brian0123

This looks like a cool project. From the design, it sounds like it will be matching the Calais directly across the street.

The new Scout Square development is coming along and you can now see the new BlackFinn Saloon underneath it: http://innerlooped.com/1261/blackfinn-showing-and-elevators-hanging/

Thanks for the information! Meyerland was another on our list of places to check out. I was worried about McMansions taking over that area as well. Is Meyerland more immune to the McMansion craziness or are we all doomed?

I swung by there on Sunday to order takeout and there was a sign on the door that said they were closed Sunday and Monday for labor day weekend. However, their site doesn't show Midtown as a location now. http://www.rubytequilas.com/locations/

I was driving around the Med Center today and decided to go check out Linkwood and the surrounding neighborhoods. I'm not sure all of the exact neighborhood names, but the area I'm referring to is south of S Braeswood, north of 610, and Stella Link and Buffalo Speedway run between the three different sections (with Linkwood being in the middle). The homes seemed older (streets old too), with not a lot of street lighting. There were some very nice, new homes and some awesome older mods. Linkwood Park seemed nice, but there were a chunk of older apartment complexes right around it. Longfellow looked like a nice school. I guess I'd like to get any resident's opinions on this area. In particular: 1. Is Longfellow a good school? What about Pershing middle school? 2. How is crime in these neighborhoods? When looking on Houston Crime Maps, I see that home break-ins seem to be the more popular crime in the area. Do the nearby older apartments cause any problems? Would you feel safe walking around at night? I could tell by just driving around, it seemed empty during the day and was wondering what police response times were like in this neighborhood. 3. What is your overall opinion of these areas? Are there a lot of kids around here, or older residents? 4. Do these homes flood? Overall, I was impressed with Braeswood and the bayou (very pretty along it), but am not sure what to think of these hoods. There were a good chunk of yards not well kept, everything seemed older, and it felt like a place my grandparents would live as opposed to younger families. Thanks for your help in advance.

So is the concern that a geriatric old man might show up one day and try to repeat what he did to his parents?

Across the street from these two blocks a new rehabilitation center is going to be built... http://innerlooped.com/1159/another-midtown-lot-to-grow-a-building/ I noticed the new sign up on the lot yesterday for it (no renderings yet). This (coupled with these two blocks being developed) should serve as a nice buffer between the neighborhood and Pierce elevated.

I'm a .NET and Java guy. I'd be curious to know what companies are actually hiring in these fields. I know my company isn't looking for many new developers right now.

It's free after 6pm Mon - Sat (meters stop taking money after 5:55pm). Sundays are free. I'm downtown all the time and find free parking easy to come by.

What section of land are you referring to? Is it the one that Junction uses for parking (that has the abandoned row houses on the back side)?

I used to play Treeline golf all the time. My guess would be that it was what everything else out there was... farm land.

Install one of these for your garage. I did and love it (probably only took about an hour to do). http://www.amazon.com/XCELTRONIX-Garage-Door-Autocloser/dp/B0013N0GZM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311009620&sr=8-1

Very cool. I'm curious, but could you share some of the story on your house? I noticed it was renovated last year. Do you all rent it? It looks like an awesome place.

Sorry, I'm guilty of not paying attention to the difference. This was a burglary for sure. My cams caught them looking for an easy target in the morning when no one was home. You see them circle the block casing the area. Apparently they knocked on a neighbor's door who was home. My neighbor yelled "one second" thinking it was a visiting friend, went to look through the peephole, but no one was there (the guys must have heard them and moved along). They clearly did NOT want to go to a home w/ someone in it. As Red said earlier, these types of crimes happen all the time in Houston. My coworkers who live in the burbs have had the same things happen to their neighbors. Even HPD officers at the public safety meetings have said that Midtown is one of the safer neighborhoods you can live in Houston. Yeah, you have petty crime and some burglary, but he said "I can take to you many other neighborhoods in this city and show you dangerous."

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I thought you were referring to Glover Park. The lot you are referring to is still waiting for funding (last I heard).

LOL I'm the guy that got that footage. It was one robbery where they went for the one house w/out a security alarm sign. It was three younger guys and last I heard HPD got one of them. About a month ago they walked by again and I got the constables to arrest the other two. I'm not sure where they all stand now. That said, that event was one of the few major incidents.

Wow, thanks for the story! I've only been in my home for three years (and as I said earlier) it just gets better. There are only a couple of my neighbors who are original owners now, and they have some crazy stories like that too. I'm at Austin and Anita, and apparently the grass between the street and sidewalk could not be walked on w/out nearly stepping on a needle. Today I only have to worry about stepping on dog crap.

Why would someone sell after it's built? If it's bad, it presumably could impact resale value. It would make more sense to just enjoy the density they moved their for and not take a $ hit on trying to sell it. The vine idea mentioned above is a cool idea. On the plus side... their units are now hurricane and tornado proof.

Oh come on... you're way off. I've been here three years and have seen nothing but the same foot traffic with more development in the neighborhood. The crime statistics from Precinct 7 Constables, HPD, and Metro all show continued declines in our crime (I've been to the Midtown Public Safety meetings). Your personal observation runs contrary to the crime stat facts. HAR shows 8 Pending Sales right now from the past couple of weeks and 1 option pending that just showed up. As I said in an earlier post, people will buy when the market starts to recover. Lo and behold... people are starting to buy again. You are also seeing leases skyrocketing because people are still either worried about home purchases, or they don't qualify to get a loan based on lending standards. The fact that people want to lease here just shows you how high the demand is for our neighborhood.

Not sure where you've been, but that house was demolished months ago. The discussion on the plans for this lot are new (I've talked with the designers). Midtown also just received the funding for it so it is now happening. They are in the process of finalizing the designs right now.

What does "all under" the bridge mean? Sorry, I'm confused by what plans you are referring to. Where is the location of the bridge?

I would add that the erosion of regulations and tax laws that favor the wealthy also have contributed heavily (if not more) to the problem.

Midtown is big, so if you want an apartment you'd be looking on the West side of Main. That side is more developed w/ bars and restaurants, but is louder and more of a party atmosphere if that's what you want. If you want a townhouse in a quiet neighborhood but still close to everything, you need to look East side (that's where I live) around Baldwin Park. It looks like most of the ones that were near me rented up. Here are some remaining ones for rent near me when I look on HAR that fit your criteria... 3/3/2 $2095 http://search.har.com/engine/2718-Crawford-St-Houston-77004-1119_HAR90679938.htm 2/2/2 $1800 http://search.har.com/engine/1707-Stuart-Av-Houston-77004-3041_HAR37478154.htm 2/2/2 $1700 http://search.har.com/engine/2711-Chenevert-Houston-77004-1216_HAR77309434.htm

Congrats on coming back to Houston. My wife and I actually had the same dilemma four years ago (we were looking at Cypress due to the same reasons you mention the Woodlands). We ended up deciding on Midtown (and speaking from experience now)... Midtown is a no-brainer to me. First, it's on the light rail line between Downtown, Museum District, and the Med Center. That would be ideal for him working in the TMC. If in the Woodlands, he'd be spending almost two hours a day in the car. In Midtown, he'd have a five minute commute. For parks, we have WAY better one's than the Woodlands. We ride our bikes to Hermann Park or Discovery Green. Miller Outdoor Theatre also offers free shows all the time and they are very entertaining (http://milleroutdoortheatre.com/). Midtown also has Baldwin Park. There are trails in Memorial Park and along Buffalo Bayou that will let you escape and give you the feeling you are not even in the city. As for entertainment... the city has better options as far as sporting events, museums, concerts, restaurants, and bars. My wife and I have loved every second of life in the city and would have really regretted not living it up before we had kids. The city is real. The Woodlands is manufactured. The type of housing you describe is plentiful in Midtown. You can either go for an apartment if you want a pool, or there are a lot of townhouses/condos you could rent that are 2 bed/ 2.5 bath with 2 car attached garages (however my wife and I bought near Baldwin Park because it was cheaper than renting). Feel free to ask me anything about Midtown (the good, the bad, whatever). My wife and I will be having our first child in a month and will raise her in Midtown. I cannot imagine how blah life would be if we lived in the burbs.

While the inner loop numbers were small compared to the suburbs... it doesn't necessarily surprise me considering how large of an area is outside the loop, as well as the fact that commuting in this city (and suburb life) was easier even a couple years ago. I have friends who bought several years ago in the burbs... but are now kicking themselves they didn't move in the loop and are just making do with their situation and commutes for now. I think the next set of census numbers will tell a different story and you will see an even accelerated growth in the loop. Our freeways continue to get more clogged every day (and there are no quick fixes for them), and eventually people reach a tipping point where they can't stand spending 2 hours every day of their life in a car (I know I did, and went from spending 1.5 hours a day to 10 minutes a day in the car).