Interfaith Ministries For Greater Houston At 3303 Main St.

[TGM]

"best and highest use"= maximum property taxes? The Midtown TIRZ has already been by far the most successful TIRZ in the city in terms of revenue collected, so I'm not sure I find that terribly convincing.

No, hell no. More taxes for the city is not what I consider best and highest use. However since we are not in a fully deregulated world where you can choose your police force, where the water comes from, etc you receive city services. It would be nice if they contributed to cost of these services.

[musicman]

Unfortunately east of Main is going downhill, at least for those who've been there about 10 years. I know 3 different people saying they've had enough of flower pots being stolen and other crimes.  It seems the renters are now the ones who live there. We all know what that means

[DrLan34]

almost a year to the day... here's the article and the rendering just for an update

 

http://www.chron.com/business/sarnoff/article/Sarnoff-Ministry-makes-Midtown-move-3706540.php

 

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/26861-interfaith-ministries-purchases-the-primeway-building/#entry405709

Edited July 12, 2013 by DrLan34

[TGM]

Unfortunately east of Main is going downhill, at least for those who've been there about 10 years. I know 3 different people saying they've had enough of flower pots being stolen and other crimes. It seems the renters are now the ones who live there. We all know what that means

The influx of renters was a major catalyst for me to look elsewhere. I've lived next to renters that were great and I was sad to see them go, but the problem always seems to occur when landlords rent to people with multiple roommates. For starters, parking will be an issue, and some people think its perfectly okay to park the 3rd car in parallel with the garage door, or haphazardly in the driveway alley in the way of others.

Noise and parties are also issues when you're connected to their Townhome. The biggest issue for me is that a certain type of renter is afraid to report maintenance items out of fear their rent will go up. This impacts you a their neighbor when you notice your sheetrock is wet and the neighbor says "oh yeah, it's been doing that, but I did not think it was worth contacting my landlord about". Really?

Older homes, renters with frathouse mentality, systemic issues with homelessness and prostitution, and no real improvements on the east-side of Main in terms of everyday living amenities compared to the West-side are things to think about before purchasing there.

[Texasota]

The west side of main is physically much smaller than the east side though. At some point it will be financially way more logical to build out to the east. Maybe once the superblock is finished. 

[TGM]

The west side of main is physically much smaller than the east side though. At some point it will be financially way more logical to build out to the east. Maybe once the superblock is finished.

The land is not getting any cheaper, which is why you may see more mid-rises than individual homes. The townhomes you will see will reflect the cost of the expensive land and will be hard to justify for those who can afford them. It's hard to justify purchasing a $450-$650+ Townhome in a still transitional area when the same money will get you a home inside the loop that does not have a drug dealer on one corner and a guy waving his c*ck on the other.

If you spend that kind of money in the Heights area the only thing you'll have to deal with is the purists complaining about the new construction. No Greyhound, no Search, no Lord of the streets. Midtown will be a place for young college graduates, or interns that are looking for a great urban area where they can have fun, party, and then leave it behind when they are ready to move into the next stage of life, or now view what was once part of the edgy city ambiance as tiring and irritating. (When you push the newborn around and there is someone waving their d*ng at your wife and child it tends to get tiresome.)

I hope I'm wrong. I hope Midtown gets serious and is able to overcome the institutional negatives and becomes a dynamic neighborhood that people view as a long-term place to live, rather than their future rental property or starter home.

Edited July 12, 2013 by TGM

[Ross]

TGM isn't lying. Those are all reasons we moved from Midtown to Timbergrove. After 5 years, we just got tired of calling HPD or the Constables every couple of days.

[Fortune]

I see quite a few new town home developments going up on the east side of main in midtown, but the only thing I see going up on the west side of main in midtown are apartment complexes. People are complaining about renters on the east side but that's all that's going in on the westside. So what's the difference between the renters on either side of main ?

[Ross]

I see quite a few new town home developments going up on the east side of main in midtown, but the only thing I see going up on the west side of main in midtown are apartment complexes. People are complaining about renters on the east side but that's all that's going in on the westside. So what's the difference between the renters on either side of main ?

 

The people complaining about renters East of Main own properties next door to those occupied by renters. The apartments are owned by some faceless, presumably evil, corporation that is in business to rent.

[TGM]

I see quite a few new town home developments going up on the east side of main in midtown, but the only thing I see going up on the west side of main in midtown are apartment complexes. People are complaining about renters on the east side but that's all that's going in on the westside. So what's the difference between the renters on either side of main ?

Because the walls of an apartment at a Camden are thick enough to muffle the all night flippy-cup game.

The people complaining about renters East of Main own properties next door to those occupied by renters. The apartments are owned by some faceless, presumably evil, corporation that is in business to rent.

Like Ross said, the evil corps don't put up with non-sense, they're in the business to rent. They pick up the parenting where the dorm manager left off.

[Fortune]

Oh ok

[MidtownMan]

Well, certainly i'm not crazy about any of these establishments that make midtown Social Work Alley= SEARCH, Lord of the Streets, Meals on Wheels, Recovery Center but they were there before I moved in...so just gotta deal with it till i just say enough is enough. More pro's that Cons for me at least (i'm at work in 10 min by car,  20 min by train) .  I live on the wrong side of the tracks, yes, the east side of midtown. I hope with future changes (midtown superblock apartments, redo of caroline street and HCC) would bring better businesses to the eastside. Are there any more future projects that would would want people to come to live on east side of midtown?

[KinkaidAlum]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Meals on Wheels isn't going to be run as a soup kitchen. It wont have hangers on loitering about the streets outside. This will be a central kitchen, staffing, and office site from where deliveries will be made. I'd imagine the only people coming to the site other than employees will be volunteers doing deliveries and charitable organizations and foundations doing site visits to see what their funding has built.

[brian0123]

Are there any more future projects that would would want people to come to live on east side of midtown?

 

As a former owner in East Midtown, I'm glad to see the section in the SE seeing more development. To me that was one of the major trouble spots. The other problem isn't necessarily the shelters, but the flophouses that are interspersed in the neighborhood. Those are the places that are unregulated, people just come and go all the time, and they throw trash on nearby properties. Close those down and the east side would get a lot nicer.

 

I'd imagine the only people coming to the site other than employees will be volunteers doing deliveries and charitable organizations and foundations doing site visits to see what their funding has built.

You are correct. The only loitering that will occur is what MOW allows. I think this is better than the empty lot that was there... I just wish it meant more tax revenue for the neighborhood.

[TGM]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Meals on Wheels isn't going to be run as a soup kitchen. It wont have hangers on loitering about the streets outside. This will be a central kitchen, staffing, and office site from where deliveries will be made. I'd imagine the only people coming to the site other than employees will be volunteers doing deliveries and charitable organizations and foundations doing site visits to see what their funding has built.

Correct, they are not going to run it as a soup kitchen. The beef is that it is yet another non-profit, social-service agency in Midtown. If these non-profits were Starbucks locations, then we would have regular news coverage, protests, advocacy groups, and citizens speaking up. (Hmm, maybe we should paint them all forest green with topless mermaids) The point is 25 Starbucks locations in Midtown would result in people asking them to go elsewhere for the next dozen or so stores.

[DrLan34]

The eyecare center further east on elgin is expanding. I saw some new framing the other day. Also, there are some new signs in front of the "White House" that lucky chopra owns. It is just a sign about who is providing the funding for the project but that is at least some acitivity.

[DrLan34]

Also, the building across main from HCC Main is being renovated to house another Vietnamese Restaurant.

[DrLan34]

Well, certainly i'm not crazy about any of these establishments that make midtown Social Work Alley= SEARCH, Lord of the Streets, Meals on Wheels, Recovery Center but they were there before I moved in...so just gotta deal with it till i just say enough is enough. More pro's that Cons for me at least (i'm at work in 10 min by car,  20 min by train) .  I live on the wrong side of the tracks, yes, the east side of midtown. I hope with future changes (midtown superblock apartments, redo of caroline street and HCC) would bring better businesses to the eastside. Are there any more future projects that would would want people to come to live on east side of midtown?

 

The White House on Elgin is being renovated by Landmark Houston Hospitality Group which developed Blackfinn.  They are turning it into a restaurant. 

Edited July 16, 2013 by DrLan34

[Chi-Char-Hou-Dal]

I have posted before I think the area is ripe for an ice house - very chill reasonably priced and laid back man - anyone want to invest PM me

[TGM]

I have posted before I think the area is ripe for an ice house - very chill reasonably priced and laid back man - anyone want to invest PM me

My plans are centered around an automated aluminum can and bottle recycling kiosk in Midtown with a convenient drive-through lane for shopping carts. I'm also looking at locations in West-U, Upper Kirby, and the Heights.