samagon

4 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Maybe pay closer attention to what TXDOT actually proposes to do.  For example, the I-45 expansion segments 1 & 2 is primarily to add HOV/HOT/bus lanes, not to mention that every TXDOT project in recent years includes a lot of attention to adding landscaping and trees.

not to bleed the subject from the i45 topic here, but TXDoT does exactly the bare minimum required by the FHWA to unlock the funds that justify their existence.

14 hours ago, trymahjong said:

That sounds great! I'm sort of math challenged; wondering how those 4.5 million trees will be distributed over Houston's 650 (+-) square miles? Is that about the number other cities plant?

I think it's more (hopefully) going to matter the miles of roads in Houston as to how the distribution of those trees will happen. the entire area is comprised of largely private property, so I don't expect the city to plant in people's backyards, or even in city parks, but along streets and such, sure. in that, according to a chron article, there's 6200 miles of roads in Houston, so if they only plant trees on streets, then that's 725 trees per mile, if evenly spaced on each side of the road, then that's a tree planted on each side of the road every 15'. roughly, and my maths probably sucks.

as to the heat this year, it is anomalous, even considering our current doom path of climate change, but it's a great example of what we have in store. this year (and probably the next 5-10 years) is a result of the immense amount of water vapor that was shoved into the atmosphere by the hunga tonga whatever volcano.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere

Quote

Volcanic eruptions rarely inject much water into the stratosphere. In the 18 years that NASA has been taking measurements, only two other eruptions – the 2008 Kasatochi event in Alaska and the 2015 Calbuco eruption in Chile – sent appreciable amounts of water vapor to such high altitudes. But those were mere blips compared to the Tonga event, and the water vapor from both previous eruptions dissipated quickly. The excess water vapor injected by the Tonga volcano, on the other hand, could remain in the stratosphere for several years.

 

This extra water vapor could influence atmospheric chemistry, boosting certain chemical reactions that could temporarily worsen depletion of the ozone layer. It could also influence surface temperatures. Massive volcanic eruptions like Krakatoa and Mount Pinatubo typically cool Earth’s surface by ejecting gases, dust, and ash that reflect sunlight back into space. In contrast, the Tonga volcano didn’t inject large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere, and the huge amounts of water vapor from the eruption may have a small, temporary warming effect, since water vapor traps heat. The effect would dissipate when the extra water vapor cycles out of the stratosphere and would not be enough to noticeably exacerbate climate change effects.

that report says small, temporary, while it doesn't feel small for the last month or so, in the overall yearly global average, it'll end up being small, and temporary, water vapor will dissipate from where it causes warming.

but yeah, as you said in another post, nothing is constant, all is changing, it has and it will continue to do so, regardless of whether you believe it's our fault or not, it doesn't matter, we're in for change, and our elected leaders need to figure out how to stop arguing and just make small changes like the tree plantings, or adjusting ordinances to reduce the heat island effects that get magnified as temperatures rise.

On 8/5/2023 at 4:03 PM, BigFootsSocks said:

Curious what these other perversions are

this thread just got real interesting

On 8/5/2023 at 6:58 PM, steve1363 said:

Some things are best left to the imagination…

awww :(

@Houston19514 yeah, we need that for residential too.

and I think there's also rules towards parking lots and having trees, but there should be more included there.

I do like awnings, but depending on how they are implemented, and how wide the sidewalk is makes a big difference imo.

the rice hotel awning is a great example of an area that feels open and airy, even though it's completely covered. not sure how wide the sidewalks are here, but the height of the awning, plus the width of the widewalk, and the size of the columns (poles in this case) that hold up the awning help make it feel more open, and not imposing.

whatever the new name of the building at Rusk and San Jacinto is after it was turned into an apartment, the awning over that makes it feel very imposing, the width of the walkway, and the size of the columns just makes it feel more enclosed, even when it isn't really.

we certainly need more trees everywhere in town, or any kind of cover over sidewalks. 

to reduce the heat island effect we need to move away from roofing materials that soak up heat, and maybe there are road surfaces that can do the same. 

connecting a bike lane on Commerce at least as far as Austin street should be a thing, but considering the i45 realignment is going to be a reality, I'd be happy if they don't spend the money for that now.

if my memory is working well today, that part of that TXDoT project will include reconstructing the Navigation underpass, and will also include Commerce in that underpass.

there isn't a car capable connection, but there is a crosswalk at the pharmacy building that accesses the Brays Bayou Greenway, they even have a lane for golfcarts, so there's access for pedestrian, bike, or cart to the energy park via this greenway.

I confess I've only ever ridden past the energy park entrance on my bike, and haven't investigated how easy it is to access that section of campus from that trail, but it exists.

time and funding will get it there.

I recall going to the Dallas arboretum when I was a kid, but I don't recall much more than having gone.

San Antonio has one too, which that one's over 40 years old at this point, both seem pretty mature.

we've had ours open for coming on 3 years. Sept 2020. as far as I'm concerned, 3/4 of 2020 and maybe half of of 2021 were lost as far as planning for anything more than just survival, especially for a place that just opened. I wouldn't be surprised if covid knocked them back about 5 years as far as funding goes.

anyway, yeah, I get it, and if I didn't have a kid under 2 who can be fascinated by repeating the same things over and over, it wouldn't be such an easy value proposition for me. we have a zoo membership too, but even if we get there early, it's still a tougher visit. parking 10 feet from the entrance and not having the crowds is really great if all we're doing is repetition. and anyway, any kid can point at an elephant and make the long elephant nose gesture with their arm, but my daughter can point at a banana plant and say 'nana, so that's something she can add to her resume.

On 7/27/2023 at 11:42 PM, JLWM8609 said:

St. Arnold will be spared https://www.txdot.gov/content/dam/project-sites/nhhip/docs/nhhip-segment-3-i-10-rollplot-ph-2-2.pdf

not sure this is a good thing for the beer garden. the location of the beer garden and the view of the downtown skyline is one of the reasons to go, and with that section of the i45 reroute being elevated, the view to downtown is going to be mostly gone, never mind the 10 year impact it'll have during construction.

the skyline views aren't needed for the brewery to function though, and I doubt the years of construction are going to impact the flavor of the beer when I buy it at Specs, so that should be ok.

On 7/27/2023 at 5:57 PM, steve1363 said:

Yes, both of those things would have benefited the garden as a tourist location.  My memory could be failing me but I seem to recall some nice elevations inside Gus Wortham that Glenbrook just doesn’t have.  That was another reason I preferred GW over GB.

It’s water under the bridge now.  I saw recently that Claudia Gee Vassar is stepping down as President and CEO of HBG.  I REALLY hope the board brings in someone that can get things moving.  I feel like the garden has been stagnant since it opened.

the elevation changes at both courses relied upon natural slopes from the bayou, the flatness is very Houston, but there's a good amount of elevation at the botanical gardens. they do a lot of small things. they had the Lego exhibit, they have a sculpture exhibit now. during the holidays they had a holiday light exhibit (and had extended hours for it).

I think if they are to boost weekday attendance they'll need to work with schools to bus in kids during the school year (which they may do, I'm not a weekday visitor), or have more kid friendly attractions during the summer. the only way they would have been able to attract the large number of families that frequent the zoo and Hermann park during the summer would be to have put the botanical garden where Hermann park golf course is, and that wasn't ever an option (although it would have been the best way to generate immediate attendance). 

On 7/28/2023 at 2:54 PM, 004n063 said:

I find the location of the gardens extremely difficult to get to, personally, to the point where I canceled my membership when I got rid of my car. The golf course, on the other hand, is super accessible, with light rail access, solid lanes on Lawndale and safe neighborhood routes from other directions, and the Brays Bayou trail (which is a much "bigger" and better-connected route than Sims).

As somebody who loathes golf courses and harbors a minor obsession with trees, I personally would have preferred the two swap places.

Of course, METRONext could just get a move on with the Broadway/Hobby extension of the green line and all of this would be moot. But alas...

as much as I hope for a future Houston that not only caters to, but creates options for car free mobility, the reality I have to accept is that most Houstonians choose to travel by car using the freeways to get to their destinations, and the entrance being about 1500ft from the freeway is about as convenient as it gets.

and you bring up a good point, and I am hopeful with you that it comes quickly. these problems are today problems, if/when METRO builds out there should be a stop close to the botanical gardens.

as far as a new CEO/President, I hope they can ensure someone is at the gate checking tickets during normal business hours. more than half the time I show up I just walk through the gate because there's no one there to check my membership card. I kind of wonder why I even get the membership if I can just walk in. yes, I show up right after 9a when they open, but this is a problem when we leave an hour or so later, there's still no one there.

from the perspective of a golfer, Gus Wortham is a far better course, and has more history than Glenbrook did.

from the perspective of a person who frequents the botanical garden (at least once a month with the kiddo), having a bayou run through the middle of it, rather than just along one edge provides so much more opportunity for cool stuff. granted Sims Bayou has a hike/bike trail along the side of the bayou, so the botanical garden really only has access to one bank, but then the hike/bike trail on Brays Bayou is on the golf course side, so if the botanical garden were at Gus Wortham, there would be no access to the bank of the bayou at all. having homes with mature trees bounding the outside of the botanical garden is far better than having a 4 lane highway on one side, a very active railway on another side, and a cemetery across the bayou on another side. literally the lawndale side is the least worst view from inside Gus Wortham looking out, that isn't a compliment to the views from inside. sure, I can see the freeway from certain perspectives within the current botanical garden, and there are some industrial stacks visible over the tops of some tree lines, but otherwise, it feels far more secluded and natural than anything at Gus Wortham ever would have.

finally, from the perspective of someone who lives within walking distance of Gus Wortham, I wouldn't have minded the botanical garden so close to home. there's nothing in it from a NIMBY perspective, literally, there's probably fewer people who visit the botanical garden, so from a traffic perspective, having a botanical garden across the street would be preferable to the golf course.

literally, the only thing that made Gus Wortham a better site than Glenbrook was the proximity to the light rail and that it is inside the loop.

edit, sure we can say that Slaughterpen Bayou goes through the middle of Gus Wortham (and thus would have gone through the middle of the botanical garden, had it been at that location, but then we can also say that the original channel for Sims Bayou bounds 3 sides of the botanical garden, adding huge trees that hide anything on the other side, and there's still a bayou that goes through the middle.

nope, the more you compare the two locations, for each purpose, it's plainly obvious that Glenbrook is a far better venue for the botanical garden, and of the two, Gus Wortham is a better location for a municipal golf course.

On 7/25/2023 at 12:03 PM, steve1363 said:

Let me know when Houston bids on another Super Bowl and loses out because of NRG Stadium.  Then we can discuss upgrades/changes.  Otherwise it just sounds like posturing to me by county/city officials.

For crying out loud we were just awarded World Cup matches in 2026 that are supposed to be bigger than 5 Super Bowls!

the way it's going to work is if the county/city bid for another superbowl, and the NFL agrees that Houston should get it, there will be a list of upgrades they require be done to NRG to host.

it is frustrating to read everyone say that NRG needs upgrades, but then doesn't take the time to quantify what, specifically, those upgrades are.

that's for hosting a superbowl.

the Texans have a 30 years lease on NRG, which started in 2002, so 9 more years, I suspect they'll start negotiating in 4 or so. considering their performance, they really lack negotiating power to 'demand' a new facility, but again, upgrades to the current facility, probably would be agreeable, so long as there's a long enough term on the renewed contract.

just got this from my neighborhood.

they say end of 2024.

https://files.constantcontact.com/1d03b1ce601/07d1e96d-2150-497f-a28a-ed8e98ecd574.pdf?rdr=true

so yeah, not just a re-asphalting, full rebuild with drainage.

11 hours ago, freundb said:

So in six years NRG went from hosting the Super Bowl, to being so decrepit it can't play host to big games?

Why will no one give examples of what's so wrong with it? I've only been a handful of times, but I didn't find it to be a poor stadium. Maybe its cuz I'm from the north where I grew up going to Lambeau Field, which by the way, doesn't have on field suits, or cabanas, or crazy concessions, yet is always hailed as one of the best places to watch a football game. The only reason it can't host a Super Bowl is because the city/metro is quite small and cannot support the circus that comes with the Super Bowl. 

NRG is fine, people are just caught up in getting the newest shiny $5 billion waste of money.

 

the standards by which you and I may judge the quality of the stadium is on a whole different level than the standards by which some CEO might consider to give the league $50,000 for a suite vs $100,000 for a suite. 

I don't mean to single you out, you aren't the only person who's said it, you're just the latest person to say it.

anyway, I fully agree with the questioning, what amenities are needed for a stadium to host a Superbowl? what amenities are lacking from NRG for it to host a superbowl?

6 hours ago, monarch said:

 

https://www.click2houston.com/news/2017/02/09/what-does-houston-need-to-do-for-nrg-stadium-to-host-another-super-bowl/

what answers does this provide to the questions posed regarding what NRG is specifically lacking to host another Superbowl?

it provides no answers, or insight that hasn't already been discussed.

in fact, I don't think that article you posted says anything about a new venue at all, it says NRG is a great venue, it could just be better. now the answer that must be provided is how it might be better?

the thing of it is, the city and county will not blindly start making changes to NRG in the hopes of getting another Superbowl. the city and county will go into negotiations for the next Superbowl, they will understand from those negotiations what NRG needs in order to host another Superbowl, they will sign a contract that says "if these specific changes are made, Houston will host Superbowl NNN". if I were the city/county I would negotiate for 2 Superbowls.

I wouldn't be shocked if one of the expectations is that something (ANYTHING) be done with/to the Astrodome.

anyway, Houston has leverage, we are considered a great host city, so people want to come here.

the thing of it is, the cost to upgrade NRG vs the money the game brings to the city, that has to be weighed, the NFL says $300,000,000 on the low end is what we can expect. other experts say $30,000,000 on the low end. which is a huge gap, but the point is, is the cost to upgrade NRG more than the opportunity gained from hosting?

the Texans signed a 30 year lease for NRG stadium, so there's 9 years left before they will move to a new facility, and 6 or 7 years before a new stadium might be built as a replacement to keep the Texans from moving.

same with the Oilers though, if they demand a new stadium, or they go to a different city, they can leave.

I do want to know also, what does our stadium not have that it needs?

On 7/19/2023 at 6:14 PM, cspwal said:

If I had to guess, covered sidewalks aren’t allowed without a variance on the visibility triangles, and might also not be allowed for setback reasons. An idea of how to encourage it would be allow you to build 2+ stories to the lot line (ie above the sidewalk if you want) if you have a covered public sidewalk 

this was my initial thought, awnings are probably considered to be part of the building structure, and so would be subject to setback regulations.

I think trees end up being better, they won't hold the heat the same as an awning, and can be less imposing than an awning. they just take time to grow to a size that would work to provide enough shade.

yeah, the way I understood is it was originally the same team that did 13 Celsius, and Mongoose v Cobra, and that they moved on.

shocked no thread on this. 

I keep seeing stories pop up in my feed for this tower in San Francisco that was completed not too long ago that just keeps leaning over more and more.

they thought they had it stabilized, and now it seems that the windows are falling out.

https://boingboing.net/2023/07/20/new-problems-at-the-millennium-tower-worry-yet-another-expert.html

it says they will have the capacity to serve 100 customers, which is 3x the current capacity. maybe I am mis remembering my one sitting, but if that place sat more than 20 people I'm shocked. and 20 is being generous.

maybe they're talking about capacity of the kitchen?

anyway, hopefully the added capacity doesn't affect their quality, I'll definitely visit them in their new location.

will it be set up as to be correct 9 months out of the year, or 3?

1 hour ago, wilcal said:

While dining last night, overheard that Street to Kitchen was working on moving to a space 3X as big "within walking distance" some time this fall. 

They had to turn away 3 different walk-in groups due to lack of space, so I totally understand. 

scale can sometimes impact quality. hope it doesn't cause them any issues.

although they certainly can benefit from having more tables. they are right down the street from me, but I don't even try to go because there's not a chance of getting a table, so we end up going to Street Food Thai Market, which is 10 miles drive vs 2.

I enjoyed the food the one time we were able to eat there.

and I still miss Kanomwan.

2 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

I presume you are referring to this language in the Chron article:  "That includes some right of way along the freeway on the border of Memorial Park."

That may or may not mean they plan to take land from Memorial Park. I read "on the border of" to mean "on the border", not across the border.

Further, (1) This is a Chronicle article so the chance of it being fully accurate are less than 100%. (2) The final plans are not yet done.  I doubt Metro even knows for sure if they would need land from Memorial Park, and I am quite certain they will do everything possible to avoid such.  Memorial Park is pretty much considered untouchable.

if you look at the video behind the link I posted, it's from METRO and they definitely depict their ROW as being right on top of the Polo Club and parts of Memorial Park.

it's early days as you say, the plans aren't finalized, we can all probably guess that the Polo Club isn't going to give their land over quietly, so it probably won't even happen that they will get any Memorial Park ROW.

so yeah, the chances of this being the solution are pretty slim.

I'd say that the takeaway here is that it is good to see/hear that TXDoT and METRO are working together this early into the planning phase, rather than working independently towards different solutions.

On 7/11/2023 at 2:03 PM, Houston19514 said:

What makes you think it would take land from Memorial Park? 

video in link for the METRO BRT changes if there's managed lanes inside 610.

from the video, they will have to take land from the polo club too.

I am very comfortable in knowing that for some reason they won't get an inch of land from the polo club, so another solution that doesn't include taking land from either the polo club, or Memorial Park will come up.

that makes more sense.

On 7/14/2023 at 1:00 PM, editor said:

This is happening more and more, and I expect that some laws will have to be passed to give guidance before the courts get flooded with similar suits.

There's a lot of talk about moving entire towns out of the way of flooding.  It's already happening in Louisiana and Washington. 

 

 

I comprehend it, it just doesn't make sense to me.

if the government offers them money to buy them out, and they don't want to sell, then why is the issue being forced?

issue them a variance that says no FEMA money will ever be available, good luck with insurance, give them one more chance, then wash your hands of it.

it's already costing the public money if they sell, but if they are forced, then that's going to cost so much more in lawsuits.