Sparrow Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 What sort of dining/entertainment option would be most interested in a full downtown block ground lease for as little as 5 years? I would expect they are giving one hell of a deal as a concession for such a short term ground lease. No doubt Houston First Corp is more interested in creating the image of a vibrant urban environment around the GRB than seeking maximum ROI--especially for the Final Four and Super Bowl. Anyone willing to build anything in the realm of dining/entertainment at this site would be preferable to a surface parking lot. Perhaps the best use of such a ground lease would be a parking garage with GFR? Maybe the folks behind the now canceled Nau Center would be interested in such a short term lease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) just build an entertainment complex in a basic warehouse type structure that looks decent on the outside. a decently managed entertainment complex seems like it could be easy to keep expenses down. what activities would y'all put in a convention district entertainment complex? of course there are a lot of typical entertainment complex activities i could list, but what do you think would be best geared towards a downtown/visitor/convention crowd? heres an out of the box idea of mine.. a gun range.. i guess the problem/expense with that would be keeping the entertainment complex family friendly and confining the noise and bullets to the range without disturbing the other activities/areas of the complex. parents probably wouldn't want to take their kid to an indoor putt putt golf/laser tag/trampoline room/<random indoor entertainment activity> location with a bunch of guns going off in the same building. heh.. idk, for some reason i always thought a small indoor gun range would do well downtown. though i usually envisioned it near the office district, down in the tunnels for lunch/break/after work stress relief type stuff. Edited August 19, 2015 by cloud713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 NO GUN RANGES DOWNTOWN. PERIOD. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Lulz, considering this is just some fantasy off the wall suggestion, I don't think you have anything to worry about.. But why so adamant about it? I'm not the biggest gun supporter, nor do I own one, but it would seem to me that being able to unload a clip of ammo during break or after a long day of work to blow off some steam would appeal to enough of the 150,000 workers to keep it operational? Admittedly the convention district might not be the best place for one though, lol.I don't know how many foreign employees come to downtown on business trips (obviously the oil business does a fair bit of international business), but I hear people like the English love hitting up gun ranges when they're in the states due to the strict gun laws back home, so the idea of it being an entertaining activity for out of town visitors might not be so far fetched? Or are you not wanting to live up to the Texas stereotypes? Heh..Anyways.. Suggestions, assuming you agree a warehousey entertainment complex would be a good ROI in such short amount of time.Something like a WonderWorks entertainment/learning center would be awesome at this location but id assume way too expensive to set up for a 5 year lease.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Yes, I'd prefer to avoid the stereotype, but I also don't thing a range is at all appropriate in an urban setting. As to a warehousey entertainment complex? The thing is, a single downtown block isn't actually all that big. I wonder if just a brewery/brewpub wouldn't be a bad idea. Yes, 8th Wonder is nearby, but that could actually be a good thing. If Houston First prices the block aggressively enough it could be a good way to get a new business going while giving them enough time to find some place permanent (and with room for more capacity.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Interesting idea.. Yeah a downtown block is what, like 250x250? I just figure they want the place to be another amenity for the downtown visitors to utilize for the time being, and thought something more family friendly might be appropriate (so much for the gun range, lol). I do like the idea of a temporary brewery/pub though, or some sort of start up business that would have an effect on the "neighborhood".What ever happened to Two Rows? I never heard why they closed.. Bring them back? Heh Edited August 20, 2015 by cloud713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) With a landlord right to terminate after 5 years, the only tenant that could make a ground lease work would be a surface lot operator or a food truck mall type development. You can't get an ROI in 5 years on any real improvements.Houston Food Truck Park has bounced around this area. First, they were nearby this site next to the old Meridian, then relocated to 1311 Leeland.EDIT: They've kind of moved again, lately splitting time between 1311 Leeland and 800 Polk now. They don't seem to have a set location... Edited August 20, 2015 by tigereye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 yeah but why wouldn't you want the food trucks where they currently park on the pedestrian avenue of discovery green? or parked in the new pedestrian plaza in front of GRB. there just seems like so many better existing/under construction areas that could be used for food trucks than tucked back on this property. its kind of a dead zone unless you can make this new development enough of an attraction to get people to want to walk over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 yeah but why wouldn't you want the food trucks where they currently park on the pedestrian avenue of discovery green? or parked in the new pedestrian plaza in front of GRB. there just seems like so many better existing/under construction areas that could be used for food trucks than tucked back on this property. its kind of a dead zone unless you can make this new development enough of an attraction to get people to want to walk over there.It may not be a dead zone after the GRBCC renovation. Restaurant pad site is going in at the very corner by garage, across Polk St from this site. And with ADLA being chopped down to 2 lanes or less, not sure they'll be able to park in front either. It could work, but thinking about it, it may hurt the new restaurants going in at GRBCC too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naviguessor Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Could this just Houston First's way of capitalizing on the land for the Super Bowl, that they own and don't have any imminent plans on ? Doubt that anybody will spend much money on a structure. But, controlling the land here during SB'17, for sponsorship/party/promotion tents or pavilions, could turn profit? I think Houston First is just putting it out there. Looking testing the market for a highest bidder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 yeah, they're definitely shopping the site out with hopes something lively will be there for the super bowl festivities.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Urbannizer Posted August 21, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted August 21, 2015 From today by me 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 ^^^ simply amazing illustrations urbannizer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 great photos and man i am so excited to see this get a face lift in such a big way!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post PD_1 Posted August 27, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted August 27, 2015 Lifting the 'steel cage' into place. This shot was taken about 1:20 PM in August. Note how much of ADLA the new shade structure is covering. Basically all of the 'pedestrian' side of it. This should be a very walkable area after completion. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Triton Posted August 30, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted August 30, 2015 Putting in more glass Houston First by Marc longoria, on Flickr Light rail Houston First by Marc longoria, on Flickr 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 ^^^ wonderful illustrations! steady progress... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cspwal Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Very interesting feel riding through that parking garage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 The one of the cupola looking structures is up. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoninATX Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I might have said this before, but are there actual renderings for the new 24 st office tower there building? I keep seeing a 10 story version of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 id imagine it would only be conceptual as whatever flag hotel ends up perched on top would surely have a say in the design? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoninATX Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Thanks Cloud713. It is kinda strange that an accurate rendering hasn't been published yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 ^^^ actually, we still have not learned the name of the prospective hotel brand, that shall occupy the top hotel portion of this new tower. i wonder why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFootsSocks Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Probably because they haven't signed one yet? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 That's kind of my thinking. I wonder if negotiations with the initial flag fell through or if things are just taking longer than expected. Before the summer they were saying they hoped to make an announcement in a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moore713 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I.think the original design for the alexdessra.. would fit great here 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 There's actually a massive gap between the Houston First office and the parking garage itself. I wonder if they have any temporary solution if this hotel doesn't go forward anytime soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I don't think they have a hotel lined up yet. If I remember correctly when they first announced this project it was hoped that they would work out a deal with a hotel to go on top of Houston First but it wasn't a done deal. Houston First is big on publicity and they haven't said anything about the hotel lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 ^^^ it was stated a couple of months ago, that the GHP / HOUSTON FIRST were undergoing negotiations with a well known hotel brand, and that the name was supposed to be announced on or around the middle to the end of august. my thoughts at that time were that this particular hotel brand could very possibly become houston's next DOWNTOWN OMNI HOTEL. however, now, i really do not know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 What are those for, anyway? The one of the cupola looking structures is up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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