HOUSTON | General Developments - Page 13

Wattleigh · #**241** Posted **Apr 17, 2018, 5:21 PM**

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/a...ew-bike-lanes/

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UPDATE: Houston Wants To Build 50 Miles Of New Bike Lanes
It’s part of a partnership between the City and Harris County

FLORIAN MARTIN | POSTED ON APRIL 16, 2018, 1:06 PM (LAST UPDATED: APRIL 16, 2018, 4:15 PM)

Florian Martin | Houston Public Media
Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis bikes near Houston City Hall on Monday, April 16, 2018, as he and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a new partnership between the City and Harris County to create more bike lanes.

The City of Houston plans to add 50 miles of bike lanes over the next year.
Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner made the announcement on Monday, next to the Lamar Street bike lane close to City Hall.

Ellis is pledging $10 million of Precinct 1 funds to be used by the City for the project within one year. That is in addition to $5.5 million from the City itself.

Houston has to compete with cities like New York and San Francisco, Ellis said.

“Great cities more and more defined by the ability to have multi-modal means of transportation,” he said. “And that includes walking and riding bikes.”

The offer is “use it or lose it” – that is, if the Houston City Council doesn’t move forward on the projects within the next 12 months, the money will be used for other purposes.

Houston planning director Patrick Walsh said the hope is to get additional partners on board to expand the project beyond Harris County Precinct 1.

Ellis also recently teamed up with the City to improve streets near the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.

Wattleigh · #**242** Posted **Apr 17, 2018, 5:46 PM**

Conrad Sauer Detention Basin Park in Memorial City

Project seeks to convert a nondescript detention basin into a park of sorts. Office of James Burnett is the architect.

Construction photos from July of last year c/o 'triton' on HAIF

And within the past week, also c/o 'triton' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**243** Posted **Apr 18, 2018, 6:59 AM**

Within the past month, project boards from Midtown Redevelopment Authority meetings have been posted online, highlighting various initiatives under consideration to enhance the streetscape in certain areas.

The first examines the conversion of Main Street into areas that allow pedestrians and bike traffic only. They mirror earlier visuals tied to the Caydon projects.

The second considers the planned removal of the Pierce Elevated as a component of the North Houston Highway Improvement Plan, and if sections could be preserved for an elevated park or if the removal would open up green space along the blocks below.

The third considers the potential burial of a stretch of the Southwest Freeway as part of the same highway project, and proposes a cap park adjacent to the Wheeler Transit Center. The block is bounded by Wheeler Avenue, San Jacinto Street, Blodgett Street & Fannin Street.

The last examines possible updates to the existing streetscape along Crawford Avenue in the neighborhood.

Wattleigh · #**244** Posted **Apr 20, 2018, 5:40 PM**

Rice University Opera House

c/o 'rechlin' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**245** Posted **Apr 22, 2018, 9:15 PM**

Texas Southern University Library Learning Center

c/o 'hindesky' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**246** Posted **Apr 22, 2018, 10:30 PM**

South Main Apartments

c/o 'twitter1' on HAIF

Tradition Buffalo Speedway

c/o 'twitter1' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**247** Posted **Apr 23, 2018, 3:34 AM**

Camden McGowen Station/Midtown Park

c/o 'hindesky on HAIF

Pearl Midtown West / Whole Foods Market

c/o 'hindesky' on HAIF

Museum of Fine Arts - Glassell School

c/o 'hindesky' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**248** Posted **Apr 23, 2018, 6:03 PM**

River Oaks Baptist School Expansion

Westheimer near Willowick, next door to Highland Village

Lot is fenced off. The school purchased a Walgreens location and it was cleared, leaving the parking lot behind. The expansion is slated to include a four-story middle school structure that will be integrated into the existing campus. It will also include a new connecting driveway from Westheimer leading to the existing the Willowick entrance.

Photo c/o 'twitter1' on HAIF

Rendering- c/o the school's project page

Wattleigh · #**249** Posted **Apr 24, 2018, 6:46 PM**

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...a-12860073.php

Quote:

Houston's Jones Plaza to undergo a series of radical renovations
By Craig Hlavaty
Published 9:17 am, Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Houston First Corp. and city planners announced an ambitious project Tuesday to again turn the Theater District's Jones Plaza into a destination and bring it further into the 21st century by redeveloping it with fundraising dollars.

Words like "underutilized" have been used to describe the plaza, bounded by Smith, Louisiana, Texas and Capitol. There is a struggle for the large concrete outpost to be exciting, as design tastes have changed. Redesigning the plaza was a part of a 2015 Theater District Master Plan.

Astros owner Jim Crane and his wife, Whitney, announced Tuesday that they are donating $1 million to revitalize the downtown plaza. Just blocks from Minute Maid Park, it could be a destination for Astros fans after games.

Relevant info about the redesign below

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A projected budget of $25 million will turn it into a public green space. A $20 million fundraising campaign is underway. Rios Clementi Hale Studios has been picked to handle the redesign process.

Expect more shade, more food options and private event spaces that can be rented out for events.

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According to Houston First, the project will get underway in 2019 with an eye for a November 2020 debut for the public, hopefully in time for Thanksgiving festivities.

Images are from the linked article...

Wattleigh · #**250** Posted **Apr 25, 2018, 6:04 PM**

https://www.chron.com/local/article/Memorial-Park-restoration-gets-a-70-million-boost-12863707.php

Quote:

Memorial Park restoration gets a $70 million boost
City council must still approve the largest greenspace gift in Houston's history
By Molly Glentzer Updated 12:13 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Call them Mr. and Mrs. Green.

Super-philanthropists Nancy and Rich Kinder, who have already donated $106 million to various greenspace projects across Houston in the past decade or so, have offered the Memorial Park Conservancy a $70 million grant, the largest single parks gift in the city's history.

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the proposed gift during a press briefing Wednesday before the conservancy was to present an amended agreement to its master plan to city council's quality of life committee. The matter will then proceed to full council for a vote next week.

The Kinders' grant, through their Kinder Foundation, will be "top-loaded" to fast-track the largest, priority projects of a master plan designed by the landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz and approved by the city in 2015. The goal is to finish those projects within ten years.

Details of the plan are HoustonChronicle.com.

Renderings from the same piece

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A rendering of the "central connector" land bridge that will reconnect the north and south portions of Memorial Park across Memorial Drive with a prairie ecosystem and drainage infrastructure.
Photo: Memorial Park Conservancy

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The new Eastern Glades section of Memorial Park, now under construction, will include a five-acre lake.
Photo: Memorial Park Conservancy

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A rendering of the Memorial Groves that will be built on the west side of Memorial Park as part of the new 10-Year Project Plan.
Photo: Memorial Park Conservancy

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A rendering of a restored natural area that will be near the Memorial Park running center.
Photo: Memorial Park Conservancy

Another view of the land bridges - from the press release.

Wattleigh · #**251** Posted **Apr 26, 2018, 5:40 AM**

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...h-12864943.php

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Houston council moves forward on Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza renovation
By Mike Morris
Published 5:22 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Days after former first lady Barbara Bush was laid to rest, Houston City Council moved forward on the reconstruction of the Central Library plaza that bears her name.

The council approved a $396,582 appropriation to Houston-based landscape architects Lauren Griffith Associates for design and construction at Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza at 500 McKinney in downtown.

The funds will cover designs for the reimagined plaza, which includes an area for art exhibits, additional landscaping, two reading areas, a new viewing screen for public movies, a water vapor cooling station, and a café with outdoor seating.

The item comes three years after the council approved $105,071 for the initial design and construction work on the plaza. That work covered new fencing and gates and added landscaping, among other improvements.

Renderings & layout from Houston Public Library Foundation's page on the project.

JManc · #**252** Posted **Apr 26, 2018, 1:42 PM**

^ They need to address the bum situation around the library.

They're better be ducks and geese at this new lake in Memorial Park. Lot's of ducks and geese like Hermann Park.

Wattleigh · #**253** Posted **Apr 29, 2018, 2:47 AM**

University of Houston-Downtown: Science & Technology Building

c/o 'HoustonMidtown' on HAIF

Concrete pouring this morning - c/o @cesar_Htown on twitter

Camden McGowen Station

c/o 'urbanize713' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**254** Posted **May 1, 2018, 4:24 AM**

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/c...open-hike-bike

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Highly anticipated new trail linking Buffalo Bayou Park and White Oak Bayou now open to Houstonians
By Steven Devadanam
4.30.18 | 8:55 am

Outdoor enthusiasts, active inner loopers, and Houstonians can rejoice, as the highly anticipated hike-and-bike trail connection between White Oak Bayou Greenway and Buffalo Bayou trails is now complete.

In a week that included the announcement of a revitalized downtown Jones Plaza and a $70 million development grant for Memorial Park, the new connector was officially christened during a public ceremony on April 28, hosted by Mayor Sylvester Turner, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and various city and parks officials and foundation leaders. The ceremony marked the last of the six-part, $30 million “Houston Regional Bike/Ped Connections to Transit” project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The connection adjoins the White Oak Bayou Greenway to the popular Buffalo Bayou trails and green spaces — including Buffalo Bayou Park, which was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. City and park officials also tout the new connector as a link to downtown's East End, transit centers, communities, and recreational areas, and as an alternative thoroughfare for downtown students and commuters. The connection should provide easier access to destinations north of White Oak Bayou Greenway and across the I-10 corridor.

The connector is part of a series of projects by Bayou Greenways 2020, a public-private partnership between the nonprofit Houston Parks Board, the City of Houston, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and the Harris County Flood Control District. The plans call for a transformation of some 3,000 acres of underutilized land along nine major waterways into a 150-mile linear park and trail system that crisscrosses Houston.

Photos from the piece

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Hikers, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts can now enjoy a highly anticipated inner loop connection. Photo by F. Carter Smith

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The connector was christened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by F. Carter Smith

Wattleigh · #**255** Posted **May 1, 2018, 2:21 PM**

Buffalo Heights

HEB at Buffalo Heights by Marc longoria, on Flickr

The Sophie

rendering image c/o Houston Streetwise

Site Prep is underway... image from webcam

Wattleigh · #**256** Posted **May 3, 2018, 4:34 PM**

Alta West Gray

c/o 'skwatra' on HAIF

Heights Waterworks Redevelopment

c/o 'EllenOlenska' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**257** Posted **May 3, 2018, 4:44 PM**

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2018/05/02/upcoming-downtown-food-hall-names-final-4-concepts.html

Quote:

Upcoming downtown food hall names final 4 concepts

By Jen Para – Web producer, Houston Business Journal
a day ago

Finn Hall, one of several food halls coming to downtown Houston, has secured its final restaurant tenants before it opens in mid-2018.

Craft Burger, Oddball Eats, Sit Lo and Yong are joining six other previously named concepts inside the 20,000-square-foot project in The Jones on Main in the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Building at 712 Main St., according to a press release. Finn Hall will be the first brick-and-mortar location for each of the four concepts.

“We want to be a food hall that houses established Houston concepts but also a place that can foster the growth of the next generation of culinary talent in the city,” Greg Andrews of the Finn Hall management team said in the release. “We’re thrilled for Finn Hall to be the location where these concepts can develop and come to life.”

Craft Burger will serve burgers, onion rings, fries, shakes and more from the Craft Burger Food Truck that was started in 2015 by Shannen Tune, who won the Food Network TV show "Chopped" in 2016. The concept's menu will include items such as the Morning After Burger, which is made of black angus beef, brown sugar and chili-rubbed candied bacon with a sunny-side up egg and smoked gouda — all served on a bacon-cheddar waffle bun.

Oddball Eats is a falafel-focused Mediterranean food truck that started as a booth at the local Urban Harvest Farmers Market. It’s owned by siblings Rani and Rene Francis. At the food hall, Oddball Eats will offer an expanded version of its food truck menu, including rotating vegetable sides and brunch items in addition to favorites such as lamb chorizo fries and a chicken shawarma sandwich.

Sit Lo is a new concept from the team behind the Bowl’D Up food truck. Siblings Jay Le, Adrienne Le and Jeff Jacobson will serve Vietnamese street food using family recipes to introduce guests to Houston's ‘Little Saigon’ food culture. The concept's menu will include pho, vermicelli bowls, banh mi and regional dishes from southern Vietnam.

Yong is the brainchild of Daniel Aitai, a former chef at La Grange and Cottonwood. The fast-casual Korean concept will serve Aitai’s family recipes. Menu items will include Korean barbecue bowls, double-fried chicken and egg rolls.

Finn Hall’s six other concepts are Goode Co. Taqueria, Low Tide, Mr. Nice Pie, Dish Society, Mala Sichuan and Amaya Coffee.

Wattleigh · #**258** Posted **May 3, 2018, 4:55 PM**

Lamar High School Renovation/Expansion

Renderings from HISD

Photos - January 6

c/o 'hindesky' on HAIF

February 4

c/o 'hindesky' on HAIF

April 29

c/o 'twitter1' on HAIF

Wattleigh · #**259** Posted **May 3, 2018, 5:12 PM**

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/03/13/273001/harris-county-will-buy-riverside-turn-it-into-mental-health-facility/

Quote:

Harris County Will Buy Riverside, Turn It Into Mental Health Facility

Riverside General Hospital in Houston’s Third Ward declared bankruptcy in 2015. Refurbishing the building is expected to take seven years and cost $18 million.

ANDREW SCHNEIDER | POSTED ON MARCH 13, 2018, 3:05 PM (LAST UPDATED: MARCH 14, 2018, 9:24 AM)

Quote:

Ed Uthman

The former Riverside General Hospital will get a new lease on life. Harris County will purchase the building in Houston’s Third Ward, to revive it as a mental health facility.

Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to purchase Riverside out of federal bankruptcy. That’s the first step in what’s expected to be a seven-year process. Houston Endowment will help raise the $18 million the county will need to refurbish the building.

In its new incarnation, Riverside will house a clinic for the underserved Third Ward. It will also let Harris County divert some mentally ill individuals out of the jail system. Judge Ed Emmett said, though, that this will do little to relieve the pressure on the jail, considered one of the largest mental health providers in Texas.

Riverside opened in 1927 as the Houston Negro Hospital. The hospital was plagued by mismanagement and scandal in its final years. Former Riverside president Earnest Gibson III, his son, and two of his colleagues were convicted of Medicare fraud in 2014. The hospital declared bankruptcy two years later, after an audit proved Riverside misused a $32 million Hurricane Ike recovery grant from FEMA.