The Pragmatist

I can't wait to see the impact this has on views from the northeast. It should command a lot of visual attention.

People please. If you can't find something negative, pessimistic, whiny or b*tchy to say about Houston at HAIF, please post elsewhere. If there is one thing we don't need around here, it is any of those 'glass half full' types.   

HTXUSA and Slick Vik seem to represent two extremes. I don't particularly care for the excessively negative outlook of some posters, such as SV, who get a thrill out of posting gloom and doom with regularity. I do, however, ask that you be realistic when evaluating the local economy. Don't try to portray it as an unassailable paragon of economic fortune and then deride anyone who points out that the economy may have some short-to-mid-term issues by calling them "Houston haters" or concocting a fantastical situation in which said haters are conspiring to bring down Greater Houston. Houston will have its share of struggles in this depressed-price environment for commodities. That cannot be overlooked or ignored. However, the region should continue to grow during the downturn (though at a reduced pace) and will most definitely accelerate when things pick back up again in the energy sector. 

As for 609 Main, I am glad to see its progress. I cannot wait to see the finished product as it will be a stunning addition to the downtown skyline.

Yes, I suppose you've balanced the scale of positivity. It's a scale that starts on the low end at "great" and goes to a high end of "nirvana."

You mean the exact concept of the TMC 3?

And as a current UH student if this truly is just a research campus then I'm all for it. I think most politicians are upset that UT went behind their back and in-essence ignored proper procedures.

I'll admit, I haven't paid any attention to TMC3, nor did I know anything about it. However, if that concept could be achieved here or there, it would be a boon for the city, but that's obvious.

It would be cool to see a joint effort at this campus between UT, UH, A&M, and Rice. A centralized, joint research campus near the TMC could turn into a substantial biotech hub. Of course, that takes a lot of money and a lot of coordination. However, it is a pie-in-the-sky thought.

Looks like it is around 29 or 30 from those pictures, but it's somewhat difficult to get a count.

Short term? Parking lot. Long term? Boutique Hotel.

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/sarnoff/article/Old-downtown-building-sold-and-demolished-with-6692023.php

 

Could end up being another Hampton Inn/Embassy Suites scenario whenever it moves forward. Same developer

This news should provide an outsize level of consternation here on HAIF.

It's no more out of place than all of the other low-slung strip centers that dot the inconveniently circuitous roads of Uptown. 

This building is bland, sure, but it isn't the Biblical level of sacrilege that some on here seem to assert. It looks like a boring hospital annex more than anything else, something that will be lost in everything else around it once the area fills up.

It's not necessarily backwards. It's just that we haven't reached that point yet, Slick. "Backwards" would be something along the lines of removing airport rail connections if they were already in existence.

The gas stations at 45 and Scott are a haven for panhandling. Almost every time I pump gas, I get to enjoy it.

Cranes were above the clouds this morning.

Great photo. It's like being on the Golden Gate Bridge as the marine fog rolls in.

Another photo for your viewing pleasure.

My guide to this development: if monarch is excited about something, then it's definitely something I have never heard of.

The California High Speed Rail. And that's optimistic, there's a ton of NIMBY pushback and opposition as always unfortunately.

And I agree with everything else you said, a downtown transit center combining Amtrak, Greyhound, light rail and a METRO bus center would be really cool and a great opportunity to create a signature structure identifiable to Houston.

Unfortunately there's just no money for something like that with METRO having to make those damn mobility payments. And if METRO can't fund it, then who would?

Coughing while reading on a phone leads to inadvertent replies. :-(

I like the S.S. George R. Brown look for some unbeknownst reason.

Indeed, great news. The crackhead corner store could be incorporated into the 1111 Main redevelopment...nice spot for a SHAKE SHACK. However, 90K sqft. is small for a big city DT retail store....that would be a rather small Macy's/Nordstrom/Saks. Let's hope it's not another DT inadequate/mediocre retail flop.

That size would be akin to something along the lines of a City Target. Not massive, but decent in size.

Lots of guys wearing backwards ivy caps in those renderings (or a newsboy for the guy in the distance).  Interesting hat choices.  

Well, to keep things in check, they have a phantasmal Alanis Morissette in the library photographing what appears to be a book case.   

The parcels of land in between UHD and the post office site on both sides of the train tracks tracks could be purposed as such. Hell, the lot with the Chase drive-in just across the bayou could be used for a parking garage with skywalk connections to such an intermodal transit center. Then a walkway could be built over to UHD and the red line. Of course, this is a simple, "what if" just to add to the conversation.

Now all they need is a Gravitron, and Mr. Fertitta's dream will be complete.

Quickly thinking about the area, it seems that they could follow the embankments on I-10 to Heights Blvd, then head south in the wide median provided by Heights, turning east at the freight line and creating a shared use station where the current Amtrak station is. It looks as if that would avoid the bulk of the housing that sits near the freight line, as most of the area between Heights Blvd. and downtown is filled with warehouses along the tracks. I'm not sure how feasible this would be, but it was just a thought.

Completely agree. It looks so dated already and it isn't even built. I guess all glass towers can get boring quickly but most of the glass towers they are building right now like the BHP Billiton tower look grand and modern. As for Randall, his newer projects look a lot better than his older projects. He's matured. The Astoria looks amazing in person but I must admit.... the Marlowe looks dated already as well. I don't know why but it feels very late 70s/80s to me.

It's all the black and white. Very 80s. 

Since there isn't much news on this right now, here's some light reading:

http://www.wilsoncountynews.com/article.php?id=66844&n=agriculture-today-texas-railway-raises-concerns-eminent-domain

Wow, I forgot all about that Simpsons scene....thanks for the laugh.

Haha. No problem. Those classic Simpsons scenes were always great. 

I guess I should've posted this better quality version.