ninjacop Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I'm glad to see that this project is moving closer to reality... for the longest time i was starting to jump on the bandwagon with the people that doubted that it would get off the ground. But after reading what was in the Chronicle on Sunday, I'm off that wagon. HAHA. I think when completed, it will diffidently boost the popularity of Downtown Houston as a tourist and Area resident destination for fun, entertainment, and great restaurants. Now come on Houston, we can't be behind both San Antonio and Dallas as far as tourists; this oughtta hook a few more though,YA PAVILLIONS!!!!!!!!not so sure about that..other than Books a million..nothing is worth to go...what they need is big chain retail. no more restaurants..too many of them in DT. just look what happened to Bayou PLace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 not so sure about that..other than Books a million..nothing is worth to go...what they need is big chain retail. no more restaurants..too many of them in DT. just look what happened to Bayou PLace.I'm pretty excited about House of Blues and Lucky Strike Bowling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I think one area of attraction people are missing are the large business groups. I think more companies will be more likely to hold overnight training sessions, regional/national meetings, conferences, etc. in Houston if they are located downtown because now there will be more to do for an overnight event. Not a huge target, but just another piece of the pie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 So....The Houston Pavilions.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 (edited) ...is expected to open in October 2008. This after initially skepticism about it ever coming to fruition, mainly because, apparently, Houston has a history of not building anything. It will include a variety of retail, though apparently not enough to be successful because of several reasons:a.) No residential component included in the final designb.) Not enough of the storefronts face the streetc.) There aren't enough total floorsd.) The commercial office space isn't leased up four months prior to its scheduled opening.e.) Downtown has too many restaurants already (unless you're a sportswriter from another state, then apparently it doesn't have any)f.) It won't include <your favorite store inserted here> as part of the retail lineup Edited June 25, 2008 by The Great Hizzy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonfella Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 HP skeptics sound like the 2727 Kirby skeptics ... it won't get built, wring hands, complain. 2727 is a gem topping out as we speak. Give HP a chance. I think it will work, particularly when One Park Place fills up with tenants. By the way, Bayou Place has tenants waiting to take the shuttered VIN and Sake restaurant spaces according to the Chronicle. I think Cordish could have done a lot more with Bayou Place, but that's another matter. Hard Rock, a couple of clubs, Verizon Theater and Angelika are doing well.I think leasing in HP's office space will happen in due time. Leasing 11 floors of space will take time. That entire area of downtown will be a great place to live, work and play. We just need to be patient and let it get built before we make any assumptions of what will, might, could happen. Might be pleasantly surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammond2003 Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I think not having a residential component of this project is fine. A lot of great cities have similar, successful developments that also to not have residential components. In addition, this project is close to the rail, close to Park One Plaza, and resembles structures that I've seen in Indianapolis and Chicago that have done just fine. I'm not ready to go negative on this project yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tierwestah Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 ^^^me meither, but i would like to see fewer restaurants and more retail. I guess this is a good start though, considering what's down there right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 HP isn't prolific, nor is it revolutionary, but it will be a helpful ingredient into the Downtown mix. If I could only pick one single project to be the "key piece" in Houston's downtown renaissance, that would be Discovery Green. As I said before, we haven't gotten a cutting edge, pristine project like that in Downtown since... well... forever. But now the momentum has started. Disco G is open, Houston Pavillions will come in and add a little more retail and a couple of new night spots (as well as DT's first large-scale book store), OPP will open next year and add not only more residents to the area, but some very well-placed retail. Then we'll have Discovery Tower and Main Place... world-class office towers. The existing retail areas (mainly Houston Center) are going to have to keep up with Houston Pavillions, and might be extending their hours to accommodate the increased evening population. If these chips fall correctly, downtown will be a lot more interesting than we've seen before. And if not... if everything turns out to be a failure... I'll be entertained listening to all of the "I TOLD you so"s on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livincinco Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 I think one area of attraction people are missing are the large business groups. I think more companies will be more likely to hold overnight training sessions, regional/national meetings, conferences, etc. in Houston if they are located downtown because now there will be more to do for an overnight event. Not a huge target, but just another piece of the pie.I agree. HP should give a big boost to increasing convention traffic at the GRB which should (hopefully) justify the public financing of the site. I think that this is a big piece of the pie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted June 26, 2008 Share Posted June 26, 2008 Tex, I am not dissing the New Urbanists. While there are raging debates whether New Urbanism actually helps or hurts, and also whether their ideas are too restrictive, their ideas and plans at least come from a great deal of study and thought. No, my ire is directed at HAIF posters who haven't read or studied New Urbanism whatsoever. They have heard a couple of buzzwords, such as 'mixed use' and'walkability', and toss them into every post without regard to whether it is even appropriate for the topic. I could give a long explanation of what the terms mean, and why New Urbanists consider them important, but that is not the point. The point is that those HAIF posters who use the terms the most DO NOT know what they mean and why they are important.I see your point, and thanks for the clarification.EDIT: Oh, and the parking regs are in the City Code. There is a specific chapter (26, I think) that covers most parking regs. The double usage rule allows a business to lease parking from another business' lot, but only if the spaces will be in use at different times. Another requirement is one space per bedroom in apartments and condos.There are actually discussions taking place to make the rules more flexible. Another, possibly worse rule is the number of spaces required for retail centers. In areas such as midtown, where there are transit options, the suggestion has been made that not as many parking spaces are needed. Additionally, street parking is not included in the calculation of how many spaces are needed. A referendum is not needed. City Council can change the parking ordinance to reflect different needs for different areas. These same discussions are being had regarding building setbacks, as well.I hope City Council wastes no time in reviewing these ordinances. In parts of the city they're unnecessary, and sometimes counterproductive. In my neighborhood (the Montrose) the ill effects are especially noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 From the GRB's newsletter:Bringing new business to HoustonIn selecting the GRB for their annual conventions in the years to come, several groups have cited the addition of the adjacent Discovery Green park, the growing strength of the Houston's downtown hotel inventory and the forthcoming Houston Pavilions entertainment complex (set to open in October 2008) as contributing factors in saying yes to Houston.The Texas Conference for Women, hosted by Texas Governor Rick and Anita Perry, will be held in Houston for the first time this fall in the GRB. Some 10,000 attendees are expected for this one-day event on October 16.Specialty Coffee Association is coming in 2011 with 3,000 coffee growers and other industry insiders. This will be a "great smelling show," according to sales manager Beverly Peterson, CMP (read more about Beverly below).The Texas Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching will be held here in 2012. Estimated attendance is 6,000.The American Legion will be using the entire GRB - all 1.8 million square feet - when its members come to town in 2013 for its national convention. Anticipated attendance is 10,000 and they will require 19,000 total room nights, all in downtown hotels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 From the GRB's newsletter:Great news... but no big surprise. Of course improving Downtown is going to draw more and more conventions. Houston is cheap (compared to many popular big cities like NYC, San Fran, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, etc), has a great climate (most of the year)... put a convention center Downtown where there is a lot of attractions and where there are hotels for enough people to stay and of course conventions are going to look at Houston as a place to meet. Now that Houston is drawing more conventions the job will be to continue to improve on what we are going... keep improving Downtown... more attractions... more shopping... more hotel rooms... more more more... all within walking distance or within a quick light rail trip away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I hope City Council wastes no time in reviewing these ordinances. In parts of the city they're unnecessary, and sometimes counterproductive. In my neighborhood (the Montrose) the ill effects are especially noticeable.If they would just enforce them the homeless problem would be much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C2H Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 ^^ always complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 If they would just enforce them the homeless problem would be much better. The enforcement of city ordinances on parking requirements will improve the homeless problem? Umm.....OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted June 28, 2008 Share Posted June 28, 2008 The enforcement of city ordinances on parking requirements will improve the homeless problem?Umm.....OK. city council passes ordinances then many go unenforced i.e homeless prob in montrose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 city council passes ordinances then many go unenforced i.e homeless prob in montrose. Is this a backdoor attempt at claiming the City does not enforce parking regs, or is it a desparate attempt at covering up a badly misplaced post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 hoy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Is the thing with a "P" a robot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Is the thing with a "P" a robot?That's a solar powered urinal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 That's a solar powered urinal. It seems sort of tall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trae Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 That's a solar powered urinal.Must be what the P is for........that was bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Is this a backdoor attempt at claiming the City does not enforce parking regs, or is it a desparate attempt at covering up a badly misplaced post? just responding to council enacting ordinances that are supposedly unnecessary in montrose. after the 3 police responding to my garage sale complaint, had another incident with 311. not pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 ^^ always complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Publicity whores. About 4 months left until the grand opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Is picking up dirt with a shiny shovel in a suit the new fad? They look like they're having a lot of fun. Saturday @ 8:00 am anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumapayam Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 Is picking up dirt with a shiny shovel in a suit the new fad? They look like they're having a lot of fun. Saturday @ 8:00 am anyone?Someone should have offered Sheila Jackson-Lee how to pretend shovel better at least before capturing a photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheskies Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 just responding to council enacting ordinances that are supposedly unnecessary in montrose. after the 3 police responding to my garage sale complaint, had another incident with 311. not pretty.What homeless problem???? You live in Montrose. The homeless people are half the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 What homeless problem???? You live in Montrose. The homeless people are half the fun.i'm not into people's urine on my yard....just not one of my fetishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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