lockmat

is that an "educated" guess or do you have actual knowledge of this from stakeholder sources?

Indian Nation? Interesting that they'd be asking them. Hopefully the guvment gave them a big stimulus to spend on this ;P "We've looked at a lot of Texas-centric and Houston-centric investors," he said. "We have a deep dialog with the Indian Nation and have been traveling through Europe as well."

Got this from my RECON email... AUSTIN (Texas Labor Market Review) – Because of population growth, names for two Texas Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) have changed. The Austin–Round Rock MSA is now the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA. The San Antonio MSA is now the San Antonio–New Braunfels MSA. Geographic composition for both areas will remain unchanged.

it's halfway there...man, this is gonna be a short building.

Skyscrapers are tending to have bigger floor plates these days, right? So I was wondering if there was a list somewhere that ranked the buildings by their square footage. I wonder if there are some that actually look much shorter but in reality are the same or even bigger than their taller counterparts, just because of their wider footprint. Anyone know of one?

Sadly, the whole point was to figure out how he was describing Houston. But to do that, I need a reference point, and had no idea how Dallas and New York were similar. Ah well, I should known better.

Nick Massad Jr. ... says downtown (especially near the George R. Brown) is seriously under-roomed considering it has three markets––sports, conventions, and corporate travel. (Most hotels have two.) He says we have 4800 rooms downtown; compare to Austin (5700), San Antonio (12k) or even the Galleria (8k). The hotel will be 19 stories, 262 suites, 80 underground parking spaces, a street-level restaurant, and 6k SF of meeting space. Nick says it took1.5 years to plan and arrange financing, and it’s only happening because of the city’s occupancy tax rebate. ...every inch of the 17k SF lot is being built, which made building the two stories below grade a challenge. Nick wants to build another hotel with some retail in the area, but it would be at least three years from now. http://www.bisnow.com/houston_commercial_real_estate_news_story.php?p=7355

Anyone know when we'll start to see numbers come in?

Where, in the article I posted? I could not find anything about research forest.

parental guidance

so sad. i am normally more lenient on things like this, but the before and after are just so so sad. in the name of modernization, i wish they just would have the left the old one as is and built their modification, brand new.

I guess that's ok to move it, but I really wanted to talk about the architectural differences. Niche's argument is convincing to me. But I still feel like Pei's comment does not say much at all about Houston. I know it's not like Dallas or NYC, but not being like them could be a million other things. I guess the fact that in Dallas he was designing for the people not the place, implies that buildings in Houston are designed for the opposite; the place, not the people. But I'm not sure I know enough architect talk to be able to see or explain the difference.

these are need so bad. weird how they're gonna be tolled during peak hours though; hope it's not much. maybe .50? Selected quotes... The project includes two flyovers to ease congestion at Texas 242 and Interstate 45, with future plans to add a third, Chance said. The flyovers, which will collect tolls during peak hours, will provide an alternative to motorists at the intersection. The intersection will continue to offer ground level turning options to motorists at no cost. One flyover will go from the northbound lanes on Interstate 45 to Texas 242 westbound. It is expected to begin about 1,500 feet from the intersection and exit before Lone Star College. It will bypass two lights on Texas 242, Chance said. The second flyover will go from 242 westbound to I-45 southbound. The flyover will begin near St. Luke’s Way and exit onto the interstate about 1,500 feet south of the intersection. A third ramp is in the planning stages, but is not included in the current project. It would begin on Interstate 45 northbound and exit to Texas 242 eastbound, Chance said. The flyovers are the fifth and final road projects funded through the state's "pass-through toll" program, where the county pays for the cost of the roads upfront and is then reimbursed by the state based on the number of vehicles using the road. Motorists will be charged a premium fee to use the flyovers during peak hours, while minimal or free use expected during off-peak hours. http://www.ultimatewoodlands.com/2010/02/work-starts-texas-242-flyovers

But really, I'm trying to figure out Pei's response in his comparison of New York/Dallas to Houston. Can yall figure it out? Cuz honestly, I can't figure out how Dallas is like NYC. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f75a20c4-2261-11df-a93d-00144feab49a.html

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/14504-uptown-area-river-oaks-district/page__pid__223402#entry223402

This just happened the other day (Downtown Developer Walking Tour by ULI) and I saw this picture. You can see plans for another convention hotel. (Also, this blog seems like a nice little news source) http://www.bisnow.com/houston_commercial_real_estate_news_story.php?p=7251

...and government isn't exactly the most popular or interesting class at that age either. also, i bet if you polled most americans, more than 85% would not know this, and if they said republic, half of them would have been guesses. let's ask people around our offices and see what they know. ;P

Call me stupid, but I did not know the difference and have always heard people say that the USA is a democracy. But after watching this video, it has made my eyes wide open, and it has made me very happy to be a part of this country. This will change the way I look at national, state and local issues. Maybe we can discuss how this related to some of local issues as of late and see if the government acted in the right manner. http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

quote name='fatesdisastr' date='Monday, February 15, 2010 at 8:18 PM' timestamp='1266286736' post='357221'] taking a second look at the rendering it seems there might be an entrance and exit from La Branch to a check-in area and possibly a small parking lot in front of that facing Lamar. yeah, I guess so. It's just really hard to differentiate between the property and the street and/or the one next to it.

it seems there is no space remaining on the east side of the block in the rendering, but in the photo there is lots. I wonder if they changed the size, but regardless, I wonder what they'll do with it? Parking?

but selling them might! see you at HEB

my uncle just took my grandfather to see his daughter live in nyc last weekend!

we've got a spare bedroom. Come on over! Plus, I plan on staring up my own ebay company. You can join! haha, jk. In all seriousness, I hope you don't lose your job.

Glad you're on board ;P