Midtown Retail Development

[Urbannizer]

Looks like plans called for this to start October 2020. 

 

 

[j_cuevas713]

So this is happening or... it all fell through?

 

[Triton]

48 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

So this is happening or... it all fell through?

 

Video was posted in September 2019. The world kinda changed since then. lol But with the economy clearly booming again, I'm willing to bet this isn't the last we've heard of the Mix.

[Urbannizer]

12 minutes ago, Triton said:

Video was posted in September 2019. The world kinda changed since then. lol But with the economy clearly booming again, I'm willing to bet this isn't the last we've heard of the Mix.

It’s listed here by JLL as “Midtown 41”, the pdf was uploaded this year.

http://houstoninnovation.resource.jll.com/uploads/1/3/3/1/133109397/mixed_use_development_2021.pdf

[H-Town Man]

2 hours ago, Triton said:

Video was posted in September 2019. The world kinda changed since then. lol But with the economy clearly booming again, I'm willing to bet this isn't the last we've heard of the Mix.

The economy isn't booming. The stock market is going up because the government is printing and giving away money and people are hurrying to put it into something before it devalues, but the economy isn't booming. 

[BeerNut]

6 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

The economy isn't booming. The stock market is going up because the government is printing and giving away money and people are hurrying to put it into something before it devalues, but the economy isn't booming. 

Some people have money piling up and are "investing" in stocks because their normal spending habits have been disrupted.  

[Response]

8 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

The economy isn't booming. The stock market is going up because the government is printing and giving away money and people are hurrying to put it into something before it devalues, but the economy isn't booming. 

N

Edited April 8, 2021 by Response

[Squirrel]

On 4/7/2021 at 4:26 AM, Urbannizer said:

Looks like plans called for this to start October 2020. 

 

 

Interesting, the brand new restaurant and parking lot still hasn't opened. Would they just demo it to start this or has this been scrapped/held off for a few years. Seems like a waste after spending all that money on the restaurant and paving the lot, even though they restaurant kind of looks like it's made of cardboard. 

I just hope those renters on the back of pearl at the mix know what they might have to deal with if construction starts lol

 

On 4/7/2021 at 10:44 PM, Urbannizer said:

It’s listed here by JLL as “Midtown 41”, the pdf was uploaded this year.

http://houstoninnovation.resource.jll.com/uploads/1/3/3/1/133109397/mixed_use_development_2021.pdf

 

Ah I just noticed it says long term proposed. So probably 3+ years until it starts. It just means it has zoning approved which in houston is like instantly (?) haha. 

[Triton]

23 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

The economy isn't booming. The stock market is going up because the government is printing and giving away money and people are hurrying to put it into something before it devalues, but the economy isn't booming. 

Then you're not reading the numbers. The economy is most definitely booming and most businesses right now can't keep up with the demand... we are seeing a near record number of 7.4 million job openings.  Forget the government's antics of pumping in billions... People are ready to get out and enjoy life post-covid. You saw nearly 1 million jobs added last month. At our start-up, Joyride.com, we are getting an unprecedented amount of trips just in the past month because people are beginning to actually travel again. Look at the price of oil. The economy is taking off whether it stands in line with certain political views or not... it was due to take off because of the pent-up demand, no matter who became president. I seriously see a lot of projects that were postponed during 2020 due to Covid will come back this year or next.

 

Here are some high frequency indicators because facts matter...

 

Hotel occupancy is skyrocketing upwards:

 

Seating at restaurants:

 

Gasoline supplied is coming back up to 2019 levels:

 

 

 

 

 

[H-Town Man]

8 hours ago, Triton said:

Then you're not reading the numbers. The economy is most definitely booming and most businesses right now can't keep up with the demand... we are seeing a near record number of 7.4 million job openings.  Forget the government's antics of pumping in billions... People are ready to get out and enjoy life post-covid. You saw nearly 1 million jobs added last month. At our start-up, Joyride.com, we are getting an unprecedented amount of trips just in the past month because people are beginning to actually travel again. Look at the price of oil. The economy is taking off whether it stands in line with certain political views or not... it was due to take off because of the pent-up demand, no matter who became president. I seriously see a lot of projects that were postponed during 2020 due to Covid will come back this year or next.

 

Here are some high frequency indicators because facts matter...

 

Hotel occupancy is skyrocketing upwards:

 

Seating at restaurants:

 

Gasoline supplied is coming back up to 2019 levels:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, people are ready to get out and enjoy life. So what? There are still way fewer people than normal out and enjoying life, although Texas is close to normal due to lax restrictions. The fact that the economy is better than it was prior to the pandemic is due to the volume of cash added. You showed me a bunch of graphs that should indicate an economy getting back to where it was, not soaring past it. Certain political views? I don't see this as a political issue. 

 

[Response]

Triton is right.

[por favor gracias]

In their respective contexts, they're both right. You can say it's "booming," but those numbers are coming from places opening up from the pandemic. That still counts, but to me it comes with a grain of salt. Of course, there's always the whole "booming for who" thing too. Depends on your definition/perspective.

[jmitch94]

52 minutes ago, por favor gracias said:

In their respective contexts, they're both right. You can say it's "booming," but those numbers are coming from places opening up from the pandemic. That still counts, but to me it comes with a grain of salt. Of course, there's always the whole "booming for who" thing too. Depends on your definition/perspective.

Yeah it’s a grey area. The economy was roaring in the 20’s but only for a very select few. Things are definitely looking up but but jobs added numbers can be deceiving, a lot of jobs added in recent years have been second and third jobs because peoples primary jobs can’t support them. 

[Urbannizer]

Well..this is not happening. Land is for sale.

https://res.cloudinary.com/jll-global-cmg/image/upload/v1623764751/IC/Img/Original/mur9oi37aiathvkkbs0j.pdf

[arche_757]

Oh Midtown… such promise, such disappointment time and again.

[Valhalla]

5 hours ago, arche_757 said:

Oh Midtown… such promise, such disappointment time and again.

I don't understand how midtown isn't crawling with highrises and young professionals. It's right on the metro and in the geographic center of everything important. It seemed like four of five years ago the sky was the limit, but now it seems like developers won't touch midtown with a ten foot poll. 

[jmitch94]

8 minutes ago, Valhalla said:

I don't understand how midtown isn't crawling with highrises and young professionals. It's right on the metro and in the geographic center of everything important. It seemed like four of five years ago the sky was the limit, but now it seems like developers won't touch midtown with a ten foot poll. 

It's not the hip cool place anymore, also you'll struggle to got a lot of high earning individuals with the plethora of homeless and that Grey Hound station. 

[pm91]

It’s all about that darn Greyhound I tell ya

[houstontexasjack]

Downtown developed a scene for nightlife with the new residential there, so Midtown doesn’t really have that edge on Downtown. Montrose is much better for the restaurant crowd. 
 

The Innovation District should breathe new life into the south end of Midtown.

[Urbannizer]

1 hour ago, houstontexasjack said:

The Innovation District should breathe new life into the south end of Midtown.

 

I hope so. The Mix has been in the planning stages for more than a decade and the group behind it has decided to give up. It seems like only developers with great knowledge of the Houston market who have been around for some time do well and build here (Hines, Hanover, Mill Creek, Greystar, etc). Nowadays I end up doubting something for Houston- especially when it comes from a new developer because the market is so volatile. The rail line to Midtown/Museum District has so much potential I'm surprised it has not flourished yet.

[MarathonMan]

I’d say the Greyhound Station plus the inordinate number of homeless/poor outreach organizations plus the high crime rate associated with the nightclub scene all induce a little fear in people when it comes to investing in Midtown.  It’s also not a good look when you’ve regularly got drug pushers setting up shop a block away from Drewery Place.  It dulls the shine of a nice, new development.  All combined, this stunts the growth of the area.

Oh, one more thing:  Midtown has been in the process of upgrading Caroline Street to bolster the east-of-Main part of the neighborhood —for the past FIVE YEARS!  The street is torn up and looks awful.  Time and again this neighborhood has proven it is horrible at executing development/upgrade projects!

Edited June 24, 2021 by MarathonMan

[arche_757]

Midtown development was really thrown an obstacle when the super block park wasn’t fully realized.  There really isn’t a single cohesive area within Midtown where development could be focused and grown outward.  Perhaps Rice’s ION will fulfill that void?  That said - if you were a developer with financing likely for a large project and Montrose, or “River Oaks” was available... you go where there is money.  

Midtown will come around.  Eventually.    

[H-Town Man]

8 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

 

I hope so. The Mix has been in the planning stages for more than a decade and the group behind it has decided to give up. It seems like only developers with great knowledge of the Houston market who have been around for some time do well and build here (Hines, Hanover, Mill Creek, Greystar, etc). Nowadays I end up doubting something for Houston- especially when it comes from a new developer because the market is so volatile. The rail line to Midtown/Museum District has so much potential I'm surprised it has not flourished yet.

We've had some successful developments from non-Houston developers like the one on Kirby by Thor Equities as well as developments by Trammell Crow, although they're practically a hometown developer. Probably more I'm not thinking of. This is more of a Midtown problem and a Covid problem. When the Pierce Elevated is demolished and the Southwest Freeway is sunk and the Ion is up and running, then we can give it another go. Right now is not the time.

The big test at this point is if something great can be built at Westheimer and Montrose by Skanska. Lease-up and occupancy at Montrose Collective will be the bellwether. That will tell us how bad the damage is.

 

[j_cuevas713]

On 6/23/2021 at 3:58 PM, Urbannizer said:

Well..this is not happening. Land is for sale.

https://res.cloudinary.com/jll-global-cmg/image/upload/v1623764751/IC/Img/Original/mur9oi37aiathvkkbs0j.pdf

Good. I've been waiting for this entire block to change hands. 

[j_cuevas713]

17 hours ago, arche_757 said:

Midtown development was really thrown an obstacle when the super block park wasn’t fully realized.  There really isn’t a single cohesive area within Midtown where development could be focused and grown outward.  Perhaps Rice’s ION will fulfill that void?  That said - if you were a developer with financing likely for a large project and Montrose, or “River Oaks” was available... you go where there is money.  

Midtown will come around.  Eventually.    

While I agree, I think the bigger issue with Midtown is basic maintenance. We're wanting so much from Midtown but MMD is horrible at doing the very basics. There needs to be a bigger push to clean up the homeless problem, there are trees that need trimming, sidewalks that need repair, vacant lots that need cleaning, traffic signs knocked over from accidents or whatever. It's really the lack of attention to detail. We can want all the high rises and development we want but if the basics aren't taken care of, this area won't take off. I see East End Management District do a better job keeping their neighborhood in order with less to work with. Any time I've complained about something to MMD, they have a hard time figuring out what the issue is, or the location within Midtown. It blows my mind and makes me wonder if any of the people in the district even live in Houston. 

Edited June 25, 2021 by j_cuevas713

[Texasota]

What does "clean up the homeless problem" mean to you?

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

On 6/25/2021 at 2:01 AM, j_cuevas713 said:

. It blows my mind and makes me wonder if any of the people in the district even live in Houston. 

none of the ERCOT board lives in Texas, so why would the MM people live here...

[por favor gracias]

On 6/25/2021 at 2:01 AM, j_cuevas713 said:

While I agree, I think the bigger issue with Midtown is basic maintenance. We're wanting so much from Midtown but MMD is horrible at doing the very basics. There needs to be a bigger push to clean up the homeless problem, there are trees that need trimming, sidewalks that need repair, vacant lots that need cleaning, traffic signs knocked over from accidents or whatever. It's really the lack of attention to detail. We can want all the high rises and development we want but if the basics aren't taken care of, this area won't take off. I see East End Management District do a better job keeping their neighborhood in order with less to work with. Any time I've complained about something to MMD, they have a hard time figuring out what the issue is, or the location within Midtown. It blows my mind and makes me wonder if any of the people in the district even live in Houston. 

This is a problem all over Houston. Aside from Main St, Dallas St, Post Oak Blvd and recent landscaping improvements on parts of Richmond Ave, our major thoroughfares are largely neglected. If we just spent the money we wasted repaving roads that haven't had a pothole in decades (like Westheimer and Highway 6 right now around Bellaire/Beechnut) or those giant poles they're putting all over town that hold our traffic signals, our street grid in parts of downtown and midtown could be in much better shape. Just basic on and off road maintenance that is so desperately needed on our streets themselves...all those things you mentioned and lane/crosswalk striping and better signage are glaring needs here. It's like someone in the giant pole industry knows someone who works w/ COH...so this is what we get. I'm sure the tourists are lining up for that experience. SMH...I'm starting to think some of our management districts are run by Oakland A's fans.

Most of the streets in midtown are also too wide and limit options for development and landscaping. 

Not sure what the solution is to the homeless problem in midtown, but I am open to the idea of relocating the concentration of shelters in the area.

I'd be willing to bet these are the biggest reasons why some of these developers are pulling out of midtown. It has so much potential, but it will only be reached incrementally unless/until this changes. Hopefully, the Pierce Elevated and submerging 59 will also happen sooner than later.

Edited June 26, 2021 by por favor gracias

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

19 hours ago, por favor gracias said:

.I'm starting to think some of our management districts are run by Oakland A's fans.

 

oakland A's fans? GET A ROPE!

[houstontexasjack]

9 minutes ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

oakland A's fans? GET A ROPE!

That’s just reserved for Mike Fiers.