Hotel tower planned for old Joske's building downtown (Houston, San Antonio: rentals, condos)

[imaterry78259]

Originally Posted by samvp

I really don't think imaterry knows what he or she is talikng about. I don't mean that as an insult. I am incredibly serious.

I maynot have a degree in urban planning but I know SA downtown needs improvement

[samvp]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

I maynot have a degree in urban planning but I know SA downtown needs improvement

That's not what I was referring to.

[iliveinsa]

Originally Posted by catriona

I don't have a problem with the development above the old Joske's building, it's just that the design just doesn't look like it goes with the rest of the building. I like the glass, but maybe instead of all glass they could incorporate some of the colors from the base building with the glass structure or make it look more art deco or what ever the base building is. Keep the glass more subtle so it blends in to the area instead of standing out like something that was thrown together. It also looks too tall. The poster that called it the Emerald City has a point. It does look like it! As for turning the building into a hotel, I like that idea. If they use some of the design that was in the old Joske's store, it would really be a nice addition to downtown.

In many cases, HDRC prefers that new additions don't blend in with old. They often avoid faux styles intended to imitate something from a century ago in favor of a new structure that is clearly of current time.

But, they also like to keep some building heights in the context of other buildings around, to avoid a canyonization effect when you're walking down the street.

In any case, I'm sure the designer added a few extra floors knowing that no matter how many floors they proposed, HDRC would request that they lower it a bit.

[txtea]

Originally Posted by ranchodrive

In the movie " The Alamo", Jim Bowie is quoted as saying this...
I answer to God & there the list ends....I like that.

Have A Happy Easter .

Not to be nit-picky, but that was Sam Houston that said " I bow to God, and there the list ends."
Great line regardless.

If they are so worried about defacing Alamo Plaza, they really need to concentrate their efforts on getting rid of those tourist trap eyesores across the street from the Alamo.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by txtea

Not to be nit-picky, but that was Sam Houston that said " I bow to God, and there the list ends."
Great line regardless.

If they are so worried about defacing Alamo Plaza, they really need to concentrate their efforts on getting rid of those tourist trap eyesores across the street from the Alamo.

Knowing the HDRC, I suspect the worry is less about defacing Alamo Plaza and more about altering - significantly - the facade of an historic building. That it's located where it is may make it even more significant (i.e. in a more heavily visible zone than if it was outside the downtown area), but I imagine HDRC would have a lot to say if it was anywhere in downtown.

I like the modern looking building but it looks silly as depicted, sitting on top of an historic building.

I'm also tired of yet more hotels...

[SnappyBob]

That all glass building just looks stupid on top of Joskee's.

[datacity]

Originally Posted by Chaka

I'm also tired of yet more hotels...

This is slightly off topic, but this seems to be (whether true or not) a common theme in the city. Given that the Riverwalk / Alamo area is a tourist mecca and that the city wants to expand the convention center to an even larger size, I sometimes wonder why everyone is so down on more hotels?

Despite the concerns in the article, I do not see a glut of hotel rooms in downtown, and the properties downtown seem to be among the best performing within the city. There might be too many full service hotels that require a high average daily rate to be profitable, but everything I have seen seems to indicate that more rooms will be needed over the next decade. This despite San Antonio having one of the highest occupancy tax rates in the country (16+ percent).

I know more residential downtown in the works, and that is great, but the city area around the Alamo and Riverwalk will probably continue to primarily be a tourist/convention zone. You move north, south and west (and maybe east) of this area and things might be different.

I would also love if more businesses were downtown, but companies like Valero, USAA, Security Service, etc. are not going to move downtown. Even Frost Bank based here has a nicer building in Austin. Go figure.

So I say let there be more hotels, particularly midscale properties that have more reasonable rates. It is okay to not have one in Hemisfair Park, but if someone is willing to risk capital and believes a return will be made, go for it.

[catriona]

Originally Posted by iliveinsa

In many cases, HDRC prefers that new additions don't blend in with old. They often avoid faux styles intended to imitate something from a century ago in favor of a new structure that is clearly of current time.

If by "New additions" you are referring to brand new buildings, then I would agree with what you stated. Joske's isn't a new building, it's just getting a glass building added to the top. Sorry, but I think it would look better if it matched the base instead of looking like someone dropped shards of glass on top of it. Nothing wrong with the glass building design. It would look nice if it were erected as a free standing building.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by datacity

This is slightly off topic, but this seems to be (whether true or not) a common theme in the city. Given that the Riverwalk / Alamo area is a tourist mecca and that the city wants to expand the convention center to an even larger size, I sometimes wonder why everyone is so down on more hotels?

If the city is serious about making Downtown a livable downtown, more hotels aren't the way to go. Currently, the focus of putting new residential units (not just condos, but apartments) on the edges of downtown is not really helping to revive the downtown core. By continuing to build around the edge, there continues to be a lack of amenities of daily living concentrated in any one area. For people to Live Urban, the elements of daily living need to be within walking distance. As long as residential units are scattered, as they are now, there is not a deep enough concentration of residents in any one location for businesses that don 't cater to tourists to be profitable. I think there *is* sufficient density in Southtown and near North, but definitely not downtown in a reasonable area. By "reasonable" I mean within a short walk. The distance between the Vistana and the Vidorra is 1.4 miles. Not hugely far but there's very little for residents in between except for a few individual apartments and so not so good grocery options. Much of it is tourist focused or daytime office dweller focused.

I don't mind hotels, and know the city lives off its tourism industry. But it does have to decide what it really wants downtown - more tourists or more residents. And if both, figure out how to make both happen.

[samvp]

Originally Posted by datacity

I would also love if more businesses were downtown, but companies like Valero, USAA, Security Service, etc. are not going to move downtown. Even Frost Bank based here has a nicer building in Austin. Go figure.

False.

It's not their building nor did they build it. Frost just leases a majority of the space in that building.