Midtown Retail Development

[Montrose1100]

On 6/26/2021 at 5:46 PM, por favor gracias said:

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.

Bagby is a great example of what to do with the streets in Midtown. Reduce the lanes, expanded sidewalks, street parking, Bagby has it all. 

As for the Homeless, unless we open up rehab or more state mental institutions again, I think they're here to stay. 

[j_cuevas713]

11 hours ago, Montrose1100 said:

Bagby is a great example of what to do with the streets in Midtown. Reduce the lanes, expanded sidewalks, street parking, Bagby has it all. 

As for the Homeless, unless we open up rehab or more state mental institutions again, I think they're here to stay. 

I just got back from San Francisco and we simply need better wider sidewalks across the entire city. SF felt like an urban dream. 

[West Timer]

If you are waiting for Houston to become San Francisco, you are wasting your life. 

[arbpro]

37 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I just got back from San Francisco and we simply need better wider sidewalks across the entire city. SF felt like an urban dream. 

"Urban dream?" Yeah, I guess that's why the people who actually live there are leaving. Good grief.

Edited June 29, 2021 by arbpro

[j_cuevas713]

2 hours ago, arbpro said:

"Urban dream?" Yeah, I guess that's why the people who actually live there are leaving. Good grief.

So what exactly about my comment didn't you seem to understand? Yeah the cost of living is high because SF is literally 49 square miles with limited space. I'm speaking on the density, transit, and pedestrian focus the city has. It's attention to detail and it's ability to efficiently move people. Again we simply need wider sidewalks and more focus on pedestrians. Good grief. 

[KinkaidAlum]

San Francisco has grown by about 100,000 people in the last decade. Pretty amazing considering there's nowhere to go but up and SF is full of NIMBYs. 

Now, metro SF did lose population last year (less than .5% loss) but the city itself grew. Very similar to other metro areas in California wherein cities continued to grow but exurbs so  population loss.

[arbpro]

7 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

So what exactly about my comment didn't you seem to understand? Yeah the cost of living is high because SF is literally 49 square miles with limited space. I'm speaking on the density, transit, and pedestrian focus the city has. It's attention to detail and it's ability to efficiently move people. Again we simply need wider sidewalks and more focus on pedestrians. Good grief. 

Wider sidewalks? Nonsense. 

A 2021 poll of Harris County residents found that the issues of concern were crime, flooding, failing public schools, homeless, traffic congestion, access to health care. There was not any mention of the need for wider sidewalks. Well, except from you.  

[Twinsanity02]

11 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I just got back from San Francisco and we simply need better wider sidewalks across the entire city. SF felt like an urban dream. 

Urban dream? I've heard numerous accounts that SF has in large quantity, fecal matter, urine smell, trash, vagrants, and pick pockets. It has natural beauty and some great architecture but I don't think that's enough to cancel the negatives. It sounds like a disgrace of a city more than an urban dream, especially if your middle class or have children.

[Houston19514]

10 hours ago, KinkaidAlum said:

San Francisco has grown by about 100,000 people in the last decade. Pretty amazing considering there's nowhere to go but up and SF is full of NIMBYs. 

Now, metro SF did lose population last year (less than .5% loss) but the city itself grew. Very similar to other metro areas in California wherein cities continued to grow but exurbs so  population loss.

San Francisco grew by 61,000 in the past decade but lost 12,000 from July 1 2019- July 1, 2020.

[j_cuevas713]

2 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

Urban dream? I've heard numerous accounts that SF has in large quantity, fecal matter, urine smell, trash, vagrants, and pick pockets. It has natural beauty and some great architecture but I don't think that's enough to cancel the negatives. It sounds like a disgrace of a city more than an urban dream, especially if your middle class or have children.

Not even close to that. I'd heard the same and had to see it for myself. There were very few homeless, very little trash anywhere to be honest. The city was super clean. It has much more than just "some" natural beauty, it's freaking gorgeous. Even the grand entrance on the Golden Gate Bridge made you feel like you were entering a very special place. Literally every building in SF was beautiful. I actually had a hard time finding an ugly building. And the urbanism was great. Easy to catch transit in any direction. Super reliable and frequent. The ONLY negative is it get's cold. Mid day it will get in the 80s but morning and at night it get's pretty damn cold. 

Edited June 29, 2021 by j_cuevas713

[j_cuevas713]

4 hours ago, arbpro said:

Wider sidewalks? Nonsense. 

A 2021 poll of Harris County residents found that the issues of concern were crime, flooding, failing public schools, homeless, traffic congestion, access to health care. There was not any mention of the need for wider sidewalks. Well, except from you.  

LMAO! You're trying to relate two completely different things. Of course residents in our city want less crime, and less traffic. As far as city infrastructure the residents have already said they want a more walkable Houston. Otherwise they wouldn't have approved a massive transit bill. You're naive to think this city doesn't want to be able to walk more. Why would the city even invest in new sidewalks and infrastructure upgrades if people didn't want it? You think we all just want to be in our cars all day? 

Edited June 29, 2021 by j_cuevas713

[tigereye]

15 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I just got back from San Francisco and we simply need better wider sidewalks across the entire city. SF felt like an urban dream. 

Polk St/ The Tenderloin is anything but an urban dream. That’s urban decay. I love SF but like every city, it undeniably has its own issues. 

Sidewalks work there when you have the microclimate to keep things cool and comfortable. Here in Houston, not so much. Also there is the fact that the peninsula is only 49 square miles compared to our sprawling city.

What I would like to take from SF is implementing Muni trains on heavier trafficked thoroughfares inside the loop like Montrose, Westheimer, Shephard/Durham, etc. Not sure how much cost savings there are from repurposing old trains from Eastern Europe but it could be a cheaper way to get more mass transit routes.

Edited June 29, 2021 by tigereye

[j_cuevas713]

3 minutes ago, tigereye said:

Polk St/ The Tenderloin is anything but an urban dream. That’s urban decay. I love SF but like every city, it undeniably has its own issues. 

Sidewalks work there when you have the microclimate to keep things cool and comfortable. Here in Houston, not so much. Also there is the fact that the peninsula is only 49 square miles compared to our sprawling city.

What I would like to take from SF is implementing Muni trains on heavier trafficked thoroughfares inside the loop like Montrose, Westheimer, Shephard/Durham, etc. Not sure if how much cost savings there are from repurposing old trains from Eastern Europe but it could be a cheaper way to get more mass transit routes.

See I like that input. We can def agree to disagree but we for sure can take some lessons from San Fran. I would love to see that on our busy thoroughfares. I still believe that if you provide good walkability, people will walk. But just imagine a city of our size, fully walkable. Yeah Tenderloin might have been their worst neighborhood. 

[dbigtex56]

5 hours ago, arbpro said:

Wider sidewalks? Nonsense. 

A 2021 poll of Harris County residents found that the issues of concern were crime, flooding, failing public schools, homeless, traffic congestion, access to health care. There was not any mention of the need for wider sidewalks. Well, except from you.  

The concerns of Harris County are not necessarily the same among all of its residents. People who live in Champion Forest are probably less likely to put a high priority on sidewalks and the homeless, whereas people living in Midtown and Montrose may be indifferent to traffic congestion on freeways. 
To suggest that a poll of Harris County residents is representative of all of them, or that @j_cuevas713is alone in desiring a livable urban environment (including wider sidewalks) is absurd.

[H-Town Man]

20 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

I still believe that if you provide good walkability, people will walk. 

This has pretty much been proven in areas of our city like Rice Village, downtown. City Centre, and parts of Midtown, the Heights, etc. Also the popularity of Buffalo Bayou park has shown that people like walking in Houston, even in its most humid spot.

 

[j_cuevas713]

3 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

This has pretty much been proven in areas of our city like Rice Village, downtown. City Centre, and parts of Midtown, the Heights, etc. Also the popularity of Buffalo Bayou park has shown that people like walking in Houston, even in its most humid spot.

 

Exactly. 

[arche_757]

The argument that it’s hot so we cannot walk here must somehow not apply to: Jakarta, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Mumbai, Cairo, Lagos etc.  Yes, I realize our style of living here in America is different, but I’ve really grown weary of the absurd “its  too hot to walk in Houston” argument.  No hotter than New Orleans, or Miami or Atlanta… we are cooler than Phoenix, and Vegas (and Portland right now 😬)!   
 

Much of China has incredibly hot summers.  Shanghai (for instance) right now has pretty much the exact same weather we’re having.  Down to the dew point!

[Valhalla]

I lived in Houston for four years without a car. There were days in the summer I walked to work and when I arrived I looked like I had jumped in a pool. Would I have preferred to drive? Absolutely not. Walking is a lifestyle choice--the ability to interact with your surroundings and other human beings in a way that feeds your soul. I believe most people would walk most places if truly given the chance. Houston will get better over time, it's going to take time.

[H-Town Man]

3 hours ago, arche_757 said:

The argument that it’s hot so we cannot walk here must somehow not apply to: Jakarta, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Mumbai, Cairo, Lagos etc.  Yes, I realize our style of living here in America is different, but I’ve really grown weary of the absurd “its  too hot to walk in Houston” argument.  No hotter than New Orleans, or Miami or Atlanta… we are cooler than Phoenix, and Vegas (and Portland right now 😬)!   
 

Much of China has incredibly hot summers.  Shanghai (for instance) right now has pretty much the exact same weather we’re having.  Down to the dew point!

The argument usually goes that Houstonians are accustomed to a certain standard of living that is different than other cities. Although the example of New Orleans probably sufficiently beats this argument. I've heard it said, "Well, New Orleans is just uniquely special" in a way that Houston cannot replicate, but this was basically a white flag - obviously if Houston designed public spaces better, it could be "special" too. Tory Gattis was pushing these arguments for awhile, although I think he has backed off since the success of downtown as a walking neighborhood.

 

Edited June 30, 2021 by H-Town Man

[arche_757]

I think there is merit to the idea that “if you build it, they will come”, at least in the sense that providing BETTER walking areas = higher usage potential.  If our sidewalks were better - more people would feel inclined to use them.  Sadly, I’ve driven my family (young kids) around what I otherwise would have traversed by foot because the sidewalks were either absent, or looked a hot mess.  I’m glad we are evolving!  It has been long overdue.

[samagon]

totally interesting article that is completely unrelated to having a car centric society...

https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/are-we-fat-think/

I wonder if anything has changed in 7 years?

I will say that tolerating the heat has a lot to do with acclimation. I can't expect to decide to start walking at 5 pm on August 1st. if I've been walking every day from April through July, my body will probably be accustomed to that, but it's a mighty shock to the system to just decide to go for a walk on the hottest days of summer.

Edited June 30, 2021 by samagon

[KinkaidAlum]

According to US Census, SF had 805,150 residents in April 2010. Current estimates for 2021 by world population stats lists SF with 893,589 residents. It's a shame 2020 numbers will be so off with an administration that ended the Census early and took no effort in accommodating the pandemic in trying to get an accurate numbers. Cities will suffer big time over the next decade with massive undercounts. 

[Houston19514]

8 hours ago, KinkaidAlum said:

According to US Census, SF had 805,150 residents in April 2010. Current estimates for 2021 by world population stats lists SF with 893,589 residents. It's a shame 2020 numbers will be so off with an administration that ended the Census early and took no effort in accommodating the pandemic in trying to get an accurate numbers. Cities will suffer big time over the next decade with massive undercounts. 

FWIW, without a link to see the "world population stats" you are quoting, they are almost certainly based on a projection of (now outdated) census estimates.  According to the US Census, July 1 estimated population of San Francisco was 866,606.

[dbigtex56]

6 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

FWIW, without a link to see the "world population stats" you are quoting, they are almost certainly based on a projection of (now outdated) census estimates.  According to the US Census, July 1 estimated population of San Francisco was 866,606.

They just had to throw that '666' in there, didn't they....

[samagon]

15 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

They just had to throw that '666' in there, didn't they....

 

[arbpro]

Yep, San Francisco is a true "urban dream."  

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/40-san-francisco-residents-plan-200200119.html

[H-Town Man]

1 hour ago, arbpro said:

Yep, San Francisco is a true "urban dream."  

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/40-san-francisco-residents-plan-200200119.html

It was for a long time but then it became a victim of its own success and fell into serious mismanagement. But regardless of what any poll says, the proof is in the pudding. People still pay 3 times more to live in SF than they do to live in Houston. If the cost of real estate there starts going down, then I'll believe that people are really fleeing. Until then, they're not fleeing.

 

[phillip_white]

On 4/25/2020 at 2:05 PM, hindesky said:

Drive Thru Menu board.

I walked by yesterday and peeked inside. Looks like they were close to finishing...

 

 

[toxtethogrady]

On 7/2/2021 at 11:43 AM, H-Town Man said:

It was for a long time but then it became a victim of its own success and fell into serious mismanagement. But regardless of what any poll says, the proof is in the pudding. People still pay 3 times more to live in SF than they do to live in Houston. If the cost of real estate there starts going down, then I'll believe that people are really fleeing. Until then, they're not fleeing.

 

New York always seems to have been a place that people said they were fleeing, but every decade, the Census shows more people moved in than moved out. As people depart for other parts of the US, immigrants replace them. It has been like that for over a century. New York City has more people now than it's ever had.

[Houston19514]

15 minutes ago, toxtethogrady said:

New York always seems to have been a place that people said they were fleeing, but every decade, the Census shows more people moved in than moved out. As people depart for other parts of the US, immigrants replace them. It has been like that for over a century. New York City has more people now than it's ever had.

Census Bureau this morning released 2021 population estimates for cities.

New York City:  8,467,513, a net loss of  305,465 (3.48%) in one year.