The Great Hizzy!

When Shirley DeLibero first became president of METRO and realized what METRO's local fares were (compared to New Jersey Transit and WMATA), the first thing she wanted to do was raise the local fare, but the board at the time thought it to be a really bad move at a time when they were trying to gain support for the building of rail (that and some other reasons, including the fact that at the time METRO had a several million dollar surplus in reserve). As far as large metropolitan areas go, the local fare for bus and rail in Houston is pretty cheap--probably too cheap, quite franky. I still don't think this is going to go over well with the bulk of riders who use day passes in particular.

Heh. Yes, I am. Actually, newer streetlights, as some of those in place now (and I've also noticed this myself on a few visits) have outlasted their useful life.

If he tries even harder, he might figure out where his space key is.

Thanks for the tip, WG. I admit that I forget the place is still in existence (even if under its fourth or fifth incarnation). The problem is that the building itself is small relative to its surroundings and it kind of sits out of the way, half burried beneath the elevated. How are the prices? Can you get a good lunch for seven bucks or less?

LMAO. This is as delusional as delusional gets. Ever seen the air quality statistics for D-FW? Not quite as bad as H-Galv but nothing to stick your chest out over either. But carry on, junior.

If I've heard any complaint from local Dallas residents about DT, it's that a.) don't feel as safe as they should, and b.) it's a bit dark on the street level at night. I suspect b is tied to a, and I can't say if the perceptions I'm hearing about regarding all this is more than just that--perception rather than reality--but in order to take that next step, you have to make sure that you help the public form a favorable perception of the area in question. But anyway, I understand what Dal is saying (and the slowdown over the last eighteen months has been notable) but I agree with Red that developing a more profound residential base (because DT really needs to become a neighborhood before it can become a place that holds a certain 24/7/365 prestige) would go a long way in tying in some of the loose ends. We're not far away. We just need to see that next "burst". The hard part, the restoration of numerous empty buildings has begun. Street and sidewalk improvements as well as better lighting has finally been completed. DT now has an actually "spine" so to speak with the redevelopment of Main Street. Now it's time to bring the people home.

Do you all get off at HCC/Ensemble? What is that, ,like a 5-7 minute walk or so?

The bigger issue for them was that there wasn't much vehicular traffic in the area (still isn't) and anyone who might have considered using the rail to go there found that the stations just didn't offer quick access to the location. You had to walk at least four blocks in either direction. It's too bad, although I've never been there personally. The good news, if there's any, is that these lots are being cleared up so that new residential would seem to be less challenging--not saying that it will definitely happen, just that you have enough in the way of continuous unused lots to build a Post-Midtown type mini-neighborhood if you had the gumption. In this, you might see the benefits of rail, as a resident would be far more willing to walk four blocks to a rail station than someone who's on their lunchbreak.

I actually like the Westchase street signs a great deal. The white lettering is easy to see at night or day, especially against the black background. The Greenway Plaza signs are nice from a general asthetics point of view. The Uptown overhanging street signs are garrish and spectacular but far too impractical for most intersections. The lettering on the Midtown street signs (as well as in the Main Street corridor) is a bit too small, IMO.

LOL @ Plastic. Have you not been able to take a gander at recent real estate reports stating the rise in office construction in the SE, namely the Bay Area/League City area? Here's a hint: you don't project (League City) to go from 40,000 residents in 1990 to roughly 80,000 residents (2010) without expecting professional practitioners to catch on that there's a need for increased office space in these locations.

Yeah, isn't this area more like Champions/Klein Forest than Spring?

Don't sleep on Fulshear. In ten years it's going to look like Pearland did five years ago.

These are fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. My favorite:

Oh, wow. Didn't know there were two of them in play now. That little sections seeing quite a bit of action for sure, then.

Am I right in assuming that the next section to start construction is the section from I-10 to US 290? What would this be, Section E? I"m too lazy to go to TxDOT's (or the Grand Parkway's) website. Well, actually, I just lied. But I really don't see anything listed at either website that talks about actual planned construction kickoffs and for which section.

Basically, the Voss/San Felipe intersection. I know that they've cleared land and there's a large renovation of a former strip center nearby. They're also replacing another apartment complex across the street with a more elaborate development, so that intersection's seeing a lot of activity. The design I've seen on the billboard at the site looks very "Gablish". Not bad or anything but nothing out of the ordinary from their other projects.

Goregeous morning. Even at 11:00 AM, it felt like a fall afternoon. Almost no humidity. The heat index felt like it was maybe 80 degrees. Of course, September starts tomorrow so we're basically home free anyway, give another week or so. Thank goodness, too. Although it's been a "mild" summer for Houston standards, it's still been good and hot compared to the other 8 months of the year.

I've not paid any attention to this thread. Ho hum. Just curious as to whether they ever got the strawman to dance in Afton Oaks? I might pay money to see that, actually. Carry on.

Fantastic. Some unique angles and locations. Glad you ventured out with your camera. Also, some very revealing photos of Abilene. Looks like downtown had some life to it back in the early days.

Are we talking north of the tracks or south of the tracks but near Washington? I'm trying to get an idea of the area in my mind. I admit that after six or so years, I'm still not 100% certain of RM's borders.

Very astute, WG. Of course, some people think in terms of generalities and are prone to losing perspective. Just because Greenspoint or Clear Lake is part of the COH doesn't mean that I HAVE to go there for anything on a regular basis anymore than just because lower Staten Island is part of NYC someone from Jamaica, Queens has to go there on a regular basis. If like compact urban travel, live near the core of everything, which, in Houston, means the Loop. Problem solved. Suck it up.

I've not been out 290 past HWY 6 in a year or so. I know that Fairfield was experiencing some growth the last time I was there and can see that corridor (Cypress-Blackhorse-Fairfield) supporting some form of "mall". Has Bridgelands broken ground yet?

Spring is like a lot of growing suburban enclaves: a lot of middle class family type homes in about 5 or 6 "styles" more or less. And, of course, in the Houston market, that translates to a lot of homes (size being 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2-car garage, etc) priced in the $130K - $175K range (obviously, there are pricier communities as well but you get my point). Traffic from Spring isn't quite as bad as traffic from Cypress, Katy or Fort Bend County but it's not a picnic either. Infrastructure, like sidewalks, are wholly dependent on the subdivision, as Harris County doesn't build them in general, nor do they bother with streetlights on most roads. Parks aren't as plentiful as in the city(ies) for the same reason. Harris County does maintain a decent (not great) collection of libraries, however, relative to a lot of county administrations. But anyway, Spring is decent, not exciting, not noteworthy in terms of asthetics or culture, but in terms of a typical suburban community with reasonable housing stock, it's fine. You could do a lot worst in the area, for sure. However, like with anything, shop around. The Spring area has roughly 45,000 - 50,000 people, and hundreds more moving in every week. New developments pop up and recently completed ones tend to compete for the new wave of potential buyers. Shop around. Not just for price but for comfort and so forth. My only specific advice concerning "location" is that I would stay more west of I-45. Seems to be a better and wider selection of homes/communities than east of I-45, although there are a couple of subdivisions that might meet your needs/standards east of I-45 and near the Hardy Toll Road. Anyway, congrats and good luck. Ask away, as people here will be more than willing to give you a good number of opinions/answers on just about anything.

In today's economy and office market, no. American firms are become more leery about building massive high rises so the number of firms who would do so are limited. But even if willing, the market has to bare it, and in most U.S. Cities, the market simply isn't there to absorb the space a tower like BotSW would present. Even with the positive turn in the DT office market, Houston is one of those cities.

Cool. Didn't know that. I've probably heard that somewhere in the past and just never connected it with anything in particular.