Milhaus - vertical mixed-use and urban infill residential environments

posts by "Tadd Miller"

Thoughts from Houston Green Building Expo

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Tadd Miller

I was fortunate to have a few minutes between meetings to stop by the University of Houston’s Green Building Components Expo. Two intriguing products were exhibited that I could see easily implemented into a Milhaus project in the near future: the Botanica air purifier and the Parametric Precast system. The Botanica is an indoor living wall system that can be installed along existing walls using the plants to reduce the number of pollutants purifying indoor air. The Parametric Precast system is a simple and affordable system made of recycled concrete that can allow a stacking application that includes application of solar panels and living walls within the structure. These are the type of products that we need to continue thinking and exploring at Milhaus to continue to understand how to make our projects more sustainable.

One other more complicated product at the event that is the Z-fab home. This product implements a lot of the things Milhaus has spent significant time trying to figure out in the modular multi-family housing space with Clayton Homes and Genesis Homes. This modular implementation would help mitigate numerous issues we deal with in the urban core and mixed-use issues of delivery, staging, timing, and delivery, not to mention the mitigation of waste and implementation of sustainable practices.

This entry was posted in Design, Sustainability

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Great places need enough residences

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Tadd Miller

Developed by Woodbine Development Corporation and now fully owned by Macerich, Kierland Commons is a very successful and award winning project. It’s retail spaces are well-leased and has heavy volumes of very diverse, multi-cultural and high-end traffic. For the residential units it has a great sales team led by Bill Hammond of Signature Properties and they are offering a terrific residential product. The amenities, quality, unique design, mountain views and finishes exceeded my expectations. However, I am not sure this is the place where I would want to purchase a home. Although I am a strong supporter, investor, and promoter of building residential into large-scale retail projects, I believe there is one critical element to this concept that was missed at Kierland Commons - and its perhaps not the developer's fault. In order to create a sustainable residential neighborhood and a place that feels like home, it is important to create enough residences to build value around each other. The 84 units at Kierland Commons seems to be floating in the middle of a mall, with no real hopes for neighborhood expansion. With such a small number of units, it makes me wonder if the residential will always be a second class “tenant” dominated by the retail space? It’s a fantastic place and I wish more units could be incorporated there. I am not sure if the 84 units was negotiated by strict zoning guidelines. However, this project demonstrates the effects of building too few units in a major retail center. A critical mass of residential units (at least 200) and at enough density (at least 25/acre) are critically important. I could see this being a great hotel location, a place to spend a night away near the shops and dining, but a long term residential commitment with so few neighbors seems less likely. Just like the retail space in a new development needs a critical mass of shops, the residential product needs to have enough people living there to build a true neighborhood. It creates stability and adds more long-term value.

Photos

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This entry was posted in Our Philosophy, Project Highlight, USA West

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Camden MidTown – Houston

Posted on October 03, 2011 by Tadd Miller

A key for the revitalization of the Midtown District of Houston is the 337 Units at Camden MidTown. The project sits across from, and a good number of the units will have views over the new, hopefully soon to be constructed Midtown Park. In addition, Camden has announced they are moving forward soon with the long anticipated next phase of redevelopment of the Super Block which will expand this block and link it directly to the Metro stop. This will be the first project in Midtown that will actually link directly to the Metro stop. Although when they first started the project, location was not what it is today; location of the project is a key factor in the success and long term viability of this project. Although it is nice to see mixed use with first floor retail (when it works!), I would expect that would have been a loser on this deal if developed in the original plan. The project is just a big box, no real creativity or unique design that hasn’t been done a ton of other places, but it is very dense, seems to be built with quality, and has great finishes and an incredible amenities package.

I am amazed by the sheer scale of the amenities centers and their multiple features in some projects today. Everything is bigger in Texas, (I just visited a project with a lazy river and bar in their pool!) However, more importantly for this project, at the it was built, Midtown was not where it is today. So, Camden had to ensure they could offer their residents what they needed on site. Camden taking the risk in this neighborhood at that time is one of the best things about this project; it was a big catalyst to be able to develop the other projects in the area. I would like to believe that Camden’s risk in these urban markets is part of the reason that they have posted some of the largest returns of its publically traded peer group over the last few years. However, I am sure some of that has to do with their concentration in some of the best gaining areas of the country like Dallas and Houston. Regardless, I hope that Camden continues to try to implement these types of projects in more transitional urban areas, and I believe they will be financially rewarded for those risks if they do.

This entry was posted in USA West

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Approvals often underestimated

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Tadd Miller

The last few years has brought many lessons to developers. One important one is that the design and approval process in all mixed use development should include maximum flexibility. This doesn't mean having a variety of potential uses for a block. It means to consider stacking, parking lot development, and alternative building uses in every site plan, and stretch for the stars when getting your approvals. Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

First, have three or four alternative development scenarios and make sure they are all included in your entitlements. It is a challenging task, but it is important to do this thoughtfully so you still design and approve something that is marketable under different conditions.

Second, it's critically important to have a residential developer and her architect involved from the beginning, no matter how many residential units are being contemplated. The risks involved in mixed-use development are too great to save the residential discussion for later.

There is no doubt that approvals will only get more difficult and expensive over time, and the processes involved will continue to be prolonged. No one wants to go back through a year or two of municipal approvals to make changes to a plan that already saw intense scrutiny the first time around.

This entry was posted in Design, Our Philosophy

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Houston - drive time, but lots of options

Posted on September 08, 2011 by Tadd Miller

I have to admit Houston was not high on my list of cities to spend time. Milhaus was led here by incredible job growth and demand by our investors. Houston contradicts Indianapolis in many ways: horrible traffic, car dependency, oversized personality, and a focus on driving their economy through energy consumption. To be fair, the population size of Houston is five times that of Indianapolis. This size of a city, no matter how it’s planned, will provide a foundation for a dynamic city. Houston’s cultural mix is reflected in the diverse restaurants and retail scattered throughout its large land area. As a daily walker, I would prefer to not need a car, but once you learn your way around and understand the amount of variety in each visit, it just seems to work. Every visit opens up new areas, restaurants, entertainment, and new things happening or being built. As long as you are in the car, it is a quick 30 minute ride to Kennedy Space Center, an hour drive to swim in the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, or a 45 minute drive north to the Woodlands Town Center. It’s much different in Indianapolis where in a couple weeks you would exhaust the variety of things to do. Yes, Houston is clearly opposite of what all the planners and theorists talk about as an example of how to develop a thriving urban metropolis. However let’s not underestimate what is perhaps the most eclectic, diverse, and entertaining mix of dining, attractions and architecture in the country.

Photos

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This entry was posted in Our Philosophy

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Stacked Big Boxes in Houston

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Tadd Miller

On my way out of Houston recently I came across Trammell Crow’s stacked big box deal at the corner of Richmond Ave. and Wesleyan St. in the Greenway neighborhood. It includes a Costco superstore as it's base and an LA Fitness stacked on top. It is flanked by two-story office/retail b-shops, and attached to a Morgan Group apartment project called 33. It is clear that the national credit tenant is driving the requirement for surface parking at the front door. Direct access from the parking garage directly into LA and Costco make it very convenient. However, the lack of integration with the residential makes it appear as if residents would need to drive from Morgan’s apartments to the Costco. It seems awkward that it is not more integrated with this large of an investment into a high density mixed use deal. A health center on the second floor seems like a pretty good use for space that would likely be un-leasable in a retail format. Although disappointed in the limited pedestrian connectivity, it is nice to see some creativity/flexibility from these national retailers by at least stacking these boxes. Would love to recreate something like this in downtown Indianapolis. Urban residents need these services and this is the only way to get these retailers to fit on the available land.

Photos

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This entry was posted in Project Highlight, USA West

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Merrick Park in Coral Gables

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Tadd Miller

In a different economic time I am sure Merrick Park would have been one of the award winning mixed use projects of the last decade. Unfortunately, Rouse’s vision in Coral Gables has been severely affected by the economic downturn. The concept is exciting, and the central courtyard and attention to detail is impeccable. Yet, it had little traffic on multiple visits recently. It is hard to fault a specific project in Florida, especially in the hard hit Miami area. However, there are some lessons in its design and programming to take away from it. It feels somewhat dark entering in, it has storefront retail where there is no traffic, there is very limited parking, and the entire center faces inward on itself. These issues are compounded by the mixed use dilemma between the retail and residential uses (which comes first?). As readers here will know, it is very difficult for residential to be successful without quality retail underneath it. But also, if you have a bunch of empty residences, then it can also undermine the leasing of the retail spaces.

Photos

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This entry was posted in Project Highlight, USA Southeast

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Examining Metro’s Impact on Midtown Houston

Posted on August 09, 2011 by Tadd Miller

I am still curious as to how the Metro line will impact Midtown Houston. I believe the long term viability and impact will be significant, but to date it hasn’t spurred the volume of development that I would have expected. With Midtown linking two of the largest employment centers in Houston (Downtown/Medical Center), it would seem there would be a race to develop everything in its path to house this multitude of employees and commuters. Instead, while development is taking place a couple of blocks away, nothing seems to be happening immediately adjacent to the Metro Line. There is more vacant land and deserted buildings along the Metro in midtown Houston than any other portion of the Midtown area. Why is this?

Unreasonable adjacent landowners?
Even if you could commute from home to work, you still have to drive everywhere else in Houston. Could you fix this with share car program?
Perhaps there isn’t a significant amount of housing in the area. Maybe what housing is there hasn’t been developed in reasonable proximity for people to try the Metro.
I wonder how many of the people living at Post Midtown/Camden have actually ever used the Metro. Houston is such a car designed and dependent city; is it just going to take more time for people to get used to this type of travel?
Is it just a timing thing with the economic woes of the country? Although, Texas seems to be escaping most of that for now.

When people finally start to realize the advantages of using the Metro to get around the city, the Midtown area will undoubtably reap the benefits. I just wish it was happening faster and am surprised we haven’t seen more!

This entry was posted in Transportation, USA West

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Discovery Park – Houston

Posted on August 04, 2011 by Tadd Miller

I was fortunate to have my family join me on my recent business trip to Houston and we became a daily user of Discovery Green, Houston's "Central Park." It is a must-see for visitors to Houston, especially considering that this phenomenal 12 acre park was created on a site of former parking lots and vacant land. Sandwiched between the convention center, Minute Maid Park, CBD Office core, and the Toyota Center, the park is filled with families, conventioneers and sports fans. A family day downtown happens around Discovery Green with an Astros game, remote sailboats, and a hamburger stand. Our visit included cheering on our home state universities, Purdue and Rose Hulman, in their quest for the Shell Cup solar powered car race that intersected the Green. The water feature and directly adjacent playground were great additions to an already multi-faceted public-space. That evening, a dinner on the balcony of The Grove, overlooking Discovery Green was a nice finish.

Currently, the sole residential project in the area is One Park Place, a 37-story, 346-unit apartment project that overlooks the park. However, the presence of such a park is definitely a step in the right direction to attract more residential development to the area. One of the biggest things missing in many of the urban locations I visit is the availability of open green space and play sets for children. These amenities are key to attracting and keeping families in downtown urban markets. All in all, Discovery Green was a great place to spend an afternoon with the family, and a place that I would like to see us emulate in Indianapolis sometime in the very near future.

Photos

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This entry was posted in Lifestyle, USA West

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City Schools Measuring Up

Posted on August 01, 2011 by Tadd Miller

I have had my third conversation in the last few weeks with someone who had moved to the suburbs seeking a better education for their children. In each case the parents have realized that their "chosen" school system does not suit their child, or that they could have found a more appropriate school in the city. These same parents are now moving downtown or considering a move back to their former neighborhood in order to meet their educational goals for their children. This trend seems to be related to the housing market in some urban areas with more people choosing to stay, or perhaps the housing market is helping them choose to stay. Regardless, it is a positive trend for both schools and neighborhoods. In Indianapolis, if you live in or around downtown or you are considering a move to the metro area, do not let anyone tell you that you absolutely need to look outside the area of IPS (Indianapolis Public Schools). It's simply not true. The truth is that there are great opportunities both inside and outside the city - both public and private options. Here is good list to start your search to educate your kids in urban Indianapolis. Let us know in the comments below if we missed any.