Trae Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 It's man-made. A lot of the different areas of the Riverwalk in SA is man-made. There is a Riverwalk expansion that is entirely man-made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 If it's man made then I don't see why something similar couldn't be done with the Buffalo Bayou, even if it is a functioning part of our flood system aside from the fact that nobody wants/wanted to invest in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 We struggle to come up with identities for this city...We can only imagine what our city would look like if the city was actually built around our bayous and maybe our identity wouldn't be in so much of a crisis.I see no struggle or crisis. Houstonians have a good grasp of their city's identity: a hot, humid, city spread thin across a coastal plain with lots of oil refineries, a big port, lots of freeways, cars and traffic and a low cost of living.Really, who's struggling to come up with identities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 I hate to keep this thing off topic, but the reason why Buffalo Bayou never really got to be a piece of tourism like the Riverwalk in San Antonio is the fact that it's a functioning part of our flood system. Yes, the Riverwalk can be blocked off, but the Bayou can't. It serves a function, it would not do well if restaurants and bars were put along the banks if they're going to be (granted, not THAT often) occasionally flooded out once a year or so by heavy rains upstream or locally.I don't think the point is replicating the Riverwalk in Houston. Flooding is a concern, and any development would have to reflect that. The BB Partnership plans weren't about creating another Riverwalk. The point is that the bayou could function as an attraction downtown, rather than being covered by the Pierce elevated and lined with parking garages. Forget the Riverwalk - plenty of cities have made efforts to beautify their waterfronts with parks. Why can't Houston bring itself to do something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanith27 Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 For those that may not have seen this last month...http://youtube.com/watch?v=9rHsGguc_EA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watch4Snakes Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 So, I was at the Barker's Reservoir area out at George Bush (formerly Cullen) Park on the West Side of town. A significant patch of land was flooded (granted, only under inches of water as opposed to feet). This was because the dams had been shut. The dams...along the beginnings of Buffalo Bayou. The water accumulated from the slow, steady rains we had over the Thanksgiving weekend. And the water also slowly drained from the upstream prairie lands of the Katy/Brookshire area. Seems to only take between 1-3 weeks for this water to go down. Imagine if the dams weren't shut. I mean, from what I saw that morning jogging across the Bayou on Shepherd near Allen Parkway, the water was rapidly flowing. And that's just from inner-city run-off as opposed to upstream accumulation.I guess, bottom line, even with a man-made canal, creating an off-shoot to serve as the basis of a "riverwalk"....it just doesn't seem physically feasible. And....why would we, as a City, want to detract from the uniqueness of San Antonio? Why set us up for yet ANOTHER inter-city battle of "ours is better than yours"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watch4Snakes Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 But, this isn't supposed to be a discussion of the Bayou....I think most people that are taking interest in this quarter of Downtown are just hoping/assuming that eventually the city blocks currently home to surface parking lots (aren't most up for sale/ground lease?) will slowly be populated by residential high rises, commercial high rises, and similar retail projects.But, it's Downtown. The Central Business District. I thought it was "supposed" to be dominated by Business while an "Uptown" area was "supposed" to be a hub for residential. *******I guess, I don't see the Houston Pavillions and Bayou Place the same way. The Historic and Theater Districts didn't need Bayou Place. The particular section of Downtown that is home to Houston Pavillions does need HP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Drove by today, HP is coming along great! The office tower is getting high... looks close to topping out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talltexan83 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Walking by this yesterday, I was really struck by the height of the office portion of this complex. 11 stories (8 of office space) will keep the retailers busy until the dinner/basketball/baseball/convention crowd arrives at night. From this perspective, it is an entirely different project than Bayou Place. I really hope it becomes a catalyst for a continued development boom in the downtown area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdog08 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Walking by this yesterday, I was really struck by the height of the office portion of this complex. 11 stories (8 of office space) will keep the retailers busy until the dinner/basketball/baseball/convention crowd arrives at night. From this perspective, it is an entirely different project than Bayou Place. I really hope it becomes a catalyst for a continued development boom in the downtown area.I didn't realize HP was going to have an office complex. Is it only one building? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtownWxBoy Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I didn't realize HP was going to have an office complex. Is it only one building?Yes, just one office tower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuroAztlan Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Walking by this yesterday, I was really struck by the height of the office portion of this complex. 11 stories (8 of office space) will keep the retailers busy until the dinner/basketball/baseball/convention crowd arrives at night. From this perspective, it is an entirely different project than Bayou Place. I really hope it becomes a catalyst for a continued development boom in the downtown area.<br /> If only the other 2 towers weren't scrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 You mean the other 1 tower, right? The condo tower was scrapped. Was there ever another tower? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuroAztlan Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 <br />You mean the other 1 tower, right? The condo tower was scrapped. Was there ever another tower?<br />I'm fairly certain there was a hotel also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I'm fairly certain there was a hotel also.Naw, I don't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesternGulf Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Naw, I don't think so. Yeah there was. Old rendering: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuroAztlan Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Naw, I don't think so. Yea, I think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) Yea, I think so. No, there was no hotel. There were plans for two apartment towers and one office building. See, for example: This Chronicle Article Edited December 7, 2007 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuroAztlan Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 No, there was no hotel. There were plans for two apartment towers and one office building.Well whatever, wgaf what it was, my point was there 3 proposed towers at one point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuroAztlan Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 No, there was no hotel. There were plans for two apartment towers and one office building.Whoa, hey, looks like you didn't know it all.See for example this interview with the developer: http://swamplot.com/houston-pavilions-woul...lda/2007-08-27/Guess I was right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 (edited) Whoa, hey, looks like you didn't know it all.See for example this interview with the developer: http://swamplot.com/houston-pavilions-woul...lda/2007-08-27/Guess I was right.Well, yes, I guess if you want to go back to when it was nothing more than a dream and a piece of property. The first announced proposal and the first release of renderings were for two apartment/condo towers and one office tower. Never did they announce a plan for a hotel or even mention the idea publicly, until these interviews that have occurred after construction started.The "other tower" that was first asked about in this thread was indeed another apartment/condo tower, not a hotel. Edited December 8, 2007 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C2H Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 19514 is right, a plan for a hotel was never set in stone. But then again, the residential componenet wasn't either since it was able to get scrapped so easily! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonartstudent Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 well let's just pretend the new Embassy Suites is the hotel aspect of the pavilions...unless it gets scrapped as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Truly what is needed is for Dallas St. to be filled from the GRB to HP. with the additional buildings, it won't seem like people are walking across a no man's land. I do hope that the ES is still a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuroAztlan Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 (edited) You got selective reading. Edited December 8, 2007 by PuroAztlan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Whoa, hey, looks like you didn't know it all.See for example this interview with the developer: http://swamplot.com/houston-pavilions-woul...lda/2007-08-27/Guess I was right.lol. i just had a flash back to second grade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayshoota Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 I agree, the walk from GRB str8 to the HP is all surface lots...it would be great if the ES gets built and somebody develops the other lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 I agree, the walk from GRB str8 to the HP is all surface lots...it would be great if the ES gets built and somebody develops the other lots.Agreed, but we are WELL on the way. Roughly two blocks of surface lot is already gone with the Discovery Green development. If the Embassy Suites goes forward (and I don't think we have any particular reason to doubt that it will), we will only have one block left with surface lots on both sides and one-half block with surface lot on one side (behind Josephine's). Not so bad, considering HP is still almost a year from opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Plus, much of that vacant land has already been accumulated by single entities. For instance, the entire block directly south of the Park Tower (between Four Seasons and Embassy Suites) is controlled by one group. Additionally, the half block behind Josephines is owned by one group, and a half block west of the electrical substation is controlled by one group. Given that sometimes the biggest obstacle to a project is actually accumulating the various parcels of land, that obstacle does not appear to be an issue here. Once the market dictates, we could see these blocks develop fairly quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayshoota Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Nice - thanks for the info guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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