Energy Corridor Plans: Energy Magnet School,walking bridge over I-10, wind turbines etc. (Houston: hotel)

[EasilyAmused]

Well, at least people are being positive that the economy will recover. I like all the ideas, my only reservations are that the bridge idea will be too far west. One closer to the Beltway first, then Eldridge somewhere down the road seems like it would work better.

Energy Corridor vision would bridge I-10 | Ultimate Memorial (http://www.ultimatememorial.com/2010/06/energy-corridor-vision-would-bridge-i-10 - broken link)

[hsw]

Walking is so 20th or 19th century

EC should emulate Silicon Valley's Google, Apple, etc: major employers should build own new suburban campuses with spacious, secure garages...and outfit offices w/gourmet dining w/various cuisines (competent chefs and organic grub are incredibly cheap and ultimately reduce healthcare costs paid by employers), gyms, rec rms, etc etc, so workers don't need to leave offices and waste time/fuel during day in any weather, until ready to drive home to their nearby suburban houses

And spend some money wiring workers' home offices w/mobile computing and videoconferencing tech so can telecommute most days anyway: much of why traffic in SV is some of world's fastest at nearly any hr, as fwys rapidly flow from residential suburbs nr PaloAlto to industrial suburbs btwn Redwood Shs and SJ

And for poor but wannabe "cool" yuppies, employers can run own private buses from "cool" parts of "downtown", just like Apple, Google, etc truck down unwashed yuppies 35mis from SF to Cupertino or MtnView

Don't need to waste taxpayer dollars on this luxury nonsense when have high profit margin industries like energy or tech or finance spending their own money as part of perks/pay for their own workers, ultimately enhancing worker productivity and profits for shareholders (and taxes paid on profits)

[EasilyAmused]

Do you not realize all the campus' that already exist in the EC? All the suburban neighborhoods in the EC? All the Yahooing/Video/Cell communications used by O&G people? I don't think you do. This is just a way to beautify the area so it's not as ugly as Silicon Valley.

[EEstudent]

Originally Posted by hsw

Walking is so 20th or 19th century

EC should emulate Silicon Valley's Google, Apple, etc: major employers should build own new suburban campuses with spacious, secure garages...and outfit offices w/gourmet dining w/various cuisines (competent chefs and organic grub are incredibly cheap and ultimately reduce healthcare costs paid by employers), gyms, rec rms, etc etc, so workers don't need to leave offices and waste time/fuel during day in any weather, until ready to drive home to their nearby suburban houses

And spend some money wiring workers' home offices w/mobile computing and videoconferencing tech so can telecommute most days anyway: much of why traffic in SV is some of world's fastest at nearly any hr, as fwys rapidly flow from residential suburbs nr PaloAlto to industrial suburbs btwn Redwood Shs and SJ

And for poor but wannabe "cool" yuppies, employers can run own private buses from "cool" parts of "downtown", just like Apple, Google, etc truck down unwashed yuppies 35mis from SF to Cupertino or MtnView

Don't need to waste taxpayer dollars on this luxury nonsense when have high profit margin industries like energy or tech or finance spending their own money as part of perks/pay for their own workers, ultimately enhancing worker productivity and profits for shareholders (and taxes paid on profits)

What do you mean walking is outdated?

I'm actually a supporter of having a walkable area in a centralized city, it makes things convenient and you dont spend massive tracts of land for parking. How many areas of Houston have parking lots the size of the building its intended for?

Making large campuses still cost money to build and maintain, whereas office buildings are already built and dont require as much maintenance.

But you are right on one aspect, the type of businesses that are downtown tend to be smaller private firms instead of large headquarters.

I have turned down a job because it was in the Energy Corridor... they are trying to build it up, but IMO we should try restoring and building from the historic areas and restoring businesses instead of just finding flat land further out and just build a behemoth sized warehouse type building with no architecture and no character.

[RCH99]

Who needs a bridge to walk across I-10?.....just get in shape and run across, those concrete walls are about the same height as a high hurdle

[cheryjohns]

Originally Posted by RCH99

Who needs a bridge to walk across I-10?.....just get in shape and run across, those concrete walls are about the same height as a high hurdle

How do you know exactly when you are in shape enough? If you misjudge your stamina, endurance & speed - you don't get a second chance.

Ahhhhh....Darwin's theory at its best!

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Cool. I'd like to see drawings of what the development would look like, but I can imagine such a project would be useful. I used to work at one of the buildings at the BP campus, and I also worked at the Shell Oil office on Dairy-Ashford... and had friends at both campuses, plus Conoco-Phillips. There are many meetings that occur every day with many of the business units, or user groups.

If they built some sort of system to allow people to ride bikes, walk, or run/jog to their offices from there, I think that would be great. This would be more appealing to health conscious people of course; the fat/lazy/unhealthy people who ride around for ten minutes, or more at a grocery store just to get a parking close to the door will not care for the idea.

I don't think people would share rides, or commute there if they are less than half a mile from their office, they may as well just drive the extra distance and park at their place of employment. However, what it would do for the area is connect most of the energy sector companies in some form.

I think some sort of unobstructed path for both pedestrian and vehicle traffic would be nice; probably elevated so it does not have to cross Highway 6, or I10. Companies can pool their resources and either provide a jitney service, or maybe even one of those little unattended trains they use at airports like Houston, or Las Vegas.

There is more than enough space along I10 between the Park n Ride on HWY 6, and the Omni Hotel on Eldridge for residential, shopping and entertainment development.

Anyway, at least it's a vision. The Woodlands has their Market Street, and silly water taxis , Sugarland has their Town Square, City-Center, etc., why not the Energy Corridor?

[SteveArmy]

told ya hsw is on a wheelchair