Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

The HEB and the Wal-Mart

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the site of the old Wilshire Village Apartments was bought by HEB a few months ago. Some area residents were not terribly thrilled at the idea of a new supermarket at that location and organized to have … Continue reading →

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The new Historic Preservation ordinance

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: The mayor’s office is out with a “public comment draft” of proposed changes to Houston’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. The biggest (and most expected) change: There’ll be no more 90-day “compliance waivers” issued for historic-district properties. Under the previous … Continue reading →

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Park ambitions

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Dream big. Two of Houston’s heaviest-hitting business groups — the Greater Houston Partnership and the Quality of Life Coalition — are promoting an ambitious master plan to develop land along 10 of Harris County’s major bayous, creating an enormous system … Continue reading →

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Another Wal-Mart-related neighborhood meeting

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

They Are Building A Wal-Mart On My Street continues to be a great resource for details about the proposed “Heights” Wal-Mart development. In this latest update, we learn quite a few things, including: -There is a set ‘warehouse’ type of … Continue reading →

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A view of the “Heights” Wal-Mart site

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I was thinking last week that I didn’t have a good feel for the geography of the site for the proposed “Heights” Wal-Mart. So I figured the thing to do was to drive over there and take a few pictures. … Continue reading →

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Radack’s Hill update

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Watchdog has an interesting story on Radack’s Hill, also known as the Hockley Soap Box Derby track. I note that Commissioner Radack is still hard at work pumping up the economic prospects of his pet project. According to Radack … Continue reading →

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“HEB with a Montrose feel”

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The West U Examiner gives us an update on the plans for an HEB where the Wilshire Village Apartments used to be. Having recently closed its land deal for the property at Dunlavy and Alabama streets, H-E-B will be putting … Continue reading →

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Report from the West End Civic Club meeting about the “Heights” Wal-Mart

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A new blog with the descriptive name They Are Building A Wal-Mart On My Street has a report from a meeting last week of the West End Civic Club about the possible “Heights” Wal-Mart. Representatives from the offices of City … Continue reading →

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Mayor Parker on the proposed Heights Wal-Mart

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Hair Balls has an update. Walmart spokesman William Wertz told Hair Balls that Walmart is considering the expansion at this time but no plans have been approved. “We can confirm that we are looking at this site, but discussions are … Continue reading →

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Where’s Wal-Mart?

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Wal-Mart has bought a tract of land near the Heights. The store would be part of a larger development just south of Interstate 10 near the northwest intersection of Yale and Center. […] A development site plan obtained by the … Continue reading →

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Do we really want to save the Dome?

Posted on June 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

According to the Department of Anecdotal Evidence, we do. Respondents to an online survey run by Reliant Park’s landlord “overwhelmingly” support saving the Astrodome, according to the official in charge of the survey. Willie Loston, executive director of the Harris … Continue reading →

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Let your cellphone be your guide

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Have you ever found yourself walking around downtown Houston and wondering about the history of the place? If you have a cellphone with you, you can take a self-guided tour. Launched in March, Downtown Mobile Info begins at Wortham Center, … Continue reading →

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Compostable bag update

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The city has decided to not begin fining people just yet for not using the new biodegradable bags for yard waste. I agree that most people just need clear instructions and reasonably durable bags to do this, and I’m glad … Continue reading →

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Public hearing on tar sands pipeline

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Sierra Club has an announcement. The impact of toxic tar sands oil on Houston’s air quality will be the subject of a press teleconference on Friday morning in the hours before a public hearing hosted by the State Department … Continue reading →

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More on the three options for the Dome

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As promised last week, we now have more information on the three options for the Dome. The Sports & Convention Corporation hosted a news conference Monday to present the broad outlines of three possible plans for the 45-year-old Astrodome and … Continue reading →

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Auto salvage yards

Posted on June 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This recent Chron story about the county cracking down on auto salvage yards raised a couple of interesting points. The county long has been able to come after the yards for spills and drainage problems. This year Commissioners Court gave … Continue reading →

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A Montrose/Studemont walkability update

Posted on June 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2008, I put together a photo essay on density and walkability in Montrose, in particular on Montrose/Studemont between West Gray and Washington. It included this photo, taken in front of what was then the old Ed Sacks Waste … Continue reading →

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Three options for the Dome

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been talking for a long time now about what is to become of the Astrodome. Harris County officials have some possible scenarios to discuss next week as part of a master plan for Reliant Park. Like it or not, … Continue reading →

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Council passes demolition moratorium for historic properties

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council has taken a step forward to providing stronger protection for historic properties. City Council passed a temporary law today that puts a moratorium on demolitions in Houston’s 15 historic districts. The city’s 15-year-old preservation ordinance has allowed … Continue reading →

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Midtown development

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Sunday Chron had a look at some new development coming to Main Street near the Ensemble/HCC station. In it was this observation about what had previously been built in the area: When the Main Street light rail line opened … Continue reading →

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Astroworld empty lot update

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, we got word that the old Astroworld site, which has been empty since the last of the old rides were auctioned off in January of 2006, has a new owner – it had previously changed hands back in … Continue reading →

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Council may vote today to strengthen preservation ordinance

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, we heard that Houston City Council was considering a change to the historic preservation ordinance that would actually prevent structures from being torn down or moved if the Houston Archeological and Historic Commission denied the request to do … Continue reading →

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Changes coming to the preservation ordinance?

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot has a scoop. Some major changes to the implementation of Houston’s long-ridiculed historic preservation ordinance may be coming very soon, if a proposal supported by Mayor Annise Parker passes a city council vote that could occur as early as … Continue reading →

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(A little bit of) job growth returns to Houston

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. From small hand-lettered signs on shop windows to Fortune 500 heavyweights hosting job fairs, Houston companies are once again starting to look for workers. The influx of new jobs helped push the Houston area’s unemployment rate down … Continue reading →

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Demolition Day

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready to say goodbye to a bunch of abandoned buildings. “Demolition Day,” which Mayor Annise Parker announced in her state of the city speech last month, is the culmination of months of effort by the Houston Police Department’s Neighborhood … Continue reading →

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UH-Downtown renaming update

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, UH-Downtown has been looking to change its name since 2008. After an unsuccessful first attempt to get consensus, it’s trying again and seems to have settled on City University or Houston City University as its preferred replacement … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Art car parade!

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the famous Art Car Parade here in Houston. It’s one of the most fun events in town all year, and one of the things that truly makes Houston what it is. For those of you who’ve never had … Continue reading →

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Still trying to save the Dome

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Nancy Sarnoff reports. A new page has sprung up on Facebook called Save the Astrodome. It was created by the Houstonian behind www.AmnesiaHouston.org, a Web site aimed at bringing attention to the city’s disappearing landmarks. The creator compares the Astrodome … Continue reading →

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A gloomy Survey

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The 2010 Houston Area Survey is out, and not surprisingly the results are pretty gloomy. Harris County residents this year offered the bleakest assessment of their personal finances, past and future, in the 29-year history of the Houston Area Survey. … Continue reading →

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Renaming UH-Downtown, take 2

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, UH-Downtown has been trying to rename itself for over a year and a half now. Its first attempt at picking a new moniker, which would have been Houston Metropolitan University, didn’t go well as nobody really liked … Continue reading →

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Happy birthday, Discovery Green!

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Two years old now. Two years after it opened, downtown’s Discovery Green park has drawn 55 percent more visitors than projected and has emerged as a key asset to Houston’s convention business, officials say. The 12-acre, $122 million park has … Continue reading →

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Ashby developers refile lawsuit

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Originally filed in county court, the lawsuit by the Ashby Highrise developers has been re-filed in state district court. [The suit] will focus more heavily on claims the project was denied permits for its original design because it was subjected … Continue reading →

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Once again mulling the fate of the Astrodome

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Am I the only one who noticed the omission in this story about the current state of the Astrodome? Debt and interest payments will amount to more than $2.4 million this year, according to a payment schedule for the higher … Continue reading →

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Weingarten’s whining

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, the folks at Weingarten are a wee bit sensitive about the negative reactions they’ve gotten since their plans to demolish the interior of the Alabama Theater became public knowledge. They’ve been keeping their PR people busy with a continued … Continue reading →

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