Apartments Win Again (San Felipe: cars, transit, build)

[Schumacher713]

Originally Posted by JaqueCosto

I don't have a problem with office towers It's Hines that just now bothered to inform area residents they are building an office tower on what was formerly residential property. Exactly why was a residential home secretly rezoned to office space without public consent?

The 21-story Ashby apartment tower, the roads in the area are designed for low density traffic, not to accommodate massive apartments. Bissonnet is only two lanes total and a distance from a main road like Kirby. There are more logistical places to build high rise apartments but Houston has an established history of cramming apartment residents right beside rich people.



San Felipe is a long ways from US-59. Compared to Uptown, the Greenway Plaza, and Dowtown it is in the middle of nowhere.

Then explain why DFW has grown faster than Houston in the past 30 years even though more people in DFW live in single family homes, Houston used to be the superior city, now its home to transients.

I used to live in West U not far from where the Ashby highrise. I also have lived in a highrise. When I lived in a highrise it was rare I saw anyone else driving in or out at the same time I was. I don't buy the traffic argument. I think rich people don't want a highrise looking down on their backyards.

What transients do you speak of? Professionals moving here for jobs? These people are just popping in here for a year. They are moving here to live. I love that Houston has people from all over the country and world living here now. It has made Houston a better place. How many generations has your family lived here?

You refer to DFW growing faster than Houston, yet you are complaining about making more housing for Houston to grow? In the past 5-10 years I think Houston has turned into an amazing city. I love all the changes I have seen.

[crbcrbrgv]

Originally Posted by JaqueCosto

San Felipe is a long ways from US-59. Compared to Uptown, the Greenway Plaza, and Dowtown it is in the middle of nowhere.

San Felipe runs right through the middle of Uptown. Are you thinking of a different street?

[apm193]

Originally Posted by JaqueCosto

I don't have a problem with office towers It's Hines that just now bothered to inform area residents they are building an office tower on what was formerly residential property. Exactly why was a residential home secretly rezoned to office space without public consent?

There's no zoning in Houston, so there was no secret zoning meeting. But honestly if Hines owns the land why shouldn't they be allowed to build what they want on it? Office buildings have been sitting next to houses for years in places like the energy corridor and there have been no major problems. The only problem with that location in particular is that San Felipe is not designed handle all those employees arriving and leaving at the same time. They will most likely have to widen the road.

[Schumacher713]

Just curious where is this Hines office building going up? San Felipe is littered with office building built in the 80s. Voss to 610 is a brand new road.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

People gotta live somewhere and not everyone can afford a house.

I agree, but there are already too many apartments in that area already. You don' want a situation were developers overbuild and you end up with a situation like Gulfton southwest, Fondren southwest. Plus that property had a beautiful garden in the back with the ducks and everything. I wish they would have come up with something more creative that more "luxury" apartments.

[14Bricks]

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

They sold it a while ago. Not near the peak of the market. I thought Vargos was over rated.

It was, I went there one valentines. It was the worst $200 I ever spent. I heard back in the day it was much better, THE place to be.

[JaqueCosto]

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

I used to live in West U not far from where the Ashby highrise. I also have lived in a highrise. When I lived in a highrise it was rare I saw anyone else driving in or out at the same time I was. I don't buy the traffic argument. I think rich people don't want a highrise looking down on their backyards.

What highrise is in West U, I thought they had zoning restrictions to limit towers and multi-units.

Nor should the city approve of things and then later attempt to deny the same permit only to be threatened with a lawsuit by the developer. Of course if the city were transparent the Ashby highrise would never have happened in the first place.

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

What transients do you speak of? Professionals moving here for jobs? These people are just popping in here for a year. They are moving here to live. I love that Houston has people from all over the country and world living here now. It has made Houston a better place. How many generations has your family lived here?

Yes transients, they live in the apartment briefly then move to another neighborhood or leave the city altogether.

Three generations native to Texas on my mother's side. Father was born about 45 miles out of Houston. I was born at St. Lukes if I recall correctly, regardless I was born somewhere in TMC.

Originally Posted by Schumacher713

You refer to DFW growing faster than Houston, yet you are complaining about making more housing for Houston to grow? In the past 5-10 years I think Houston has turned into an amazing city. I love all the changes I have seen.

Yet DFW has outgrown Houston without all these multi-units, obviously they are not needed.

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

San Felipe runs right through the middle of Uptown. Are you thinking of a different street?

It's San Felipe b/w Kirby and S. Shepherd. Not San Felipe and Kirby or San Felipe and S. Shepherd. Which would still be out of the way from US-59. Tower is being placed in a low density area with low volume roads.

Originally Posted by apm193

There's no zoning in Houston, so there was no secret zoning meeting. But honestly if Hines owns the land why shouldn't they be allowed to build what they want on it? Office buildings have been sitting next to houses for years in places like the energy corridor and there have been no major problems. The only problem with that location in particular is that San Felipe is not designed handle all those employees arriving and leaving at the same time. They will most likely have to widen the road.

City still had to approve of the tower and made no effort to inform area residents. There's a reason why all other cities have zoning, which has obviously worked better for DFW.

Energy Corridor is located on I-10 and Hwy 6, two major roads. Also Beltway 8 feeds into I-10 just minutes away. It is properly situated. San Felipe cannot be widened as it was never intended to accommodate heavy traffic volumes in that vicinity.

And I've never seen a developer rip out an apartment in Houston to replace it with office space, Houston would never allow this. There are tons of apartments on the Southwest Freeway and Beltway 8 south of the Westchase District, and west of Uptown obviously prime location for a developer to build office space. Also numerous old apartments in the Westchase District and Uptown that could be torn down for new office space. All of Gulftown would be perfect for office space. Houston won't let developers do it because then the cities voters would get all upset.

As the thread title states, the apartments win again, that's how the city is designed.

[cheryjohns]

That's not fair. I hate - hate - hate apartment properties because I see how they negatively affect property values. However, in that area- apartments, hi-rises, commercial - what difference does it make - it was already commercial? It's always better than a Walmart (almost anything is).

[LocalPlanner]

Cheryjohns,

Apartments and Walmarts are integral parts of the urban landscape and respond to a market need. What subdivision-dweller shouldn't expect them to end up being nearby, unless you live in an incorporated city that inappropriately zones them out?

[annie_himself]

Originally Posted by JaqueCosto

Yes transients, they live in the apartment briefly then move to another neighborhood or leave the city altogether.

Three generations native to Texas on my mother's side. Father was born about 45 miles out of Houston. I was born at St. Lukes if I recall correctly, regardless I was born somewhere in TMC.



Yet DFW has outgrown Houston without all these multi-units, obviously they are not needed.



It's San Felipe b/w Kirby and S. Shepherd. Not San Felipe and Kirby or San Felipe and S. Shepherd. Which would still be out of the way from US-59. Tower is being placed in a low density area with low volume roads.



City still had to approve of the tower and made no effort to inform area residents. There's a reason why all other cities have zoning, which has obviously worked better for DFW.

Energy Corridor is located on I-10 and Hwy 6, two major roads. Also Beltway 8 feeds into I-10 just minutes away. It is properly situated. San Felipe cannot be widened as it was never intended to accommodate heavy traffic volumes in that vicinity.

And I've never seen a developer rip out an apartment in Houston to replace it with office space, Houston would never allow this. There are tons of apartments on the Southwest Freeway and Beltway 8 south of the Westchase District, and west of Uptown obviously prime location for a developer to build office space. Also numerous old apartments in the Westchase District and Uptown that could be torn down for new office space. All of Gulftown would be perfect for office space. Houston won't let developers do it because then the cities voters would get all upset.

As the thread title states, the apartments win again, that's how the city is designed.

Transients stimulate the economy, and redevelop neighborhoods and buildings, I don't know why you're complaining about that.

That section of San Felipe may be full of single family homes but it could sustain a high rise without a problem. The fact that it sits within a street grid is better than being anywhere in Uptown or Greenway. Do you really think the traffic nightmare that is Uptown is a better model for high density housing?
That stretch of San Felipe is about 1.5 miles away from 59, which I'm not sure why it's such a concern.