So You Think You Can Drag hit the stage at  South Beach last night — a permanent move for the event in the wake of  Wednesday‘s permanent closure of Meteor Lounge at 2306 Genesee St. The bar and semi-aquatic drag and dance venue had been renting its space back temporarily while developer Fred Sharifi worked on designs and permits for the redevelopment of the East Montrose neighborhood around Fairview Ave. and Mason St.; Adolfo Pesquera noted in early April that the project (under the name Fairview + Mason) had been granted a variance request.
The application for that request included the drawing above of the 6-story parking garage that’s planned to replace Meteor; the exterior, perhaps following Rice University’s lead on parking garage modesty coverings, appears to be artfully encrusted with bicycles, with the words MONT and ROSE emblazoned beneath.
The variance request asked the city for permission to cross some building setback lines and to add some canopies along 2 different blocks on Fairview — the site plan below points them out, catty-cornered between the block holding the Mason St. electrical substation and the block holding Max’s Wine Dive, Cuchara, and Flow:
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The planned parking garage is shaded in blue above; the grayed-out Building A on the far left is Sharifi’s about-to-close Gratifi. A clearer 3D view of what those planned structures could look like came via the Montrose Management District last fall:
The variance request also included a look at plans for parts of the streetscape — here’s a look at the back of tiny Building C from Mason St., with Building F visible across Fairview to the south:
Here’s the cross section of what Genesee St. could look like with the parking garage in place, next to some landscaped sidewalks:
And here’s the view up Mason, next to the electrical substation:
- Multi-block Development in Montrose District Passes Planning Commission [Virtual BX]
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Drag-Scene Landmark Meteor To Bow Out, Make Way for Fairview Parking Garage
Images: Montrose Management District (3D overview rendering); Houston Planning Commission via Virtual Builders Exchange (all other renderings), Meteor Lounge (photo)
Long overdue. Scatter garages throughout Montrose to alleviate the parking issues.
Looks good so far… I wish someone would buy, and do something with the two story brick building and property between Morgan Street and soon-to-close Gratifi. I’ve always wondered what could could be done with the building, and huge lot with the palm trees. I’ve tried to think out of the box, and put something there that could be used during the daylight hours as well…
The chic hotel pools in Vegas with the hot chicks in bikinis came to mind, but my wife told me it would probably be full of men with thongs!!! I had to agree, and so there went my dreams of a swimming pool kind of a club. Oh well… what would be your idea?
completion date will likely be 2050. I think they are screwing in one bolt a day at his remodel of Hungry’s in the village
The area streets cannot support a parking garage of that size! Insane!! Has anyone tried to maneuver around the valet stand at Max’s? It’s already too much traffic for residents in this area and a parking garage will only encourage more of it. Stupid idea created by a non-resident obviously.
Honestly I have never encountered a parking issue in this area. Oh wait that’s because I’ve only walked or biked in one of Houston’s most walkable neighborhoods. Induced demand doesn’t only apply to widened highways it also applies to excessive parking. Montrose’s streets are going to choke on traffic when more of these parking garages are built. More off-street parking in place of existing buildings will make buildings spaced further apart, thus making the area less walkable. When the area is less walkable more people are going to drive there. More parking garages will be “needed” to handle all those extra cars. And the cycle just keeps going.
Does no one else see the irony in a “bicycle-themed parking garage” [for cars]?
‘Tis better to have a garage “artfully crusted with bicycles” than a bike rack artfully encrusted with automobiles.
(Oops – fixed the typo. Thanks, slugline!)