minute maid park development (Allen, Coleman: condo, homes, to live)

[EEstudent]

Was the gentrification of minute maid park a great business idea?

Does anyone live in that area or even more south on 59 (right at 59 and 288 junction). Those condo's look really attractive and wouldnt be a bad idea to live down there but is it over priced and safe?

[modster]

The area just north of the 288/59 split, on the west side, is the eastern border of midtown. On the east side of the freeway is 3rd ward. The answers for the western half are pretty obvious since midtown is somewhat of a "known quantity" although some parts of it obviously are more redeveloped than others.

Prior to the economic slow down, development had jumped the freeway into 3rd ward. Major developers like Parra Design Group and Perry Homes were building over there. The redevelopment pressure was strong enough that existing residents felt the pressure, so to speak, and there were/are attempts to try to prevent 3rd ward from being "scraped clean" like the 4th ward (between Allen Parkway and Gray just SW of downtown). Those efforts have found support in various politicians like Jolanda Jones and Garnet Coleman.

I don't know if it was slow sales, economic outlook, a combination, but at some point Perry and some of the others began to unload some of their land holdings over off of Dowling, east of 59/south of 45. There is already a strong foothold of town home development there, but as for its future, who knows. I would bet that once the economy heats up again, (whenever that is), you will once again see redevelopment pick back up in 3rd ward. Whether or not that is a good thing depends upon who you talk to.

I personally think, and I could be wrong, that when the builders run out of cheap land over in the Washington Ave corridor then you will see more of the development in the east end warehouse district, due east of Minute maid park. Developers will not face the resistance that they may face in the 3rd ward, it is mostly commercial tracts so it should be easier to pick up larger parcels for development, plus the commuter rail will be going there, the Dynamo stadium will be going up, I just see that being an easier path for the developers to take.