COMMENT OF THE DAY: IS HOUSTON ALREADY EQUIPPED FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL SPRAWL? 
“What a waste! The coastal prairies will soon be gone and few will remember them. Everyone will say, ‘Well, Houston doesn’t have much in the way of natural environment anyway, but at least it has affordable housing compared to a lot of cities,’ and ‘Oh yeah, it is hot, but we stay inside most of the time, so who cares about the outside world?’ Maybe Houstonians should be the first to move to Mars or the Moon. (Hopefully) there aren’t any irreplaceable ecosystems to replace with big box stores, suburban homes, and highways!” [Duston, commenting on Houston Shifting to a Buyer’s Market; Making Way for the Lancaster Hotel Parking Lot] Illustration: Lulu
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Tag: Comments
COMMENT OF THE DAY: HIP, TASTY, FUNKY, AND SAVVY HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING 
“I think any time you need words on a sign or mural to declare that your city is hip or creative, it’s likely that your city is in reality struggling to be hip and creative. It means your surroundings and culture don’t already innately project that image.” [notsohip, commenting on Some Initial Feedback on an Elevated West Loop Lane; Rebranding Houston] Photo: Swamplot inbox
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY FOR EXCEEDINGLY WELL-CARPETED MEGAMANSIONS 
“Do they make riding vacuums? Like riding lawn mowers but with a vacuum? Feels like you’d need one of those just to keep up with a place like that. Gotta be at least an acre of carpet in that place.” [Toby, commenting on Katy Home Listing Photo of the Day: The Unstaged Stage] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE PERSECUTION OF FANTASY SOUTHERN GOTHIC 
“First they came for the colleges (Cell Block D and the McMurtry Unit), but I was not an undergraduate so I said nothing; then they came for the academic buildings (Brockman Hall and the Moody Arts Center), but I was not on faculty so, again, I stayed silent; then they came for the administrative office buildings and parking garages (this eyesore) and there was no one left to speak for me.” [Ghost of Ralph Adams Cram, commenting on Strategically Placed Fig Leaves Will Shield Bashful Rice U. Parking Garage from Medical Scrutiny] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: VERTICAL SPRAWL AND OTHER HIGH CONCEPTS 
“Since every time they ‘fix’ the West Loop it immediately fills up, I think we have the makings for the 11th Wonder of the World: the first freeway skyscraper! Perhaps we can make it a mixed-use freeway by adding some small shops and apartments along the side of the road (with a parallel parking lane), some microtel rooms like they have in Tokyo, and — just to prove we have a penchant for ‘green living’ — one level could be an extension of Memorial Park! Don’t forget: we also need ground-floor retail, a multiplex theater, and on the very top level, a replacement for AstroWorld, with the world’s longest linear roller coaster! It will have to have a new name — perhaps ‘Westlooptopia’?” [sjh, commenting on Look! Up in the Air! It’s Second Story West Loop Express Lanes!] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE GROHE IN THE SHOWER, THE CHICKEN ON THE FLOOR, THE ‘CAUFFERED’ CEILING, AND OTHER TALES OF CAREFULLY OBSERVED RENOVATION 
“So yeah, I didn’t know this site existed until my realtor pointed out that my shower head was on here — and of course he told me not to comment, but who am I to listen? I am a woman. For the record, all of the electrical, plumbing and insulation has been replaced or is new, and we actually fired two contractors because we felt like their quality wasn’t up to par with our expectations or something that we would be proud to sell, but after working with them, I can see why @commonsense would feel that way . . . we felt the same, but I promise ALL corners weren’t cut, just the ones that no one would notice. :) I’m kidding — honestly, it is costing us a little more because of it, but I am a Grohe and Hansgrohe girl, and no one could tell me that we were using any other shower faucets and fixtures. Thanks for complimenting the paint color, it is Repose Gray from Sherwin Williams, freaking goes with everything. @Lykos, my realtor swears it was a mistake, but I told him to leave “shower heard†because I thought your comment was hilarious. But then I thought, “shower hear†might be funnier because of the play on “here†and “hearâ€. Also, I think he was drinking with the ‘cauffered’ thing while listing this. He is correcting that, and we appreciate your pointing it out. Please keep thinking we’re funny. @Texmex01: Right? I would have thought the same thing, but location, and who am I to judge? @Gisgo: Again, market. I actually prefer that the kitchen be separate, so that if I accidentally drop someone’s chicken on the floor and have to put it back on a plate, no one knows but me. This whole open concept thing means I’d be cooking another chicken breast. @Toby, you’re welcome to come take more professional shots, the wide angle seems to drain the battery so the flash wasn’t working at that point if I remember correctly. Regardless of all of that, we had a party there with some investor friends and there is leftover beer and wine, so if you did want to see it in person, I’d be happy to meet you there. :) Oh, and @Benjy, this is for you: https://mubi.com/films/plan-9-from-outer-space” [Kile, commenting on Houston Home Listing Photo of the Day: It Came to Me in the Shower]. Photo: HAR
COMMENT OF THE DAY RUNNER-UP: SHOULDN’T EVERYBODY BE SELLING INTO A DOWNTURN? 
“So if someone could lend me some clarity on the housing market I would appreciate it. This is how I understand it: Median price is down, number of sales are down, however inventory went down to 3.6 months as well. Houses in the 150-250 range are still doing fine though. The first two issues seem to be related to anemic sales in the luxury market due to the loss of oil/gas workers, but I don’t understand how inventory can tighten when sales are down. Could someone help me out here?” [MrEction, commenting on All Signs Pointing to a Houston Slowdown; A TIRZ for Montrose] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THAT PAIN IN YOUR CHEST MIGHT BE MORE THAN JUST NOSTALGIA 
“If someone wants to sit down to do an oral history with me and my husband, it will basically contain a list of every former club or restaurant you can expect to be overhauled beyond all recognition or torn down. The Pig? The Ale House? Fabulous Satellite Lounge? RIP, Lucky Burger. Your memory will live on in our hearts – maybe literally, lodged in an artery, hardened to the realities of tear-it-up-and-do-it-over Houston.” [Andrea, commenting on Tyvek Ghost of Lucky Burger Rises at the Corner of Richmond and Mandell] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHY WOULD HOUSTON WANT TO REJECT A NEW UNIVERSITY? 
“Well, oil prices are down, the city is going broke and there are op-eds suggesting that the political end of the oil industry is what the future holds in store. I absolutely do not trust UH to ideologically lead the city out of this mess. It’s as simple as that, and I can’t be the only person who thinks that. Anyway, almost every large city has more than one public university system, and it’s somewhat extortionist to insist that everything be channeled through UH simply because that’s what UH prefers. UH has failed to keep pace with the ambitions and upward mobility of its home city, and doubling down on its inadequacies by adopting a defensive stance is exactly the wrong move.” [anon22, commenting on The Best Views of the New UT Houston Campus Are Available Now from the Fairway on the 5th Hole, Above a Trash Heap] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE SUBTLETIES OF PARKING LOT COMMUNICATION 
“The wide open parking lot does seem to say, ‘We’re more than ready to receive you’ from retailers that want to have an image as ‘convenient.’ In other situations, the tighter parking supply seems to communicate, ‘This is a popular place where many people like you find happenings worth attending.‘ CityCentre and Rice Village seem to be examples of the second category.” [slugline, commenting on Comment of the Day: Why It’s Still Blacktop Friday] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHY IT’S STILL BLACKTOP FRIDAY 
” . . . It’s quite obvious [anti-parking activists] are against the massive amounts of concrete used in most suburban developments that are sitting empty and unused — dying and mediocre shopping strips being the main culprits. Point being, if these outlets can’t fill these huge parking lots to the brim on what is considered the busiest shopping day of the year, then what use are all of these parking lots for? They are ugly and a waste of space. For example, the parking lot at the new Buc-ee’s in Texas City is atrociously too big and wasteful, as I never see it used to capacity. But I guess Texans would rather look at seas of empty, littered concrete slabs than what could be left as natural or landscaped.” [Eddie, commenting on Second Life for Downtown’s Melrose Building; Where the Most Expensive Homes in Houston Are] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LIMB 
“. . . Reading that story about the person complaining that someone is cutting a tree in their yard makes me hot under the collar. I almost wish someone had told me I couldn’t cut down the tree in my backyard because it provided lower energy bills for them. I would love the opportunity to laugh at someone in their face. Honestly, I’d be fair and civil. I’d offer, if they want me to keep the tree, they can pay me a maintenance fee. This fee would include the water, pruning, time, money I have to spend on vegetables that I can’t grow in my backyard because this tree is blocking all the sunlight. So yeah, that’d go over like a lead balloon. Guess I’m back to laughing in the person’s face and cutting the tree down.” [toasty, commenting on UH Basketball Arena Renovation Moves Forward; Inside Ashlar Commons in Montrose] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE ONLY 5 HOUSTON NEIGHBORHOODS YOU MEET ON TV NEWS 
“It’s a balancing act. If they get too specific (address! intersection!) the newscasters know that the overwhelming majority of the metro which has no relation to that spot will tune out. If they are too vague (somewhere in the solar system!), once again they run the risk that the audience will feel no connection to the dateline location of the story and will also tune out. But there’s that sweet spot (southwest Houston!) where a large wedge of the viewing audience will think ‘I live/work/school sometimes in what I think of as southwest Houston’ and sit up and pay attention. Gotcha, TV viewers!” [slugline, commenting on What If Local Reporters Could Keep Their Houston Neighborhoods Straight?] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: LIKE THE BAYOUS, HOUSTON OIL DEVELOPMENT FLOWS WEST TO EAST 
“. . . First, low oil prices are absolutely TERRIBLE for upstream (Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Fluor, etc). However, it’s not necessarily terrible for downstream. Expensive or cheap, oil has to be refined and there has been no reduction in the demand of downstream products (gas, polymers, aromatics etc). If you know the Houston energy market then you know that Upstream is located heavily in Katy and Sugarland. Downstream is located primarily on the East Side of Houston, with some exceptions (like the EM woodlands campus). More central or (to a degree) eastern housing markets should still see significant demand.
Second, understand that some oil companies move very slowly. Capital expense budgets are planned years in advance. Those don’t necessarily just get ripped up and thrown out the window just because the price of oil has tanked. Yet again, UPSTREAM is definitely cancelling capital left and right, I mean only a moron would drill a new low margin well right now, but Downstream? I believe at least 2 new crackers are coming online this year and a new 500+ kta polymer reactor is as well. Those aren’t stopping, and low oil prices wouldn’t stop them anyways.” [MrEction, commenting on Downtown Foreclosure Auctions in Their Final Year; Bramble’s Debut; Krispy Kreme’s Opening Date] Illustration: Lulu
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHY THE ROADS DON’T GO THROUGH 
“. . . Easy — Look at the intersection of Gessner & West Rd. Gessner is blocked to the north by a subdivision, West Rd. is blocked to the east by a landfill (or sand mine or whatever that site is; hard to tell from the aerial). Both roads could connect through, but development blocked ’em.
Having been involved in a couple of these scenarios, I’ll tell you how they typically happen: Developer meets with the city after submitting a plat. City says something like ‘connect the roads or we’re not going to approve your plat and you’ll never get to build it.’ Developer says something like ‘that will result in reduced usability of my site and increased cost to develop it, so if the City wants the road to connect then the City needs to pay $X million.’ City counters with ‘we’re not going to pay for anything, but if you don’t build the road we’re going use eminent domain to take the land and build the road anyway.’ Developer finishes them off with “Well then you can either a) give me $X million and I’ll build the road, b) or I’ll donate enough $ to the council member and mayor races to get what I want.’ The city settles for c) Do nothing, back down, and don’t get the road — because otherwise the staff member who stood up to the developer in the first place would get canned.
I’m not saying that’s how they all happen, but that’s how the couple I’ve been involved in went.” [Ornlu, commenting on Comment of the Day: The Missing Links] Illustration: Lulu
