The Travis: Multifamily High-Rise At 3300 Main St.

[KinkaidAlum]

My neighborhood is very walkable. It's even more bike-able. In 5-20 minutes I can be at the Rice Village, Rice U, Hermann Park, Museum District, Med Center, Montrose, etc...

 

However, it is really, really unpleasant to walk right now even with the oak canopy. 

[H-Town Man]

Since this thread is moving in the direction of self-sharing, I will say that my idea of a walkable neighborhood is something like I had living in Budapest. If we were cooking dinner and my wife said, "We should have wine," I could run downstairs, go a block down the street, grab a bottle of wine at the little grocery, and be back in 5 minutes. Or if we woke up Saturday morning and there was nothing for breakfast, we could cross the street in our sweatpants, get some stuff at the little bakery, and be back inside before the water for the coffee had boiled.

 

I guess you can somewhat approximate this downtown, in Rice Village, maybe a few other places to some degree. It is definitely brewing in Midtown.

 

Cue the "This is Houston, not Budapest" responses....

Edited July 8, 2017 by H-Town Man

[H-Town Man]

4 hours ago, Reporter said:

Why would someone who lives in a city with a walkable neighborhood want to visit another city that's exactly like where they came from? All my visitors hate walking anywhere. They just want to be chauffeured around town (by me). I'm only interested in my own personal vision for Houston. Your visitors can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico. Just kidding.

 

Who said "exactly like"?

[drecey]

I love living in midtown. I'm torn between wanting the GFR or high rises. I love the fact that I can (and I do) walk/bike to a grocery store, bar, restaurant. My circle of friends are from car-dependent cities and I love when they're surprised when I tell them we're walking to a bar. My only complaint is the sketchiness that's still up and down midtown. 

[Reporter]

I can see how living in a walkable urban neighborhood would be an attractive feature, especially to those who live in a city that doesn't have a lot of them - but the whole idea of impressing guest, as if that's a good reason to do anything, makes me want to hurl. Hopefully we'll all get what we want, but seeing the 369' on this thread is the only thing that makes this project interesting to me. 

[H-Town Man]

1 hour ago, Reporter said:

I can see how living in a walkable urban neighborhood would be an attractive feature, especially to those who live in a city that doesn't have a lot of them - but the whole idea of impressing guest, as if that's a good reason to do anything, makes me want to hurl. Hopefully we'll all get what we want, but seeing the 369' on this thread is the only thing that makes this project interesting to me. 

 

Should be pretty clear from my previous comments that my interest in this goes well beyond just wanting to impress guests. Although image to outsiders is an area where Houston can certainly improve, and benefit itself in the process.

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by H-Town Man

[Naviguessor]

The two are are not mutually exclusive. We've got great skylines. What we don't have much of are walkable streetscapes. Midtown is one of the best opportunities for this and thus should be encouraged, over skyline, IMO. 

I too have been stumped when visitors have asked me to take them to "where there are people". They usually look at me like I'm stupid when I say, "I can drop you off at the theGalleria. 

[bobruss]

I don't know about impressing visitors with walkable streets. I just want the midtown neighborhood to have as great a retail and service related presence as the Rice village has, which in my opinion is the most walkable neighborhood in Houston.

If they put in  a couple more residential towers and a couple of boutique hotels and a grocery store in the Village, you wouldn't need a car. Especially if you worked in the med center, at Rice U. or Greenway Plaza. You'd have to find a way to work but those three areas are all on bus lines.

The more GFR the better for the future. Skyscrapers and GFR can co-exist.

[skooljunkie]

The city continues to rebuild traffic signals and intersections throughout the city since Rebuild started--removing wired signals with masts and adding crosswalk signalization while removing pedestrian impediments. These improvements, in my opinion, help create walkable environments. Most of my guests don't notice setbacks or ground floor retail issues; they pick up on the crumbling sidewalks or ditch infrastructure we have. I tend to forget these infrastructure issues exist until I drive down new boulevards in Upper Kirby or visit other places. Its a whole other world in parts of Shady Acres, Washington, or Montrose. I just want curbs. I often find myself walking in the middle of a narrow ditch-lined street without sidewalks negotiating right of passage with Audis, and that's just not walkable. I used to think there was a charm to the lack of infrastructure--it made neighborhoods feel cozy and historical--moo, with all the added density it just makes no sense now. But yeah, I think GFR would be great at this site along Main Street. There are already sidewalks to support it!  I can walk a mile in many areas and not notice the lack of retail as long as there are homes or people to observe on the ground level. When I walk a few blocks in Midtown (mostly central or south Midtown), I often notice the lack of retail because there is often nothing to view but vacant lots, garages, or walls of apartment buildings. Even with all the new apartment buildings going up, I think Midtown still needs more residents to fill in the gaps--then it will feel more walkable because you won't be walking by gravel lots and whatnot. Also, building residential structures with multiple entrances instead of entire block sides of wall would help create pedestrian movement and variation around structures. Solid walls facing blocks can be perceived as unsafe not to mention bland. Retail is definitely not the only tool to make neighborhoods more walkable. Residential building design and streetscape go a long way to help as well. 

[Reporter]

On 7/8/2017 at 10:13 AM, H-Town Man said:

 

Should be pretty clear from my previous comments that my interest in this goes well beyond just wanting to impress guests. Although image to outsiders is an area where Houston can certainly improve, and benefit itself in the process.

 

...Unless you don't consider GFR an to be an 'improvement'. Some outsiders are more impressed with looking at big skylines than they are with being able to walk to Starbucks. I guess it depends on if you are trying to please the 1% who will live and visit the area or the 99% that will just drive by it on their way to go to somewhere else.

 

My dream of one day seeing the Downtown skyline connected to the TMC skyline, through Midtown will take decades to achieve (if ever). Anything that helps that happen is an exciting idea to me. Another little structure in Midtown doesn't do anything to expand the skyline. Maybe if I lived in Midtown right now and were someone who might benefit from walking to retail (a dying concept, internet deliveries are the future) or Midtown already had a decent skyline, I might see it your way.

 

I don't know if this rendering is accurate, but it looks like most of us are going to get what we want on that spot. It looks like a high rise with some kind of GFR.

 

Edited July 9, 2017 by Reporter

[thatguysly]

Can't it be both? Build a high rise with retail in the bottom like the rest of the world. One of the biggest reasons I live in the loop in to walk to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and retail. Sure you can have stuff delivered but going out to eat and drink can't be replicated at home.

[Twinsanity02]

It is going to be interesting the impact all these low and high rise apartments and condos are going to have on the intra-610 loop population. I would think it is approaching the 1960 population of 493,000 and will soon exceed.Hope so.

[Spades]

1 hour ago, Twinsanity02 said:

It is going to be interesting the impact all these low and high rise apartments and condos are going to have on the intra-610 loop population. I would think it is approaching the 1960 population of 493,000 and will soon exceed.Hope so.

How accurate is page 2 of this study??
 

http://www.harriscountytx.gov/CmpDocuments/74/Budget/FY16 Population Study.pdf

Edited July 10, 2017 by Spades

[houstontexasjack]

I'm not sure. If we were to extrapolate the numbers, we should have in excess of 500,000 people living Inside the Loop today.

[Spades]

Found this. This is updated up from the year in the previous link which was 2014. This is as of 12/31/2015.

 

http://www.harriscountytx.gov/CmpDocuments/74/Budget/FY17 Population Report.pdf

 

It has the inner loop at 502,000.

[Avossos]

4 hours ago, Spades said:

Found this. This is updated up from the year in the previous link which was 2014. This is as of 12/31/2015.

 

http://www.harriscountytx.gov/CmpDocuments/74/Budget/FY17 Population Report.pdf

 

It has the inner loop at 502,000.

 

lets do 1MM (1million) by 2030.

 

 

[Twinsanity02]

According to those estimates the growth is in excess of 6,000 per year. If this is correct and continues the population should be around 525,000 by 2020. Thanks for the info.

[houstontexasjack]

600,000 by 2030 seems doable if density begets density and increases our growth rate Inside the Loop. 

[Urbannizer]

 

I've seen job listing posted for this project so it may get going soon.

[Timoric]

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Edited July 11, 2019 by Timoric

[Timoric]

-

Edited July 11, 2019 by Timoric

[Urbannizer]

Work to begin sometime this quarter.

[H-Town Man]

18 minutes ago, Urbannizer said:

Work to begin sometime this quarter.

 

Whoa.

 

[CREguy13]

source?

[pablog]

1 hour ago, CREguy13 said:

source?

Did you just doubt urbannizer? 

[Avossos]

2 hours ago, CREguy13 said:

source?

 

Have you heard something different?

 

i know financing can be a long and complicated thing.

[Spades]

On 7/12/2017 at 9:42 PM, Twinsanity02 said:

According to those estimates the growth is in excess of 6,000 per year. If this is correct and continues the population should be around 525,000 by 2020. Thanks for the info.

I forgot to post another update but they have one from as of 12/31/2016.

 

http://www.harriscountytx.gov/CmpDocuments/74/Budget/FY18 Population Report.pdf

Has the inner loop at 519,000. If this is true, 525,000  could be reached by this year, if not already.

[H-Town Man]

In CRE's defense, it does add perspective to know the source...

 

[CREguy13]

8 hours ago, pablog said:

Did you just doubt urbannizer? 

Not at all, I was just curious of the source.  This would be awesome to rise at the same time as Caydon. 

[pablog]

Just now, CREguy13 said:

Not at all, I was just curious of the source.  This would be awesome to rise at the same time as Caydon. 

Haha yeah it was just a joke! Loving what is happening in Midtown!