More on the Heights highrise

Farther down in that HAIF thread about the Heights highrise is this entry from someone who appears to have inside knowledge:

A few notes of clarification on the building being discussed:

a. The structure, as currently envisioned, will include first floor retail and parking, probably two floors of parking and six to seven floors of office/studio lease space. The top floor of the garage will be designed for an art gallery, or similar space, with the roof of the garage as outdoor terrace areas.

b. The project is in a very, very early design stage and will be a Class-A "green" structure with early 20th-century details. Equivalent-scaled structures might be the Lancaster downtown or The Plaza in Montrose.

c. Target tenants will be neighborhood small businesses and individuals currently doing business in homes, garages, guest rooms, etc...within walking or biking distance and not wanting a heavy commute routine.

d. Project is in commercial district and would only "border" the residential district of the Heights.

e. Since it is primarily an office building there are considerations for the parking to be utilized after-hours by the nighttime oriented businesses nearby for off-street parking which would limit the intrusion of parking into residential areas.

f. This is the only information available at this time. Further postings will come in the near future.

This sounds a lot better than what was being speculated based on the sign's picture. It's still a bit taller than I think is best for the area, but it's not ridiculous. Ground floor retail is good. I'm a little surprised there's that much projected demand for office/studio space in that area, but I've no complaint about it. Sharing their parking facilities with neighboring businesses during off-hour times would definitely be welcome.

Basically, if what's described here is what we get, I'll probably be okay with it, though I expect the folks closer by will have concerns. As this poster suggests, a public information meeting by the developer about the project would be appreciated. It'd be nice to get some sidewalk improvements along White Oak to complement this development, but I suppose that's a separate battle to fight. It would also be nice, if we're going to get dense development, to get some more transit options for the area, as right now there isn't much. That's the key to making density work, right? Those are matters for the city, of course, but I'd like to see a discussion on that get started, so that as more of this sort of thing comes along, those of us who already live here can take full advantage of it as well.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 26, 2008 to Elsewhere in Houston