Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

Transit corridors ordinance approved

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not all that it could have been, but it’s a start. Passengers stepping off trains in Houston’s expanding light rail network will be more likely to encounter walkable environments and interesting destinations because of action taken Wednesday by the … Continue reading →

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Free childhood immunizations available

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via email from the Houston Fire Department: Get Your Child Ready For School With Free Immunizations from The Houston Fire Department and Blue Cross and Blue Shield It takes more than school supplies to get your child ready for the … Continue reading →

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Cy-Fair parents want their school buses

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Parents in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District react with dismay to cutbacks in school bus service. “I implore you, please reconsider these routes,” said parent Rachel Gerhardt. “Some are hazardous. My main concern is that my child gets to and … Continue reading →

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Lisa Gray on the closing of the Alabama Bookstop

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Gray writes about the impending closing of the Alabama Bookstop, to be followed by the opening of the new Barnes & Noble and the rest of the remade River Oaks Shopping Center, and what it means for the Bookstop’s … Continue reading →

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Alabama Bookstop to close next month

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In June, I noted a Swamplot post that said the Alabama Bookstop would be closing soon, but that property owner Weingarten would not be demolishing the existing building. We now have a reported date for the Bookstop to close up … Continue reading →

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Your post office may close

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Look out. The Postal Service may register a loss of nearly $7 billion this fiscal year in spite of a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps in May, cuts in staff and removal of collection boxes. Post officials sent … Continue reading →

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The tenth time is not the charm

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Ashby High Rise still can’t get approved. Plans for the Ashby high-rise were rejected for the 10th time Tuesday with the city saying its own traffic evaluation now shows the projects impact would push the Bissonnet Street at Shepherd … Continue reading →

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At least now we know what he does with his time

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, Orlando Sanchez, our do-nothing County Treasurer, is a closet urbanist. I’ll direct you to Greg for a thorough review of Sanchez’s vision for Washington Avenue, to which there’s not much to add. I will note that Sanchez continues to … Continue reading →

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The case for conformity

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Max Watson and Ed Wulfe of the Houston Quality of Life Coalition make the case in the Chron for Houston to be more like some other cities. Last week’s new sign ordinance addressed roof, wall and window signs throughout the … Continue reading →

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How to do (and not do) urban streets

Posted on July 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

neoHouston says: One of the big problems in development today, in particular in the area of city planning, is distinguishing between good urban infill and mediocre urban infill. At first glance the two may look very similar, but they are … Continue reading →

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Gandhi Street

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hillcroft Street may get another name. Lined with international shops and restaurants, Hillcroft is known for its vast diversity. Now the India Culture Center wants to rename Hillcroft as Mahatma Gandhi Street, to honor the late spiritual leader. Indian business … Continue reading →

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Chron makes the case for beautification

Posted on July 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorializes in favor of the new sign ordinance passed by Council this week. The tone is off-putting, and as has been the case all along is long on assertion and short on empirical evidence, but it’s a pretty … Continue reading →

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Saturday reminders

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder about a couple of things happening tomorrow that are of interest. One is the Central City Co-op garage sale, going on from 8 AM till noon at Fixers Automotive on 11th and Harvard in the Heights. Here’s … Continue reading →

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HFD’s shame

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I really don’t know what there is to say about the recent ugliness within the Houston Fire Department. It’s a shame and an outrage, and I sincerely hope the steps Mayor White is taking go a long way towards making … Continue reading →

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Design guide versus transit corridors ordinance

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure what to make of this just yet. Fallout from the long-dormant Ashby high-rise development emerged Wednesday as a potential obstacle to the city’s effort to promote walkable, urban-style development along Metro’s planned light-rail lines. Neighborhood opposition to the … Continue reading →

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Council passes new sign ordinance

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Still not sure about the wisdom of this, but it’s a done deal now. With one dissenting vote, City Council on Wednesday passed a major revision to the city’s decades-old sign ordinance that supporters hope will improve what they see … Continue reading →

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More on the Heights recycling center

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been wondering what the deal was with the proposal to move the neighbhorhood recycling location from Center Street to somewhere in the First Ward when I heard about it last week. There was supposed to be a town hall … Continue reading →

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More signage regulation coming

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

First, they came for the billboards. Then they came for the attention-getting devices. Now in the crosshairs: Roof signs and other potential menaces to Houston’s natural beauty. The city of Houston is poised to pass a major revision to its … Continue reading →

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Lower taxes, less revenue, lower quality

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, you need tax revenues to pay for needed services, and when the demand for those services outstrips the growth of the tax revenues, you either have to find a way to raise more revenue, or you have to cut … Continue reading →

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Benefit for Jason Nodler

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Jason Nodler is the artistic director for The Catastrophic Theatre. The following is an email from Tamarie Cooper: Dear Friends, Many of you know that Jason was the victim of a serious hit and run accident while in Amsterdam this … Continue reading →

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Midtown not feeling the recession

Posted on July 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good to know some parts of town are still thriving. The recession seems to have forgotten about Midtown. A drive around the neighborhood reveals forgotten buildings undergoing restoration and new apartments being framed. This area between the Central Business District … Continue reading →

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Cork recycling

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Isiah Carey asks “Have you ever heard of cork recycling?” I’ve heard of bottle recycling, plastic recycling, and even computer recycling but never cork recycling. Apparently, some Houston area liquor stores are on a campaign to recycle corks from wine … Continue reading →

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Neighborhood concerns about the transit corridors ordinance

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I think most people who choose to live in Houston’s urban core would agree that density is a good thing as a general rule. Density done in a half-assed way, which has been Houston’s trademark, not so much. Density hasn’t … Continue reading →

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Wilshire Village’s going-away photos

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I ask for photos of the impending demolition of Wilshire Village Apartments, I get photos. And I echo Robert Boyd: I just hope the developer, who thus far has been shown to have no particular vision (or much human decency) … Continue reading →

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Will the Alabama Bookstop be spared the wrecking ball?

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A commenter at Swamplot, who claims to have inside information, has the following to say about the River Oaks Shopping Center and the Alabama Bookstop. 1. Barnes and Noble owns Bookstop. They are closing it to move to the new … Continue reading →

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Hot enough for ya?

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, it’s really hot out there. Houston’s relentless heat wave prompted the National Weather Service today to declare a “Heat Emergency,” a designation that air temperature and humidity is a potential health threat for all people and is particularly dangerous … Continue reading →

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Get ready to say good-bye to Wilshire Village

Posted on June 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot brings the sad but totally expected news. As noted in today’s Daily Demolition Report below, 20 structures of the Wilshire Village garden apartments at the corner of Alabama and Dunlavy received demolition permits yesterday. Aren’t there only 17 buildings … Continue reading →

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Inflatable gorillas win one in court

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

How often do you get to write a headline like that? U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore ruled that a 1993 city ordinance restricting the use of attention-getting devices, such as the giant balloons atop businesses, violated the due process and … Continue reading →

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Fireworks and droughts

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard out there on a fireworks vendor. As July 4 approaches, Michael Girdley is praying for rain. The president of Alamo Fireworks, based in China Grove, is worried a summer drought could lead to a fireworks ban in Harris … Continue reading →

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Where that new transit corridors ordinance came from

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Christof takes another look at the proposed urban transit corridors ordinance, and asks a simple question. Days after the City of Houston’s draft corridor urban corridors ordinance was released, Houstonians For Responsible Growth – a developer group that generally opposes any new … Continue reading →

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Recycle thyself

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose I had assumed that the city of Houston was already collecting recyclables separately from trash. Apparently, that was not the case, but it will be now. The Solid Waste Management Department has implemented programs at breakneck speed to … Continue reading →

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Trash day

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may have received a notice from the City of Houston that your trash collection day has changed. Here’s the email I got: In continuing efforts to improve service and maximize taxpayer dollars, we have re-routed select areas in North … Continue reading →

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Big balloon lawsuit

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. The constitutional right to have a giant inflatable gorilla in a bathing suit and sunglasses grabbing consumer attention from a Houston business rooftop is the key issue in a trial that began in federal court … Continue reading →

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Keep Heights Green

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Got this via a Heights mailing list I’m on: Keep Heights Green, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to replant trees in the Greater Heights area lost during Hurricane Ike, is hosting its first fundraising event on Thursday, June … Continue reading →

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