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http://www.trinity.edu/mkearl/death02/deat...e/01Define.html is likely to get a "modern" neighbor.

The site is on Memorial Woods Drive, 77024, facing the Katy Freeway directly west and south of its interchange with 610. Kirksey has designed a 16-storey speculative office building and 1,500-space parking garage on what is currently First Baptist Houston's west lot.

First Baptist's homepage suggests, "Parking off-site is one of the easiest ways that HFBC members can support the church's ministry. Doing so opens up on-site spaces for visitors, families with young children and individuals with physical limitations. Refer to the online map for available parking options, shuttle routes, and drop-off/pick-up locations."


From the day we moved to this location (April 17, 1977), finding room for parking has been a challenge. In fact, the first published "master plan" for this site specified a parking garage on the west parking lot. Since that time, financial constraints and questions concerning feasibility have thwarted at least three attempts to construct a parking garage. This opportunity is the first that brings no additional financial obligation to HFBC and actually returns funds to HFBC in the form of lease payments to the church and the elimination to the church of parking leases and shuttle fees.

In April of 2007, representatives of the Gerald Hines Company met with Pastor Gregg and several Deacons to explore the possibility of commercial development on our west parking lot which would include a parking garage containing about 1500 spaces. Following the meeting, Hines paid for a feasibility study including traffic, engineering and architectural issues.

In a presentation to the Deacons in August of 2007, Hines asked for a vote of approval to investigate the economic viability of such a project. Now, in January of 2008, they are asking for a congregational vote ensuring the "surety of the proposal." In other words, if Hines can locate the tenants, Trustees of HFBC have the authority to enter into a ground lease.


Garage construction would begin no earlier than January 2009 and take approximately 1 year to complete, while the office tower will begin upon 40% pre-leasing.

Fun-to-learn-from bunches of renderings, site plans, floorplans and graphical timeline in http://www.houstonsfirst.org/pdf/hines.pdf , so I won't merely post the pictures.

 

Latest design & info as 9/2015:

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/First-Baptist-owned-land-to-get-office-tower-6504225.php

 

21230222569_ff7cdcd90b_b.jpg

 

 

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Nice design, especially with the parking garage in the back, although it would have be nice to maybe to a blend of the parking garage structure and building together and maybe get a few more stories out of it, like a 20 or 22 story building with a parking garage attached on the rear side. But this works.

Maybe the rest of the surface lots will have the same treatment eventually.

Great post.

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Nice design, especially with the parking garage in the back, although it would have be nice to maybe to a blend of the parking garage structure and building together and maybe get a few more stories out of it, like a 20 or 22 story building with a parking garage attached on the rear side. But this works.

Maybe the rest of the surface lots will have the same treatment eventually.

Great post.

Well, they're envisioning only 400K gross square feet, so if a tenant interested in the building's naming/signage rights for that kind of visibility were to prelease as much as 120K rentable square feet, Hines would have met its 40% cutoff and might be in a position to expand the tower.

What I particularly like is that, since this deal has to meet a congregation's approval, the whole reasoning is explained much more fully than real estate projects typically care to let the public understand. I say that not in terms of "eye candy" but of planning method, I guess.

And thanks, Puma...

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I am never a big fan of stand alone office towers adjacent to freeways. I'd hate to officed in a building like this one.

Lunch and lunchtime errands are always the biggest issue with these type buildings. You're so isolated that you either have to bring a lunch, buy something from the typical cafe on the first floor, or burn 2 hours driving to a "near-by" restaurant.

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Lunch and lunchtime errands are always the biggest issue with these type buildings. You're so isolated that you either have to bring a lunch, buy something from the typical cafe on the first floor, or burn 2 hours driving to a "near-by" restaurant.

First 15 minutes of your daily afternoon commute will all be within site of your office if you have to head out West on 10 to go home.. that would suck.

I agree.. traffic always sucked when i worked 10 between kirkwood and DairyAshford.

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First 15 minutes of your daily afternoon commute will all be within site of your office if you have to head out West

So true! Even now, everyone leaves the office in a general 30 minute window at the end of the day, and the people exiting the garages and trying to enter the freeway is such a slow process. But this location may fair a bit better since the new overpass that leads to the HOV lanes is improved and gives easy traffic free access home.

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A new 16-story tower being built by Hines is planned to be built on First Baptist Church's parking lot at the south side of the Katy Freeway, just outside the Loop. The congregation of the church actually voted to allow this building to be built. For more info, click here to be directed to Swamplot.

hines-1st-baptist-fwy.jpg

hines-1st-baptist-park-plan.jpg

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Forgive me, but are you being sarcastic?

Sarcastic? Why would you think that was sarcasm? We are talking about a 16 story building in a city that has seldom built anything so tall outside of downtown. Not only is the height a concern, but I would hesitate to try something that architecturally daring in the fastest growing city in the United States. It's wider than it is tall. And it's not like the location, near the corner of I-10 and 610, offers much visibility.

Hard to believe that the same firm that built a 64 story tower on Post Oak Blvd. would throw caution out the window like this.

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Why in the world would we be sarcastic about this awe-inspiring monument of modern architecture? Santiago Calatrava himself would marvel at its earth-shattering brilliance.

now to clarify for some of us small bus passangers:

Are you being sarcastic or are you being geniune in your feelings about this?

I have to agree that the statements are a bit over the top. It sounds like something *I* would say if I was sarcastic about it.

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