brian0123

Also, I define urban as people walking from place to place...

Midtown is yesterday and Washington is here today. Midtown has the disadvantage of being pushed up against Third Ward, but Washington seems to be surrounded by decently developed areas and Memorial Park.

I disagree with your view regarding Midtown vs Washington. My wife and I almost bought a place last year along Washington, but went with Midtown instead. We first rented in the Washington area for a year, but got sick of it for several reasons.

1. Train Noise (but that sounds like it might become a non-issue)

2. Trains themselves (I got so sick of always having to wait for those stupid trains to drive by)

3. Non pedestrian friendly (I ride my bike a lot, and even though Washington has bike lanes, I almost got clipped several times on it. Also, there are no other major arteries to get around the neighborhood other than Washington. Sort of reminded me of FM 1960).

4. Industrial

We went with Midtown because...

1. Pedestrian Friendly (Walking around Midtown is very easy and fast with the grid layout. I can walk anywhere in ten minutes. Plus, I can safely ride my bike anywhere. I ride down La Branch to Herman Park in 8 minutes. When I have kids, we can safely go on bike rides to the Children's Museum).

2. Location (Even though 3rd ward is on the other side of 288... which is starting to see development... we are close to the Museum district, Med Center, Montrose, and Downtown).

3. Metro Rail

4. Parks (Yes, Memorial is near Washington... but we have Herman nearby, and I'm right next to Baldwin)

5. The mixture of restaurants/clubs/grocery stores/churches/businesses/etc.

6. Grid layout where the roads actually tie into surrounding neighborhoods (As the neighborhood grows, it will actually be able to handle tons of people moving in and out of the place. I worry Washington could eventually become like FM 1960 as more growth occurs).

Was jogging by today and they have begun dirt work.

http://www.4thwardhouston.com/fourth_ward_007.htm

Where is this? Webster @ what?

I went ahead and called this place today to find out what is going on. The lady told me that they are just renovating, and will not be a public facility. They will continue to be a delivery place only.

Just found a Public Notice that METRO released in February regarding demolitions on the Intermodal Terminal Lot.

Is the Intermodial Terminal the place that people keep thinking Greyhound could eventually move to?

this is most definitely the case... price reductions are few and far between in houston right now, but as this economy continues to decline and the overall lack of liquidity in the capital markets continue to squeeze, many of those companies who think they can "wait it out" will find themselves desperate to sell in the next 6-12 months.

houston is lagging the rest of the country, and the distressed assets haven't come to market.... yet

I'm not sure about this. Despite a crumby economy... Houston is not like the rest of the country. If/when home prices do fall, price declines won't be anything like that in other parts of the country. Also, as soon as oil markets even think the economy might recover... oil will be going back up very quickly.

they can't even fill in retail below the 24 hour fitness. i doubt we will see this project happen.

They will when the economy turns. Starting construction now will put them in a good position for when we start to recover in 2010.

Not sure if this has already been posted... but OPP now has some listings on HAR.

Listing 1

Listing 2

Among those rare few of the species that are biologically fertile, fertility only occurs once several prerequisites have been met. For instance, whereas a 1,600 square foot townhome would be adequate for a mating pair of the species, at least 1,000 square feet of additional enclosed living area per child is considered necessary to ensure the health and well-being of the offspring. Other prerequisites include a plot of St. Augustine grass, granite counter tops (Formica will not do), a massive island in the kitchen, top of the line name-brand appliances including a commercial-grade refrigerator, tall privacy fences, and a lot fronting a dead-end street. Also necessary are elementary schools without inferior forms of life. Few of these affluent mostly-white species can afford such a lifestyle, except in their traditional birthing grounds, and so they grudgingly relocate, quite possibly never to return in their lifetime to their species' romping grounds except shamefully by way of a 15-minute ride in a minivan. They will die there, firmly believing that their immortality is secured by their offspring even though a greater and greater proportion of affluent mostly-white offspring turn out to be infertile with each successive generation.

Thanks for the laugh Niche! Although I must have some genetic mutation that has made me different from my species... My wife and I plan on raising our future kids in our townhouse in Midtown. In all seriousness (just like totheskies described) we prefer living near Museums, art galleries, sporting events, theaters, parks, zoo, etc.

There is a fortune cookie factory?

Yep. And it smells awesome when they make the cookies. It's almost as magical as Willy Wonka's candy factory. Behold

9 months!?!?

Either their horribly inefficient or we should expect the Taj Mahal when complete.

Maybe their the same crew that built out the Pinks Pizza on Gray? (took a year, right?)

Ha ha, I know. Although the guy was Vietnamese and his English was very hard to understand... so he might have said five...

At one time there was a posted TABC Alcohol Permit notice. It is no longer posted.

What ever it is hopefully it is somewhat up class. Wine bar patrons typically will not relieve themselves on your lawn.

I rode by again today and asked the guys (at 2901 Fannin) what they are working on. The guy told me it's going to be a new bar that will be open in 9 months.

If a city inspector were driving by, I'd say it's a 50/50 they might notice you.

And if they do... is it a stern warning or a ride in the back of a po po's car?

I live across from 2950 Austin so I could hook up a hose for that location if needed. I don't know anything about building sidewalks though.

What is the "Guerrilla Sidewalk Project"?

what is going up on Tuam and Fannin?

I'm not sure. I noticed it the other day when I was on a bike ride. The place is 2901 Fannin (street view). They were carrying stuff in the door and I noticed that the inside was stripped to the studs. The building is attached to "Kim Marketing Company".

Where exactly is this building?

I noticed some construction at the building on the corner of Tuam and Fannin yesterday. This looks like it is on Caroline though?

It's at Caroline and Dennis link

Tuam and Fannin is being totally redone on the inside too.

I read about this project on the Baldwin Park thread and it looks like they have moved the dumpster to the north side of the building and are already tearing out cinder block for windows. Can someone post the architects drawing of the finished building?

This is a great deal more exciting than the "free clinic" going up at Fannin and McGowan.

I found the old flash file on their site containing the renderings. Go here to see it

I know a little bit about the property. I did an internet seach on the address and "Houston Architecture Forum" became evident. I figured I'd make a comment.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I noticed that they are working on the property next door. I've always found the two properties interesting because they just look creepy. So what's the story behind all of the junk and personal property laying around (i.e. the clunker cars)? Do you know what they plan to do with this building?

Hmm, hopefully its a "Mikhail Baryshnikov" dance studio versus an "Anna Nicole-Smith" dance studio!

The cafe on the corner sounds like a good idea.

This might be a first for Midtown in that for the first time the guy standing on a corner with a white towel will be a waiter.

Ha ha, I know. The studio is The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company. Supposedly it's one of the best the city has. My wife attends classes there every now and then, so that's how I found out about it. They used to have info on their site about it, but it has been pulled. I called them this morning and the lady said they pulled it awhile back because they weren't sure if it would go through... but tonight their board is meeting and they will now approve it. She told me that the building is empty inside, and that within a couple of months we should start seeing demo on the inside (with a target move in for Jan 2009). They are going to poke holes in the concrete walls and insert windows. From what I saw of earlier renderings, it looked really cool.

The first floor will be the studio, and on the second floor there will be offices/art studios/etc. She said they are talking with various artists/galleries and the goal is to make the place like a hub for artistic people. They will have a 30 year lease on the place, and the lady said they are very excited about the new location and are working with the MMD on ways to improve the area (hence, the cafe).

That vacant lot on Caroline between Tuam and Dennis now has a large dumpster on it. It is one of those construction dumpsters that is used when a building is demoed. The problem is, there are no buildings on that lot. Very interesting!

Well, I know there is a dumpster on the empty lot at Tuam and Fannin because they are redoing this building. The lot you describe might be for the new dance studio that is going to go in at this building right next to the empty lot. In fact, I just talked to the studio on the phone, and the lady told me that they might even have a cafe on one corner!

I called up HCAD and talked to an appraiser. The first person I talked to told me"2910 Crawford is in a different neighborhood than the other properties you mentioned (the townhoses next door)" I was flabbergasted. Different neighborhood? They are all on the same d**n city block. If the dirt under the townhomes is worth $20 per sqft, then the dirt under the flophouse is worth that too. I finally talked to a real appraiser, discovered you can't protest your neighbor's value, and had a good conversation about the commercial properties in the area. The next year, the land value for 2910 went up from $8 or so (this was in 1999 or 2000) to over $20. The then owner protested, and lost. The appraisers seem reasonable when you talk to them off the record.

His sqft cost is $3 less than mine... so I understand that. However, why is it that his building is appraised at almost nothing, as if he just has a wood shed or something? The building is still crap... but I know it's worth more than just the land value.

The original section of Baldwin Square, the block bounded by Tuam, LaBranch, Austin, and Anita. That section has a separate meter for each house, and each owner is responsible for maintaining the exterior of the house. The HOA covers maintaining the fence, the sprinklers, and cutting the grass, plus what little common area exists, over by the mailboxes. I took a quick look, and I only see 4 or 5 original owners I recognize, but many of the names are the second owners, so it's relatively stable.

This is the block I'm in and love it. I'm a third owner, but have done more work on my home (and put more into it) than the prior owners. It's interesting hearing stories from the original owners on the block about what Baldwin Square was like ten years ago. Let's just say we've come a long way.

I took some pictures of this today. I didn't realize that this place was going to be so large...

@ Milam near Tuam

@Travis near Dennis

@Travis near Dennis

This is 2910 Crawford. Is this up to code?

Hey, I'm sorry this is slightly off topic, but did anyone see the police helicopter and seven+ police cars surrounding Zeppelin (San Jacinto and Rosalie) on Monday night? I live right across from their parking lot, and heard over the bullhorn "Come out with your hands up! This is your last warning!" Then I watched from my window for a while as the helicopter continued to circle pointing its searchlight at the building, while cops with dogs circled with their own flashlights looking all around. I searched chron.com and khou.com for articles about it, but didn't find anything. Are police standoffs so common in Houston that they don't even merit the news? Anyone else hear anything about it?

Yeah, I saw it from my window too. I found an online HPD police scanner at the time and between all the garbled mess it sounded as if someone tried to rob the place and ended up on the roof. This sort of thing happens a lot... so news doesn't always cover it.

I was thinking last night about 2910 and had an idea that I wanted to throw out to everyone. What if the MMD were to buy up properties in Midtown (like 2910) that are flop houses near residential areas? The MMD has been busy buying up properties on the other side of 288 (see the thread Midtown TIRZ & Mgmt District) Granted, the properties on our side of 288 are pricier... but shutting those places down would have a tremendous impact on Midtown. Would this be a good idea or a waste of money?

i didnt say they were renters and didnt mean to imply that. was talking about pride of ownership in which they have little to no real money in their unit (ie 5% or less down). therefore, they treat the unit like a rental rather than their home. in other words and as an example: if the toilet is constantly running, a proud owner would call their local plumber and get it fixed rather than ignore it. does that make sense?

your HOA management told me otherwise. roofs, underground plumbing, and exterior painting were all covered under the hoa. additionally, maybe im wrong but im going by memory; community water (ie sprinklers), insurance, and such as well.

so you are saying all of these items are only covered by the owners individually and the hoa is only for deed restrictions? thats pretty hard to believe but since you are an owner and im not, you know more about it than me.

I only put 5% down and have done more to my house than the past two owners ever did. This is my first home, and my wife and I have tremendous pride in it. I know other newly weds in the area that are the same way. Plus, in today's economy, it doesn't necessarily make sense to put 20% down into an illiquid asset when you can instead use the money to purchase stocks at dirt cheap levels or save it for the rainy day that is sure to strike many more people before our economy turns.

As for the HOA, I can only speak for my section of Baldwin Square. For us... roofs are not covered, but underground plumbing (sprinklers) and exterior painting (of the fences) are. Also, there are some communities that have community water, others don't (not mine). The insurance only covers stuff like someone getting pinned by an automatic community gate and suing. We also pay for private trash pickup so we don't have to put our trash onto the street.