They are all counting their green.  Sadly, the families and children of Houston are left with a park that is about 50% closed.  I wonder if the Billionaire Boys Club paid for any of this restorative work?

 

to be fair, it seems that the Disco folks are using the heaps of dead grass to bring in some good soils/compost as part of the reseeding.

 

 

Why keep replacing the grass.... Maybe Discovery GREEN wouldn't live up to it's name as much, but maybe switch to gravel in most places. 

On 1/5/2017 at 10:46 PM, quietstorm said:

The residential density here seems to be reaching critical mass and should soon be enough to spur more practical retail that will give Midtown a more complete sense of place.

On 2/13/2017 at 7:43 PM, mollusk said:

West Gray is another few blocks south.

It seems West Gray and Bagby is where the retail is for the NW portion of midtown. 

I don't think it's ugly. It will look better when some of that white space will be broken up with signs for store fronts. I take this development as a win for Midtown as it brings residents, retail, and public parking. Yes, parking which is still needed to support retail but will also be used to park and go to multiple establishments. Regardless, this along with the other developments announced or under construction alongside the rail is finally filling in the major gaps in a positive way. 

On 1/27/2017 at 9:33 AM, bobruss said:

If you look at the rendering you will notice the rail lines on the bottom right corner and the large protruding awning is the front of MATCH, which  I believe is at the corner of Mcgowan and Main.

Just to remind those naysayers that the rail wouldn't bring any development.

What do you say now?

Not a naysayer, but Midtown's development has been strange. Western Midtown, along Bagby and W Gray to the North got developed before we started significantly filling in the pieces along the rail in the last 2 years. A boutique hotel would go great along this stretch of the rail. 

Really like the use of the brick on this project, wish more projects looked like this. 

No need to rush right now unfortunately. 

Agreed about the landscaping. They simply need to make the entrance more "green". 

Any clue on the occupancy? 

Definitely more room for apartments and office if that's the case. 

Good to see them adding the infrastructure and landscaping during the downturn. 

Getting ready for the next cycle, hopefully mid 2017. 

On 3/15/2016 at 9:54 AM, gene said:

is it me or is this project super slow moving? 

What's the rush with low oil prices? 

Incorporate all the schools into two flagship systems, just as they do in California. All the schools would have PUF access, but they wouldn't have independence in administration of the funds. It's an even trade-off.

 

What wrong things? Neither UT nor UH are my alma mater, so I don't have a horse in the race.

Yet you are fighting hard for the status quo. It simply isn't realistic to adopt the California system at this point, maybe several decades ago but that ship has sailed. 

So what else ya got?

Increase taxes? 

Yet you're asking them to give up money, receiving nothing in return. That's something for nothing.

 

The only thing that I can think of that UH has to offer that would be an even exchange for PUF access is institutional independence. Yet, I haven't seen any proposals from UH boosters that even countenance giving something up to UT in exchange for that access. It's only "we demand this" and "you should do this because this is unfair", like UT or A&M should care about such things, not to mention the people in the state's other big cities who would receive no material benefit from such a change.

 

UH doesn't have the leverage to get PUF access, and yet its supporters are the ones making the demands. Can you not see how this appears extremely foolish to others?

Your generalizations and putting words in mouth aside, how would you propose to fund additional flagship universities? 

It just seems you are focused on the wrong things. 

Considering UT-RGV was just formed as an amalgamation of UTPA and UT-Brownsville, I think the state is already working on bolstering the system along the border. Kingsville is not the border.

 

I am mistaken, I don't know why I thought Kingsville was much closer to the border. Glad to hear they are bolstering the border region. 

Why should they disperse the funds when it's only to the UT and A&M systems' detriment, and only to the UH/TTU systems' benefit? You're asking for something in exchange for nothing.

 

There is no reason that we couldn't have a mass higher education reorganization tomorrow. All it would take is negotiation. But, you have to understand, UT and A&M aren't going to give up their spots as the state's flagships. If you want them to give on something, you've got to give on something as well. I have not seen any pro-UH posters on here being willing to do so. The most that's being offered is an ultimatum of PUF access in exchange for us not throwing a hissy fit. Is that an even exchange?

 

Sacrificing independence while maintaining a bit of autonomy, on the other hand, would be. In all honesty, I don't know why any UH graduate would be opposed to it. It enhances the value of your degree overnight.

That's a false dichotomy. No one is suggesting UT and TAMU give up their spots as flagships, I suggested to add more flagships and building upon what we already have built. Personally, I think we need a flagship in each major region; UH, UT-D, UT, and TAMU. The border region is woefully under served by higher education so TAMU-Kingsville needs to become more like present day UT-D before becoming a flagship. 

To the bolded, the point is what's best for people of the state of Texas.