Aspire Post Oak: Multifamily High-Rise At 1616 Post Oak Blvd.

[danielsonr]

2 hours ago, Nate_56 said:

Can’t wait to see this same perspective when 1660 Post Oak is finished.

Edited May 4, 2020 by danielsonr

[Skyboxdweller]

Window wall installation reminds me of Leger, greyed out. 

It’s definitely happening . It’s interesting watching a bit of the learning curve as they begin putting the glass in . 

[Stone]

I really dig the color choice of glass and metal trim on this one! 
 

The black and silver is certainly different than the typical bluish-gray hue we’ve come to expect. I did not pick up on the colors in any of the initial renderings. 

[monarch]

 

^^^ the ASPIRE POST OAK is really... really... really... going to place HOUSTON upon the map of ICONIC structures throughout the UNITED STATES.  this burgeoning apartment tower is going to be special...  

 

 

 

[Highrise Tower]

[monarch]

 

^^^ brand new SUPER RED designated bus lanes of POST OAK BLVD.  the ASPIRE POST OAK looking super sexy in it's black-clad SEXY GLASS LINGERIE.  simply gorgeous...

[wxman]

Those BRT lines are a waste and a blight. The end.

[Luminare]

5 minutes ago, wxman said:

Those BRT lines are a waste and a blight. The end.

 

Are you telling me this...

 

 

Looks better than this?

 

[cloud713]

1 hour ago, wxman said:

Those BRT lines are a waste and a blight. The end.

I would have preferred rail, but the boulevard project revamp of post oak is night and day compared to the suburban atmosphere it had before..

[Luminare]

2 minutes ago, cloud713 said:

I would have preferred rail, but the boulevard project revamp of post oak is night and day compared to the suburban atmosphere it had before..

 

Agreed. What really matters at the end of the day is how the effort of putting in BRT or any type of transit spurred the project leaders to turn what was just an ordinary non-descriptive road you could find anywhere else in Houston, into an actual unique looking place befitting the name of "Boulevard". Certainly not perfect, but miles better than it ever was and will be a great foundation for this whole area, and spur better development, and apparently it is already doing just that.

[wxman]

4 hours ago, Luminare said:

 

Are you telling me this...

 

 

Looks better than this?

 

 

Did I, at any point, mention the new concrete or trees? No. The new pavement and trees is quite the improvement actually. Buses are not sexy and giving them a designated lane is nothing more than putting lipstick on a pig. A bus is a bus is a bus and I highly doubt these BRT lanes will move the numbers of people being projected. Most people don't ride buses -- especially in a city built for the car. Why we don't focus our attention on commuter rail is beyond me. I'm really not even a fan of light rail. God knows the one from downtown to the dome will shake the dirt from your shoes. I realize it's not financially savvy to sell commuter rail but putting in a useless lane for a rolling eyesore is a shame. Of course, many of you won't agree and that's okay. Personally, they should stop why they're ahead and transition these designated lanes into bikes and foot traffic areas. 

Edited May 14, 2020 by wxman

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

The main reason why the bottom picture looks better than the top is because the Cosmo is obscured by the new.... what's this project called again?

[gene]

I love the new BLVD and yes rail would have been better...the rumor was always that years from now the bus lane area could be transformed into a rail feature (as the general look and feel certainly already resembles one). i guess we shall see but again, love the way it looks and agree that now that is is done (or almost), it is attracting more great projects for Uptown! 

[Houston19514]

12 hours ago, wxman said:

 

 I highly doubt these BRT lanes will move the numbers of people being projected.

 

What numbers are being projected?

[Geographer]

I love the wide, brick sidewalks in the bottom picture.  That should be the standard sidewalk design, not the traditional three feet concrete sidewalk that is most common.  Wide sidewalks are far more inviting and attractive than narrow sidewalks.

 

I agree with wxman that buses are not attractive and will not attract as many riders as trains.  There is still a stigma attached to them in most of the United States.  Taking the bus as an adult makes people think you can't afford a car.  Trains are different.  They are considered modern and a symbol of big, dense, rich cities.  They offer a smoother ride than buses, especially considering Houston's streets and the notoriously potholed right lanes.  Train routes can be memorized and visualized better than a bus route.  Their fixed routes attract development in a way that bus routes do not.

[Stone]

Although rail is supposedly innovative and  sexier, if I’m really being honest with myself, I love the fact that we have the BRT lanes and new streetscape WITHOUT all the overhead electric wiring that comes with light rail. I personally think that’s unattractive.
 

10-15 years ago I was one of the main proponents of light but after having lived around it downtown and midtown for years, there’s nothing really “light” about it. Whenever I’m near it and the Metrorail approaches, feels like simple heavy train tracks to me and certainly doesn’t feel safe for pedestrians walking nearby (especially on Friday/Saturday nights when many of those pedestrians are slightly inebriated).

 

I’ve also lived in Atlanta and I prefer the RAPID heavy rail - separated from traffic, separated from pedestrians - that moves people quickly around the city to jobs and out to the airport.
 

I personally don’t care if they ever build another light rail line in Houston unless we use it more like heavy rail (which is possible)! It should not travel from midtown down Richmond Ave to the Galleria with 10-15 stops it should travel 50mph  down the old abandoned rail lines along Westpark with a single stop (or 2) near Greenway Plaza. RAPID TRANSIT! 
 

[Texasota]

The City typically requires 5' sidewalks, or 6' sidewalks on transit streets and state highways: https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/_urban/2009_763.pdf

 

And the thing about the stigma against buses: I'm not convinced it will carry over to a true BRT line like this one. This *is* a fixed route- a lot of new infrastructure is being put in place to support it, most of which is highly visible. Even if you don't see a bus you can recognize this as a transit line. And again, BRT, when fully implemented, has had a lot of success: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/11/05/checking-in-on-americas-pioneering-bus-rapid-transit-systems/

 

Given the general weirdness of this part of town, I am honestly still a little concerned about initial ridership though. I am way more confident that the University/Richmond corridor (and even the limited stop I-10 line) will be incredibly successful, which should also increase ridership on this line. And of course, if the HSR station gets built...

[Luminare]

13 hours ago, wxman said:

 

Did I, at any point, mention the new concrete or trees? No. The new pavement and trees is quite the improvement actually. Buses are not sexy and giving them a designated lane is nothing more than putting lipstick on a pig. A bus is a bus is a bus and I highly doubt these BRT lanes will move the numbers of people being projected. Most people don't ride buses -- especially in a city built for the car. Why we don't focus our attention on commuter rail is beyond me. I'm really not even a fan of light rail. God knows the one from downtown to the dome will shake the dirt from your shoes. I realize it's not financially savvy to sell commuter rail but putting in a useless lane for a rolling eyesore is a shame. Of course, many of you won't agree and that's okay. Personally, they should stop why they're ahead and transition these designated lanes into bikes and foot traffic areas. 

 

This is what people mean when they saying one is "moving the goal post". You flat out said that BRT is "blight", but then you conceded that the new concrete and trees were "quite the improvement actually". I'm glad we got some clarification on that. With that being said maybe 30% of this is the BRT line itself which is about 30% of the project that you don't like. That leaves about 70% which is the sidewalks, trees, and concrete which in your own words would mean that this project was at least a 70% improvement wouldn't you say? Is anything ever 100% in terms of improvement? Are you really going to say that the 30% which you believe to be a "blight" makes the rest of this a "blight" even though you say the rest is an improvement, which is the majority of the project? I don't necessarily like BRT either, but we don't live in a perfect world where we magically get whatever we want. You can claim from above that this isn't how things should be, but down here is a world where the only things that get done are through compromises which are really difficult to get done. I'm not even saying that there isn't a discussion to be had about whether LRT should have been here or not, but to look at this final product, even though you concede that the majority of it is an improvement, yet because you don't like BRT, so you declare it to be a blight is non-argument, and is ridiculous hyperbole. If this gets us closer to one day this being LRT then fantastic. These improvements are always step by step processes. Fine its a 70% improvement. I'll take that because its way better than 0%. This is at least workable than what was there before. You have every right to complain about the 30% you don't like, but I recommend you actually give credit where credit is due to the parts which you agree yourself make this area better than to be so vague as to call it all a blight.

[Geographer]

Houston's rail lines are remarkably slow.  The Red Line slows way down when going around a turn such as the one near Old Spanish Train and Fannin.  Grade-separated rail lines are the gold standard for rapid transit because there's no risk of being delayed from a vehicle accident on the tracks and there's more flexibility in routes.  Grade-separated lines also preserve car lanes.  However, ridership takes a hit by forcing commuters to walk up stairs to elevated platforms.  Has there ever been talk of an elevated train line in Houston?

[Stone]

Yes there was lots of talk and plans of a Monorail in Houston way back in the 80s when Kathy Whitmire was mayor. I believe we even had a vote on it, which failed. 

Edited May 14, 2020 by Stone

[Houston19514]

8 minutes ago, Stone said:

Yes there was lots of talk and plans of a Monorail in Houston way back in the 80s when Kathy Whitmire was mayor. I believe we even had a vote on it, which failed. 

 

Pretty sure the only "vote" we had on the monorail plan was when we voted to remove Whitmire from office. 

[mfastx]

Obviously BRT in a vacuum isn't as good as light rail (and by that same token, light rail isn't nearly as good as heavy rail), but it's still an improvement over what we have and given that Metro has apparently given up on building the University Line as rail, it wouldn't make as much sense to build a rail section on Post Oak without connecting it to the network. 

[Highrise Tower]

[Big E]

6 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

 

I like the dark glass they are using. Contrasts well with the brightly colored abomination behind it.

[danielsonr]

12 hours ago, Highrise Tower said:

By my count, the residential tower portion is only about halfway built (another 17 floors?). This one is going to be a stunner when finished.

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

the Cosmo wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't green

[jmitch94]

It maybe an unpopular opinion but I like the green on the cosmo. It’s a color that isn’t used as much and I wish it was. Lord knows we have a billion blue grey glass buildings.

[Avossos]

I’m really excited about the dark glass!

[Highrise Tower]

[Skyboxdweller]

At sunset .