cloud713 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 who owns the plot of land just north of Palmer Episcopal Church, between Main and Fannin, just north of TMC? a residential highrise in that location would be ideal IMO if it isnt planned to be another hospital.. easy access for both doctors and professors. or rich Rice students i suppose. and great views of Rice and Hermann Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 The city probably owns it all... One sliver is listed in HCAD, but there's another piece that isn't. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 It's part of Hermann Park, is it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 One piece is listed as part of Herman Park (Herman Park C-95B, whatever that means). The other piece isn't listed; maybe it's part of the Fannin right of way. http://hcad.org/records/details.asp?crypt=%94%9A%B0%94%BFg%84%91%81%7Bom%8El%87tXt%5BW%9E%99%A2%D3%89%95%C2e%7CU%8A%7F%86%C0%AB%A8%AD%86%5E&bld=1&tab=1 http://hcad.org/iMaps/Tiles/Color/5355A8.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 damn.. i had dreams of a residential tower going on that sliver of land, extending the TMC skyline north towards the museum district. heh. seems like a perfect location, right between Hermann park, a prestigious university, and the largest medical center in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 It seems small to me, but the one piece (right triangle shaped) is, I think, 1.3 acres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Riding by on the rail, one can see all the work currently being done on the landscaping and paths on the strip of Hermann Park between Main and Fannin. It looks like everything north of the church must be part of the park, as work is being done on the whole stretch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Damn.. That sucks. Ah well, thanks for the info. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt16 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Was at the zoo yesterday and there are actually signs telling you it's part of hermann park 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 the landscaping is nice (havent seen it in person, just saying, the idea..), but that skinny strip of land seems like it would be very underutilized as a part of the park, since its a small plot, on the other side of Fannin, and has two main thru streets on either side.. maybe the park will one day sell it off to a developer? wishful thinking.. heh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 At approximately 5:45 pm on June 30, 2014, the front door was kicked in at my parents' place at S. MacGregor and Ardmore. My mom and I were in the house at the time. The perp ran when my mom yelled for me to go get the gun. Nothing was stolen, but about 5-10 minutes prior, there was a light knock at the door, so light that I could barely hear it. By the time I got to the door, the man was walking away and I saw him walk onto the Columbia Tap Hike and Bike and start heading south. We think he was scoping out the place and thought nobody was home. I don't open the door for strangers. I usually say "who is it?" or something similar through the door when strangers come to the door to let them know there's somebody in the building per the prior advice of an HPD officer, but he walked away before I could do so. He was a black male, about 5' 8"- 5' 10", medium build, dark complexion wearing a horizontal striped blue polo shirt, knee length light colored shorts, and had a large white towel draped over his shoulder. This is just the latest concerning break-ins and robberies in the area. About a month ago, the residents on S. MacGregor at Oakmont were robbed in their yard, and the home across from them has been broken into at least twice during the daytime in the past year. Then, about 2 weeks ago, there was the story that made national news about the man and his daughter who drove up to their Riverside home after a trip to find thieves leaving in a truck, and chased them down until the thieves rammed them trying to run them off of the road, but caused the thieves themselves to crash into a ditch instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avossos Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Thats awful. Sorry to hear that... I think that as gentrification starts, it really puts an emotional and physical pressures on those in the area. If these types of incidents are increasing, it might have something to do with this... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche_757 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Glad no one was injured! What has HPD said about anything? Probably quiet...unfortunately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I just read a similar story on the Meadowcreek site. Scary. Glad you and your family are ok. It happens everywhere. Caution, awareness, and a loud barking dog help. Mine is a German Shepherd. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Well i don't know if it happens everywhere but I do agree a dog is the best deterrent to that type of crime. More so then alarms because the perps know they have several minutes before police will respond. I would definitely consider making a trip to the SPCA if I lived in your area and rescuing a deserving dog. Glad everyone is okay. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) Glad no one was injured! What has HPD said about anything? Probably quiet...unfortunately.Thanks! HPD said they were surprised that someone would kick in a door on a house located on one of the busiest intersections in the neighborhood, where there's two heavily used bus stops nearby, during daylight and during one of the heaviest traffic periods. In fact, when I first saw the guy walking back toward the trail, I noticed how heavy traffic was along S. MacGregor. He walked past some cars that were sitting still at the light, so I know some passers by got a good look at him. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if people driving down S. MacGregor, Ardmore, or even walking or hiking or biking along the Brays Bayou trail witnessed the actual kick-in. A member of the civic club called that night after someone told them they saw cop cars around the house and said that two people came to their door that same day and left. The resident on Oakmont I referenced earlier whose home has been hit numerous times called and said that he'd been hit FOUR times in the past year. Truth is, HPD probably won't investigate it any further. All that can be done is now is for the residents to continue to look out for one another and to protect themselves. My parents have lived there for 35 years, and while Riverside is no means a low crime area, it seems like it's been within the past 5-10 years that there's more burglaries, robberies, and assaults. Edited July 1, 2014 by JLWM8609 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lithiumaneurysm Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 What do you guys think about this proposal by Chronicle columnist Bill King in today's edition? Could the outskirts of the Texas Medical Center handle this? What about a off Fannin or South Main TMC area? How could all the neighboring residential real estate benefit from this? All those residential subdivisions, homes, and residential real estate. Townhomes or Townhouses? Condominiums or Condos? Single Family Homes? Quote http://www.chron.com/opinion/king/article/Now-is-time-to-start-planning-for-next-bust-5649659.php It is an interesting coincidence that our major universities and the medical center are in relatively close proximity. If you draw a line from the University of Houston to the southwest corner of the Texas Medical Center, you would find Rice University, Texas Southern University, Houston Community College and the University of St. Thomas not far off that line. But unfortunately, much of the area along that three-mile corridor also has some of the most dilapidated buildings in the city. And other than Hermann Park, there are few public spaces and no major thoroughfare that creates a sense of connection in the area. Imagine a grand university boulevard that ran from one end to other studded with academic buildings, biotech and venture capital firms, a medical technology training center and pharmacological research labs all set among fountains and parks. Such a nexus would create untold numbers of jobs both in the medical industry itself and the redevelopment opportunities. Property values and tax rolls would rise markedly. Having that kind of research center near UH and TSU and making the areas around those schools more attractive would make it easier for both to recruit more top students from around the world. I know it's just a hypothetical concept at this point, but envisioning it is interesting. Gentrification is well on its way to sweeping into the Third Ward and other areas around the Medical Center, and proposals like University Place – while far from probable at this point – could tie in really well with a more general master plan. Does Houston have the potential to create such a large and research-intensive medical and education district? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 the general angles of existing roads in this area do not support the direction he is suggesting; the university of st. thomas is nowhere near this hypothetical line. the only option i see that would be interesting is north macgregor from u of h to fannin on the southwest point of the medical center. if you renamed it "university boulevard" and added consistent bus or light rail connecting the southern light rail on the east and the red line on the west, you could market a university corridor. there is enough underused land in this corridor that, with incentives and collaboration of medical institutions, you might spark something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 A great idea, but in an environment where city planning essentially doesn't exist....would be a long shot! In order for this to even get off the ground you would need to install some very progressive urban minds and planners who are forward thinking enough to want to sit down and actually design a city urban plan of sorts. This link would be one along a host of others, but again we just aren't in that mode right now. It won't be until this current generation of leaders are retired or even the ones after that when you could do anything of the sort. Give it time. I'm sure he isn't the first to propose such an idea, and he won't be the last. It is the future this city will take...because it ultimately has too in order to function adequately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 https://www.flickr.com/photos/21188379@N03/14573603339/ link to the "bachanon" approved university boulevard route. sorry residential areas. on second thought, south macgregor might have more property suitable for this purpose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 If you punched Moursund through from Bertner to Fannin, it could be a continuation of what is already called University Boulevard (along the south boundary of the Rice campus), and then just turn onto a renamed MacGregor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fortune Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Sounds like the University Line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 It's been rumored by some Riverside residents for over 30 years that there are plans to link all of those campuses via a grand boulevard and redevelop the Riverside area as a giant research campus. When you think about some of the institutions that have been placed in the area, like DeBakey High School (HSHP) in the early 80s (though it's moving soon) and the Harris County Psychiatric Center in the mid 80s, you can see where some of this train of thought comes from. Some of the people interviewed in "This Is Our Home, It Is Not For Sale" mention that in the film. One of the rumors I've heard is that planners in favor of this grand boulevard and giant research campus would like N. MacGregor and S. MacGregor to be re-striped as one way from Ardmore to Calhoun to make it into a grand boulevard with Brays Bayou in the middle. Institutions like UH, TSU, and the Texas Medical Center would slowly acquire properties along N. and S. MacGregor to have their campuses form one giant research park along the stretch. I can see that being a reality in the next 50-100 years. Think about the placement of the new health careers high school with the super long name at N. MacGregor and 288. There was also the planned UT Health Science Center that was going to be built on the site of the old Wright Morrow Mansion on S. MacGregor, but another location was chosen, and the Villas at MacGregor occupy that site. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Do I smell a possible Charrette >.> lol 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Umm, if I was looking to best "draw a line" between UH, TSU, St. Thomas, Rice, and HCC I'd probably choose Alabama myself. I mean 4 of the five schools do actually directly have access to the roadway. Perhaps one would choose to connect the schools with a mass transit corridor instead of a roadway--Metro has a plan for that one. Mr. King's suggestion that a major thoroughfare be carved through the Third Ward from UH to the SW corner of the Medical Center simply to "redevelop hundreds of city blocks into an academic/biotech campus" is a vision that only Moses or the Baron himself could be proud of. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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