East River: Mixed-Use Development By Midway

[Naviguessor]

Wow, 19.  No surprise for the properties on Clinton.  But, the cluster around Jensen, Navigation and Canal is a surprise.  That area will make a great gateway to "East River" area.  Especially once they install the traffic circle at Jensen/Navigation/Runnels. 

[HoustonIsHome]

On 10/4/2016 at 2:17 PM, H-Town Man said:

 

Keep it simple. Park along the river. Uniform grid, no pointless curves or dead ends. All the best places are laid out simple. Simple gets better with age.

 

I disagree,  but unfortunately simple is most probably what we are going to get. 

 

I think it is a waste of frontage to have parking facing the bayou.

 

But I bet we are going to get a development like the post office site with a few buildings in the center of the property surrounded by a sea of surface parking

[nate4l1f3]

1 hour ago, HoustonIsHome said:

I disagree,  but unfortunately simple is most probably what we are going to get. 

 

I think it is a waste of frontage to have parking facing the bayou.

 

But I bet we are going to get a development like the post office site with a few buildings in the center of the property surrounded by a sea of surface parking

I don't usually have a lot of faith in developers, but if it's anything like the current post office site I would be shocked.  

[Montrose1100]

2 hours ago, HoustonIsHome said:

I disagree,  but unfortunately simple is most probably what we are going to get. 

 

I think it is a waste of frontage to have parking facing the bayou.

 

But I bet we are going to get a development like the post office site with a few buildings in the center of the property surrounded by a sea of surface parking

Maybe in the first phases. Eventually not.

[Naviguessor]

We had a neighborhood meeting/party last night at The New Potato (great little bar on Clinton St across from KBR site).  A couple of reps from Midway, including a Director, attended to listen to the community, which was very well represented.  Midway is still very much in the analysis and research phase and had nothing on paper to show us and did not really present anything other than themselves.  They stated that they were really there to listen to ideas and concerns...which they did.  They did state that they had just come back from visits to several cities around the country (Portland, Brooklyn, Boston, etc...) and were focusing on waterfront developments.  We spoke, and they spoke, about connectivity with the street grid in place already, as opposed to a few large entrances to a property.  They, also, stressed the need for a lot of residences on the property and they spoke of the need for affordable housing options.  They clearly stated that we would not be seeing a City Center replica, as they realize that the money and demographics in the East Side are not that of the West Side. 

 

The water frontage is clearly an important focus about it and said that they prefer to use the term "River" in name of the development, rather than "Bayou" since it looks much more like a river east of downtown (wider, deeper banks, navigable...).  It was, also, confirmed that the BBP had easement rights for bike trails and would be involved in the plans. One thing that impressed them about other cities that they visited was the developed biking cultures and sees that a possible path for east side planning. 

 

So, they are seeking and getting input.  A lot of studying and planning still needs to be done.  Financial considerations and viability are naturally very important.  But, they recognize the unique qualities of the property, see the waterfront and views of downtown as primary assets.  They acknowledge that development will be fairly organic and will evolve over time rather than follow a strict development plan.  It was made clear that this was not a property that they intend to sit on for several years and that we should be movement in 2018. 

 

Mr. Clean 19 -  Did you get a different impression or additional information? 

 

Oh...And, when out and about...y'all should drop by The New Potato, at 3519 Clinton.  Great, chill place with excellent cocktails and views. 

[Triton]

Hmmm... sounds like we could have a lot of boat docks being built here too. Perhaps they could have a Houston Ship Channel tour boat launch from here as well.

[houstontexasjack]

1 hour ago, Triton said:

Hmmm... sounds like we could have a lot of boat docks being built here too. Perhaps they could have a Houston Ship Channel tour boat launch from here as well.

 

That would be a neat little item to have.  I love taking duck tours in other towns when I visit.  I never thought about it working here, but the ship channel plus portions of Galveston Bay might work if a company wanted launch some sort of half day cruise.

[bobruss]

I don't think H-Town Man meant parking on the bayou. I think he was suggesting a park on the bayou, as in green space, not parking as in cars.

I can't speak for him, but it seems that was what he was inferring.

[cspwal]

I wonder if there could be water taxis between here and downtown

[The Pragmatist]

On 10/4/2016 at 4:24 PM, UtterlyUrban said:

Are palm trees even native to Galveston?

 

 

Indeed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabal_palmetto

[cloud713]

11 hours ago, cspwal said:

I wonder if there could be water taxis between here and downtown

Bingo. The downtown dock would naturally be Allens Landing. Have a dock (or two, this site is pretty long) here for the new development, and another at the turning basin where the Maritime Museum is supposed to go (the plan is for the museum to be the launching point of the ship channel boat tour, so a water taxi connection would help link more people to the museum/tour).

[H-Town Man]

On October 7, 2016 at 6:53 AM, HoustonIsHome said:

I disagree,  but unfortunately simple is most probably what we are going to get. 

 

I think it is a waste of frontage to have parking facing the bayou.

 

But I bet we are going to get a development like the post office site with a few buildings in the center of the property surrounded by a sea of surface parking

 

As another commenter pointed out, I meant park as in green space along the bayou, not auto parking along the bayou. The analogy to Back Bay should make it clearer. I don't think Midway is in the business of seas of parking; they've never done this in any project I know of.

Edited October 10, 2016 by H-Town Man

[phillip_white]

Here's a snippet of some footage I took with my drone while looking at the area around the KBR site.  The area looks more than ready for development.  I can't wait to see the transformation.  Also note the spectator that showed up.  He probably thought I was doing some illegal dumping.

 

 

[Fitch]

One of the buildings at KBR that faces downtown. Really visible from afar. 

 

[Triton]

On 2/2/2017 at 6:56 PM, Fitch said:

One of the buildings at KBR that faces downtown. Really visible from afar. 

 

 

Yea we saw it from pretty far away. It's impressive.

 

 

HTX by Marc longoria, on Flickr

[nate4l1f3]

HOU**

 

hehehehe

[Urbannizer]

https://houston-texas-us.blogspot.com/2017/02/riverfront-blight-kbr-redevelopment.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AnTonY]

I'm not sure why people have a problem with palm trees being planted. While SE/coastal areas of the metro feature the most optimal growing climate (and with the largest varieties of species), everywhere in the Houston has a climate warm enough to support the planting of many types of palms.

 

There are two native palm varieties specifically to the Houston area (sabal minor and sabal brazoria), but even if there weren't, it doesn't matter, since many palms have been shown to do well in Houston's climate, from dates to washingtonias to sabals. No palm is native to coastal California, doesn't stop places like LA from planting loads of them.

 

It really doesn't matter if a plant is native or not; if it can grow well, then there is no problem using it. Crape myrtles aren't native to the US, yet they grow just fine in Houston, and no one throws a fit at their presence.

[jmitch94]

^First post and I like it, welcome. 

[BigFootsSocks]

Someone remove the Botanist posting for HAIF; the position has just been filled. 

Edited March 3, 2017 by BigFootsSocks

[AnTonY]

On 3/2/2017 at 10:26 PM, jmitch94 said:

^First post and I like it, welcome. 

Thanks.

 

On 3/3/2017 at 8:14 AM, BigFootsSocks said:

Someone remove the Botanist posting for HAIF; the position has just been filled. 

Now, don't get me wrong, it can be quite tacky if palms are the ONLY plants used for landscaping. However, I see nothing wrong with planting them along with other types of flora.

 

In all honesty, I prefer if many landscaping features of the city not shy away from non-native plants. Not only are there obvious aesthetic benefits, it also is another way/mean through which the city can demonstrate its "worldliness." I also have preference for evergreen plants, although deciduous trees are good in certain contexts (i.e. those that are more "semi" in nature, those from subtropical/tropical dry climates, etc).

Edited March 5, 2017 by AnTonY

[j_cuevas713]

^ I like this guy

[swtsig]

trees!

[Fitch]

nm

Edited March 21, 2017 by Fitch

[samagon]

worst update ever

 

[Mr.Clean19]

I think we are all waiting on some news to break on this site. 

[Fitch]

Sorry, was trying to post a link to this photo from the Houston Instagram...but the code didn't copy....

 

https://www.instagram.com/houston_insta/

 

[samagon]

hahaha, no worries, I just thought the response was appropriately funny

Edited March 29, 2017 by samagon

[Fitch]

Touche!

[kdog08]

On 3/2/2017 at 8:33 PM, AnTonY said:

I'm not sure why people have a problem with palm trees being planted. While SE/coastal areas of the metro feature the most optimal growing climate (and with the largest varieties of species), everywhere in the Houston has a climate warm enough to support the planting of many types of palms.

 

There are two native palm varieties specifically to the Houston area (sabal minor and sabal brazoria), but even if there weren't, it doesn't matter, since many palms have been shown to do well in Houston's climate, from dates to washingtonias to sabals. No palm is native to coastal California, doesn't stop places like LA from planting loads of them.

 

It really doesn't matter if a plant is native or not; if it can grow well, then there is no problem using it. Crape myrtles aren't native to the US, yet they grow just fine in Houston, and no one throws a fit at their presence.

 

They just don't provide much shade in a city that needs shade along sidewalks.