HOUSTON | Development Thread II

[weatherguru18]

Well you will be happy to know that fire is a great way to replenish nutrients into the ground and forests often times grow back denser and thicker than ever. Any botanist would tell you the same thing.

[BevoLJ]

As a kid we used to go to Yellowstone every summer. I remember the year we went after the fires and it was the most devastating sight I have ever seen. You can't help but cry when seeing such devastation. From horizon to horizon, all those huge mountains burned to the ground, with not a tree left anywhere. It was more like being on the moon than on earth and as a kid, my mind was completely unable to understand such ruin. But our fishing guide we always used who's real job is working on little critters in the park, tried to explain to me how it is healthy, and how all of them at the park just let the fire burn rather than try to put it out, because it is a part of the natural process for the ground there. I still don't understand it, but it is just something that the ground needs to be able to keep growing more trees, and healthy trees all over again. Sure enough the following year after the fire, many millions of little baby trees were popping up everywhere. And while that was decades ago and you can still see the obvious effects of that fire all over the park, life has very much returned and it is like earth again. Well it is as much like earth as such a strange place as Yellowstone ever can be.

I know in Austin they are planting trees again, but I don't know they will in Lost Pines. I think they just let them grow back by themselves? Not sure.

[photoLith]

^
Its easy to understand. Many of the pine trees in the west actually require fire to unleash their seeds from the pine cones. Some species pine cones only open up when heat from a fire occurs. When the vegetation burns also this releases tons of nutrients into the ground. Forest fires were a huge natural process that was very very important before Europeans came to America and tried to control them. Most forests, especially on the east coast are incredibly dense compared to what they would have looked like 400 years ago. Fires have been controlled and the forests have grown very dense with undergrowth. In the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas for example, trees in forests that havent been burned are mere feet apart and block sunlight from reaching the forest floor. They are now doing controlled burns and clearing out forests of excess trees in many national forests. When you do this, you allow sunlight to reach the forest floor and flowering plants flourish as do insects, which then provide food for birds, and so on. Forest fires and grassland firs are incredibly important to the health of said habitat.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by TexasPlaya

Keeping with this demo of "historical" buildings trend, a chunk (balcony or cladding, can't remember) of a mid-century mid-rise near Montrose @ Westheimer fell onto the sidewalk/street a few months. The building wasn't properly maintained over the years and will most likely be demoed.

this thing?



if so, yeah, it is in pretty rough shape but would have made great lofts.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by photoLith

^
Its easy to understand. Many of the pine trees in the west actually require fire to unleash their seeds from the pine cones. Some species pine cones only open up when heat from a fire occurs. When the vegetation burns also this releases tons of nutrients into the ground. Forest fires were a huge natural process that was very very important before Europeans came to America and tried to control them. Most forests, especially on the east coast are incredibly dense compared to what they would have looked like 400 years ago. Fires have been controlled and the forests have grown very dense with undergrowth. In the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas for example, trees in forests that havent been burned are mere feet apart and block sunlight from reaching the forest floor. They are now doing controlled burns and clearing out forests of excess trees in many national forests. When you do this, you allow sunlight to reach the forest floor and flowering plants flourish as do insects, which then provide food for birds, and so on. Forest fires and grassland firs are incredibly important to the health of said habitat.

Thanks for a good explanation. Not a lot of people realize how nature works.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by JManc

this thing?



if so, yeah, it is in pretty rough shape but would have made great lofts.

I wish they would demo the building on the west side of Loop 610, just south of I-10. It's somewhere between 5 and 10 stories tall and just horrid. I love that stretch of Loop 610 because of Uptown, but that building is awful. I don't know who owns it or if it has a name.

[TexasPlaya]

Originally Posted by JManc

this thing?



if so, yeah, it is in pretty rough shape but would have made great lofts.

Would have made fantastic lofts with some ground level retail, but I fear she is going to go the way of the wrecking ball.

[TexasPlaya]

Some good news for DT:

Downtown parcel sold for daycare center and possibly more

The company plans to build a 10,000-square-foot daycare center on a portion of the property for Chase. The bank’s existing childcare facility is a tenant in the Houston Club Building, which is likely to be redeveloped.

Skanska purchased the block, bounded by Main, Bell, Clay and Fannin from the First United Methodist Church.

The daycare will only take up about a third of the block, leaving room for a future development.

Seems this is a surface lot, right next to a rail station. It's a bit underwhelming that it will only take up a third of a city block but hopefully the other two thirds won't remain a surface lot for too long.

Next on to Montrose:

Apartments to replace Montrose Fiesta

The timing for the new development is still being determined, but Finger has plans to build 390 multifamily units in as many as 8 stories at the site. The nearly 4-acre property is located at the southeast corner of Dunlavy and West Alabama, across from a new H-E-B.

This is a pretty funny situation: an old apartment complex was bulldozed to build a new HEB grocery and across the street an old Fiesta grocery store is being bulldozed for new apartments.

[photoLith]

^
So, the daycare center at most would be like 2-3 stories tall, if even that. But, at least that side of town is seeing development, albeit ridiculously small, but the entire south side of downtown is parking lot central, so any development is good development.

[TexasPlaya]

More news from Uptown:

HAIF
Goodbye Post Oak health club. Hello office tower?

The 24 Hour Fitness at 1550 Post Oak Blvd. is closing permanently on January 27, according to a club employee who referred our inquiry to the corporate office...If it happens soon, it would be the third new tower to break ground in the Galleria area the past year.

Apparently this building has the "same curtain wall vendor, same architect, same look" as the Devon HQ in OKC per a HAIF commenter.

Now we just need to get that Uptown rail line moving in order to capture all this development going down in Uptown.

More Midtown news:

According to a commenter on HAIF the Bagby St redo is about to kick off. If you're unfamiliar with Bagby St in Mditown it's in pretty p*ss poor shape and it has a lot of Midtown's nightlife and happenings along it.

Here's a link from mid last year with an overview: Bagby St

Estimated to cost $12 million, the project will rebuild Bagby with two southbound lanes and turn bays at Pierce, Gray, and Webster, providing parallel parking on both sides and using bulb-outs to aid pedestrian crossings. The design allows for a third lane to be added to accommodate future traffic volumes...In addition to improving the pedestrian experience through Midtown with well-placed wider sidewalks, including a shaded boardwalk between Gray and Hadley, the Bagby Street design includes a series of rain gardens, special street-side landscaping features that will help filter storm water runoff, Daza said....

University of Houston:

I'm lazy and don't feel like posting all the pics, but UH has been booming and I highly recommend it checking out HAIF: UH Development

[weatherguru18]

Houston is getting a LOT of love all of a sudden. BIG projects announced or given new life. Here's a brief rundown:

The Horizon (renamed the Soverign) has a new rendering and appears to be moving forward with a 21-story condo tower off Allen Pkwy.

http://www.gid.com/development/the-sovereign.aspx




Then there's Five Oaks Place. I believe this got the go ahead from the city last week. This is 30 stories.



22-story apartment tower (under construction now--tower crane up). This is at Westheimer and Sage in the Galleria area.



3009 Post Oak. This is 22-stories (under construction--tower crane up)



BBVA, 22-stories (under construction--tower crane up)



Research Forest Development--The Woodlands. Leases pre-signed. Construction imminent.

[weatherguru18]

35-story condo tower (construction imminent)



The Convention District--includes the construction of a 1,000 room hotel near Minute Maid.



Then of course there is Exxon which is building a MASSIVE campus near The Woodlands and there is also talk in the pipeline of two very large towers going up in the next year or two. One in The Woodlands (Anadarko Tower 2) and Hines Development. According to a Houston Chron article, the office tower in The Woodlands is in motion. The architects have already been hired and working on the designs.

[photoLith]

^
My dad works right across from this Anadarko Tower 2 site. It sounds like its going to be an exact copy of the original tower, but I dont know how factual that is. Whatever the case, its good that the Woodlands is getting more urban along the waterway. I was just walking around that area a couple days ago and theres still a sign up along the waterway near where the vacant lot where the second Anadarko Tower is going to go up and it says that a 22 story or so hotel is going to start construction this year.

[weatherguru18]

I find it hard to believe that they would build an exact copy of the first tower. I assume we should expect something in the 15 or 20 story range but I have NOTHING to back that up. As far as the hotel, are you referring to the Condo tower that will be built near the water feature?

[photoLith]

^
Yeah I guess it's a condo tower. It's on the lot to the left of all the waterfalls and fountains they have there on the waterway.

[JoninATX]

Direct Energy will move HQ to Houston

By Emily Pickrell, HOUSTON CHRONICLE Updated 10:17 p.m., Monday, January 16, 2012.

Direct Energy, a retail provider of electricity, natural gas and related services, is moving its corporate headquarters from Toronto to Houston in the next 12 to 18 months.

The headquarters will be in the Greenway Plaza location where the company's residential energy and upstream business is based now, a spokeswoman said.

http://www.chron.com/business/articl...on-2573137.php

[JManc]

Originally Posted by photoLith

^
My dad works right across from this Anadarko Tower 2 site. It sounds like its going to be an exact copy of the original tower, but I dont know how factual that is. Whatever the case, its good that the Woodlands is getting more urban along the waterway. I was just walking around that area a couple days ago and theres still a sign up along the waterway near where the vacant lot where the second Anadarko Tower is going to go up and it says that a 22 story or so hotel is going to start construction this year.

This is the new tower:



http://swamplot.com/second-woodlands...st/2012-01-17/

[TexasBoi]

Does this building have something to do with Regent Square?


Ok. Just checked HAIF and they seem to believe that it does.

[Illithid Dude]

What is this, where is this, and any more renders? Literally have heard nothing about this until it just sort of popped up in the forums.

Also, jealous that you guys get all this construction. But not too much. After all, every city gets their hayday eventually. It's your turn now.

[photoLith]

^
All the construction in Houston is super spread out though, some of its close together, but lots of these projects are miles apart. But maybe in like 40 years, from downtown-midtown-medical center will all be lined with mid rises and high rises. Than I could see the Galleria area really getting dense. Its still very suburban feeling for the most part, but by like 2050 the Galleria area, if construction keeps at the pace it has in the area for the last 30 years, than it could very dense. Then, downtown by that point will be completely built out. I doubt there will be any parking lots left in downtown within 20 years... hopefully.

On another note, this church burned in 2005 or so. Its been sitting like this ever since. I have heard rumors the city is turning it into a park, keeping the churches structure and turning the interior into a park. Its in Freedmans town, on the corner of Andrews and Crosby St. Its the oldest African American congregation in Houston, the building although was built I believe in the late 40s or early 50s. All of the old beautiful shotgun houses were torn down though mostly in Freedmans town replaced by tin buildings that are atrociously ugly.



photo by me.