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Houston19514

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Everything posted by Houston19514

  1. Houston19514
    That is so hilarious, because I saw almost the exact same scene play out LIVE during Tropical Storm Allison. I spent the night on the second floor of Katz's Deli, watching cars drive into the water. Most figured it out before it was too late, especially when their were people yelling at them from the windows of Katz's and waving from the sides at them to STOP. GO BACK. But this idiot in a brand new Mercedes kept right on driving, until his car stalled right in front of all of us. Got out swearing a blue streak. Karma, baby.
  2. Houston19514
    You have an unusual spin on history there, not to mention contradictory (in one sentence you state that MinuteMaid and Toyota were built for the SuperBowl and the Olympics and two sentences later you tell us that they were built so we wouln'd lose the teams... nothing whatever to do with the SuperBowl or the Olympics). But in any event, MinuteMaid Park, Toyota Center and Hilton Americas could have been built anywhere in Houston, see, for example where The Summit was built, see where the Astrodome and Reliant Stadium were built (and where MinuteMaid Park was almost built). But they were in fact built downtown, to help downtown. Calling MetroRail a joke, has itself become a very tired joke. But that's another topic. The fact is, MetroRail was built, in part, to help downtown, and it was pushed very hard by the Mayor. Not sure how the mayor has played into the park??? I can now see why you have such an unusual spin on history... you don't pay much attention. Suffice to say, Discovery Green would not be happening without the leadership of Mayor White, and if you would have paid any attention, you would know that.
  3. Houston19514
    I'm surprised at the comment that Houston just needs a mayor who is interested in doing something with our downtown. It seems to me we've had a prettty good string of mayors who are indeed so interested and have already done quite a bit. MinuteMaid Park, Toyota Center, expansion of GRB, Hilton Americas, MetroRail, Discovery Green, ...
  4. Houston19514
    Just to clarify, the 1:00 PM today is when they are having the official groundbreaking and naming of the park. The One Park Place apartment building is scheduled to start in January.
  5. Houston19514
    I think Finger has said construction on One Park Place is scheduled to start in January. 1:00 PM today
  6. Houston19514
    I don't really care where you work. Just bustin' your chops a bit for the accumulation of exaggerations and not-quite-true statements. Someone earlier posted that the 11th floor had a swimming pool and apartments or some such nonsense. (they've apparently since edited that statement out). Seems rather unusual to devote the top floor of a building to file storage and extra work space. Top floors are usually the highest-valued space... Can you direct me to any good pictures of the Jones Day Building? I have not been able to find any.
  7. Houston19514
    MAN, you are SO right, Great Hizzy!
  8. Houston19514
    For the sake of the future of rail in Houston, I dearly hope that METRO is not basing their strategy on the hope of a change in control of Congress. That strikes me as a very weak strategy: (1) It may not happen. (2) Even if it does happen, Culberson will almost certainly still be there and will not be powerless, even if there is a change in control.
  9. Houston19514
    1:00 PM today
  10. Houston19514
    True enough, but again, largely irrelevant to the zoning debate. Nobody that I know of is complaining about the commercial usage of that tract of land, which, of course is what a zoning regime would address. The complaints are with the parking requirements and setback requirements, which, as you know are separate issues from zoning.
  11. Houston19514
    You are typing in very broad generalities and have shown no correlation between the different development patterns you've mentioned and zoning. What zoning do Dallas and Atlanta have in those areas that caused them to develop in such a manner? What zoning has allowed those century old retail districts to survive in Atlanta? Zoning only designates what kinds of uses a particular property may be used for. Other regulations (which, again, Houston has, but apparently the wrong kind, at least in some places) determine property setbacks, parking requirements, etc, etc.
  12. Houston19514
    Nobody on this board has ever been able, or bothered to take the time, to show how much NO ZONING influences how a city is built. Personally, I think the lack of zoning has had very little effect. I will ask again, specifically, please, how has the lack of zoning caused Houston to develop differently from similarly-situated cities (e.g., Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, maybe Denver)? Just to kick things off, the presence or absence of drive-through CVS's with large parking lots is not a result of the lack of or presence of zoning. That has more to do with other land-use regulations, which Houston indeed has (e.g., parking requirements, setback requirements, etc.)
  13. Houston19514
    But... earlier in this thread you told us that the firm you work for occupies the entire building. And now we discover that, apparently, that is not the case. You told us that you have access to the entire building, which also now does not seem to be the case, at least not legitimate access. And according to Emporis, the Jones Day Building has 10 floors. And according to Jones Day's own website, their Houston office is in the Calpine Building, not the Chase Building. Are you sure you even work there? ;-)
  14. Houston19514
    Yeah, after reading your post, I went to look at a pic of the Burnett Plaza on-line. That one is really pretty ugly, and I don't think that of very many buildings. It looks like a very amateurish attempt to copy or imitate First City Tower. . . or something.
  15. Houston19514
    Interesting. I think First City Tower is beautiful. I love those "window wells" that are staggered down the sides. (For those not familiar, they are set in so that they provide windows directly into the elevator lobbies on the various floors)
  16. Houston19514
    That was an interesting and curious factoid. Even more interesting, to me, is that they are almost exactly the same geographical size. D-FW's 12 counties add up to 9118 square miles. Houston's 10 counties add up to 9139 square miles, a difference of only about 2/10ths of 1 percent, a rounding error.
  17. Houston19514
    I am saying the word "port" has a definition. From the defintition: "A port is a facility for receiving ships and transferring cargo to and from them. " And further "The terms "port" and "seaport" are used for ports that handle ocean-going vessels." You seem to really be getting yourself confused with that lame attempt to call Houston an inland port in your second paragraph. The Port of Houston is in every sense of the word a "port". It is indeed a "facility for receiving ships and transferring cargo to and from them; and it handles ocean-going vessels. And, using a differently-phrased definition from my deskside dictionary, it is indeed a "city on a waterway with facilities for unloading ships." Yes, I know how the term "agile port" is being used (basically a combination of a port with an inland railyard) but it does seem like an odd phrase, does it not? Any idea where that phrase came from or who cooked it up?
  18. Houston19514
    If we're going to pick nits, and we are ;-) , the Port of Dallas is NOT a port and the Port of Houston is a port. (See definition in earlier post). I've seen the reference to "agile port" before, but what in the name of Sam Houston is it supposed to mean? Wikipedia doesn't even know. ;-) Literally, I guess it means something like "a nimble or mentally alert city or town on a waterway with facilities for unloading ships." Of course that's kind of silly and certainly doesn't apply to anything in or near Dallas. ;-) In any event, the phrase "agile port system" does not describe the Dallas rail yard standing alone; It describes the entire system of the port in Houston (or the port in Long Beach, as the case may be) combined with the rail yard in Dallas. As for the US Maritime Admin and Port of Houston using the name "Port of Dallas"... what are they supposed to do? The eternally silly Dallas booster types named the entity the Port of Dallas. Would you have the US Maritime Administration and the Port of Houston refuse to call them or do contracts with them by their legal entity name? I'm sure everyone at both agencies smirks whenever they say it or write it... ;-)
  19. Houston19514
    I think someone told me a while back that it was the Rice Rittenhouse parking garage.
  20. Houston19514
    I'll join the fun... Jason, since Wikipedia is your source of choice, I thought I would post their definition of "port", which is of course what we are discussing. As you know, 2112 was not objecting to calling the Dallas thing an "inland port". He was objecting to calling it a "port". Here it is: Port Of course you surely have not failed to notice that the word you posted is not "port" but "AIRport". Quite a different word. Quite a different thing. Again, the definition of "port"
  21. Houston19514
    Yes, and the eastern cities have good rail service and good air connections. What's the problem?
  22. Houston19514
    I'm not sure I can completely explain it either, except to say that I used to live there and once Houston gets in your blood... And I'm working on that. ;-)
  23. Houston19514
    Because I just don't see anything at all wrong with this particular financing transaction and I was seeing a lot of falsehoods and ridiculous, unfounded and irrelevant accusations tossed about. I have not vehemently defended the Sports Authority generally, only this transaction. Like I said earlier in the thread, I am not out to defend every action the Sports Authority has taken, nor to defend its continued existence. But just because they maybe should no longer exist or maybe took some ill-advised actions in the past, does not autmatically make THIS action a bad one. AND, the continued existence or non-existence of the Sports Authority is irrelevant to this particular matter, as SOMETHING had to be done to refinance this particular loan. Apparently the County Commissioner's approved the transaction anyway, so even if the Authority had been disbanded, as some would prefer, we would still most likely be doing this same transaction.
  24. Houston19514
    Face it, Musicman, you are just confused. ;-) Let me try one more time. Making loans is clearly not the focus of their existence; it's not their mission, it's not their "realm". But they take in a lot of cash... One would presume they dont' just stuff it in filing cabinets as it comes in... One would further presume that they somehow invest the excess cash. Neither is it their "realm" to invest money in bank CD's or corporate bonds or government bonds (which, as Mr. Barnes so vehemently pointed out in his rant earlier in this thread, are just another form of loan), but they surely are expected to do something to earn a fair and reasonable rate of return on their excess cash. So, in spite of it not being their "realm" they surely in fact do make investments in such instruments. From the HCTRA's end of the deal, making the loan to the Sports Authority is nothing more than making an investment for a fair and reasonable rate of return. See perfectly simple and obvious explanation in response to Musicman's post.
  25. Houston19514
    That's pretty amazing. I think you can add a second block for Enron (Chevron) for the new parking garage. I count something in the neighborhood of 50 remaining blocks of surface parking (not including those that are currently or very soon to be built upon (eg. the Pavilions). Another ten years (or hopefully fewer) at this pace, and bare land may be pretty scarce in downtown Houston
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