Texasota

Wow this stretch of Westheimer is a nightmare. 

It has strong 1980's DC vibes. This is not a compliment.

This is more like it.

"

• Adding more surface parking that is similar to other Bellaire developments"

Come. On.

The triangular floor plate definitely helps, but you still have an oversized service core for a residential building which means unleasable space. 

That said you brought floor plans to an architecture fight and I always appreciate that.

It remains weird that they're keeping two towers and tearing down the third. Why? If not floor plate differences, why tear down old triangley? 

But the actual depth of the floor plate matters, and building 3 looks maybe as much as 50' deeper than the other two buildings at center. 

I do wonder about floor plate dimensions of these buildings, and building 3 does look like it probably has the deepest cross-section right there at the center.

That's one of the big things that kill office to residential conversions. You get to the center of building with no way to provide natural light and there's not a whole lot you can do with it. 

1 hour ago, innerloop said:

I agree that Cooking Girl is great, but aren't we set for Chinese Restaurants in the neighborhood? Rice Box, Heights Asian Cafe, Be More Pacific, Mala Sichuan... 

How about a nice Indian place, with table cloths and table service?

 

Be More Pacific is not remotely Chinese, and Heights Asian Cafe is kind of old-school Americanized Chinese and Vietnamese. Rice Box is also doing its own thing.

So that just leaves Mala on your list, and, I don't know man, I think the greater Heights can handle *two* sichuan restaurants. 

New dingbat? I wouldn't object.

A lot of what made Whole Foods special has been gradually stripped out by Amazon. I think it can still do well in plenty of markets, but in Houston it has to compete with HEB. 

They are my enemy.

I also still think this is a terrible, inaccessible location. That might be different in 20 years (and/or with a direct connection to Kansas St) but right now the location just isn't conducive to casual visits. 

I don't think that's fair. The garages might be excessive, but this is pretty accessible by bike and transit. 

Just a huge missed opportunity in what should be a walker's paradise (until you hit the freeway).

whom whomp. what a great use next to the purple line.

That reads like chatgpt to me. I don't mean that as an insult; I genuinely think that's what it is.

uh, lets wait and see how long this stays a vacant lot before celebrating anything.

Ah but a frail human will do far less damage to their 4000lb SUV than a concrete curb, and that's what's really important here.

We can only do one thing at a time and we are DOING THE WRONG THING!!!!

Part of what makes it look a little strange is that half of the apparent fenestration isn't actually windows. Every apartment has their own balcony tucked inside the primary facade. 

This helps make the building look weirdly under-detailed in the renderings, but I think it will look much better in real life because you will be able to perceive more of that depth.

It's also just great to see. Every apartment has its own private outdoor space. Not a lot, but enough to have a little garden and sit outside in the morning/evening. My one issue is with the fact that all four facades are handled the same way - that inset shaded depth is great for the south side but not so much for the north.

Literally the opposite of my experience. 

Also, if you live in Brenham you don't have to live with the damage done to Houston by these freeways. You get the benefit and none of the downsides.

boo 5 driveways on mcgowen

do you... do you think inspectors are necessarily the same people reviewing and stamping permits? 

You know that inspections *also* have to occur for projects to move forward (and have independent utility anyway)... right?

Eh, plenty of Houston developers are composed 100% of inertia and do "what's worked before."

But yes, the City's misguided restrictions haven't helped.

Landscaping can do so much for a project.