Originally Posted by toxteth o'grady (Post 6687320)

Does anyone know anything about the Hanover River Oaks? Its existence is heralded by this sign, which is shown on Swamplot.

Originally Posted by Houston Chronicle

Developer plans Upper Kirby high-rise project

A locally based developer that builds upscale apartment towers in urban locations around Houston and across the country is planning its newest project in the Upper Kirby area, potentially adding more than 300 units to a site along Kirby Drive.

Details are still being completed, but the project is expected to rise more than 30 stories and have restaurants on the ground floor, David Ott, development partner of the Houston-based Hanover Co., said late Monday.


The company is seeking approval from the city to develop the project with reduced building lines along Kirby and Kipling streets in order to allow the building to sit back farther than required along Steel Street, which is lined by a canopy of decades-old live oak trees.

The company's intention, Ott said, is to do "everything possible to save the trees."

"We're going to set back further than is required on Steel to give the existing tree canopy as much room as possible to survive," he said.

The high-rise is being planned for land that houses two retail buildings and an older apartment complex. A portion of the apartment complex is not part of Hanover's project.

The tower will sit just off Kirby on the western side of the property, with a retail building fronting Kirby and creating a pedestrian plaza between the two structures. Ground-floor retail will be in both buildings.

Hanover, which is under contract on the 1.65-acre property, is scheduled to close early next year and begin construction in the summer of 2015, Ott said.

Full Article: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/busi...ct-5682548.php

Originally Posted by toxteth o'grady (Post 6688463)

Prosperity Hospitality Group is hinting to BisNow that they plan to build a hotel at Beltway 8 at I-10 on the site of a former PetSmart. No word on how tall or when:

https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/pr...Fwy-medium.jpg

There is also mention in BisNow of Building 9 at Research Forest Lakeside, which is currently under design up in the Woodlands. No word on why they skipped Buildings 6 through 8, but 9 will be 136,000 sf, which sounds like a 6-level building.

Originally Posted by TexasPlaya (Post 6688000)

Wow, love the project but with the remaining monetary incentives for downtown residential, I'm surprised this type of project went on Kirby Dr. I realize there is a highrise a few blocks down, but still....

Originally Posted by HoustonHorns (Post 6688893)

I know, it doesn't really make much sense to me either, but apparently Houstonians like high-rise amenities without the urban environment. Hopefully that mentality changes so we can start seeing some condo towers downtown.

Originally Posted by cloud713 (Post 6688944)

Upper Kirby isn't urban enough for you?

Originally Posted by HoustonHorns (Post 6688970)

No

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7404...qiKvP0TQsg!2e0

Originally Posted by Houston Chronicle

Plan calls for hotel to perch atop new building

One of the organizations charged with bringing visitors to Houston would like to have some of them really close. Like, upstairs.

Houston First Corp. on Tuesday announced it would begin taking proposals from developers for a hotel to be built atop its planned new headquarters in the building it will share with other Houston-focused organizations.


Exact plans will be left to whoever gets the contract, but a conceptual rendering released Tuesday shows a sleek glass-and-steel addition that would place about 400 hotel rooms above the recently announced office building that will be home base for Houston First, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Center for Houston's Future.

The 15-story hotel would sit on top of the planned Greater Houston Partnership Building and 1,900-space parking garage directly behind it and be directly north of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Full Article: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/busi...er-5684968.php

Originally Posted by AustinTay (Post 6689052)

Yeah, that's Houston. You'll find that pretty much everywhere. Downtown is still lacking some essentials for many people and it's not really that urban despite the skyscrapers.

Originally Posted by Urbannizer (Post 6689145)

Originally Posted by toxteth o'grady (Post 6689152)

Well, after a quite few weeks, some significant projects have popped out of the woodwork.

And with the base for the tower crane having shown up at the site of the Marriott Marquis, we have yet another project going up.:tup:

Originally Posted by Urbannizer (Post 6689145)

Originally Posted by HoustonHorns (Post 6689149)

You're right! Downtown isn't very urban, but Downtown/Midtown are still by far the most urban areas in Houston.

Originally Posted by AustinTay (Post 6689609)

By far? That's reaching a bit considering downtown is still pretty desolate and Midtown is still too underdeveloped in many areas. In a few years it will be the most urban area by far though; the foundation is already set with skyscrapers, mid and low-rise mf buildings. The area just needs to fill out more but one has to wonder why developers have not been building high-rises in Midtown. I'm sure there is a logistical reason.

Either way it's not hard to understand why someone would choose to live in a high-rise in River Oaks over Midtown/downtown. Personally, I would want to be in the core of the city but not everyone in this suburban city is pro-urban.

Originally Posted by Chron

Condos Planned for Montrose Site

A developer planning an 8-story condominium building on what longtime Houstonians may remember as the River Cafe site on Montrose requested a variance from the city so it can build the structure closer to the street.

This is at least the third such request made this week from a developer planning a large-scale residential project in the area. Read about the first here and the second here.

The Montrose project is proposed for the northeast corner of Montrose and Marshall across from the Parc IV & V condominium towers. The developer is listed as Montrose & Marshall LLC on the variance, which apparently isn’t the first that’s been submitted to the city for the project.

Groundbreaking is planned for the spring of 2015.

http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/...montrose-site/

Originally Posted by toxteth o'grady (Post 6695925)

The Southmore, re-rendered (from Swamplot):

http://swamplot.com/wp-content/uploa...endering-2.jpg

http://swamplot.com/wp-content/uploa...endering-1.jpg

Demolition is almost done on the block where this is going up.

Originally Posted by toxteth o'grady (Post 6698945)

This could be a big deal. UT is going to open an engineering college in Houston. I'm not sure about the size or scope, other than they might graduate 2,000 engineers a year once they hit their stride. For an undegraduate campus, that would be 8,000 students, and that does not include grad students.

UT plans Houston energy engineering institute

Originally Posted by xbryanisbeastx (Post 6708405)

http://www.onlykaty.com/the-grand-ne...-open-in-2012/

Weird and it right next to katy mills