- Woodland Creek Development Will Feature High-End Housing, Office Buildings, and Shops North of ExxonMobil Campus [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- After Renovations, Loop Central Three Office Building Near U.S. 59 and the West Loop Nearly 50% Leased [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- Better Aesthetics Lead to Better Cities, Better Economics, Says Gerald Hines [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- Aging St. Mary Cathedral Basilica That Was Damaged During Ike Gets New Lease on Life Thanks to Donations [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
- Pothole Complaints Peaked This Year at 992 in March, Up 190 from Same Time Last Year [The Highwayman]
- Texas A&M Institute Conducting Study To See If Drivers Would Use an App To Share Rides for a Discount on Toll Roads [Houston Public Media]
- Natural Pawz’s New ‘Treat Truck’ Offers Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Chews, Tennis Balls for Dogs, Nothing for Humans [Houston Public Media]
Photo of the Astrodome: Paul via Swamplot Flickr Pool
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Too bad Gerald Hines has allowed all of his new Houston project designs to be at best boring and at worst hideous. None of his current architects are of the caliber talent he used in the 1980’s.
Nice idea: a treat truck for dogs. Will someone come up with a gourmet coffee truck? Selling brewed coffee, but also whole bean coffee for those of us who brew our own? It’d be nice to have in my neck of the woods, where we have mid-range single family neighborhoods where people want good coffee, but where real coffee shops are scared away by the apartments. I’ll be there are enough areas like mine for it to make sense.
Gerald Hines correct as always–Mainplace and 609 Main are beautiful designs, it’s absurd and obtuse (and your wise for staying Anonymous) for anyone to assert that Hines doesn’t develop world class properties or that somehow their quality of properties has eroded since the 80’s. Houston has been lucky to have had one of the worlds greatest developers adopt Houston as his home. Our gorgeous skyline is a tribute to him.
Many of the reported potholes were those patched previously by the COH (or a COH-approved contractor). The soft patching material being used simply doesn’t hold up with Houston’s heavy traffic! Both the product and the labor to install it are a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. This situation needs to be addressed publicly and investigated.
I swear the city/contractors tear up more road each day than they fix. When they tear up a road for utilities or whatever, they never leave it the way they found it. Where is the accountability? Not to mention every ‘new’ street always ruins most of the adjacent streets due to the heavy traffic and/or lack of concern by contractors.
Public Works seems to be the Troglodyte of the Houston Government and Annise has shown no leadership whatsoever in kicking this department into the 21st Century.
I’m speaking mainly about Hines San Felipe development. It’s a very dull design. Their new apartment projects are also very unimaginative. BC Group place and the new project on Texas Ave. are nice, but not exceptional in the way that Pennzoil and Williams Tower were in the ’70s and ’80’s.