Today comes news that the developers of the Ashby Highrise won’t wait any longer to strike a deal with the city — and are proceeding with permit applications for their original 23-story apartment and condo tower next to Southampton. Writing in the Chronicle, Mike Snyder reports that Buckhead Investment Partners had submitted a proposal for a slightly smaller tower to the city three weeks ago but had received no response.
The proposed smaller 22-story tower, which didn’t get much support from neighborhood groups, would have featured a narrower tower with 130 condo units and four detached townhouses along Ashby, two floors of underground parking and two more above grade, plus a small park on one corner. Buckhead principals Matthew Morgan and Kevin Kirton told Snyder the reduced number of units would “eliminate any possibility the project would cause unacceptable traffic congestion.”
A document outlining the proposal, however, shows the offer is contingent on significant financial concessions by the city: An immediate refund of about $500,000 for new sewer lines the developers installed to serve the project, along with a payment to the developers of up to $2.15 million, over as long as 10 years, from revenue generated by increased tax values on the site.
Meanwhile, Buckhead’s fancy new website now features a far more complete collection of presentation drawings of what appears to be the original 23-story tower. There doesn’t seem to be any mention on the site of the 22-story all-condo tower proposal.
After the jump, lots of tower drawings from the new website — including . . . kids hugging puppies!
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A street-level floor plan, showing retail facing Bissonnet:
And the lower levels of the Bissonnet St. elevation:
On the Ashby St. side, four townhomes attached to the building mask the parking garage at the base:
A closeup plan of the Ashby St. side:
And a new rosy view of the Bissonnet streetscape, complete with strategically placed bus! (”Gee, isn’t Bissonnet a busy street already?”)
So much going on in that drawing! Here’s a slice of the above image, showing three steps up to a raised plaza in front of the building:
And a second slice, at the corner of Ashby and Bissonnet:
How can you not love that streetscape? Two kids are hugging a puppy!
- Ashby high-rise set to go forward as planned [Houston Chronicle]
- 1717 Bissonnet [Buckhead Investment Partners]
- Previously in Swamplot: Ashby Highrise Developers: How To Build Smaller While Keeping Profits Big, DelayAshbyHighRise.org, Uproar Update: Ashby Highrise, Can’t Stop This: Southampton Pop-Up Tower
Images: Buckhead Investment Partners, EDI Architecture
2 Comments
Google Sketchup renderings have more standard objects than just kids hugging puppies…
It will be nice to see something new and a place to stop along the long drive on Bissonnet between Montrose and Shepherd.
I line in Houston Texas near the Ashby Highrise. Infact, literally 2 blocks from where all the action will be starting. If you take a walk down my street, on almost every single yard, there is a “Stop the Ashby High Rise” sign, or it says “Tower of Terror.” Personally, all I am concerned about is the traffic. If this is going to be such a big building, then I am guessing they will have police men there to direct the traffic so really I dont know why people are so upset about this. Also why blame the architects? They are JUST DOING THEIR JOBS. I dont think it is fair. I hope the Ashby High Rise continues its plans and I am glad there is finally going to be a little bit of more life into the South Hampton neighborhood.