That empty lot at the southeast corner of Taft and W. Gray streets has been getting its concrete skin broken up and cleared out lately, a number of readers note, as early work for the Alta at West Gray apartment midrise and its basement parking gets going. (The particularly dramatic shot above of the Downtown skyline peering over the wreckage was captured during the Friday morning mist by reader MontroseResident, though a few other cameras were on the scene before and after.) Until 2009 the site housed the Good Neighbor Healthcare Clinic (a conversion of another ex-Weingarten’s grocery, according to the business); Good Neighbor had plans to build a midrise healthcare and community center on the site, but ended up selling the land to serial Alta developers Wood Partners early last year. The new plan for the site may look something like this:
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The spot is directly across the road from the latest incarnation of Carnegie Vanguard:
It’s also surrounded by an enormous variety of townhouse shapes and flavors:
- Alta West Gray [EDI International]
- Previously on Swamplot: Daily Demolition Report: Class Cleaners
Images: MontroseResident (photos), EDI International (renderings)
When will it end?
meanwhile, the people who tore down the allen house apartments could have been collecting rent for the last 10 years…
Seriously? More luxury apartments? Well, perhaps Alta at West Gray will be completed and have people luxuriously living there before the ridiculousness that is the never-ending Dolce Midtown. Or Le Palais “ultra-luxury” apartments, where the Houston Ballet building was. WTF?
Well, there goes that great Montrose walk-ability view into the downtown skyline… It will end eventually and has already begun, and all these 20-30% current occupancy rate ‘luxury apartments’ (see: shoe-boxes were you can hear your neighbors making babies…lol) are going to make great slums in the next economic downturn.
Should be a interesting ride in the developer wild-west that is H-town… Oh, and did anyone address drainage, or can I get a floatie for my vehicle in that below grade parking?
That strip from W. Gray to the bayou west to Shepherd is going to be almost pure density. Calling it 4th Ward, Midtown, North Montrose or whatever really doesn’t matter anymore because the similarity in housing types and time period is creating its own new neighborhood.
Kineticd: I have an old 1930’s apt building with underground parking (first building to have underground parking in Houston — or so I’m told)
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I have a few home depot sumppumps in each one that takes care of the water coming in. I’d imagine a new construction property would be able to do a lot better job than I’m doing.
How is the city still giving permits for new build? Who’s getting paid?