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Hanover West Gray: Multifamily At 1340 W. Gray St.


King Owl

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At least it's all brick/stone on the exterior which has a timeless architectural appeal.  Let's hope the planned landscaping will make it a tad bit more appealing.  :blush:

 

But it's actually not all brick and stone.  Hanover is putting in hardy-plank siding on the downtown facing edge.  It's purely an effort to be cheap, since they think that side is less visible (but you can still see it if you drive away from downtown on W Gray).  Whoever was on the design team for this structure should be fired.  A completely unimaginative, stale product showing no creativity or effort at all.  This development takes Hanover's reputation down a notch.

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But it's actually not all brick and stone.  Hanover is putting in hardy-plank siding on the downtown facing edge.  It's purely an effort to be cheap, since they think that side is less visible (but you can still see it if you drive away from downtown on W Gray).  Whoever was on the design team for this structure should be fired.  A completely unimaginative, stale product showing no creativity or effort at all.  This development takes Hanover's reputation down a notch.

 

Every one seems to forget that when this project broke ground there was nothing else being built anywhere; no one could get financing. If Hanover had to cut corners to get this project off the ground so be it; they found a way to do what no one else could at the time.

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Every one seems to forget that when this project broke ground there was nothing else being built anywhere; no one could get financing. If Hanover had to cut corners to get this project off the ground so be it; they found a way to do what no one else could at the time.

 

What in the world are you talking about?

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Hanover secured the equity and debt financing for this project in early 2011, that was not easy at the time.

Hanover did have to take their developments down a notch, but that's what the financial markets required at the time - it was just smart business.

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Hanover secured the equity and debt financing for this project in early 2011, that was not easy at the time.

Hanover did have to take their developments down a notch, but that's what the financial markets required at the time - it was just smart business.

 

Well if smart business is simply making short-term profits, then I suppose you're correct.  Many would also argue that one's reputation for quality can also be "smart business".  In any event, hardy-plank is hardly the mark of a quality developer. 

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There were over 6,200 units under construction in 2011 in Houston!

 

Greystar, Dinerstein, Archstone, Morgan Group, Gables, Martin Fein, Jonathan Farb, Sueba, Post, and other large apartment developers were all in the game with Hanover. 

 

Heck, financing was so relatively easy here compared to the rest of the nation and the market was so hot, that 2011 is when HINES announced he's be entering the game.

 

Hanover went cheap but not because they had to.



There were over 6,200 units under construction in 2011 in Houston!

 

Greystar, Dinerstein, Archstone, Morgan Group, Gables, Martin Fein, Jonathan Farb, Sueba, Post, and other large apartment developers were all in the game with Hanover. 

 

Heck, financing was so relatively easy here compared to the rest of the nation and the market was so hot, that 2011 is when HINES announced he'd be entering the game.

 

Hanover went cheap but not because they had to.

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IIRC, this property had some very challenging design issues due to a storm sewer running underneath the property and went for years trying to get it done without being developed prior to 2011.  Hanover was not the first developer that tried to get something done there.

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Man, I can't stand this thing. It reminds me of the Harris County jail Downtown (that building is even better looking) or a college dormitory.

 

Exactly -- I was thinking prison, as well.  I wonder if armed marksmen will sit atop the pillars on the 4 corners....and will there be a recreational yard in the middle?  Can guests arrive for conjugal visits on the weekends?

 

:unsure:

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King Owl, I'm just happy you think of me before you post anything now. It's both and honor and a boost to my already incredibly big, over inflated ego.  Sorry if I hurt your feelings the other day. 

 

But I swear, I don't remember telling anyone they couldn't have an opinion. Not to sound paranoid, but that is just another misconception spread by another one (not King Owl) of my many, many jealous enemies at HAIF who is out to DESTROY me!  :ph34r:

 

This building does nothing for me. But I didn't expect anything from it. So you all have my permission in this case to rip it to shreds if it makes you happy and allows you get on with your lives. The only positives I can draw from this project (at the risk of saying anything positive)(I know that is frowned upon on the internet) is that at least it doesn't have a big parking lot between it and the street. It's strictly filler material. But at least it's 2010's urban-looking filler material and not out of date 1970s suburban garden style filler material. So it is a baby step in the right direction.

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That is funny!

Keep in mind this is one of those projects that is coming online during a boom period, but it was conceived in the middle of the worst recession in decades, when credit was next to impossible to come by.

So yes, Hanover cut corners, but they had to make this building super efficient and, yes, cheap in order to get it off the ground.

Kudos to them for being able to make this happen when they did, even if it looks like a county jail!

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All of Hanover's buildings are tired. No creativity whatsoever - space fillers. Hanover must be pretty boring and tired himself. He probably commissions middle and high school students to design his buildings.

 

The Lofts on Post Oak is a pretty nice looking building IMO.

Not very well constructed from what I have seen, but it fits the area pretty well.

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