HOUSTON | Development Thread II - Page 186

JoninATX · #**3701** Posted **Apr 12, 2012, 7:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by orderlychaos

http://www.chron.com/business/articl...or-3476117.php

20-story tower planned for Energy Corridor
By Nancy Sarnoff
Published 10:38 p.m., Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A high-end office development is being planned in the Energy Corridor, potentially adding 1.5 million square feet of space to this part of west Houston, where oil and gas companies dominate the corporate landscape.

Trae · #**3702** Posted **Apr 13, 2012, 1:21 PM**

I-10 West is starting to have an impressive skyline now, that's spilling over into Katy.

photoLith · #**3703** Posted **Apr 13, 2012, 4:00 PM**

On the top left you can see the new bridge being constructed for the north line extension. Look at all that vacant land though, so much room for awesome developments of Houston does it right.

Then a bonus shot of all the crap lots that still have to be covered up. Think of how great dowtown will be once all those lots are covered up by developments. That will be decades and decades though I'm afraid.

lockmat · #**3704** Posted **Apr 13, 2012, 4:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double L

Well forget your iPods and iPads; if no one suggested to Steve Jobs that he should make a touch screen computer you can hold in your hands then it shouldn't be done.

I think there is a difference between a salesman telling you to buy his product because you need it and it will benefit you and an objective party advising you.

In this case, it's the former. Granted sometimes the salesman might be correct.

Wattleigh · #**3705** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 7:49 PM**

Noticed this blurb from today's Bisnow update regarding Marvy Finger's projects. Sounds like something may be in store for the old Ben Milam Hotel downtown. Not sure if it would be a renovation or an entirely new project on that site...

Quote:

Marvy has an incredible pipeline now: His development at Waugh has broken ground, and he’s planning projects at the old Milam Hotel site (an eight-story midrise), Wilcrest and I-10 (360 units launching this month), the site of the Fiesta on Dunlavy (a 399-unit project is on the drawing board), and 1900 Yorktown. And that’s not including projects outside of Houston, such as a 350-unit project in Los Angeles and one in Chicago.

mfastx · #**3706** Posted **Apr 16, 2012, 11:05 PM**

The wording "old Milam site" leads me to believe that it's an entirely new project.

Shasta · #**3707** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 12:00 AM**

[QUOTE=photoLith;5665134]On the top left you can see the new bridge being constructed for the north line extension. Look at all that vacant land though, so much room for awesome developments of Houston does it right.

A lot of the "vacant" land in this photo is flood plain and will likely never be developed. It's where Buffalo and White Oak Bayous meet and it is notorious for flooding.

Best case scenario is for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership's dream to come to fruition and turn that into useable park space rather than just dead space.

JManc · #**3708** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 12:23 AM**

some of that area is taken up by UH-Downtown's parking; slab of concrete just behind UHD on the other side of the freeway.

toxteth o'grady · #**3709** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 2:56 PM**

I found this intriguing article in Construction Weekly - a lot of speculative proposals for high-rise buildings exceeding 828 meters (the height of the Burj). Included are not one, but two, building proposals for Houston that top out in excess of a mile in height. I think one of them goes all the way back to 1981, but I'm not sure about the other. Judging by the list, if built, they would have been the tallest buildings in the US for quite some time.

http://http://www.constructionweekon...urj-khalifa/1/

Wattleigh · #**3710** Posted **Apr 17, 2012, 10:26 PM**

Architects have been chosen for the Midtown Arts Center

Per Bisnow...

Quote:

The Independent Arts Collaborative selected Lake|Flato and Studio RED Architects to design the organization’s new art complex planned at Main and Holman in Midtown, steps from the HCC/Ensemble light rail stop. The multi-tenant performance and exhibition space will be designed with the input of nearly 40 Houston arts groups. The 67k SF complex will feature a 300-seat theater, exhibition space, two rehearsal halls, three black box performance spaces, classrooms, and office space.

photoLith · #**3711** Posted **Apr 18, 2012, 3:15 AM**

Well, it seems Fingers is going to tear down the historic Ben Milam Motel across from Minute Maid Park and replace it with an 8 story apartment building, typical Houston; destroy an historic building when theres only 20 vacant lots surrounding it instead of restoring it.

photoLith · #**3712** Posted **Apr 20, 2012, 7:36 PM**

Rice village.

Wattleigh · #**3713** Posted **Apr 21, 2012, 3:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith

Well, it seems Fingers is going to tear down the historic Ben Milam Motel across from Minute Maid Park and replace it with an 8 story apartment building, typical Houston; destroy an historic building when theres only 20 vacant lots surrounding it instead of restoring it.

The piece didn't say if it is or isn't entirely new construction.

At any rate, it's worth noting that the 'tower' section above the base of the building is 8 stories. It's entirely possible that it's referring to a rehab of the former hotel space into apartments and retail.

photoLith · #**3714** Posted **Apr 21, 2012, 5:44 AM**

^
I went and talked to the Houston preservation commission today and it seems that fingers hasnt yet bought the building. The article is very vague but the building isn't an historic landmark nor protected in any way shape or form. The commission told me that they've talked to the building owners in the past and that they really don't give a shit about the building and are basically just in it for the highest bidder. They said the outlook for the buildings future, even if fingers doesn't purchase it is very grim due to its long term vacancy/abandonment and the costs of restoration and it seems that Houston developed aren't too interested in restoring things. Plus the floor heights are pretty short, maybe 8ft at best, when most apartment/lofts have ceiling heights of 11ft or more so a potential developer would view the 8ft ceiling heights quite negatively ubfortubately.

TexasPlaya · #**3715** Posted **Apr 22, 2012, 8:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith

^
I went and talked to the Houston preservation commission today and it seems that fingers hasnt yet bought the building. The article is very vague but the building isn't an historic landmark nor protected in any way shape or form. The commission told me that they've talked to the building owners in the past and that they really don't give a shit about the building and are basically just in it for the highest bidder. They said the outlook for the buildings future, even if fingers doesn't purchase it is very grim due to its long term vacancy/abandonment and the costs of restoration and it seems that Houston developed aren't too interested in restoring things. Plus the floor heights are pretty short, maybe 8ft at best, when most apartment/lofts have ceiling heights of 11ft or more so a potential developer would view the 8ft ceiling heights quite negatively ubfortubately.

Geeze, 8 ft floor heights... there's your reason to not restore.

rdavis4559 · #**3716** Posted **Apr 23, 2012, 9:36 PM**

Any admins out there?

It would be awesome to have this forum push out an rss feed rather than me having to check daily for updates. Vbulletin says this can be easily accomplished:

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/show...specific-forum

Hopefully you will take this up for consideration. Thank you!

JManc · #**3717** Posted **Apr 24, 2012, 2:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdavis4559

Any admins out there?

It would be awesome to have this forum push out an rss feed rather than me having to check daily for updates. Vbulletin says this can be easily accomplished:

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/show...specific-forum

Hopefully you will take this up for consideration. Thank you!

sounds cool but probably not in the cards anytime soon. i make it a habit of making rounds every other day or so on this thread as well as some of the other houston sites; HAIF, Swamplot, etc. You can get an RSS feed from them

Michi · #**3718** Posted **Apr 24, 2012, 4:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoLith

On the top left you can see the new bridge being constructed for the north line extension. Look at all that vacant land though, so much room for awesome developments of Houston does it right.

No, as far as I know, that is the land that is intended to be the Burnett Multi-modal Transportation Center. I don't know what has become of the proposal, but I remember LRT plans, brought before the Planning Commission, included Burnett configurations.

I know the plan was ambitious and may be on hold, or dropped entirely. Maybe it's local common knowledge that Burnett is no longer in the making, and if so I apologize for my ignorance.

http://www.eekarchitects.com/portfol...modal-facility

photoLith · #**3719** Posted **Apr 24, 2012, 4:08 AM**

^
Yeah, Im fairly certain that died a long time ago.

Michi · #**3720** Posted **Apr 24, 2012, 4:19 AM**

I wouldn't doubt the magnitude of the proposed facility, but I'd wonder about the use of the land? Is it still planned to be transit-related

By the way, thanks for posting that photo! I use to run the Heights Trail regularly (concrete line shown long the bayou). It was my favorite trail, particularly running toward the city with the beautiful view of the skyline and the pulse of the traffic on the freeway!