[AndresAndujar]

I have to start with an apology for not checking in the last couple of days. Darn work gets in the way of blog fun! I'll try to respond to the various questions. If I miss one, please let me know.

Firstly, my post buddy SAKyle helped me get these up as we started to look at another blog referencing an effort by Austinites to build a Sketchup based model imposed on Google Earth. I wanted to let them see what we had done in San Antonio as I became concerned that too much building detail would crash their efforts. Things start going weird a six megs, and fenestration and texture add up fast.

We have developed this model in the last year, and now do all our downtown studies in it. The color scheme is light gray for existing structures, dark gray for structures we have been involved with and are completed, yellow/mustard as projects in planning, and there are some other colors related to two large study areas we have completed:

1. River North District (TIRZ created Dec 14.2006)
2. Market Square District (starting discussions)

The blue building is a complete speculation on my part as we began to study what might be as we look at district formation around market square. It is a 45 story, 750KSF office buidling on the Frost drive trough site. There is a 30 story, 500KSF building just north of Frost Bank. The "park" is private property of the bank, and I can assure you it will not be green forever. Between the two buildings we have a mega garage... We'll see how a potential development may unfold there, but from my studies I'm comfortable saying this is the site for some of our tallest buidlings in the next few years. Sadly, 45 stories would be really pushing the limits, but the San Antonio character has its beauty - although not the height...

Our market isn't demaning class A office downtown. We have ample vacany in existing stock. But I like to say we should stop celebrating AT&T's arrival to San Antonio - that is a decade old win. We now need a couple more catches, and hopefully not heavy industrial but rather creative types. I dream of a companly like Google headquartering here. Imagine the increase in downtown housing demand!

Incidentally, the straight red line height comparisson appears to be fairly accurate!

Regardign the "dead" project on Convent/River/St Mary's, i prefer to call it dormant. Something will happen there sooner or later!

Do you guys know of a way to get email alarms when there are new postings to a blog of your interest?

Again, sorry for the slow reply.