Houston's Future

[kzseattle]

We all know quite a lot has changed in the past 5 years. And a lot more is still going on. What kind of changes do you expect in the next 5 to 10 years? Do you think we are going in the right direction and the city, as a whole, would become a better place to live? Or it is going to get worst? Are you happy with the pace of new development compared to other cities such as, say, Dallas and Atlanta?

Myself, I feel quite optimistic. It is encouraging to see that the city is finally taking an inward look and making an effort to improve itself. I think its future is going to be very exciting. It surely is a city on a roll!

[Lowbrow]

I am very optimistic. Largely because of this forum. I was forever the Houston pessimist and then circumstances started to change my mind and then I started reading stuff here and now I am a total convert.

I think the next 4 years in America have the potential to be rather grim but I think things here in Houston will be moving right along (despite DeLay).

The rail seems to be a slow progress but progress none the less. The TMC is taking great strides and I think we can all bank on it. There seems to be plenty of infrastructure work going on between the Katy freeway, 59, and Brays Bayou. I can't wait to see more activity around the downtown portion of Buffalo Bayou. The international festival is back downtown (yay). The Shamrock is hopefully a go. Midtown is putting money into its parks. All of these are great hallmarks of progress. I call this the right direction.

A friend of mine is heading to New York to interview. While I wish her luck on her career and the exciting possibility of living in NYC, staying here in Houston and being a part of the turn around in the cities direction appeals alot more to me.

I am going to be spending a bunch of time downtown this weekend accessing its potential as another neighborhood I may buy in. I am terribly excited about this. Look for the guy in the Red Sox hat with a trail of yahoo maps falling out of the folder under his arm (6'4" 200# Dark hair).

[Guest danax]

I am going to be spending a bunch of time downtown this weekend accessing its potential as another neighborhood I may buy in. I am terribly excited about this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not sure what you might be looking for, but I was told, about 3 weeks ago, that the San Jacinto Lofts (915 N. San Jacinto, I think) are having sort of a fire sale. I was doing a loan for a woman trying to buy one at $288K. Things dragged on and we had to ask the appraiser for a re-certification of value. The appraiser said that the developer was "dumping" the last 3 units and the listing prices were now less than 200K so the value on hers dropped as well and the loan busted out.

As for our city, I agree that it's fun to be riding an up wave. The sprawling is diluting the inner-loop neighborhood improvements but give it 5-10 more years as everything gets filled in inside the Beltway then the inner-loop developments will really kick in high gear. Living close in is a luxury now but as land gets scarce and traffic gets worse, more people will consider it almost a necessity.

[713 To 214]

I think Houston's "good showing" during the 2004 Superbowl and MLB Allstar game did much to improve its national image. As a result, I think tourism in Houston will increase and Houstonians will benefit for the next 5 years from it.

[kzseattle]

I am very optimistic. Largely because of this forum. I was forever the Houston pessimist and then circumstances started to change my mind and then I started reading stuff here and now I am a total convert.

I think the next 4 years in America have the potential to be rather grim but I think things here in Houston will be moving right along (despite DeLay).

The rail seems to be a slow progress but progress none the less. The TMC is taking great strides and I think we can all bank on it. There seems to be plenty of infrastructure work going on between the Katy freeway, 59, and Brays Bayou. I can't wait to see more activity around the downtown portion of Buffalo Bayou. The international festival is back downtown (yay). The Shamrock is hopefully a go. Midtown is putting money into its parks. All of these are great hallmarks of progress. I call this the right direction.

A friend of mine is heading to New York to interview. While I wish her luck on her career and the exciting possibility of living in NYC, staying here in Houston and being a part of the turn around in the cities direction appeals alot more to me.

I am going to be spending a bunch of time downtown this weekend accessing its potential as another neighborhood I may buy in. I am terribly excited about this. Look for the guy in the Red Sox hat with a trail of yahoo maps falling out of the folder under his arm (6'4" 200# Dark hair).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think the biggest cause of pessimism about Houston is not the city itself. Instead, it is the unwarranted negative criticism that we hear so often, which makes you feel that way. It happened quite often with me, especially as a newcomer, that as soon as I started feeling good about the city, there came along a naysayer to ruin the spirit. However, as I learned more about the city, I grew more comfortable and optimistic about it. Now I really don

[bruce_oneal]

We all know quite a lot has changed in the past 5 years. And a lot more is still going on. What kind of changes do you expect in the next 5 to 10 years? Do you think we are going in the right direction and the city, as a whole, would become a better place to live? Or it is going to get worst?  Are you happy with the pace of new development compared to other cities such as, say, Dallas and Atlanta?

Myself, I feel quite optimistic. It is encouraging to see that the city is finally taking an inward look and making an effort to improve itself. I think its future is going to be very exciting. It surely is a city on a roll!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i left houston in 1984 for college in the mid-atlantic. i loved the area but finally made the move back (to be closer to an aging parent and other relatives). houston has changed a LOT, but still needs to do a few things. i am no expert, nor am i a basher (or i wouldn't be here now), but houston needs:

• really good rail system to all its major areas of interest and population zones
  
• to somehow wean residents out of their cars and into other modes of transportation
  
• improve the look of the city --houston is not necessarily ugly, but it ain't pretty either (make all these strip malls have a uniform look instead of the free-for-all look they now have)
  
• somehow have in-town express shuttle services to all the main areas such as medical center, reliant, downtown/midtown, galleria/uptown
  

just a few suggestions. i think i heard somewhere that houston will soon have over 6M people --overtaking chicago as the country's 3rd largest city ... it CANNOT continue doing business (especially traffic) the same ole way or its gonna choke on its own success.

[The Great Hizzy!]

i left houston in 1984 for college in the mid-atlantic.  i loved the area but finally made the move back (to be closer to an aging parent and other relatives).  houston has changed a LOT, but still needs to do a few things.  i am no expert, nor am i a basher (or i wouldn't be here now), but houston needs:

• really good rail system to all its major areas of interest and population zones
  
• to somehow wean residents out of their cars and into other modes of transportation
  
• improve the look of the city --houston is not necessarily ugly, but it ain't pretty either (make all these strip malls have a uniform look instead of the free-for-all look they now have)
  
• somehow have in-town express shuttle services to all the main areas such as medical center, reliant, downtown/midtown, galleria/uptown
  

just a few suggestions.  i think i heard somewhere that houston will soon have over 6M people --overtaking chicago as the country's 3rd largest city ... it CANNOT continue doing business (especially traffic) the same ole way or its gonna choke on its own success.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sign ordinances. I think the main thing that makes the strips look so bad are the overbearing signs, some of which don't have quality fonts but the "Jim-N-Joe" homemade things that someone used a paintbrush on. I also think the city needs to address the deteriorating conditions of curbs and sidewalks. These two alone would make the landscape more uniform, orderly and comforting.

[bruce_oneal]

Sign ordinances. I think the main thing that makes the strips look so bad are the overbearing signs, some of which don't have quality fonts but the "Jim-N-Joe" homemade things that someone used a paintbrush on. I also think the city needs to address the deteriorating conditions of curbs and sidewalks. These two alone would make the landscape more uniform, orderly and comforting.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the ones along san felipe are really nice. i think all strip malls should look like those! :-)

[volvo99]

In the future:

Increased density in the areas immediately surrounding downtown, and mid to high-rises becoming more commonplace. Gentrification in the Montrose, Heights, and Midtown accelerating.

The oft- predicted "transit communities" along the light rail line will bloom but only if market conditions permit.

The original suburbs, such as Sharpstown and SW Houston continue to deteriorate.

Sugarland, The Woodlands, and the new energy corridor continue their pace, further cementing their economic and psychological indepedence from Houston.