sidegate Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I cross the Woodhead bridge at peak hours in the morning and afternoon; the HOV lanes, for the amount of space they take up, seem to me to be highly underused relative to the bumper to bumper traffic in the regular lanes. I'm just wondering if there aren't better ways to encourage people to car pool....maybe notTheNiche has it right I think - even if light rail doubled my commute to 20 minutes, I would definitely take it to work when all I have to carry is a laptop, but would be unlikely to take it on the weekends running errands, etc...but I do try to combine weekend trips into one outing...of course one cool thing about montrose/river oaks is the walking distance to top notch restaurants. try walking to a restaurant in bellaire or west u - doesn't happen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I cross the Woodhead bridge at peak hours in the morning and afternoon; the HOV lanes, for the amount of space they take up, seem to me to be highly underused relative to the bumper to bumper traffic in the regular lanes. I'm just wondering if there aren't better ways to encourage people to car pool....but I guess this is more appropriate for the traffic & transportation thread...Another lane or two of traffic in that section would do no good because everyone using it would just have to merge at either the interchange at 527 or at 610. The interchanges, despite reconstruction, are the real problem.By the way, HOV lanes aren't supposed to be congested. That'd defeat the purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Sounds like your friends are inefficent to begin with. I try to make as few trips as possible, and when I do I combine them. Some of us like me take the bus, even though we could get to downtown quicker by driving. And I ain't po.when the destination isn't near the bus, then that's where the problem comes in. for me at night, using the bus takes a lot longer than driving. i use the bus when i go to the downtown macy's because it is easier. but if i have to then catch the LRT or another bus, it adds too much to my travel time so i tend to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 fair enough...so speaking of light rail on richmond, does anyone know when the final announcement on the University Line will be made? Hopefully the line will stimulate some quality development on Richmond east of Kirby, it looks kinda spotty right now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesternGulf Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 The Niche has a point. I HATE driving, but the one thing that will keep me on PT is that I have a gaz guzzler, my parents older Rover Discovery, plus I am an adventurous person and driving gets boring, but I must admit running errands sometimes makes me take out the car. Right now, I only take PT to downtown, the Montorse, areas on the Red Line, UofH, the Heights, to work, and most inner loop areas except the Kirby area. I take the 73 to the Village sometimes but that usually means I have to work my schedule around the time it hits the Medical Center. VERY slow bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 fair enough...so speaking of light rail on richmond, does anyone know when the final announcement on the University Line will be made? Hopefully the line will stimulate some quality development on Richmond east of Kirby, it looks kinda spotty right now....If the Red Line is any indication, it will at least drive land prices up. It is a mixed blessing, of course, because that slows development even though what gets built tends to be of higher quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 The examiner had a article, on midrises, they are average 5 1/2 stories, 1 1/2 floors of parking.NewsDevelopments changing Upper Kirby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 The examiner had a article, on midrises, they are average 5 1/2 stories, 1 1/2 floors of parking.NewsDevelopments changing Upper Kirby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Amid all the noise, all the construction, all of a sudden, midrises are popping up all over Montrose. "I have never seen this kind of development," said Houston City Councilmember Sue Lovell. "I mean, 10 midrises going up, pretty much within a half-a-mile area." http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/kho...ma.d271f3c.html You all certainly have my sympathy! Every time I pass though the area I see more being eaten away like a blob or a giant stomping out all those rare beautiful homes! Reminds me of the forest fire scene in Bambi you see all the deer, rabbits, squirrels running for thier lives as the encroaching nemesis approaches! Call out the National Guard ! Time for Divine Intervention or something! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 On behalf of the 77023 zip code, I'd like to hereby welcome culturally-displaced Montrosians into our eclectic low-priced neighborhood. Wander not to the Heights, Shepherd Forest, Independence Heights, Acres Homes, the Near Northside or other pathetic locales. Eastwood is your home now.YES! the ocean is parting now and all can enter to Eastwood & Near East End! We are starting up the barbecue pit now! No joke I mean it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidegate Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Say goodbye to the Neighborhood Preservation Subcommittee of the City of Houston Planning Commission. Seems fair enough to me. I mean, it's work is done, right? Inner Loop neighborhoods have nothing more to fear.Putting a law in place is one thing, but effecting that law block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood is another. Inertia, and the social fabric of many neighborhoods, is on the side of the developers. With so many Montrose properties already owned as investments by landlords, many non-resident, it is difficult to see them, even if block captains can even reach them, signing up to restrict future development on lots which they can turn around and sell for a premium to a townhome developer. if people aren't living and invested in the neighborhood - culturally, emotionally, whatever - in single family homes, they have no motivation to preserve its future character. that's why this law, though admirable in its intent, will fail.------------------------------------------------------------March 20, 2007, 7:26PMSpace preservationNew rules will help Houston's urban dwellers maintain the character of their neighborhoods.Copyright 2007 Houston ChronicleHouston grew up with neither the benefits nor the strictures of zoning, a political anathema that is unlikely to be adopted here as the inner city is rapidly redeveloped. Those who love bungalows, an urban treescape and space between their neighbors have watched in dismay as townhomes and condos have loomed next door.City Council today is expected to approve revisions to the portion of city code that governs lot size and setbacks. The revisions will give Inner Loop dwellers, on a block-by-block basis, slightly more influence on new building. The result of nearly two years' work by a planning advisory group, the new regulations are an imperfect control measure but a welcome compromise among city planners, preservationists and builders.The new rules, somewhat complex, will allow a majority of owners on a block or even one side of a block inside Loop 610 to request that the City Planning and Development Department make a determination of a designated minimum lot size and a minimum front set back that must be observed in future building projects.The calculation of the minimum lot size is the lot size that brings the block to 70 percent of its total square footage; for historic districts, the figure is 60 percent. The concept of minimum lot size replaces the notion of prevailing lot size, a term that the new language would eliminate.Rule changes also streamline the application process, eliminating a Planning Commission hearing when the application is unopposed.The new rules do not restrict the height or width of the new structure. Preservationists hope to address these issues in coming months.The Neighborhood Preservation Subcommittee of the City Planning Commission, which will be dissolved in a few months, deserves congratulations for hammering out a policy that will allow for development and change as well as help inner city dwellers to preserve the spaces "in between." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 Say goodbye to the Neighborhood Preservation Subcommittee of the City of Houston Planning Commission. Seems fair enough to me. I mean, it's work is done, right? Inner Loop neighborhoods have nothing more to fear.Putting a law in place is one thing, but effecting that law block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood is another. Inertia, and the social fabric of many neighborhoods, is on the side of the developers. With so many Montrose properties already owned as investments by landlords, many non-resident, it is difficult to see them, even if block captains can even reach them, signing up to restrict future development on lots which they can turn around and sell for a premium to a townhome developer. if people aren't living and invested in the neighborhood - culturally, emotionally, whatever - in single family homes, they have no motivation to preserve its future character. that's why this law, though admirable in its intent, will fail.i agree. just another "feel good" program. i'll bet builders/developers like the fact that they can't restrict height. here comes another townhome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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