H-Town Man Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 17 minutes ago, jermh said: Idea to rescue bars, restaurants in downtown Houston would put customers on the street https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/downtown-Houston-bars-restaurants-street-customers-15443004.php I hope this actually happens even if it's only temporary. It would be interesting to see Main as a pedestrian/bike only thorough fair, but I predict that specific section of Main St. is going to have a problem with homeless people harassing patrons. I'm not sure if there has been an increase in homeless population since COVID, or there's just less of a buffer since there are less people Downtown in general right now. I have a lot more daily interactions walking around that area, and people are way more aggressive. It's equal parts heartbreaking and frustrating because there isn't a easy cookie-cutter to help everyone who has found themselves homeless. I can't get the whole article. Is the argument that the sidewalks aren't wide enough to offer Euro-style outdoor seating? Are they suggesting altering the paving so the sidewalk physically extends all the way to the train tracks or just closing off those blocks in a non-permanent way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jermh Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 20 minutes ago, H-Town Man said: I can't get the whole article. Is the argument that the sidewalks aren't wide enough to offer Euro-style outdoor seating? Are they suggesting altering the paving so the sidewalk physically extends all the way to the train tracks or just closing off those blocks in a non-permanent way? I interpreted it as temporary for now, just taking over the lanes for now with temporary physical barriers between Texas and Commerce top stop cars, and adding some temporary ramp so access to the lane tables would be ADA compliant. A permanent implementation would involve be altering the and curbs and extending the sidewalk to the tracks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 16 hours ago, jermh said: I interpreted it as temporary for now, just taking over the lanes for now with temporary physical barriers between Texas and Commerce top stop cars, and adding some temporary ramp so access to the lane tables would be ADA compliant. A permanent implementation would involve be altering the and curbs and extending the sidewalk to the tracks. I feel like this is the early plan to eventually close Main off thru Midtown permanently. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 I'd love to see the angled parking on W 19th converted to pedestrian space as well. There would still be plenty of space for parallel parking on both sides of the street, and you could even keep/convert into angled parking in places where the space isn't needed, like directly in front of the Heights Tower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 12 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said: I feel like this is the early plan to eventually close Main off thru Midtown permanently. I believe it is. I’ve been pushing this idea since seeing a MidtownHOU PDF on the bike lane a few years ago. https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/fff4a3c2-5732-4a3d-8724-9ed39d67e0e1 I contacted the architect behind this. His response. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Just now, tigereye said: I believe it is. I’ve been pushing this idea since seeing a MidtownHOU PDF on the bike lane a few years ago. https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/fff4a3c2-5732-4a3d-8724-9ed39d67e0e1 I contacted the architect behind this. His response. I feel like if we did that all the way through Midtown, retail would explode. It would be a massive array of restaurants and stores. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 1 minute ago, j_cuevas713 said: I feel like if we did that all the way through Midtown, retail would explode. It would be a massive array of restaurants and stores. Exactly. So many destination points to connect together without impacting traffic since Main St is paralleled with transit streets on both sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 1 minute ago, tigereye said: Exactly. So many destination points to connect together without impacting traffic since Main St is paralleled with transit streets on both sides. Hell yeah and it will be a great focal point of attraction for visitors. Usually when you visit a city, you connect to just a few major points. This would corral visitors to a certain area. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 And continue it on down to the Museum District, perhaps in a slightly altered format after passing the Ion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisterhunt Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 On 7/31/2020 at 7:11 AM, Texasota said: I'd love to see the angled parking on W 19th converted to pedestrian space as well. There would still be plenty of space for parallel parking on both sides of the street, and you could even keep/convert into angled parking in places where the space isn't needed, like directly in front of the Heights Tower. Agreed. In general, that stretch of 19th really could use a face-lift (better parking, sidewalks, landscaping) to make it a much more attractive area and something of a destination. Unfortunately, I haven't come across any plans for that to actually happen 😕 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CREguy13 Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 On 7/30/2020 at 8:41 AM, jermh said: Idea to rescue bars, restaurants in downtown Houston would put customers on the street https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/downtown-Houston-bars-restaurants-street-customers-15443004.php I hope this actually happens even if it's only temporary. It would be interesting to see Main as a pedestrian/bike only thorough fair, but I predict that specific section of Main St. is going to have a problem with homeless people harassing patrons. I'm not sure if there has been an increase in homeless population since COVID, or there's just less of a buffer since there are less people Downtown in general right now. I have a lot more daily interactions walking around that area, and people are way more aggressive. It's equal parts heartbreaking and frustrating because there isn't a easy cookie-cutter to help everyone who has found themselves homeless. Yes, homelessness has definitely picked up on this stretch of Main street and along both Texas/Prairie street. I agree that people have certainly gotten more aggressive in their pandhandling. On a more positive note, the progress of Texas Tower and now the Preston picking up steam, it is really starting to help visualize what this area will be like in the coming years. I'm pretty convinced closing down Main street to vehicular traffic on this strectch will happen, because it fits the vision Central Houston, Hines, and others have for the North District to create an urban downtown neighborhood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 (edited) Fields [Houston's Chief Transportation Planner] said he is looking to work with the city of Houston, the Downtown District and the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County to even further expand outdoor dining options along Main Street in Downtown Houston. The initiative would allow restaurants and bars to expand onto the sidewalk and close some of the street to car traffic. “There are a lot of partners involved, we need to make sure we get it right. So [we will consider] things like the traffic signals on that stretch, which not only are used by people driving or walking but also the light rail,” Fields said. “We also need to look at things like our sidewalk ordinance, which says what can be out there. They have to figure out what needs to change, just like we did before the More Space program, to allow this.” Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/economy/houston-joins-growing-list-of-cities-embracing-parking-lots-for-outdoor-dining-105589?utm_source=outbound_pub_4&utm_campaign=outbound_issue_41213&utm_content=outbound_link_15&utm_medium=email?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser Edited August 18, 2020 by Houston19514 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigereye Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 19 hours ago, hindesky said: Yes YES, fix up those sidewalks in SE Downtown. Contribute to the boom of residential development… 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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