jghall00
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Posts posted by jghall00
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elevated rail would be nice, but I only see it happening where it is aboslutely necessary.
I see rail on the street as conducive to improving the street life that Houston is currently lacking. Better driver training and enforcement will go along way towards reduce accidents, as well as reducing congestion and lowering insurance rates.
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I don't particularly care for Houston. But I realize now it's a lot better then many other places I could live. LA is expensive, NYC is expensive, San Fran is expensive. Houston has a good economy and excellent opportunity. I think it's a great place for African Americans, and anybody else looking to make a life for themselves. I'd like to see the city develop more urbanity, but I guess we won't see that as long as the roadway expansions continue.
Anyone else have a different perspective?
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The Santa Monica shot is really nice. I liked it there, the beach was nearby, and the downtown was walkable. I think that would be a great design for Kirby after reconstruction. Unfortunately, i don't think it would fly on Westheimer. Have you ever tried to cross that street? Crosswalks are far and few between. It's like running across the freeway.
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Ick...that house is almost on top of the freeway.....I'll pass. Looks like some fool bought it, though.
You're right, it is bordering 288; I can see why that would be a turnoff. I'm not sure how familar with the area you are, but 288 doesn't have developed feeders like the other local freeways. That particular section of freeway is elevated, so the noise isn't too bad adjacent. The roadway next to the freeway is lightly trafficed and has a sidewalk. It's really not quite as bad as it may seem. Take a look at the satellite photo on google maps.
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most ppl just dont know how to drive safely
Yeah, Speed doesn't kill people...people kill people. Hahaha. If it works for the NRA, why not speeders. Truthfully though, as evidenced by the incidence of wrecks with the rail line...some people are really baaaad drivers.
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I think the reasoning is that these 2 roads are long stretches of improved interstate, largely flat, straight and empty, therefore, driving 80 is not an unsafe activity, as compared to more congested roads in other parts.
I'm inclined to agree. West Texas past San Antonio is empty. I've traversed I-10 through there several times going to and from California. I usually try to average 85 - 95 through there, depending on the weather and traffic conditions. It's long, flat, and straight. I don't think the higher limit will be a problem.
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My fees are 399 for a 1124 sq ft 2-2 at Newcastle and Westpark. I think it's excessive, but I guess utilities are expensive these days. The newer condo conversions are expensive!!! Congrats on your new purchase, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. My wife and I walked from West U. down to Rice yesterday. 4.5 mile round trip. Try doing that in Pearland.
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I just took a look on har.com. Is it the one that says "PENDING CONTINUE TO SHOW"? If so, then you're probably already too late.
That's not a bad neighborhood at all. I used to live in an old apartment building on Jackson at Binz. I loved being able to walk to the museums and to Hermann Park.
Not necessarily true, for a variety of reasons, any deal in the making can fall through. The condo I own now had 2 or 3 contracts fall through before I purchased it. If there's no earnest money, perhaps a competitive bid and a quick closing might do the trick. The house isn't zoned to a good school, and it's a somewhat borderline neighborhood, but damn it's a steal IMO. I feel bad that I can't buy it!
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I kinda don't want to say anything cause I want it myself :/ but there's a fixer-upper on blodgett between 288 and caroline going for 160,000. The neighborhood is marginal, but it's down the street from the museum district. If any development starts, it's going to be in that area before it leapfrogs 288.
We need to do a Houston Architecture tour-the-town, and show each other all the interesting neighborhoods.
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Name one new freeway.
All we are doing it taking care of what we have.
I'm not sure what reference to "new" freeways you're referring to. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction, in case I missed something?
I believe the Katy freeway project added capacity in the mainlanes and feeder roads, as did the 59 expansion in Sugarland. Unfortunately for commuters, neither will likely prove to be a long-term solution.
I don't think the suburbs are designed for families anymore then the inner-loop was designed for gays, singles, and empty-nesters. As far as I know, much of the inner-loop was once considered suburban. I read somewhere that West U. incorporated because it was considered too far out to be annexed! As I stated before, better schools and more affordable housing would likely result in the inner-loop having more appeal to families then it does currently. When my wife says she wants a house, she doesn't say she wants one in the suburbs, she just wants one in a decent neighborhood.
This shouldn't be suburbs vs city, it should be how can we improve the quality of life for everyone? Good schools for everyone, good transportation for everyone, and good communities for everyone.
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Thanks for the info. I am taking into account the taxes. For instance, there's 2-bedroom high-rise that is listed at $149,000. I'm ready to put $32000 down. With this type of place, I'd like to get the 3.75% year loan that balloons at 7-years b/c I don't think that I would stay in it longer than that. With the $4000 in taxes, that would make my payments in the neighborhood of $1500.
Excluding high-rises, any other ideas for me?
What's important to you? Space, location, school, commute? A bit more information regarding your needs might be helpful. Also consider that if you have a child, your needs WILL change. Mine certainly did. Before it was all about location. Now I need more space and a park!
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A lot of these posts are insightful, though much of it is slightly off topic. Clearly, all of the suburban families can't pack up and move inside the loop. The loop has somewhere in the neighborhood of 500,000 residents, whereas Harris County has 3.65 million.
The argument, if one is to be made, is that developers are the ones taking the path of least (or cheapest) resistance. They skip over miles of empty land to go to the next ring, forcing home buyers to jump out there with them. You got to live somewhere, and if all that is available is 30 miles out, that's where you buy.
So, the question becomes, can or should development be forced to fill in the empty spaces? Should land farther out subsidize the freeways that must be built/expanded to reach these homes? Should government, in the interest of alleviating sprawl and the attendant massive infrastructure needs that comes with it, nudge, or coerce building and buying closer in and coser together?
I believe, to some extent, it should. But, how far should it go? And what form should it take?
These are the questions I'd like to see debated on this thread, not whether I am cool for living inside the loop. Was I uncool for the 39 years that I didn't? (please don't answer that.)
Well, I hate to be the tax man cometh, but tollroads and higher gasoline taxes are one tool that can be used to encourage more efficient land use patterns. But, it's not cool to penalize people for trying to get into a decent school district, given the supposed value we place on public education. Gas tax tied to military expenditures in the middle east perhaps? Better reflection of the true cost of sprawling development for sure.
One thing is for sure, the obsession with freeways has got to stop. They tie up a lot of land, and carve neighborhoods like a butcher does meat. It would be nice to hear from people in the 'burbs what they would like to see done to provide transit options (including walking!), reduce air pollution and foster a greater sense of community.
When I drive through the suburbs that my influential wife wants to move to, I wish they had stores and shops within walking distance, access to transit, more public parks and other gathering spots, and greater diversity in housing styles. I really miss walking to the store for the Sunday paper or a jug of milk. It'd be nice to run daily errands on foot with the kids in tow. I'm sure they don't like being stuck in the car seats either.
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Perhaps that's somewhat true. But you can staff a school with highly-qualified, well-paid teachers (ha!), and you can invest tons of money in the building and make sure it has all the latest, greatest amenities--you can do all that, but if your population is drawn primarily from low-income apartment complexes, and if most of your students' parents have little, if any, formal education, then you can't expect that the school itself will completely make up for those shortcomings.
I think that what's happened in HISD is that a lot of middle- and upper-class families have abandoned the neighborhood schools, even if they haven't abandoned the neighborhoods themselves.
I think we'll go along way towards making the city more appealing to families if we improve the quality of urban education. I was looking a house near the museum district, asking price was 160,000. Nice house, needed some work, crappy school district, no deal.
I plan on going to law school next year. I enjoy having these discussions, because these are the types of issues I would like to work on on a daily basis. It would be nice to utilize the free-market to improve our quality of life and provide even more options for both families and individuals.
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Is it me?
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I really agree with danax's post above
Yeah, women do really have a lot of influence
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A very thoughtful response, jghall00. Some of your ideas for improving the 'burbs are similar--if not identical--to those of the New Urbanists. Personally, I'm not 100% in support of everything they stand for--just covering my ass, because I know the NUs have been attacked in this forum before--but I think many of their ideals are worthy of consideration.
I think the idea of having too much variety in housing prices and types makes people nervous. Even in master-planned communities, subdivisions tend to be segregated by income. There might be pockets of starter homes, pockets of "move-up" homes, pockets of luxury homes, etc. But, generally speaking, there's very little mixture of housing types and prices. Perhaps it's sad, but I guess it stems from people worrying about their property values.
Torchlight,
I'd be interested in hearing some of your ideas. I'm familiar with some New Urbanism tenets, but I'm not a diehard soldier of the movement or anything. I'm more free-market then anything, but I think our current market is a bit out of whack
People definitely have every reason to want to protect their property values. I don't blame them not one bit, as I would be concerned too. In this particular instance, I think the fear is misfounded.
I've noticed many areas that were once suburban tend to take a turn downhill after a few decades. I'm no sociologist or urban planner, but I'm speculating that many of these neighborhoods are designed for young families, and that people leave them once the kids are out of the house. For whatever reason, the people that then move in don't seem to invest as much in the neighorhood, which causes other owners with the means to leave, and it's a spiral down from there.
It seems to me that one of the things that needs to happen to preserve property values long-term is that there needs to be continuous investment in the neighborhood. The housing stock needs to be replenished and maintained. Perhaps more importantly, the sense of community needs to be maintained. Peer pressure is a powerful motivator. No one wants to be the bad neighbor who brings the neighborhood down. With rapid turnover from empty nesters leaving, there's probably little sense of continuity or history. People probably view the neighborhood as a pitstop on the way to something better.
If there was more diversity in housing, perhaps one would be able to upgrade, without breaking all ties to the neighborhood. Even River Oaks has a ton of re-investment taking place. I pass through there all the time, and everwhere I turn, I see new houses going up. From what I've seen, in the 'burbs, you don't do a teardown and put up something nicer, you switch neighborhoods completely.
I don't think having lower priced homes in the same community will damage property values. No one would put a 250,000 house next to a 110,000, but you can place them a few blocks apart. Then maybe when the person in the 110,000 wants to upgrade, they can move a few blocks over, and keep their friends and neighbors. And the people who want to buy the 110,000 houses will say hey, I live in a nice neighborhood; it must be one, because the houses a few blocks away cost more then twice as much. Those with expensive homes will have a ready made market for their house, from people in the neighborhood looking to upgrade. And grandma who is on fixed income can live down the street in the more inexpensive home.
I apologize if I'm not making sense, if anyone cares to better inform my opinion, I'm open to suggestion.
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I agree with most of what you are saying. My only problem with your post is this: the essentially arbitrary decree of
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Someone post pictures. I'd like to drive by on my way home, but I don't think I'll have time. I'd like to say people are overreacting, but I haven't seen the yard.
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Hi, Welcome to H-town. I'm a foreigner too, but I've been here 10 years. I'd say Montrose or Mid-town would be your best bet. The commute wouldn't be too bad if you lived nearer downtown, as I-10 would be easily accessible. Take a look at some maps on www.google.com. It'll give you a better idea of how the roads are layed out. How far out on 290 will you be working?
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Let me start off by saying this is a very interesting discusson, and too many of you to mention by name have raised some important points. I hope I can contribute something with my perspective.
I'm 27 African-American male, w/ two young children. My wife and I live in a condo inside the loop, near the galleria, and we've been tackling the issues many of you have discussed. I commute to the Woodlands for work, but as a New Yorker, I find it hard to give up on what little urbanity is present here in Houston. However, when you have children, your priorities definitely change. Mainly, your kids become your TOP priority. That being said, there is a dearth of affordable, family friendly housing inside the loop.
Many of the neighborhoods inside the loop would be perfectly suitable for raising a family if they were 1) well maintained and 2) zoned for better schools. Part and parcel of the problem is the system of zoning a neighborhood to specific schools. This tends to inflate the prices of houses in a favorable location, as parents compete to get their kids into the best possible school. The end result is that families get priced out of neighborhoods with decent schools. So, it should not come as a complete suprise that so many people move to the suburbs. The housing is newer, larger, and more inexpensive than the housing inside the loop. Even more importantly, nearly anyone can get their kid into a decent school.
On the flip side, the housing is less distinctive (read: McMansion), and there appears to be a lack of culture, diversity, and public spaces. I'm also disregarding the impacts of sprawl (air pollution, increased oil dependence, etc.) I can't really blame anyone for choosing to live in the suburbs, but I think we can do a better job of mitigating the negative impacts from social standpoint. It's a very difficult situation. We want to do what's best for ourselves and our families, but when we all act on our own self-interest, some negative impacts result.
I think if we try to understand each other's perspective, find common ground, and make a decision to work together, we can address some of the problems we've identified. That being said, the suburbs aren't going away. What can we do to make them better?
I'll start off:
Slightly smaller lots w/ more and larger public parks - Hopefully, this would enable people to come together, and kids could easily find other kids to play with. Lower property taxes and maintenance for individual homeowners
Fewer cul-de sacs and more grids - Would make it easier to visit friends and neighbors by walking, by providing a more direct path...and you could take a different route if you felt like it.
Greater variety in housing design - To appeal to a wider variety of tastes, and you wouldn't have to leave the neighborhood if you wanted a different type of home.
Better connections between subdivisions - To make it easier for everyone, especially children, to visit friends and neighbors in other communities
Greater variety in pricing and housing types - So you wouldn't have to leave the neighborhood when you get a raise, or when the kids move out. Allows a great level of interaction between people with disparate backgrounds.
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The relevant influence that I failed to see mentioned is money. Without taking sides, rappers do what they do because they expect to earn a profit, as do the billion dollar record companies that promote and distribute their music. That's not a justification, but in many cases, these guys are getting pimped as bad as the women they disrepect in their songs.
I love hip-hop and grew up on it, but I don't recognize the music that Casual Observer talks about. If you listen to the radio, or watch TV, then yes, you'll see a ton of negativity. But that's true for most mainstream Media. The hip-hop artists I listen to don't glorify violence, wanton sex, drugs, etc. Try listening to the artists the records companies don't push quite as hard, and you'll see what I mean. Check out the Houston Public Library, they have albums by Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Reflection Eternal, De La Soul, J-Live, The Roots, Dilated Peoples...the list goes on and on. Expand your horizons before you criticize and generalize about a whole genre of music. Look deeper before you place blame.
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I was thinking a similar thing though I do not know how viable it would be. Put parking garages by the new stadium and the convention center. Then use most of the parking lot to put mid rise residential with retail. Maybe a small hotel to. Then use the Astrodome as a park/public gathering place. To get plants to grow just replace the painted roof panels with clear ones.
Once again there probably won't be that kind or res. demand in years. But one day this might even be an option. Who knows?
What do you think of putting the parking underground, like it is near Bayou Place downtown? That would maximize the surface space available for other uses.
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By its nature, I don't think a complex of stadiums, a convention hall, and acres of parking can really be made more urbane. The scale is just too big, both of the buildings and the parking lots. I don't mean this as criticism of the complex, just that it doesn't seem worth the effort to make it urbane. That was the point of the criticism of the proposed West Side Stadium in NYC. It was just too big, and the neighbors felt that because of its scale in the neighborhood it would hurt pedestrian development more than help it.
In retrospect I'm glad the new football stadium wasn't built downtown like had been proposed.
I see your point, but I think the complex can definitely become something better then it is now. I haven't viewed the football stadium up close (just from kirby), but I think the baseball stadium would not have done any damage to downtown had it been further west. To a certain extent, having that much land devoted to one use does preclude further urban development, because it consumes so much available space. In the case of the Reliant complex, the facilities and parking area could be developed to support a multitude of uses. I would consider not doing so a failure of imagination.
The area adjacent to the complex on the west was turned into a parking lot that sits empty more often then not, pretty much precluding that section of Main from developing into any sort of urban thoroughfare. In that, I saw more of the same provincial thinking that seems to permeate projects in Houston. Perhaps I'm overly critical or impatient, because development is coming, albeit too slowly for me. But we need more projects here in Houston that bring people together. Being situated on the rail line, the Reliant complex is as good a place as any.
How about high density housing (condos and townhomes) where the parking lots sit, and a plaza and park as part of the reliant complex, with a family orientated sports facility in the Dome? The parking could move to North Main and the southern terminus of the rail line.
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For almost anything you propose doing with the Astrodome, it would be cheaper to build a whole new building in a different location than to convert the Astrodome to that use. This includes homeless shelters, fitness centers, high school sports stadiums, transit centers, amusement parks, etc. It's like taking that old Chevy van that grandpa's had sitting next to the garage for twenty years, and trying to convert it into a fuel-efficient hybrid car. You're better off just buying a new hybrid car.
The only reason to reuse the Astrodome is if whatever you're using it for uniquely incorporates the Astrodome in some way - if it's an original idea that's appropriate to the Astrodome and couldn't be done anywhere but the Astrodome. My idea was to build a Museum of Modern Technology, with airplanes, space rockets, etc., kind of like our own Smithsonian, and devote a section of it to showing the role that technology has played in Houston, particularly with space exploration. The idea being that the most prized piece in the museum's collection would be the museum itself - the actual building. Most tourists who visit Houston do so to see NASA; this could be the next thing on their itinerary.
I can't address the expense of modifying the structure, but I disagree with your assertion that whatever the building is used for by necessity should incorporate the uniqueness of the dome. The dome has a shoddy location, amidst acres of parking, in a relatively isolated area. The location is really detrimental to the structure, so the structure needs to have a use that will compensate for the location.
What better use then as a facility where people and families can connect to one another? How often would residents visit a museum? You go once when it opens, and thereafter when there's a special exhibit. I really enjoy museums, but visiting one is not something I do every month. We need a facility that will add to the miniscule number of public spaces available in Houston, one that people can enjoy ALL of the time. In my opinion, Houston is NOT a tourist magnet. On the other hand, creating things that improve the quality of life for residents will also benefit tourism. If you ask me, the entire Reliant complex needs to be redeveloped into something more urbane and pedestrian friendly.
Ideas For The New Inner City Houston!
in General Houston Discussions
Posted
I kinda think humidity is just an excuse people use to explain the lack of street life in Houston. Any day of the week, any (non-rainy) weather, you can go to certain places, like memorial and hermann park, and people will be outside. The real reason why no one is out is because there's not enough worthwhile to keep them out. There are places a lot hotter and as humid as Houston. People are amazingly adaptable to all sorts of climates. That's we live on six of seven continents.