Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

It’s early in the game, but there are proposals in the works to make various parts of Houston’s inner core more pedestrian-friendly. After two years of work, Houston’s Department of Planning and Development has released recommendations that cover pedestrian zones, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We had a lot of recycling this week: The total amount was more than usual – Tiffany had a pile of plastic flowerpots to dispose of (which we now can do), and we had extra paper this week because we’d … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Swamplot, I see that the Heights Theater on 19th Street is for sale. That’s way too cool a property to sit idle, and that area is pretty hot, so I’m sure there will be a taker. I can only … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Some time in the next month or so, Harris County likely welcomed its four millionth resident. Assuming it hasn’t already happened, that is. The county’s population as of July 2007 was 3.94 million, representing a 1.5 percent bump of 60,000 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

When you see the headline Ballet will grow by leaps, bounds with $53 million move and your first reaction is “Good Lord, what has Commissioners Court done now?!?” because you read the first word as “Ballot”, it’s time to take … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I agree with Lisa Gray – the old Sears store on Main Street at Wheeler is pretty darned ugly. It’s just that I don’t think it stands out in its ugliness, any more than something its size would expect to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The most significant obstacle to any kind of Astrodome hotel plan was opposition from the Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It now looks like that opposition has softened somewhat. “We will be pleased to work with the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Leo Gold, the KPFT radio talk show host who’s been in the news and at City Hall to push recycling, had Mayor White on his show last week to discuss the topic. You can listen to it here, or download … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s been talk for a long time now that neighborhoods that have poor participation rates with curbside recycling might lose the service, and now that day of reckoning is at hand. Harry Hayes, the city’s solid waste director, recently sent … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tonight’s the night for White Linen Night in the Heights. Here’s a map of the area – note that there’s shuttle service available as well as pedi-cabs and rickshaws. Parking is at a premium in this area, so if you’re … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I guess that recent run of positive press for Houston couldn’t last forever. The city’s shimmering skyline may wear the label of the world’s energy capital, but deep in Houston’s Dumpsters lies a less glamorous superlative: It is the worst … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You know, I was just thinking that it had been way too long since we had a story about the availability of public toilets in downtown Houston. Thankfully, our wait is over. Unlike some other U.S. cities, Houston does not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If there’s going to be any action taken by City Council on a new ordinance to deal with the Ahsby highrise and its ilk, it won’t happen any time soon, probably not until after Mayor White’s successor has been sworn … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Next Saturday, August 2, will be the third annual White Linen Night in the Heights. It’s basically an outdoor art-and-music festival, spread over several areas in the Heights – you can read more about it here. The event is an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Given the previous story about the problem of dealing with mentally ill homeless folks that the jails have, this article about a proposed shelter for them is quite timely. The list of those who support Magnolia Glen, a project that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This recent article about a new high-end 236-unit apartment at Richmond and Dunlavy in Montrose contains a point that I wish would get mentioned more often. David Robinson, president of the Neartown Association, said his group realizes change, specifically higher … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Though there’s been some recent good news on the recycling front, the city of Houston still has a long way to go to bring its program up to an acceptable level, which has been having problems for years now. “Everything … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The recent spate of favorable stories about Houston continues with this Bloomberg entry. Houston, the fourth-largest U.S. city, hasn’t had a new downtown luxury apartment tower in four decades. That will change next year, when One Park Place opens. The … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Following up on the recent good news that the city will now accept more types of plastic for curbside and dropoff recycling, City Controller Annise Parker announces on her website that more expansions are coming: Recycler AbitibiBowater has committed $3 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I only just now got around to reading this article on some issues folks in the Sabine Street Lofts are having with the kidz at the new Jamail Skate Park, but all I really needed to read was this bit: … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I couldn’t tell you the last time I drove through the FM1960 area in northwest Harris County, so I couldn’t have told you that it isn’t aging well. But I can’t say I’m surprised. The problems affecting Houston’s aging suburban … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Um, okay. Grace Community Church is raising money to build two enormous crosses that its pastor says will mark the entrances to Houston on Interstate 45. The crosses will likely rank among the largest in the world. Counting their bases, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Very good news: The City of Houston’s recycling program will now accept more types of plastic for both curbside pickup and recycling-center dropoff. Up until now the plastic you could recycle was limited to mostly water bottles and plastic milk … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This is my neighborhood church, where Olivia and Audrey got baptized. In a shady grotto filled with plants, lilacs and daffodils, parishioners at All Saints Catholic Church would sometimes stop to pray and reflect before an Our Lady of Lourdes … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Very good news. The development group that bought the shuttered Days Inn hotel on the southern end of downtown said it will spend up to $50 million converting the dilapidated structure into another hotel. New Era Hospitality, a group of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve long thought that the Ashby highrise would eventually get built, on the grounds that there really isn’t anything the city can do to stop it. Via Swamplot, I see that the developers are now almost through the permitting process. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron’s Nancy Sarnoff writes about the Heights highrise, and makes it sound pretty reasonable. [C]alling it another Ashby high-rise may be a stretch. For one, the proposal is for an office building. And the rendering is old. A newer … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You have to admit, this makes a lot of sense. For 24 long years, Houstonians swatted mosquitoes for law and order. They sweated for community solidarity. They turned out by the tens of thousands in the hottest part of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Farther down in that HAIF thread about the Heights highrise is this entry from someone who appears to have inside knowledge: A few notes of clarification on the building being discussed: a. The structure, as currently envisioned, will include first … Continue reading → Continue reading →

When was the last time you read three simultaneously-published positive pieces about Houston in the national press? I’m thinking “never”, but maybe my memory just doesn’t stretch back far enough. Here they are: Newsweek: Houston, We Have No Problems Chicago … Continue reading → Continue reading →

When Tiffany tells me to blog about something, I listen, so with that in mind let me point you to this HAIF thread, and this post in particular, about what might be the future site of a highrise on White … Continue reading → Continue reading →