The Langley: Residential High-Rise At 1717 Bissonnet St.

[hindesky]

They have permits.

[astrohip]

17 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Bissonnet, in addition to not being "really narrow," is categorized as a "Major Collector" street.  Across the street from the site are:  a massage studio, a law firm, a special events/catering business, Houston Hillel, and other commercial properties.  No single-family residential on the entire block.  The whole stretch of Bissonnet from Kirby to the Museum District is a mix of residential and commercial.  It's quite an understatement to claim there are only a few small businesses here and there.  And another reminder:  this property has been multifamily residential for decades. 

Some counterpoints:

Bissonnet is a two lane street in that area. Two lanes. I call that narrow. If someone is making a left turn, you pray they pull far left (almost over the center line) so traffic doesn't backup behind them. Which it does anyway.

While much of the street is commercial, most of it is in former houses, repurposed to be a small business. It turned commercial because no one wants to live on a street like that, but at the same time, there has been almost no new construction of commercial properties, because it doesn't lend itself to it (small street, very tough to ingress/egress when there's traffic). So let's not act like it's Kirby Dr. with all its new const commercial properties.

And finally... Yes, it was multi-family. It was a typical old-style apartment complex. Two (maybe three?) stories. I believe most people here are astute enough to know multi-family comes in a lot of different flavors.

I'm actually not opposed to the project. I don't think it's the right spot for it, but it won't be as bad as the neighbors think (IMHO). But I don't think the points made in your post are accurate reasons for allowing it.

 

PS: I predict there will be a traffic light at Ashby & Bissonnet before this is over.

[004n063]

3 hours ago, astrohip said:

Some counterpoints:

Bissonnet is a two lane street in that area. Two lanes. I call that narrow. If someone is making a left turn, you pray they pull far left (almost over the center line) so traffic doesn't backup behind them. Which it does anyway.

While much of the street is commercial, most of it is in former houses, repurposed to be a small business. It turned commercial because no one wants to live on a street like that, but at the same time, there has been almost no new construction of commercial properties, because it doesn't lend itself to it (small street, very tough to ingress/egress when there's traffic). So let's not act like it's Kirby Dr. with all its new const commercial properties.

And finally... Yes, it was multi-family. It was a typical old-style apartment complex. Two (maybe three?) stories. I believe most people here are astute enough to know multi-family comes in a lot of different flavors.

I'm actually not opposed to the project. I don't think it's the right spot for it, but it won't be as bad as the neighbors think (IMHO). But I don't think the points made in your post are accurate reasons for allowing it.

 

PS: I predict there will be a traffic light at Ashby & Bissonnet before this is over.

It's two lanes, but each lane is like 15 feet wide. A street where cars regularly go (often significantly) over 30mph is decidedly not a narrow street. You could definitely argue that it's narrow for an arterial - especially in Houston - but I'd say it's average for a collector. But that's a mix of semantics and personal opinions, and really isn't worth arguing about.

What I don't understand is why folks in the neighborhood would be opposed to the project, if it's likely to slow down traffic? If average traffic speeds on this section of Bissonet go from, say, 33mph to 26mph, that's a huge win for safety.

I understand why through-commuters might care more about their own speeds than neighborhood safety, but if I'm a neighbor, I'm taking all the traffic calming I can get. Obviously congestion is pretty much the worst type of traffic calming, but it's still better than having two-ton hunks of metal flying through your neighborhood at deadly speeds. 

[iah77]

22 hours ago, 004n063 said:

It's two lanes, but each lane is like 15 feet wide. A street where cars regularly go (often significantly) over 30mph is decidedly not a narrow street. You could definitely argue that it's narrow for an arterial - especially in Houston - but I'd say it's average for a collector. But that's a mix of semantics and personal opinions, and really isn't worth arguing about.

What I don't understand is why folks in the neighborhood would be opposed to the project, if it's likely to slow down traffic? If average traffic speeds on this section of Bissonet go from, say, 33mph to 26mph, that's a huge win for safety.

I understand why through-commuters might care more about their own speeds than neighborhood safety, but if I'm a neighbor, I'm taking all the traffic calming I can get. Obviously congestion is pretty much the worst type of traffic calming, but it's still better than having two-ton hunks of metal flying through your neighborhood at deadly speeds. 

What a ridiculous statement, deadly speed as if anyone has died here. A whopping 33 miles per hour? Huge win?

I guess we should all just revert to living in our ancestral villages and ride horses around for "safety" reasons. A horse buggy literally travels faster than the speeds I assume you would like everyone to travel at. 

Edit: I'm all for this project but claiming every single road needs traffic "calming" is just getting old* 

Edited April 23, 2023 by iah77

[004n063]

2 hours ago, iah77 said:

What a ridiculous statement, deadly speed as if anyone has died here. A whopping 33 miles per hour? Huge win?

I guess we should all just revert to living in our ancestral villages and ride horses around for "safety" reasons. A horse buggy literally travels faster than the speeds I assume you would like everyone to travel at. 

Edit: I'm all for this project but claiming every single road needs traffic "calming" is just getting old* 

I'm pointing out that the street cannot simultaneously be too narrow and residential to accommodate such heavy traffic but also too significant a conveyance to accommodate the slowing of traffic. 

And I used those average speeds because there is a significant uptick in the risk of serious injury or death for a pedestrian/cyclist being hit by a car right around 30mph, ramping up to 40mph, where death becomes the most likely outcome.

For this reason, I do very strongly believe that speeds over 30mph should be reserved for highways and a handful of critical arterial roads - along which I do think we should be working to segregate local traffic and through-traffic. We have become extremely comfortable with unsafe speeds in this city, and that's a huge part of why we have such staggering traffic fatality statistics.

I believe that our top priority in street design should be having zero deaths and minimal injuries on Houston roads, and that all other concerns should be so far behind that that they barely even register.

It is, of course, your right to be more comfortable with the ongoing catastrophe that is the American roadway than I am, but I do want to be clear about where I'm coming from. 

[samagon]

21 hours ago, iah77 said:

What a ridiculous statement, deadly speed as if anyone has died here. A whopping 33 miles per hour? Huge win?

I guess we should all just revert to living in our ancestral villages and ride horses around for "safety" reasons. A horse buggy literally travels faster than the speeds I assume you would like everyone to travel at. 

Edit: I'm all for this project but claiming every single road needs traffic "calming" is just getting old* 

^^calls a pretty reasonable statement about the needs of traffic calming ridiculous, then proceeds to show what ridiculous statements really look like.

there are plenty of examples (even in this city) of ways that traffic calming may be implemented without reverting to horse and buggy.

oh, and a horse and buggy is probably only hitting, maybe, 20 mph. I don't have any experience in the field, but Google provided answers pretty quickly.

you don't have to go more than a few blocks west of Ashby street to get to the intersection of Hazard street.

why that is significant is because at Hazard, Bissonnet is the same width as it is at Ashby, yet they have included a left turn lane. so it would be easy to assume that this might be included here at Ashby street.

Edited April 24, 2023 by samagon

[astrohip]

12 hours ago, samagon said:

why that is significant is because at Hazard, Bissonnet is the same width as it is at Ashby, yet they have included a left turn lane. so it would be easy to assume that this might be included here at Ashby street.

There's a light at that intersection. And a turn lane in both directions. It's much safer to do that where you have a light. Traffic engineers don't like putting left turn lanes by themselves on a two-lane road, where there is no light, and no turn lane in the other direction. They have to restripe the other direction, to force it over and make room for a turn lane. It can be done, but it carries a risk of its own.

If they want a turn lane there, they should put a light (which I predict will be there someday).

Edited April 25, 2023 by astrohip

[HoustonMidtown]

https://thelangleyhouston.com

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by HoustonMidtown

[DotCom]

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/04/27/the-langley-approved-neighbors-consider-options.html

With controversial The Langley high-rise approved, neighbors consider legal options

Apr 27, 2023, 1:47pm CDT

Houston officials’ decision late last week to approve plans for vertical construction of a 20-story apartment complex in the historic Boulevard Oaks neighborhood marked the latest twist in the long-running saga of the so-called Ashby high-rise.

But an attorney representing a group of neighbors opposed to the project said their fight might not be over just yet.

Peter Patterson, whose practice focuses on business litigation, told the Houston Business Journal that his clients are considering a lawsuit to keep Dallas-based StreetLights Residential’s The Langley project from moving forward as currently designed.

The neighbors’ opposition centers on the outcome of a lawsuit filed in opposition of an earlier plan to build an apartment tower at 1717 Bissonnet St. Under a restrictive covenant approved by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal in 2012, any apartment tower built on the site had to adhere to nine limitations before the project could move forward.

An appeals court eventually sided with the developers in 2016. But the project has yet to be developed, and the site has sat vacant for years.

Patterson said his clients believe StreetLights Residential’s revamped design does not strictly comply with the restrictive covenant and, therefore, is not grandfathered in under permits issued to the project’s original developers, Houston-based Buckhead Investments. Their primary concern is a pedestrian plaza that the neighbors claim is “substantively modified” from the previous plan, as well as alleged encroachments on a city right of way, according to a March 24 letter to city attorneys.

“We are not against development,” Patterson said. “We have spent a significant amount of time working to provide options to the developers, but the developers have said they are not changing the plan.”

Case Kilgore, StreetLights Residential’s president of development, said in an interview that his company believes its revised plan for The Langley does comply with the restrictive covenant, as evidenced by the project gaining city approval.

A spokeswoman for Houston Public Works confirmed that the project has been approved for construction, but StreetLights Residential still needs to purchase some additional permits.

Kilgore said the company also made significant changes to the original plan, including reducing its height and cutting a retail element, to bring it in line with the restrictive covenant.

“We think that the design and the context of this building and the impact on the neighborhood compared to the prior building is a huge improvement,” Kilgore said. “We look forward to working with the neighborhood groups and are proactively taking some steps to prepare to keep them updated and to handle communication on the site as we look to break ground.”

As currently designed, The Langley would offer 134 two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 2,600 to 3,300 square feet. The goal is to provide a property that caters to empty-nesters looking to downsize their living accommodations, Kilgore said.

In all, the building will be 20 stories tall, down from the 23-story original plan.

Kilgore said the exterior of the building will take its design from the local architecture and from Rice University’s campus.

StreetLights Residential has partnered with property owner El Paso-based Hunt Companies Inc. on the property and will serve as both general contractor and primary architect on the project. Kilgore said Houston-based EDI International also assisted in designing the building.

Kilgore said StreetLights Residential wants to be good neighbors with the Boulevard Oaks community and will take steps to reduce the impact of construction on the neighborhood. The company has already designated a separate area for staging trucks to limit the impact on traffic in the area, he said.

StreetLights Residential plans to break ground on the project in May with an estimated delivery date of 2025.

With the scheduled groundbreaking coming up next month, Patterson said his clients are already discussing their legal options.

“I think you will see a decision made in the short term — not weeks or months but days or weeks,” Patterson said.

Jeff Jeffrey
Senior reporter - Houston Business Journal

[MrFubbles]

1 hour ago, DotCom said:

 

Kilgore said the exterior of the building will take its design from the local architecture and from Rice University’s campus.

I see it, but they can do better. Keep pandering!

[JBTX]

1 hour ago, DotCom said:

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/04/27/the-langley-approved-neighbors-consider-options.html

With controversial The Langley high-rise approved, neighbors consider legal options

[aachor]

12 hours ago, DotCom said:

“We are not against development,” Patterson said.

L O L

[Big E]

16 hours ago, DotCom said:

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2023/04/27/the-langley-approved-neighbors-consider-options.html

With controversial The Langley high-rise approved, neighbors consider legal options

Apr 27, 2023, 1:47pm CDT

Houston officials’ decision late last week to approve plans for vertical construction of a 20-story apartment complex in the historic Boulevard Oaks neighborhood marked the latest twist in the long-running saga of the so-called Ashby high-rise.

But an attorney representing a group of neighbors opposed to the project said their fight might not be over just yet.

Peter Patterson, whose practice focuses on business litigation, told the Houston Business Journal that his clients are considering a lawsuit to keep Dallas-based StreetLights Residential’s The Langley project from moving forward as currently designed.

The neighbors’ opposition centers on the outcome of a lawsuit filed in opposition of an earlier plan to build an apartment tower at 1717 Bissonnet St. Under a restrictive covenant approved by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal in 2012, any apartment tower built on the site had to adhere to nine limitations before the project could move forward.

An appeals court eventually sided with the developers in 2016. But the project has yet to be developed, and the site has sat vacant for years.

Patterson said his clients believe StreetLights Residential’s revamped design does not strictly comply with the restrictive covenant and, therefore, is not grandfathered in under permits issued to the project’s original developers, Houston-based Buckhead Investments. Their primary concern is a pedestrian plaza that the neighbors claim is “substantively modified” from the previous plan, as well as alleged encroachments on a city right of way, according to a March 24 letter to city attorneys.

“We are not against development,” Patterson said. “We have spent a significant amount of time working to provide options to the developers, but the developers have said they are not changing the plan.”

Case Kilgore, StreetLights Residential’s president of development, said in an interview that his company believes its revised plan for The Langley does comply with the restrictive covenant, as evidenced by the project gaining city approval.

A spokeswoman for Houston Public Works confirmed that the project has been approved for construction, but StreetLights Residential still needs to purchase some additional permits.

Kilgore said the company also made significant changes to the original plan, including reducing its height and cutting a retail element, to bring it in line with the restrictive covenant.

“We think that the design and the context of this building and the impact on the neighborhood compared to the prior building is a huge improvement,” Kilgore said. “We look forward to working with the neighborhood groups and are proactively taking some steps to prepare to keep them updated and to handle communication on the site as we look to break ground.”

As currently designed, The Langley would offer 134 two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 2,600 to 3,300 square feet. The goal is to provide a property that caters to empty-nesters looking to downsize their living accommodations, Kilgore said.

In all, the building will be 20 stories tall, down from the 23-story original plan.

Kilgore said the exterior of the building will take its design from the local architecture and from Rice University’s campus.

StreetLights Residential has partnered with property owner El Paso-based Hunt Companies Inc. on the property and will serve as both general contractor and primary architect on the project. Kilgore said Houston-based EDI International also assisted in designing the building.

Kilgore said StreetLights Residential wants to be good neighbors with the Boulevard Oaks community and will take steps to reduce the impact of construction on the neighborhood. The company has already designated a separate area for staging trucks to limit the impact on traffic in the area, he said.

StreetLights Residential plans to break ground on the project in May with an estimated delivery date of 2025.

With the scheduled groundbreaking coming up next month, Patterson said his clients are already discussing their legal options.

“I think you will see a decision made in the short term — not weeks or months but days or weeks,” Patterson said.

Jeff Jeffrey
Senior reporter - Houston Business Journal

Honestly, I think these people need to stop wasting time and money and pack it in at this point.

[Texasota]

They can waste their own money all they want. The problem is they're wasting other people's money.

[hindesky]

So this may finally be starting. Spotted a Bobcat skid steer. I can't remember if the silt screen netting has always been here but there is some now.

[phillip_white]

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

So this may finally be starting. Spotted a Bobcat skid steer. I can't remember if the silt screen netting has always been here but there is some now.

Google Streetview shows it wasn't there 7 months ago.

[hindesky]

Nextdoor is up in arms over it. They also show the silt screen netting around the culvert drains.

https://nextdoor.com/p/4LPdrWmj4xJW?utm_source=share&extras=MzAwNjkxMQ%3D%3D

[august948]

I'm still hoping for a ground floor washateria and liquor store here...😜

[hindesky]

It's definitely starting. Truck dropping off an excavator and several workers. Looks like the old catering business La Villette is going to be the construction offices. 

[mkultra25]

On 5/7/2023 at 4:09 PM, august948 said:

I'm still hoping for a ground floor washateria and liquor store here...😜

Not entirely without precedent, as Bayou Liquor used to be smack-dab in the middle of Rice Blvd. in the 80s (where Sweet Paris Creperie is now).  They catered more to the brown-bag crowd than the deep-pocketed imbiber, as well.   

So this hypothetical new place could be marketed as a return to the area's historical roots. 

[Ross]

On 5/7/2023 at 4:09 PM, august948 said:

I'm still hoping for a ground floor washateria and liquor store here...😜

Along with a nail place, a vape place, a CBD place, and a taco place. That would give it the Houston vibe we all know and love

Edited May 8, 2023 by Ross

[EllenOlenska]

A place that is like behind the washateria that has has really kick ass shawarma

 

[phillip_white]

I wonder if we can squeeze the Greyhound station into the ground floor 🤣 

[august948]

Now that we have a plan...can someone print up some annoying yellow signs with our demands that we can put up and down Bissonnet for the next 10 years?

[hindesky]

Permit to hook up electrical at La Villette. Construction offices for the construction company building the Langley.

[JBTX]

11 hours ago, august948 said:

Now that we have a plan...can someone print up some annoying yellow signs with our demands that we can put up and down Bissonnet for the next 10 years?

Oh, you haven't seen the new/updated ones yet?

I was visiting a buddy in the area when I saw this sign in a yard. It "accidentally" blew over and found its way to my garage where it now sits for my amusement.

[august948]

1 hour ago, JBTX said:

Oh, you haven't seen the new/updated ones yet?

I was visiting a buddy in the area when I saw this sign in a yard. It "accidentally" blew over and found its way to my garage where it now sits for my amusement.

They should build it just like the picture, with a washateria/liquor store/cbd/vape/greyhound station on the ground floor.

[mkultra25]

1 hour ago, august948 said:

They should build it just like the picture, with a washateria/liquor store/cbd/vape/greyhound station on the ground floor.

Remember, it's not really a CBD/vape shop unless there are a couple dozen feather flags around the perimeter of the property.

[august948]

37 minutes ago, mkultra25 said:

Remember, it's not really a CBD/vape shop unless there are a couple dozen feather flags around the perimeter of the property.

Nice, but this is so much better...

[hindesky]

Construction drive way and a sweeper. Right now they are concentrating on the construction offices across the street and creating a parking area in the back of it. Worker flagging cars didn't know who the construction company is going to be.