- New Mural Near Market Square Park Part of ‘Houston Is Inspired’ Campaign [Culturemap]
- ConocoPhillips To Lease 850,000 SF in Energy Center Three, Energy Center Four [Houston Business Journal]
- A Closer Look at Methodist Hospital’s Expansion Plans [Houston Business Journal]
- Dunkin’ Donuts Opening Today in Westchase Strip Center [Yelp; previously on Swamplot]
- Builders Started 6,442 New Houston Homes in First Quarter, Finds Metrostudy [Prime Property]
- Park & Ride Now Offering Service from Katy to Uptown Houston [Click2Houston]
- Downtown MegaBus Location Causing Morning Traffic Snarls at Corner of Pierce, Travis [The Texican]
- Safe Passing Ordinance Coming Up Before City Council Today [The Highwayman]
- Council To Consider Including Memorial Park in a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone on May 15 [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
- Tourism Generated $15.5B for Local Economy Last Year, Up 11 Percent [Houston Chronicle]
- Should Houston Be Kept a Secret? [The Texican]
- Konstantin Dimopoulos’s ‘The Blue Trees’ Installation Makes Its Way to Galveston [Houston Chronicle]
Photo of mural near Treebeards and Market Square Park: Swamplot inbox
1.3 Million SF of speculative class A+ office development has been leased in the last two weeks. Crazy market out in the energy corridor.
That’s one Houston mural I like.
Builders started 6442 homes, but how many have been finished?
One house on my street broke ground almost exactly a year ago and as of today, it has a foundation, framing, Tyvek wrap, most of a roof, a little plumbing, and a little drywall. The house and its “dry”wall have been open to the elements for a few months now, including during the torrential rains of a few weeks ago.
There have been only 2 workers working on it at a time, and no one has been working on it at all in the past couple weeks.
It’s not like I’m in a slow-moving undesirable area; on the contrary, I’m near the border of 77098 and 77006 where houses are going under contract within a week of landing on the MLS, and asking prices are 1.5x – 2x what they were 5 years ago.
I’ve read that all of the construction employees have defected to work on commercial sites. Maybe that rumor is true.
I’ve read that all of the construction employees have defected to work on commercial sites. Maybe that rumor is true.
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Your builder is probably just piecemealing the construction as the money comes in.
Trust me, there are a lot of builders having no issues with getting their projects completed. On some of them, it would probably be better if they took more time!
So the city passed the Safe Passing rules for hipsters on bicycles…. The steel cattle guard on my truck disagrees.
Hey commonsense, some of us use bicycles as transportation and exercise and aren’t hipsters. What’s so wrong with giving people a little bit of room as you speed by in your big rig? I think its a good thing and its not only for bicycles, its for any non-automobile traffic on the road. Houston was the only major city in TX without this law. I hope your threat is hollow, if not I guess you are a big pansy in real life too and not only on the internet…
common,
Steel cattle guard? Oh I get it now! You are a REAL man!!!!!!!!!! Speaking for everyone concerned, we are all very impressed with your work here.
Of course I jest and exaggerate for effect, however, if bicyclists want equal rights then they need to have equal responsibilities. Byciclists that use the road need to pay road taxes, have all proper and working signals and lighting, and obey the f-ing traffic laws. That leaves only one issue unresolved, huge difference in speeds thereby creating congestion and inherent dangers. I think that one is inreconcilable and why bikes should stay off the road.
I like the mural, too, but I don’t like the inclusion of the words inspired, hip, tasty, funky, savvy. If you have to tell people you you’re cool, you probably aren’t. Wish they had let the rest of the piece speak for itself.
@commonsense – Cyclists do pay taxes that go to build and maintain roads just like everyone else. The law also requires cyclists to have headlights and taillights on when it gets dark. If they don’t have them, I agree they should be ticketed for breaking the law. Turn signals are a hard one, but if I knew of a practical solution, I’d be happy to get some. And yes—bicycles travel at a slower rate of speed, which is why I’m a big advocate of separated bike lanes where possible.
Densify, when I cycle I signal with my arms, old-school pre-signal driving-style.
GoogleMaster, we live near each other. There’s a trio of townhomes under construction on the 3900 block of Hazard that have been progressing in fits and starts for at least six months now.
Turn signals are a hard one, but if I knew of a practical solution, I’d be happy to get some.
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Unless things have changed since I took driver’s ed, it’s perfectly acceptable to use hand signals when turning if your “vehicle” does not come equipped with them.
The next time I see a cyclist voluntarily stop at a stop sign will be the first.
Commonsense, seriously? Don’t fool yourself into thinking that cyclist don’t pay taxes that pay for roads. Cyclist AND motorist should all be obeying traffic laws, and as some of us know, you will get a ticket for running lights, stop signs, failure to signal, etc regardless of your mode of transportation. The speed difference isn’t even a consideration as bicycles are considered vehicles on the road and you are not breaking the law by going slower than the speed limit UNLESS there is a posted minimum speed. Cyclists are also legally able to take a lane or the amount of room needed in said lane to travel safely and obstruction free. The law does require lights as stated by Densify and hand signals are the legal equivalent of turn signals. That’s right, read your drivers ed handbook for the appropriate signals and applications. So don’t get your manties wadded up because some hipster in skinny jeans didn’t obey the law and you got all huffy puffy about it. Look around at all of the motorist in this city that break the law on a daily basis and endanger the lives of everyone on the road. Turn your hate in that direction as they are more likely to cause damage and bodily harm to you than a cyclist legally riding in the road.
I like bikes and partake in the MS150 but I hate bikers that impede traffic. Sure, by traffic law a bike can travel slowly but they create an unsafe environment for cars by causing unexpected slow downs and forcing merging into another lane which moves at a much greater speed. It’s like the douche that drives 35mph on the freeway, sure he can technically do that but don’t whine when you get another car pushed in your back seat going 65mph.
n8, wasting your time, commonsense loves to troll and salivates when something is posted here that is bike, art, architecture, or anything remotely alternative to his boring little world.
‘Commonsense’ sounds like part wishful thinking and part over-selling.
“I like bikes and partake in the MS150” = I’m a Fred and ride like an asshole for 2 months out of the year, then I hang it up and bitch about cyclists on Houston’s roads. Lets all give Commonsense a pat on the back for participating in T-shirt rides then chastising cyclists for being on the road. Way to go!
I like bikes where they belong, on organized rides w/police escort, parks, and designated trails, they do not belong on regular streets. This is a car city always was and will be for the foreseeable future.