^^^Totally agree. I love how many different colors our skyline has. I can't remember if it was Philip Johnson or Gerald Hines that once said the "Houston Skyline is like a canvas waiting for the next brushstroke"

Case in point, the old Pennzoil Place, now obscured by taller buildings.

Hot off the BisNow press, it's Skanska's second phase development at West Memorial Place. It's 14 floors and 381,000 sf. And it just broke ground (did every project in town decide to break ground on September 8, or am I imagining things?):

https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/pr...Two-medium.jpg

BisNow also has an advance preview of their September 17 multifamily summit, including these tidbits:

"Quick resales

Typically, multifamily owners have projected hold periods of at least three years, but Russell tells us his team (which has done 560 property tours this year) has 33 assets it’s sold twice in the last two years. (You know things are hot when it's necessary to keep the deed in your back pocket for quick access.) Most were distressed or value-add deals that were fixed up and able to hit projected exit pricing more quickly than owners thought. (Cap rates have dropped 25 to 50 points in the last nine months—not on interest rates, Russell says, but purely on Houston’s fundamentals.) Look for the number of transactions this year to surpass 2013.

High density takes over

ARA principal David Marshall, Tom Dosch, principal Tim Dosch, and Clark Dalton say the future of Houston multifamily is high-rise. Tom tells us there are 20 such projects under construction or in the pipeline (ARA's handled 10 high-rises so far this cycle), spread throughout the city—not just the Inner Loop. He says the barrier to entry to multifamily development now is finding a site big enough. One year ago, very few developers would look at sites smaller than one and a half acres, and most wouldn’t consider high-rise. Now developers will consider tracts as small as 30k SF, and almost everyone is talking high-density. Pictured below, TDI's planned development on 1.47 acres near Memorial and Houston Avenue. The ARA gents handled the site acquisition.

Clark says single-family is going higher-density, too. The ARA team has closed 60 single-family deals this cycle totaling 5,000 acres. The passing of Chapter 42 last year increased permitted single-family units per acre from roughly 16 to 27, and now multifamily and single-family buyers are competing for the same tracts. Tom tells us he handled a four-acre site in the Heights recently that had a number of multifamily offers but ended up being bid up by three (and closing to one) townhome developers. It’s happening all over town: Clark also just closed a five-acre site in Kingsland that’ll become high-density townhomes, something that hasn’t happened so far west before."

And apparently properties are being flipped at a faster pace than anticipated:

"...investors are willing to pay premium pricing to lock in a deal early because they believe strongly in Houston’s job growth and next few years of rent growth..."

I thought that development was on the north end of GRB. If is that case, the object on right of photo would block the view.

The Alessandra is west and south; the GHP hotel is west and north.

Demo date set for the Houston Club building - October 19:

Downtown high-rise to be demolished next month

http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/...newskanska.jpg

This outfit is not well known in Houston, but that could change. Northstar Healthcare considers building a 100k sf hospital building up near Exxon Mobil.

New hospital under consideration near Exxon campus

http://media.culturemap.com/crop/2e/...014_131653.jpg

http://media.culturemap.com/crop/96/...014_131741.jpg

There is a big apartment complex there, is that coming down for this? Or maybe they are tearing down those small buildings next to the complex, shaded by the tall apartment tower...

Well, sort of big. There are 22 units, ranging from 2100 to 3600sf, so few units but generous floor plans. Sounds like the Belfiore, only shorter and with fewer units.

Perhaps I was unclear :P

In trying to figure out the location of this one, there is a complex at the intersection of Allen Parkway/Dunlavy/D'Amico. Is this going next to that complex?

Not sure. Google's not helpful, but I'm guessing it's that vacant lot.

Meanwhile, some fresh evidence that buildings Downtown will find tenants. A small expansion.

Energy private equity firm to move its HQ to Houston

HBJ reports on 9/12 that they are looking to move into new and probably larger space, probably outside BG Group Place.

The project will go up where the former dentist office and bridal shop building sits.

http://swamplot.com/signs-of-a-plann...vy/2014-08-20/

Riva at the Park appears to be a very handsome looking building (the rendering). Love the design.

Keep that residential going!

August another hot month for housing

"...Housing inventory remained low in August with a 3-month supply. Fewer houses to buy meant higher prices and faster closings.

The median price for a single-family home in August was $206,000, up 10.4 percent over a year earlier. And homes stayed on the market an average of 46 days. In July, that number was 45 days, the lowest on record..."

I'm trying to figure out how a 3 month supply of homes translates into a 46-day time on the market for homes. But the median home price of $206,000 is stunning.

I forgot to mention this one...

http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/...m-exterior.jpg

The Buckingham community for seniors is about to get bigger

When I mentioned this one, I had no idea the addition was going to be ten stories tall...

Now with 323 units, The Buckingham to add 10-story tower on adjacent property

No renders, though...

Another SkyHouse is planned for Houston, SkyHouse Main is proposed for the block next to SkyHouse Houston (Block 368). Construction will begin in mid-2015. No word on the floor count, or which top will be used.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/h...-2#entry475309

SkyHouse Uptown - Charlotte, NC
http://cltblog.com/files/2014/03/sky...1823-113-0.jpg

It's great to see another Skyhouse in Houston, but why build it right beside one another?

Probably they need more space. Some new twin towers for Houston!

:cheers:

Alley Theater evacuated after fire breaks out in building
 

Author: Nakia Cooper, Sr. Web Editor
http://www.click2houston.com/image/v...-smoke-jpg.jpg

http://www.click2houston.com/news/fi...uston/28002054

Not much information has been released, since this just happen a few minutes ago. I hope everyone is ok.

http://swamplot.com/wp-content/uploa...-elevation.jpg

http://swamplot.com/wp-content/uploa...op-section.jpg

Great! It'll add much needed density and height to this area of downtown. Hopefully it will have brick on the garage like this one in Charlotte.

The Landry's tower across the street from the Amegy Bank tower? At 30 stories apiece, they should be a nice pair of bookends on the Loop.

However, no start date for this. Unless they intend for this to be ready for Super Bowl weekend, we may not see this for a while.

In Galveston, apartment construction of a more practical nature. No renders, though...

Galveston breaks ground on new public housing

The homes will replace those destroyed by Hurricane Ike

http://www.click2houston.com/image/v...aking-jpeg.png

https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/pr...Out-medium.jpg

Topped Out is Town Centre One, says BisNow. Town Centre Two is next up and is a 125K sf building slated to begin work in Q2 2015.

downtown houston could definitely afford the density. therefore, why not? i'm all for it... bring it!

Two items of interest just showed up in HBJ's Building Permits listing. First, the foundation for the Southmore was permitted.

Second, a $57 million "high rise" was permitted for the City of Houston on Old Spanish Trail. Does anyone know about this project/have descriptions or renderings of the building? Right now, it appears to be a parking lot.

*Update: Construction may actually begin in November. 24-floors, 338 units.

Construction work begins on 3400 Montrose

http://swamplot.com/a-few-months-aft...se/2014-09-12/

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/25/66/47.../5/960x540.jpg

They seem to have this down to a cookie-cutter science.

BisNow offered an article on a new plan for south of Downtown:

https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/pr...lan-medium.gif

Southern Downtown's New Public Realm Plan

"...The Public Realm Plan includes six strategies. 1) Mix it up a little—classify streets by predominant mode of travel and making improvements accordingly. Some roads might get separated bike lanes, and pedestrian-heavy routes might get more benches. Angie tells us one street is already getting updated—the District's Main Street Improvement project stretches down to Pierce and will begin early next year. 2) Program and design distinctive parks and open spaces. That includes developing a new park around the area of most residential development (Angie says it's still in early planning), and improving programmatic elements at existing spaces. 3) Beautify private corporate plazas. Asakura Robinson created a set of voluntary design guidelines to help architects and property managers get the most out of their public-private spaces. 4) Address vacant lots and blank walls. This is especially important in streets designated as pedestrian-priority, and includes landscaping, green walls, and public art to make the area livelier. 5) Connect beyond the borders. There’s activity in the Fourth Ward, Midtown, and EaDo, but southern Downtown is cut off from it all. 6) Get something going in the far southeastern corner of Downtown, which has yet to see development pressures like the rest of the CBD. The Public Realm Plan calls for temporary but productive land use in the meantime—like urban farming or public art—that would improve the perception of the area until development becomes more practical..."

The existing and proposed Skyhouses are in the middle of that district, as is the refurbished Leland and a few other projects. And that horrid abandoned Days' Inn.

I thought you lived in DFW?

I do, but BisNow gets to me here.

Conde Nast Traveler is the latest to jump on the Houston bandwagon. It's "It".

Is Houston the New "It" City?

(Wouldn't you know, it's authored by Mimi Swartz)

http://photos.cntraveler.com/2014/09...ny-houston.jpg

Why never any updates for DFW from you?

Hyatt Regency: New renderings. More glass, yet still bland.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/h...1410036208.jpg

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/h...1410036220.jpg

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/h...1410036229.jpg

IMO opinion it looks much better. It is an improvement from the previous design.

wonderful, inspiring reading. props for sharing.

Sept. Downtown Development Map realeased, new to the map: SkyHouse Main (#31)

http://www.downtownhouston.org/site_...ap_11x17_1.pdf

It's a good article, although it would be nice to see just one article that doesn't joke about stereotypes (even this one had a couple). But overall, this is probably the best article I've seen on Houston in a long time. It doesn't really discuss problems that still exist, but then again, one has to consider the audience of the article.

Rendering for SkyHouse Main.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5582/...b98789b0_b.jpg

Wow, that's really nice.

Pardon my ignorance, where is this located?

The two skyhouses look good next to each other. Better than I expected.

I'm all for it as well, but I just thought it would look better by Discovery Green. Now seeing the rendering, it does look better than I expected. :)

More evidence that demand for office space downtown remains strong - a fast growing engineering firm is relocating.

Meet the Fast 100: Grand Parkway engineering company plans to double employees, space

"...Zarinkelk Engineering Services Inc. will move its offices to a new location next month and plans to double its employee count over the next year.
The Houston-based civil and structural consulting engineering company plans to hire around 15 new employees — mid-level engineers as well as recent college graduates — to its roster and is moving downtown mid-October to Caroline Street..."

I'll have to keep an eye out for them. Fort Worth is mostly getting new wrap-arounds. And the Trinity Terrace.