Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

Don’t we have some kind of ordinance for this?

Posted on April 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is I-10 at Studemont on Wednesday morning. They started building this thing on Monday, and by Wednesday evening there were billboards on display. Once I realized what it was, I said to myself “Don’t we have some kind of … Continue reading →

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Recycling pilot project update

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, Monday was the day that the new compostable bag ordinance went into effect. It was also the day that the city’s automated recycling program was to be extended to many more houses. From a story in the … Continue reading →

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Giant Presidential heads coming home

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We in Houston welcome them with open arms, for however long we get to have them back. Less than a month after foreclosure proceedings put the brakes on Pearland’s WaterLights District and Presidential Park & Gardens, the homeless presidents are … Continue reading →

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Staples confirms it is not looking at the Alabama Theater

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot noted this last week when one of its readers sent an email to Staples, and now the company has written a letter to the Chron to confirm that they are not seeking to redevelop the Alabama Theater. Staples was … Continue reading →

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Whose job is it anyway?

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron editorial reviews the Weingarten/Alabama BookStop situation, and raises a pertinent issue: Most cities aggressively protect the handful of places that make them special. Houston doesn’t. We offer incentives to make stadium deals work for sports teams. Why not … Continue reading →

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No Staples for the Alabama Theater

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some news from Swamplot, from a commenter there named Andrea: “After writing to Staples PR this is their canned response: ‘While there has been speculation about Staples in connection with the historic Alabama Theater, we do not have a lease … Continue reading →

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Keep hope alive for the Alabama Drafthouse

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Crossing my fingers. More than six months ago, the owners of the Houston-area Alamo Drafthouse locations talked to Weingarten Realty about leasing the historic Alabama Theater. The negotiations fell apart when the groups couldn’t come to an agreement. Now, with … Continue reading →

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Alabama Drafthouse Theater idea gains momentum

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

With the revelation that Weingarten has plans to demolish the interior of the former Alabama BookStop so that it may get turned into a Staples or something like it, more people are expressing the wish that something be done instead … Continue reading →

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Are they finally building something on the Robinson Warehouse site?

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Robinson Warehouse? It’s been more than three years now since the old building at Montrose and Allen Parkway was demolished, and the site has been fallow ever since. But in the last week or so, some signs of … Continue reading →

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Weingarten update

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot keeps digging to find out more about what’s going on with the Alabama Theater. Basically, though Weingarten is being weaselly about it (I know, I’m shocked too), it seems clear they are planning to demolish the interior of the … Continue reading →

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The Alabama Staples?

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot brings an update on the Alabama Theater, where the now-closed BookStop was. It looks like the former Alabama Theater — known since the early eighties as the Alabama Bookstop, and since last fall as that big vacant space for … Continue reading →

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Pearland Presidential heads in peril

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, noes!! A struggling national economy and tight credit market have taken their toll on the proposed WaterLights District in Pearland, which announced Wednesday that Amegy Bank has posted the property for foreclosure. Plans for the mixed-used project at Texas … Continue reading →

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The bridge formerly known as Tolerance

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Remember Tolerance Bridge? That was the bridge that was supposed to connect pedestrian and bike trails along Allen Parkway with those on Memorial Drive near Montrose Boulevard. Unfortunately, no one liked the name, so the Houston Arts Alliance was sent … Continue reading →

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The Montrose Land Defense Coalition

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the name of the group that’s not so much fighting against the proposed HEB on the old Wilshire Village location as they are (in their own words) “concerned with the degree to which communities have a say in the … Continue reading →

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Saturday still picture break: Go Texan

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This little piece of yard art is on Greenbriar, across the street from Roberts Elementary School: It appeared a couple of weeks ago, just before the start of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. I can only presume that was … Continue reading →

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All your empty lots are belong to HEB

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The empty lot that once housed the Wilshire Village apartments will be bought by HEB. Cyndy Garza-Roberts, director of public affairs for H-E-B, said the company is studying the feasibility of the acquisition and didn’t have an estimated closing date. … Continue reading →

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CIP meeting for District H

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: City of Houston Capital Improvement Plan meeting in your neighborhood (District H) District H Council Member Ed Gonzalez City of Houston officials Wednesday, March 10, 2010 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Jefferson Davis High School 1101 Quitman … Continue reading →

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Petition to bring back WestFest

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Those of you who remember the old Westheimer Street Festival may be interested to know there’s a petition to start it up again. For twenty years, the Westheimer Art Festival / Westheimer Street Festival served as an essential shared community experience … Continue reading →

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It’s magic

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve always been a fan of magic acts – I still remember seeing Doug Henning’s “The Magic Show” on Broadway with my dad when I was a kid – so I’m really excited about Magic!, the new exhibit at HMNS. … Continue reading →

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More on the Ashby Highrise lawsuit

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a longer version of the Chron story about the Ashby Highrise lawsuit. The key point: Although the petition filed in a Harris County civil court-at-law does not specify damages, [developers Kevin] Kirton and [Matthew] Morgan said they are seeking … Continue reading →

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At long last, the Ashby Highrise Lawsuit

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Ashby Highrise developers have filed suit against the city. The developers of the Ashby high-rise sued the city of Houston today seeking more than $40 million in compensation after repeated denials of their permit application. “The city must learn … Continue reading →

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Breaking ground on Market Square renovation

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Moving along. When [Market Square] reopens this summer, it will feature a dog run, a seven-day-a-week food kiosk operated by a popular Montrose Greek restaurant, an artwalk and a history corner. In September — the park’s second phase — a … Continue reading →

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More recycling coming

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The city is poised to expand its automated recycling program to an additional 50,000 households, allowing roughly 1 in 5 Houstonians the opportunity to put paper, plastic, soda cans and glass into one wheeled trash-can-sized bin instead of … Continue reading →

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The abandoned shrine

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What a waste. A multi-million dollar mess has neighbors in an upscale Houston neighborhood looking for answers. They’re tired of seeing a big, empty building with boarded-up windows, broken doors and dead landscaping. “An eyesore, quite ugly,” said Jan O’Brien, … Continue reading →

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The new Planned Parenthood

Posted on January 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One of the reasons cited for that silly “boycott Houston” campaign is the new Planned Parenthood building on the Gulf Freeway. Having been a clinic escort at the Fannin location many years ago, back when the entrance was right off … Continue reading →

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From the “You get what you pay for” department

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this story about the struggle of suburban fire departments to provide services for residents who don’t want to pay for them. I just don’t understand the mindset. Montgomery County ESD No. … Continue reading →

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Biodegradable bag requirement postponed

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Implementation of the new city ordinance requiring biodegradable bags for yard waste has been pushed back until April. The new start date is April 5, which is after the last major fall of leaves for the season, said Harry Hayes, … Continue reading →

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No Rice-BCM merger

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The longstanding merger talks between Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have been terminated. Rice President David Leebron and Baylor College of Medicine President Dr. William Butler gave no reason for the talks ending in their statement. “Since we … Continue reading →

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A hippie bohemian flashback

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Remember this? Those were the days, my friends, those were the days. These days? Not so much. Three years ago, developers got the city to shut down Bolsover Street so they could build the seven-story complex, but those plans stopped … Continue reading →

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The high rise versus the bar

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This is just bizarre. A long-standing feud between Rice-area bar owners and their neighbors in a high-rise condo has escalated from egg throwing, water spraying, laser pointing and name calling to assault lawsuits. Just off Kirby Drive on Quenby a … Continue reading →

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Recycle that tree redux

Posted on January 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The City of Houston has set the example to follow. Stripped of holiday finery and misshapen after a Christmas Eve wind gust clipped off its top, Houston’s official City Hall Christmas tree unceremoniously was chopped, chipped and shipped off to … Continue reading →

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Air cleanup progress report

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news about efforts to get manufacturing plants to pollute less. In 2005, following Houston Chronicle and state reports about alarming levels of butadiene in neighborhoods near Texas Petrochemicals, the company signed a non-binding agreement with the TCEQ to … Continue reading →

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Yard waste

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t realized that an ordinance requiring bbiodegradable bags for yard waste had been passed, but I like it. Under the ordinance, the city will not collect yard waste in plastic bags, and will fine residents up to $2,000 for … Continue reading →

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Welcome to the not-quite-a-city of The Woodlands

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

On January 1, a unique experiment in city-like governance will commence in The Woodlands. A new government body, approved by residents two years ago and called The Woodlands Township, will take control of the Montgomery County community 30 miles north … Continue reading →

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