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  #61  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2010, 5:56 AM
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Gunspoint could have a lot of potential. At certain points driving around it, it almost feels like a city. They could easily make it more dense and actually feel like an urban center, instead of just a shitty suburban mall/office complex.
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  #62  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2010, 9:33 AM
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Originally Posted by photolitherland View Post
Gunspoint could have a lot of potential. At certain points driving around it, it almost feels like a city. They could easily make it more dense and actually feel like an urban center, instead of just a shitty suburban mall/office complex.
They need to start off by tearing down that mall & using the available land to build condos with street level retail kinda like they have in The Woodlands & Sugar Land.

Planting more trees would also help identify the area as Greenspoint. One thing I can't stand is looking at a bunch of barren concrete.
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  #63  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2010, 4:31 PM
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gunspoint!

and greenspoint has no potential.
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  #64  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2010, 9:06 PM
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Originally Posted by araman0 View Post
75,000 ppsm?
LOLOLOL @ 900,000 people!

Greenspoint neighborhood in Houston, Texas, 77037, 77038, 77060, 77067:

Area: 8.139 square miles

Population: 40,580

Density: 4,986 ppsm

...lay off the wikipedia, bro
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  #65  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2010, 9:33 PM
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Originally Posted by tdawg View Post
Just hearing "Bush Intercontinental" makes me shudder.
"Intercontinental" means "between continents", even though Houston's big airport hosts relatively few of those flights. But, as you know, everything's big in Texas, even the names. "International" wasn't quite enough, in true Texas style they had to make it "intercontinental".
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  #66  
Old Posted Nov 30, 2010, 5:08 AM
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Originally Posted by salaverryo View Post
"Intercontinental" means "between continents", even though Houston's big airport hosts relatively few of those flights. But, as you know, everything's big in Texas, even the names. "International" wasn't quite enough, in true Texas style they had to make it "intercontinental".
Actually, there are many intercontinental flights out of Bush. Check flightaware.com.

As an aside, "Bush" refers to the first Bush, not the second, thank goodness.
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  #67  
Old Posted Nov 30, 2010, 6:08 AM
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pssh... I flew into Houston straight from Tokyo this year
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  #68  
Old Posted Nov 30, 2010, 9:36 AM
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Originally Posted by salaverryo View Post
"Intercontinental" means "between continents", even though Houston's big airport hosts relatively few of those flights. But, as you know, everything's big in Texas, even the names. "International" wasn't quite enough, in true Texas style they had to make it "intercontinental".
Houston is a hub for air travel to & from other countries, especially Latin America, Europe, & Asia.
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  #69  
Old Posted Nov 30, 2010, 1:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Atlantan26 View Post
Houston has that gritty northern city look. the freeway system looks cool though
??? Pass the bong, dude.
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  #70  
Old Posted Nov 30, 2010, 1:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Atlantan26 View Post
Houston has that gritty northern city look. the freeway system looks cool though
I assume you're joking. If you're not, I don't think you've ever been to a "gritty northern city."
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  #71  
Old Posted Nov 30, 2010, 2:43 PM
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Originally Posted by diskojoe View Post
gunspoint!

and greenspoint has no potential.
I disagree, diskojoe. I think Greenspoint has plenty of potential, but yes, it will require the demolition and redevelopment of the old mall into a good mixed-use development, in addition to "cleaning up" some of the more dilapidated old apartment complexes. There are enough office towers, enough middle class apartments, enough large corporate campuses in the area to make it good again, it's just going to take substantial effort on Houston's part to make it happen.

Of course perhaps I'm naive about this, though I hope it's true, given that I now work right on JFK a touch north of the Beltway!

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  #72  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2010, 4:25 AM
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Originally Posted by glowrock View Post
I disagree, diskojoe. I think Greenspoint has plenty of potential, but yes, it will require the demolition and redevelopment of the old mall into a good mixed-use development, in addition to "cleaning up" some of the more dilapidated old apartment complexes. There are enough office towers, enough middle class apartments, enough large corporate campuses in the area to make it good again, it's just going to take substantial effort on Houston's part to make it happen.

Of course perhaps I'm naive about this, though I hope it's true, given that I now work right on JFK a touch north of the Beltway!

Aaron (Glowrock)
You have quite a commute, right? I forget where you said you lived; was it on th west side somewhere? What's the best route to get to JFK Blvd? My sister has moved to Cypress, and they go to the airport via the tollway, and it's very fast for them.
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  #73  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2010, 5:36 AM
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Yeah.

If the city or developer did something novel to the place it might have potential. Alternatively, just trying to spruce up the mall(with say, more food places that are good) and making it into something more fitting for the community it serves(adding an educational or public component in place of any empty anchor space) might work. It's not quite as vacant as you guys might think, even if half the anchors are gone and the businesses tend to be lower end. Here's a store directory http://www.greenspointmall.com/index...lpha&Itemid=47

Here's my idea based on a mixture of different proposals floating out there. You'd either redo or bulldoze the empty anchors that are on the freeway side of the mall and pull in the parking lots. So the main trunk of the mall would seem more accessible and open, and you'd lose the dead weight. Then on the other side, by Greenspoint Drive, would be some NICE condos/townhomes flanking a good, community-oriented park that would also face a new grand entrance to the mall. This grand entrance itself would be partly outdoors and be the new expanded food court with an open air cafe type eating area.

For security, a "koban" police box, like they use in Japan, would be placed in this park within view of the whole mixed use area, and one officer from the Greenspoint Mall substation would be stationed out there.

All this would front the office district, which as people have said, is still desirable. In terms of an architectural/aesthetic sense of place, the whole little skyline there overlooking the open space and rows of new stuff would be pretty spiffy. Also, for access to the rest of Greenspoint, depending on how you pulled it off, there could be a hike/bike trail between the buildings and apartments cut out to the greens bayou path. Maybe to double as a storm water drain, a trickling water feature placed along this narrow, tree lined path(traveled by a cop on a bike occasionally...) would put some green in the name greenspoint.

These things would actually be as nice as anything in The Woodlands "town center"(sans the cheesy boats).

Also, I was thinking about something- Back in the early to mid 90's, things were a lot different. There weren't competing big box stores just everywhere, even in sprawling Houston. The only other mall, Willowbrook, and the one Target, Best Buy, etc, was up on FM 1960- the slowest, most congested suburban arterial road you will ever see. So even back then, if you lived along 45, it might have made sense to go to Greenspoint for shopping. The Woodlands mall changed all that. "Gunspoint" might have been a major blow to the place, but competition with other centers is why personally my family quit going there when I was a kid. All it really needs to do is become unique and attractive again. Eventually the bad apartments and criminal element will just move on, that's how the city is.

Last edited by llamaorama; Dec 1, 2010 at 6:21 AM.
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  #74  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2010, 8:20 AM
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Originally Posted by JivecitySTL View Post
I assume you're joking. If you're not, I don't think you've ever been to a "gritty northern city."
I agree with you. And frankly, I think Atlanta actually looks far more "northern" than Houston so I'm not sure what Atlantan was getting at. I did enjoy the pictures, though, and I definitely would not want to live there. If I lived in Houston, being near Halliburton and Bush Intercontinental would not upset me in the least, especially if I was gainfully employed by either institution.
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  #75  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2010, 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by NewTex View Post
You have quite a commute, right? I forget where you said you lived; was it on th west side somewhere? What's the best route to get to JFK Blvd? My sister has moved to Cypress, and they go to the airport via the tollway, and it's very fast for them.
It's all about the Beltway, NewTex!

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  #76  
Old Posted Dec 1, 2010, 1:41 PM
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they tried revamping gunspoint in the late 90's. with new apartments and a PR campaign to get people to live out there. didn't work out so well. the mall and the surrounding commercial area might have potential but the area is surrounded by ghetto.
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  #77  
Old Posted Dec 2, 2010, 3:32 AM
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Although I haven't driven around the area in proximity to the airport, from the air it looks like that general area is getting pretty scuzzy looking. I don't know if I'm getting the right impression viewing from the air, but maybe others who are more familiar with that part of the beltway area can comment. If my impression is correct, seems like Greenspoint would have a harder time coming back.
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  #78  
Old Posted Dec 2, 2010, 3:25 PM
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The problem with greenspoint is not where its at but rather who lives there already. its ghetto! and peeps from northside are crazy. if you ask anyone from the northside they would probably agree with you too that all the peeps out there are crazy. they can renovate all they want but people arent going to move there when there are more attractive locations within a commutable distance which in houston could be 30 - 50 miles.
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