Jump to content

HoustonIsHome

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,532

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

 Content Type 

Everything posted by HoustonIsHome

  1. HoustonIsHome
    Darnit. I hate visitors. Nowhere for them to park is a good thing
  2. HoustonIsHome
    Just because it is new doesn't mean it will be contrived and sterile. Dallas is notorious for overplanning, overdoing and ending up over the top. That area is already flat so anything that goes up in that area will be totally new anyway. I just think it would be nice to steer the development to include more retail. Are you familiar with the area I am taking about? It doesn't give that integrated feel you speak of. creating a district there would integrate it into downtown. Just my opinion, but I think a shopping district would be better on the SE side of downtown. The area around dallas street is too cramped, too established, abd no real incentive to convert those buildings to retail.
  3. HoustonIsHome
    Any updates on this project and their Houston Club project?
  4. HoustonIsHome
    Ah, I must be deluded by the Calais, Pearl Midtown, Camden Midtown, That apartment on Main and Alabama, Post Midtown, Fingers, the zillions of units that went up on Bagby, The Mosaic and it s twin, all the new restaurants, bars in midtown.... I need a doctor I Am seing so many things that are not there. Don't get me started on Reliant Station and Smith lands area. So many things went up in that area that area that may not actually be there. Comeon. The few blocks along the rail did not become dense urban blocks overnight like some expected, but quite a few developments occured. The medical center has been revolutionized. It went from a near universally car dependent employment center into an area where Transportation is overflowing with patrons. This model needs to be copied in other areas south of the med center went from a no mans land to a huge TOD where many people live and hop on the train to TMC. Lots of new residential there and many new restaurants. A new target opened on main. Just because lots remain vacant along main, but that doesn't mean nothing has gone on.
  5. HoustonIsHome
    So they are creating 4 residential complexes on the Red Line? NICE!!! TOD is really taking off
  6. HoustonIsHome
    Yeah if it it's the same as the one north of skyhouse it will look kinda odd being surrounded by skyhouse, Houston House, Arch Diocese buildings, Amergy Bank Tower, Savoy, and Exxon two blocks away. Come-on Alliance, at least 8 floors this time. 12 floors will have me dancing on the ceiling.
  7. HoustonIsHome
    You are looking at things too narrowly to make a judgement. There have been lots of articles on this, but the consensus is that the slower development along the red line was due to a number of interrelated factors but the main one was that speculators expecting skyrocketing land values sat on the land along the rail. Now if developers can't by land how do you expect development to go up? The second factor was parking requirements. The city requires two parking lots per unit. The problem with that is that town homes would be the cheapest to provide parking for but offer less units to make a profit on. High rises would yield the most units for a more profitable land use but building taller is more costly upfront and more of a gamble. A midrise apartment is middle ground between the two that's why most of the development that had occured since 2004 has been 4to 6 floor complexes. And quite a few conpkexes have give up. So no the rail has not hindered development, the true hindrances were 1. Speculators 2. City parking codes 3. Cost of building materials The hope for the new lines is that owners will be more inclined to sell for a lower price and not sit and wait for higher prices like the owners in midtown did. Also building prices are rather low so now it's a good time to build. I hope that as Houston becomes more transit oriented the city becomes less restictive in their parking codes. It would be nice if builders could focus on residential with ground retail for their developments and have separate buildings with paid parking. That would encourage a more pedestrian friendly midtown because it would be cheaper/more profitable for builders and would encourage more residents to take public transportation to avoid parking fees
  8. HoustonIsHome
    Its far from many things important, but it's not really that far from the Houston Urban Area. In fact the Exxon Campus is closer to the city of spring than to The Woodlands CDP. I don't know why the Conroe/ Woodlands UA is separate from Houston UA, because the development seems continuous for a large area. But the Exxon plant will definitely cement the two urban areas together. Houston UA had 4.944M people in 2010, Conroe/Woodlands had .240M, Dallas Fort worth had 5.121M. If the Woodlands was part of Houston Urban area the totsl would be 5.184M which would make the Houston urban area bigger. It would be really odd for Chevron to build head quarters in Conroe. Now that would be out there
  9. HoustonIsHome
    point?
  10. HoustonIsHome
    that's what I've been saying.I like how downtown is compartmentalized. I think the shopping district should be in a fresh area of its own instead of being carved from the convention and skyline districts. Like I said in the Town Square thread. Design a nice square, throw up a fountain and statues of Texas heroes, then throw in retail incentives, attract some major anchors, extend the residential incentive program.... it would seem easier to me to start fresh than to rework a weak retail area.
  11. HoustonIsHome
    I used 1/20th on the low end. I said any closer and you would encounter road too often. What I noticed too is that older cities have long but narrow blocks. Even Manhattan was reworked on that configuration with the average blocks there being about 900 ft long and 200 ft wide. That's equivalent to three Houston blocks long but not as wide. I noticed that Asian and Canadian older cities follow the long and narrow pattern too. The newer cities, many of which are west of the Mississippi, have the shorter but thicker blocks.
  12. HoustonIsHome
    Could you post links to these more interesting areas you mentioned?As for the modern urbanism, I think the original urbanists did a better job of creating lively spaces so I will stand by my opinion that longer blocks (not streets) make for a more urban environment. To me a city with streets at 1/20th a mile intervals would make for a nice human scale environment. Any closer and it seems like your encountering cars to often. On the other side, I think of the blocks are overly long it creates a problem for crossing. But I don't think that is much of an issue with double blocks downtown.
  13. HoustonIsHome
    I disagree with this part if your post. I think you have it completely reversed. Thinking of London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, even Philadelphia, Boston, etc... all I remember is long blocks and narrow streets. I think you are confusing long blocks with long streets. Long streets like those in Houston don't create a strong urban experience but long blocks do. A 30 Mike westheimer is hard to urbanize. 500-1000 feet blocks all squeezed together gives you a more closed in and urban environment. Houston has many no nos that mange it hard on pedestrians. It has a higher than average percentage of road to architecture. Wide streets, long streets, thin blocks. Think of it this way, which would you think would be easier for a walker? Having 10 store fronts between each pair of streets or having to cross five lanes of traffic after every two stores? Pedestrians have a more leisurely walk when the number if streets they have to cross are less. I am not for closing major thoroughfares in the middle of downtown, but I am not worried at all about smaller streets in the more sleepy parts of downtown. Closing Louisiana or Smith would be a nightmare. Closing Prairie one block from its end...hardly an issue with me. London: http://www.london-attractions.info/images/attractions/oxford-street.jpg Prague: http://www.europeancastlestours.com/tours/imperial/gallery/Prague_Street.jpg Philadelphia: http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/broad-street-facing-philadelphia-city-hall-in-sepia-bill-cannon.jpg Boston: http://bostoncompletestreets.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Broad-St_1.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jcviAgRYitk/Tu44JBLotuI/AAAAAAAAJbQ/_kSKFVk57u0/s1600/Ferrara1.jpg Baltimore: http://www.pps.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Baltimore_Market_Street_WEB.jpg New Orleans: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Orleans.bourbon.arp.750pix.jpg The area in Contrast looks like this: http://d16wm5mxkuw2qn.cloudfront.net/images/13547.png http://d16wm5mxkuw2qn.cloudfront.net/images/13543.png
  14. HoustonIsHome
    I agree. It would have been nicer if we got a pedestrian walkway through the complex along prairie but I don't think the blocking off will be that bad. The closed in view with a tunnel walkway would improve the urban feel of the area. But I am still thankful that the empty lots are being built on.
  15. HoustonIsHome
    Yeah there are three more planned a few blocks away: the ten floor one next to the Church (one block across and one down from Houston House) and the two phase 12 floor project a few blocks away near Root Square (3 blocks from Houston House).
  16. HoustonIsHome
    Can we get ten more this height downtown pleeeeeeeeeease
  17. HoustonIsHome
    I think all he meant is to give an example of a building sticking out of a skyline. I don't think the year it suck out mattered
  18. HoustonIsHome
    Surface parking anyone??
  19. HoustonIsHome
    The last time I walked through the area it felt like a forgotten part of downtown. I'm excited to see what an increased residential population does to the impression of the area. That part of town has also been a hole in downtown. It's like an asteroid hit, took out ten blocks, and the crater had just been sitting there. The two block length of this building should help improve the scape. Should also improve the impression people who visit Houston for sporting events or conventions have of the city
  20. HoustonIsHome
    Great, two new blocks soon to be covered by something other than surface parking. As to closing Prairie isnt it just getting shorter by one block? It doesn't go all the way through anyway so one less block wouldn't be too problematic
  21. HoustonIsHome
    Yeah pretty much like that
  22. HoustonIsHome
    You have your opinion, I have mine. Nothing you say will convince me that a 102 floor building near minute maid won't stick out like crazy.
  23. HoustonIsHome
    Midtown and downtown is still rather crappy when it comes to shopping. I think midtown will be a whole new world when major retailers start flooding in. I am hoping for things like the urban targets instead of those hideous drive up CVS pharmacies. Why does midtown need two CVS pharmacies anyway? Midtown has the makings of a very pedestrian oriented neighborhood but as of right now a car makes it so much more convenient. I would like to see more of a target, petsmart, HEB development in Midtown while letting Downtown handle the fashion/clothing retailers. Midtown increased from about 3000 people in the 90s to 5000 in the 2000s to about 8600 now. That is awesome growth but small change considering how big midtown is and the type of development going on there. Let's look at it thus way, midtown is about 15 blocks long by about 12 blocks wide. That's over 180 blocks. So to answer the OP I think Midtown is roomie enough to handle a lot of growth without expanding landwise. If 55% of the lots are taken up by residential, and each complex are between 250 and 350 units that would make a built out Midtown an area with about 30,000 residential units and about 50,000 residents. That seems like a lot to me. I think its time midtown overtakes Gulton as the most dense neighborhood in Houston. So there's my cents. Midtown does not need more land. It will hopeful gain far more residential, far more retail, some more bars, dormitories for HCC would be nice, I would live to see HCC make more of an impact on the neighborhood. Finally, a few more employment centers would be nice too.
  24. HoustonIsHome
    Why are we arguing over something that is far from being in the works?
  25. HoustonIsHome
    not false at all. It indeed would stand out exactly like Williams. The thing will be 15 times the height of GRB and three times as tall as the tallest thing in the immediate area.It would definitely be the Williams tower of that part of downtown. What you demonstrated was a comparison on the other side of downtown. That's just silly. Compare it with building 100 to 500 feet away not buildings ten or 12 blocks away Why are you so hostile?Proposed tower 1400 ft Heritage plaza 762ft Shell Plaza 715ft Looks twice as tall to me. Don't be so angry. It's not like I insulted the building (which is still fantasy), I am just pointing out facts calm down. It's not that serious geez. I think it will stick out, you don't think it will, who cares calm down I agree, and that's what I'm trying to tell the poster above, Chase stands out among buildings that are only a few hundred feet shorter, this would be much much taller in an area with much shorter buildings
×
×
  • Create New...