COMMENT OF THE DAY: MONTROSE OVER 40 YEARS “. . . Montrose is getting better by the day and there are NO signs that it will stop. The junk is being removed and improved. The process started in earnest 20 years ago and has another 20+ years to go. Every year the Montrose area gets more dense, more affluent, and more dynamic. Greater Montrose is where people want to live. Close to downtown? Check. Close to Galleria? Check. Close to Memorial Park? check. Close to Rice U? Check. Close to Med Center? Check. Close to bars, restaurants, and night life? Check. Close to museums and cultural events? Check. Smart people with money to invest have spent BILLIONS of their own dollars to buy and improve Montrose. There are mega trends at work here. If you can’t see it you’re not looking.” [Bernard, commenting on Changing of the Guard at a Castle Court Complex]
Sign up for the Newsletter
“Every year the Montrose area gets more dense, more affluent, and more dynamic.”
I’ll give you two out of three. Dense and affluent – yes. Dynamic – not so much.
Montrose may be getting better over time but I don’t think it’s quite there yet. The roads are still terrible, the crime is still high, the mix of residential and clubs are a nuisance. And lest we forget, the mix of current residents is a love or hate situation for new buyers.
Yeah but progress means money, and that’s like, bad and stuff.
Go to Chicago, DC, even Dallas! They all have those 5-10 story apartment buildings. I think it is great to increase the density, rather than add 5 more lanes to 59, etc. I have noticed a remarkable transformation on Kirby at Westheimer. Just 5 years ago you would never see a pedestrian. Now, they are everywhere. I’m happy Houston is maturing. Now we just need the rail so we don’t have to take our car on every innercity trip. And for sure we need rail to the airport.
A very douche manta, look at Washington avenue… Do you really want that?
I was just driving through Montrose yesterday and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Meanwhile, in my mind I was thinking,it appeared more run down then ever and who in their right mind would want to be here.
Trend, yes. Megatrend, no.
The vast majority of Montrose is single family. The opportunities to build up big, beyond switching out bungalows and small apartment buildings with townhomes and condos, are very limited in Montrose. Looking at the map, I can only count on one hand the number of large tracts of land south of W. Gray and not along Montrose Blvd that have the potential to get demo-ed and built up really big. Even along Montrose, new development would have to replace well performing retail. Montrose is definitely changing, but don’t expect it to look like Manhattan anytime soon.
Nominate Loveswamp lot’s comment for Comment of the Day.
“Go to Chicago, DC, even Dallas! They all have those 5-10 story apartment buildings. I think it is great to increase the density, rather than add 5 more lanes to 59, etc. I have noticed a remarkable transformation on Kirby at Westheimer. Just 5 years ago you would never see a pedestrian. Now, they are everywhere. I’m happy Houston is maturing. Now we just need the rail so we don’t have to take our car on every innercity trip. And for sure we need rail to the airport.”
Maria Cagle: Really? Where was this? I can’t stand going OUT of Montrose.
To: Maria Cagle
Keep driving
To appreciate Montrose, you may have to get out of the car.
OldSchool – Densification is happening lot by lot and block by block. It doesn’t have to all be highrises. Replacing a tired old termite infested bungalow with two $600k townhouses or a $1 million single family is a big improvement. Tearing down a 1960’s apartment complex with 100 units and replacing with 300 much nicer (subjective, I know) units is a good thing.
You’re are right though. It will never be Manhattan, nor do I ever want it to be Manhattan (where I was born). It’s going to be WAY better than that. It’s going to be Houston.
The retail on Montrose or Gray doesn’t have to be marginal retailers in broken down houses turned retail. There’s a lot of room for improvement. And there are lots of developers ready to do it.
More people. More money. That’s what’s driving this train. It’s a virtuous cycle.
Remember the Baby Boomers? Their kids are growing up. Their kids are forming households of their own. Ask ANY 20-something kid with a college degree and new job in Houston where they want to live. Every one of their answers will be: Inside the Loop. That’s just the way it is. And it’s not going to change for a long, long time.
@bernard: Gentrification? Certainly. Densification? Not so much in Montrose. That is my point. Greenway, Upper Kirby, First Ward have a lot more potential to be transformed into a dense urban area. But not Montrose. The supply of lot value bungalows is rapidly dwindling. And two town homes in the place of one single family does not always mean more people. And some smaller apartment buildings are being replace with town homes with half the number of residents. Developers will snatch up the big parcels and build up. But after that, it will just be the same house by house gentrification that has been going on for years. It is not that Montrose isn’t a great place. It is. It is just the nature of the real estate in Montrose due to the original design of the neighborhood.
Thank goodness my 6 blocks of montrose is deed restricted to single family homes with a one to one teardown replacement ratio. I love montrose and I love my neighborhood. I’d love to see greater density along the main roads. Those roads are going to need some work though before they will be able to handle the increased traffic. Anyone who has been through Dunlavy and West Alabama at rush hour since HEB arrived knows what I am talking about.
How come Bernard forgot to mention all of the great public schools in the area? Let me think. Oh well, none come to mind. Help me here!
And Bernard,
Most boomers have kids who are well past their 20s!
Better is an abritrary term.
Poe, Lanier, Lamar, River Oaks Elementary. It depends on where you are in Montrose.
If you don’t like the city then stay out and leave it for those of us who do.
@ Bill – A large portion of the young professionals who are buying in Montrose can afford private schools. And there are many excellent ones to choose from that are located in or near Montrose. When you start talking about single family properties in excess of $500k, quality and quantity of nearby private schools starts to matter more than the quality of the public schools.
HISD is actually closing some schools in the Montrose and Heights area over the next couple of years. According to their demographic studies, there are not enough kids to fill these schools currently and the trend only shows a further decline.
Wow! “Montrose is getting better..”? Really? The “junk” being torn down is the fabric of an older, well lived in neighborhood. Gentrification is always good? Montrose has historically been the most vibrant area of the city (at least for the last 40 or so years). Gentrification follows vibrant, not the other way around. Boring follows gentrification. More affluence does not equal better nor does it equal more density. Yes, there are new restaurants and clubs, but there have always been resaurants and clubs. The difference is in who is living there, not what is there.
and hence….the bro-trose