Didn't see it posted.... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4562230.html Feb. 18, 2007, 5:58PM A new groove for downtown Club closings are seen as a chance for change, but some owners cry foul By DAVID KAPLAN Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Mia Bella owner Youssef Nafaa has survived the downtown plagues. His Italian restaurant, which opened in 1999, helped spark the rebirth of downtown's Historic District. The quaint cafe flourished for two years until the first, and worst plague, light rail construction, ravaged downtown streets for almost three years, killing the business of many of his fellow pioneers. Then came Tropical Storm Allison, which hit downtown hard. And after that, Enron's collapse. Some in the downtown business community think that even the 2004 Super Bowl, which brought throngs to Main Street, may have been a curse in disguise. It changed the downtown mind-set, they believe, planting the misconceived idea that the Historic District could become another Bourbon Street if only more nightclubs would move in. More did come in, and now some district leaders say that Main Street has lost its way. Instead of becoming a trendy cluster of boutiques, grocery stores, restaurants and bars patronized by urban professionals living in nearby lofts, Main Street draws a younger crowd more interested in late-night barhopping. In recent weeks, several nightclubs have shut down, and downtown leaders see the closings as a chance for the Historic District to reclaim its original vision. "It's kind of like there's a clean slate and a real chance for a turnaround," said Larry Plotsky, a retail-restaurant broker. Among the bar and club closings within the past 12 months or so are M Bar, Boaka Bar, Mercury Room, Twelve Spot, Suede Lounge, Jones Bar, Six Degrees, Hiccups and Opus. Bob Eury, executive director of the Downtown District, a public-private association that promotes and manages downtown development, acknowledged that the district is repositioning itself. "Property owners are beginning to say, 'We need to be thoughtful about who we're leasing to,' " Eury said. This month, the Downtown District formed an advisory committee to guide the area's economic development and improve security and parking. "The problematic clubs, many of which were sold and subleased to less professional operators, are emptying out," said Plotsky, who is working with the advisory committee. 'Excited about downtown' Downtown is trying to get its old groove back. Less than 10 years ago, "the whole city was excited about downtown," recalled Dan Tidwell, co-owner of the Southern eatery Treebeard's and a downtown resident. Chef-driven restaurants such as Tosca and Solero fueled the revitalization, along with opulent clubs including Mercury Room, once hailed as one of the best bars in America by Playboy magazine. And looming on the horizon were more lofts, hotels and streetscaping, a light rail line on Main and a ballpark. In 1999, entrepreneurs who had snagged prime spots on Main "were looking pretty smart," Tidwell recalled. Those heady days lasted two years. After lengthy rail and street construction, a number of restaurants and bars vanished. Midtown and Washington Avenue near the Heights have since grabbed much of the Main Street area's thunder. Almost everyone, excluding the remaining club owners, now agrees on how it needs to change, according to Jamie Mize, Treebeard's co-owner and a downtown resident. "We can't have too many clubs," Mize said. The problem is that clubs are only open three days a week and even on those days they don't open until late at night, he said, and such businesses don't bring a sense of place to a neighborhood. But some remaining club owners say they're being pushed out. "It seems the city of Houston wants to move us out so they can put in TGI Friday's and Baby Gap," said Forrest deSpain, managing partner of the downtown nightclub Grasshopper. Since last month, the city has been "flexing its muscle" in an attempt to force out clubs, deSpain said. "They're harassing us and our patrons," he said. "If they didn't want nightclubs, they shouldn't have given us licenses." Denise Wood, Main Street coordinator for the Downtown District, said no one is being pushed out. "We want everyone to coexist. As long as they play by the rules, there's a place for them," she said. In recent months, Wood said, ordinances to make the district safer and cleaner are being more strictly enforced. In late January, vice-squad officers, some wearing masks, raided Suede Lounge on Main and arrested three bartenders for serving alcohol to minors. The club was also cited for not having proper alcohol permits and has shut down. At the downtown nightclub Glo on a recent Saturday night, a doorman was frisking entering customers with a metal detector. Like Glo, several of the remaining nightclubs feature rap and hip-hop and attract a young black crowd. Wood said the district is dealing with a generational and not a racial issue. "With time," she said, "some younger club patrons will grow up and go to the nice restaurants in the area now that they've been exposed. That's what a neighborhood can nurture." Still going strong Though a number of clubs have closed, downtown's night scene is no wasteland. Upscale dining can be had at Bank, Azuma, Sambuca, Cava Bistro, Vic & Anthony's, Zula, Bossa and more. The area also is filled with lively neighborhood bars that feel like cozy clubhouses, including Slainte, Warren's Inn and La Carafe. Market Square Bar & Grill has one of the city's best courtyards, and the Flying Saucer pub is often jammed. The unique bar Dean's sells vintage clothing and has fashion shows, and the reopened Notsuoh, owned by downtown pioneer Jim Pirtle, is a bohemian art-bar happening. Julio Flores, a 23-year-old firefighter, likes downtown the way it is: "Downtown's got options. You can eat or hear dance, rap, hip-hop or Latin music." "This is America," and everyone should have a chance to be in business, said Steven Scalice, an owner of Dean's. However, he said, business owners should be good neighbors by observing the noise ordinance, not serving minors or getting patrons "too wasted," which makes them more prone to fight. Overall, crime isn't a problem in the Historic District, said George Buenik, a Houston Police Department assistant chief for the tactical support command downtown. But there have been two shootings downtown in the past six months, he said. One incident, which occurred about two weeks ago, started at the club Toc and ended fatally about a mile away, and involved a prior relationship, Buenik said. Another shooting took place near M Bar several months ago. The most frequent complaints Wood hears concern aggressive panhandling, trash, public intoxication and noise. Eury said that though nightlife in the Historic District is facing challenges, downtown Houston is generally thriving. Its office market is booming, he noted. Ideas abound The departure of clubs raises the question of whether the kinds of retailers the Downtown District wants will move in. The city needs to create incentives for small-business owners, said Mia Bella's Nafaa. "If they could just fill up the district's main four blocks — just 10 or 15 spaces — you'd be set," he said. To thrive as an entertainment district, downtown needs more homegrown chefs, said Mark Hanna, principal partner of Customer First, a hospitality consulting and marketing firm. He noted that the Discovery Green park downtown will have restaurants run by Houston's Schiller Del Grande Group. The proposed downtown center Houston Pavilions will feature the hip bowling alley and bar Lucky Strike and House of Blues. Downtown is an ideal place to incubate local cutting-edge retail because of its authentic old buildings and less expensive rents, said Monte Large, a Wulfe & Co. urban retail broker who is working with the Downtown District advisory committee. The best way to create a vibrant entertainment district is to have more residential units in the area, said Michael Beyard, senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute. Unless you have a sufficient number of people living downtown, coming and going into their apartments and grocery stores after hours, there will be no natural environment where other people will want to visit and feel comfortable, Beyard said. Positive outlook Despite the challenges, Nafaa said he still believes in downtown's future. Nafaa, who also owns the three-year-old Cava Bistro downtown, said that since it opened Mia Bella's business has gone from "good to bad to making a comeback." A native of Morocco, he envisions a Houston downtown more like that of his former home, Chicago, where people are out walking at night, having dinner at one place, dessert at another and hearing live music somewhere else. Things are getting better downtown, he said: "The police are making it safer and cleaner." In fact, he plans to open another downtown business on Main at a spot recently vacated by a nightclub. He wants to put his concept CoCo's there, he said, like the one he has in Midtown, and sell coffee drinks and crepes. He hopes it will bring more of a sidewalk cafe style atmosphere to downtown. "I choose to fight and make it better," he said. david.kaplan@chron.com
The problem is Houston planners haven't learned Chang's Law of Urbanism. The greatness of a city is directly proportional to the number of drunken idiots it has. Think about it, every great city has been known for a lively nightlife that attracts and is full of drunken idiots. Think of London in the 19th C., New York in the 1920's, Paris in the 1950's, Rome in the First Century and etc.. All among the greatest urban centers chock full of art, culture and drunken idiots. So what Houston city planners should do is rather than try to drive out all of the haunts of drunken idiots and replace them with Williams and Sonoma they should encourage more of them. Only then can Houston truly be a great city.
Well just to officially state, this was a ceremony to start construction. No construction activity had been going on in the parking lots that form the prior to today. The only activity prior to today was the arrival of containers (stored in the southeast corner of the centralzed block) and recently, the erecting of fencing that will soon surround the site (3 full city block long). After today, expect activity to pick up really quickly as the project is on a tight schedule for its planned early October 2008 opening date.
What's the Houston Pavilion? Enlighten me plz...sounds intriguing. edit: just saw the blurb in the article...where exactly is this going to be?
Well, remember, its not just Pavillions alone. By 2008, the southeast side of Downtown will have the following: . 1. Houston Pavillions - Opening October 2008 2. Discovery Green (which includes two actual restaurants) - Opening Spring Break 2008 3. 37-Story Park Tower Condos - Opening November 2008 These are 3 significant additions to the downtown scene, all within a close proximity to each other. Additionally, these additions happen to be located on the side of downtown that already features Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, Houston Center/Park Mall, GRB Convention Center and the Hilton Americas Hotel. Expect the Discovery Green to attract even more residential development, like the Park Tower developement already under construction. This will mean more people in this immediate area, meaning more perspective clientele for downtown restaurants and bars to cater to. So with more new residential developements, expect to see more new restaurants and bars follow suit. Quite simply, the scene is shifting downtown. In fact, "the shift" acutally began last year, back when Houston Pavilions was just in its conceptual stages. Clubs will not totally evacuate the scene, but alot of them have already shifted there sights south to Midtown, where the club scene is strong and the future is bright right now. And with Midtown's location, sandwiched in between Downtown, U of H/TSU Campus areas, Montrose and the Med Center, I expect the nightlife/club developement to continue full steam ahead, possibley transforimg the area into the French Quarter city leaders previously envisioned for Downtown's Historic District. Meanwhile, Downtown's scene is in a maturation phase which abandons the total focus on clubs that cater to youthful clientele in favor of a mixture of clubs restaurants and bars that caters to many demographics.
See the thread I created in the Rockets GARM forum entitled "What Rocket fans can expect in the 2008-09 season." Currently, Its on the first page.... The reason for this is becuase Houston Pavillions stretches from Main Street to just a mere block away from Toyota Center's front door. In fact, the House of Blues and Yao's Restaurant will be the tenants that are just one block away from Toyota Center. In the thread, you will find more info and renderings. I would post a link, but honestly, Im too damn tired from all of today's happenings. When I get a chance, I will post pics from today's Pavilions ground breaking, which include upclose pics of the model itself.....
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4588381.html At long last, Pavilion development under way Mayor White calls the project, which will include stores, restaurants and office space, a turning point for downtown By NANCY SARNOFF Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle • Planned opening : October 2008 • Retail space: 360,000 square feet • Office space: 200,000 square feet • Sampling of tenants: House of Blues, Lucky Strike Lanes, Books-A-Million, Forever 21, McCormick & Schmick's, Red Cat Jazz Cafe • Financing: Buchanan Street Partners of Newport Beach, Calif., provided $47 million in equity for the project, and North Houston Bank provided $120 million in construction financing. The developers also lined up an $8.8 million development grant from the city and $5.5 million from Harris County in additional funding. Under a white tent in downtown Houston, developers made a long-awaited announcement Tuesday morning that the Houston Pavilions project had officially broken ground. "I'm sure a lot of you thought today would never come," said William Denton, a partner in the shopping, restaurant, entertainment and office development to be built on several blocks near the light rail line. The developers made the ceremonial announcement alongside city, county and other government officials, including Mayor Bill White. The upbeat event, where a jazz band played as attendees viewed an architectural model of the project, represented a turning point in downtown's revitalization, White said. The mayor noted other projects planned downtown, including a large central park near the convention center and a residential high-rise that will tower above it. Construction on the Pavilions is happening at the same time as One Park Place, the 37-story apartment building with 346 units. It's the first of its kind to be built downtown in more than 40 years, according to developer Marvy Finger of the Finger Cos. The tower should be completed in early 2009 and have retail space on the first floor. White alluded to other residential developments proposed around the park and a strong interest in downtown overall. "If you want to invest in projects in downtown Houston you better get in line," he said. The developers of the Houston Pavilions say it will open in October of 2008. The $170 million project will have 360,000 square feet of retail space and a 200,000-square-foot office tower. A nearby 1,525-space garage has been leased. It will be connected to the rest of the project via a skybridge. The newest tenants include clothing retailer Forever 21 and Books-A-Million. Both will build urban flagship stores and join House of Blues, Lucky Strike Lanes and at least seven restaurants, including McCormick & Schmick's, Red Cat Jazz Cafe and Lawry's, the Prime Rib. The retail space will occupy the first two levels of the project, with entertainment venues on the third floor. A central courtyard will have space for restaurant patios. "We will be the people place to see and be seen in the city of Houston," said Denton, who is developing the project with Geoffrey Jones. Office vacancy down The developers shouldn't have trouble leasing the loft-style office space, as the amount of available downtown space has been shrinking. The office market posted a big drop in vacancy during the last quarter. Vacancy for top-class downtown buildings fell to 10 percent, according to real estate firm CB Richard Ellis. The project has changed in the three years it's been in the works. At one time, the developers planned to include residential units in the project, but they said the additional parking requirement would have been too costly. "There have been a lot of bumps in the road and near-death experiences," Jones said. The Pavilions will be built on three surface parking lots bounded by Dallas, Polk, Main and Caroline streets. Hoping for a catalyst Real estate observers said the project will help spur more shops, restaurants and convention activity. "I think it'll definitely be a catalyst for more development," said Mark Sixour of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, a national mortgage banking firm that secured the project's financing and equity. Both developers have been involved in shopping center developments and other investments. Denton, CEO of Los Angeles-based Entertainment Development Group, developed the Denver Pavilions, an entertainment and retail project in the city's downtown.
