12 Comment

• commonsense January 31, 2018 at 9:07 am

  When the water was rising did they run around grabbing two of every “kind” of animal to stuff them into an SUV and then make plans to repopulate entire Meyerland with just 8 related people?
• Angostura January 31, 2018 at 10:00 am

  Houston failing to make the HQ2 shortlist gives everyone an opportunity to claim that it’s due to their pet issue not getting sufficient attention. For the transit boosters, it’s “if only we had more light rail”. To the social justice warriors it’s due to the failure of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance. (For me, of course, it’s obviously the fault of parking minimums.)
  However, reading thru the documents on Houston’s failed HQ2 bid, it’s hard not to conclude that it came down to not offering an even remotely viable site. 800 Bell and the Midtown Sears? AYFKM? With the millions of square feet of available office space in the city, I’m surprised that these were the best they could do.
• HIBTK January 31, 2018 at 10:59 am

  @Angostura: I forgot about the failed HERO bill. It failed due to the GOP’s fear mongering “bathroom video.” As for my pet issue, it stems from our politics at the state capitol. Texas as a whole.
• w January 31, 2018 at 11:30 am

  @Angostura, the Midtown Sears location was perhaps the best location in the city to peddle … doesn’t flood, future light rail hub (once the Richmond line gets built), surrounded by 4 nearby Universities, etc. Houston’s problem was that it has a small tech industry by comparison and absolutely nothing in the way of quality living “enticements” for their people. No, Houston didn’t have a chance in hell of winning HQ2, and most likely neither do Dallas (poor quality of enticements) or Austin (poor transportation hub, but otherwise quite attractive as I had said previously). I like the author’s take that if Houston gets anything it is to define an area that might spur future tech growth.
• Angostura January 31, 2018 at 12:52 pm

  The Sears site is next to light rail, but also nestled in a freeway crotch between 59 and the downtown spur, and is currently a godawful windowless building with zero office space surrounded by homeless people. 800 Bell, while also godfawful, at least has the benefit of being surrounded by enough surface parking to build out the remaining 4M s.f. of office space.
• Memebag January 31, 2018 at 1:54 pm

  Amazon will build new structures wherever HQ2 goes. Amazon has picked HQ2 city long ago. This reality show is just to squeeze the biggest tax breaks out of that city before making the announcement.
• WR January 31, 2018 at 2:25 pm

  Angostura, are you that clueless?

  Amazon would have been building a multi-block complex of which the Sears building MIGHT have been allowed to survive abet without the lifeless metal cladding that covers it’s Art Deco exterior, and yes there are windows, but they are currently bricked up but that is easily remedied. It is centered in a large area of ragtag commercial buildings and housing that is begging to be picked up for redevelopment not to mention copious blocks of empty lots. The homeless would be pushed out by the huge construction activity not to mention the upcoming trenching of the elevated portion of US-59/I-69.
• TimP January 31, 2018 at 4:13 pm

  The article was interesting and it does sound as though Houston’s proposal was poorly executed. That said, flooding is the simple reason not to bother considering any other attributes of Houston. The amount of negative publicity generated by the three floods in three years is insurmountable and that is the beginning and ending of the conversation.
• anon22 January 31, 2018 at 9:38 pm

  This doesn’t pass the smell test; the ‘Innovation Corridor’ couldn’t crack the HQ2 top 20, so the plan is to double down on it? Moreover, by calling it a “corridor” built around a train line, it potentially conjures up thoughts of something like the Acela Corridor. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be significant except that there is a decent probability the HQ2 will in fact be built in one of the cities along the Acela Corridor.
• Texmex01 February 1, 2018 at 8:57 am

  @W in case you missed it, the Richmond Rail is dead…http://www.chron.com/news/transportation/article/Feds-cancel-Richmond-rail-funding-7873526.php#item-85307-tbla-5
• clou February 1, 2018 at 9:22 am

  @Texmex01, From the very same article you linked to:
  “The effect is limited, however, because the University Line plan had been bogged down for years, and could be revived at any time should Metropolitan Transit Authority restart the process and gain voter approval for more transit funding.” Not exactly dead. Just regrettably stalled (for a long time).
• Memebag February 1, 2018 at 9:34 am

  Re Richmond Rail: “That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die. “