Tag Archives: construction

Heights-area bike trails to be linked

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. Houston’s expanding trail system will soon gain a new leg in the greater Heights area. The addition will be part of Bayou Greenways 2020, a $215 million project aimed at creating a continuous network of hike-and-bike trails and … Continue reading →

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Ashby everywhere: The San Felipe highrise

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to keep track of them all. THESE UNDERSTATED “Stop the San Felipe Skyscraper” signs started going up about knee-high this weekend in River Oaks and Vermont Commons to protest that shiny 17-story office tower that Hines is proposing to build nearby. Though these … Continue reading →

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Ashbys all over

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that Chron story that I mentioned yesterday, which talks about increasing neighborhood resistance to multi-story residential projects in areas that mostly have single-family houses. Tension mounted as 20 or so Morrison Street residents, armed with city documents and Internet … Continue reading →

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More construction on Yale

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Alexan Heights II: Midrise Boogaloo. For residents near Yale and 6th street, Independence Day fireworks were nothing compared to the sparks flying when news of another proposed apartment complex came to light July 5. A heads-up notification from District … Continue reading →

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HISD inspects North Forest schools

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not pretty. The HISD leaders tried not to scowl as they walked into classrooms with broken glass, flooded floors, outdated chalkboards, graffiti on walls, gum on desks and the smell of mildew. The head of food service swept cockroaches … Continue reading →

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Here come the hotels

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of downtown hotel construction going on, or about to go on. The area around the George R. Brown Convention Center is about to see a burst of hotel construction as developers plan several new projects, two of which will … Continue reading →

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Hello, Motorola

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to Texas. Cellphone pioneer Motorola announced Wednesday that it’s opening a Texas manufacturing facility that will create 2,000 jobs and produce its new flagship device, Moto X, the first smartphone ever assembled in the U.S. The company has already … Continue reading →

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Alexan Heights gets approved

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Leader News updates us on the latest news regarding the proposed development on Yale at 7th. Houston’s Planning Commission has approved Trammell Crow Residential’s replat application without variance for the site of its 360-unit Alexan Heights mid-rise luxury apartment … Continue reading →

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North Line on track to open early

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. Metro’s North Line light rail extension will open ahead of schedule in December, officials said Thursday, providing the first new light rail service in Houston in almost 10 years. The announcement at the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s monthly board meeting … Continue reading →

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Alexan Heights trying again

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Leader News reports that the proposed mid-rise apartment complex for Yale at 7th Street has been reworked in a way that would avoid the need for a variance. The deed restrictions involved single-family homes within the proposed complex — … Continue reading →

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290 toll lane opens

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You solo drivers on US 290 can now take advantage of the HOV lane to make your daily commute a little less grim, beginning today. Based on time of day, drivers will pay between $1 and $5 for using the … Continue reading →

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Five years of Discovery Green

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Five great years for a great park and an awesome city amenity. Five years after its opening, more than 1 million people annually come to stretch out on the grassy slope to take in live music and movies with the … Continue reading →

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So long, Skylane Apartments

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is happening in my neighborhood, and it’s already generated a lot of interest from the locals. The aging Skylane Central apartments, perched near the entrance of the Woodland Heights neighborhood, are headed for demolition as a developer makes plans … Continue reading →

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Revamped Chapter 42 ordinance finally passes

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Strangely enough, in the end it was not very contentious. Houston City Council on Wednesday voted 14-3 to allow greater single-family home density outside Loop 610, while also strengthening the proposal’s already robust protections for neighborhoods concerned about unwelcome development. … Continue reading →

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Astrodome anti-climax

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s it?!?!?!? The Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. board of directors approved a resolution Wednesday calling for staff to collect ideas for what to do with the vacant Reliant Astrodome between now and June 10. The Sports Corp., the … Continue reading →

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A STEM vision for the Astrodome

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Tory Gattis has an idea for what to do with the Astrodome. Where can America’s kids go to be inspired toward careers in our country’s most crucial need: science, technology, engineering and math (aka STEM)? Something far beyond their little … Continue reading →

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It’s Chapter 42 week

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We won’t know for years what the upcoming revisions to Chapter 42, the development and density codes in Houston, will mean to the city and its development and population patterns. There’s certainly a lot of hope that the changes will … Continue reading →

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Fifth Ward revitalization

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad to see this renewal project going on it the Fifth Ward. But now the stains of that past are being scrubbed clean by the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation with what it calls the Lyons Avenue Renaissance. … Continue reading →

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Someone will do something sort of soon about the Dome

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t be more specific than that. While Houston’s Super Bowl Host Committee continues its bid to win the vote for Super Bowl LI, the next step in the possible demolition of the Astrodome could be taken next week by … Continue reading →

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How will Chapter 42 affect housing in Houston?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, we’re still talking about Chapter 42, the local development and density code. One of the goals of revamping Chapter 42 is to make it easier and more attractive to build mid-range housing in the city limits. How do we … Continue reading →

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There’s no such thing as a free road

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have an issue with this. Texas’ boom of toll roads has made the “free” part of freeway mean something different lately. As toll lanes become the preferred choice for adding capacity to Texas roads, a growing number of state … Continue reading →

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Ashby Highrise gets its permit

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it comes. The city of Houston [last] week granted full permitting approval for the 21-story apartment building planned near Rice University at 1717 Bissonnet and Ashby. An existing apartment complex at the site is now vacant … Continue reading →

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Alamo Drafthouse at Regent Square

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is an interesting development. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which is opening its second area location Thursday in Vintage Park Shopping Village, just announced that it will open a third location in the Inner Loop mixed-use project Regent Square, where it … Continue reading →

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Alexan Heights update

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The developers of the Alexan Heights project on Yale will go before the Planning Commission tomorrow to get a variance that would remove a single-family restriction on part of the property. Some folks in the neighborhood have been petitioning against … Continue reading →

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Time for another report on how much traffic sucks

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We love this sort of thing, don’t we? Houston commuters continue to endure some of the worst traffic delays in the country, according to the 2012 Urban Mobility Report released Tuesday by the Texas A&M Transportation Commission. Area drivers wasted … Continue reading →

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First Hobby expansion details announced

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Moving forward at Hobby Airport. The Southwest Airlines-proposed expansion, green-lighted by the Houston City Council last May, calls for construction by the end of 2015 of a new concourse with five gates capable of accommodating midsize aircraft; a federal inspection … Continue reading →

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The 288-to-the-Medical-Center connector takes a step forward

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I still have a bad feeling about this. In a first step toward providing relief, transportation officials will spend the year winnowing six possible locations for reversible toll lanes that would provide a direct connection between the sprawling medical campus … Continue reading →

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More from the Larry Marshall files

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This guy is a piece of work. HISD trustee Larry Marshall, fresh off a two-day school board retreat, flew from Houston to Tampa, Fla., on a clear winter day to watch the 2009 Super Bowl in Raymond James Stadium. Cheap … Continue reading →

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Yale Street Bridge work set to begin

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good to hear. Work to rehabilitate the Yale Street Bridge south of Interstate 10 is scheduled to begin in April. According to the Houston Department of Public Works and Engineering, the process will involve installation of external carbon-strip reinforcement along … Continue reading →

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Alexan Heights on Yale

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you live in my neck of the woods you’re probably interested in the news (via Swamplot) of the new apartment complex being planned for the empty lot on Yale between 6th and 7th. The RUDH January newsletter has details. … Continue reading →

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Your other one-minute real estate update

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Basically, real estate good in Houston. Inventory of homes for sale has fallen to a level not seen in more than a decade. Builders are trying to keep up with a growing demand from buyers relocating here for jobs. Realtors … Continue reading →

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Your one-minute real estate update

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one mostly tangential thing to say about this. Houston will see a modest and steady growth in retail activity in 2013, according to Ed Wulfe’s annual retail forecast. And the following year should be much better, said … Continue reading →

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Amazon comes to Schertz

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Hello, Schertz! After about six months of negotiations, this city, the Schertz Economic Development Corp. and Guadalupe County have approved about $7.6 million in direct tax incentives to land a $166 million distribution warehouse for Amazon.com. The 1.26 million-square-foot warehouse, … Continue reading →

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Why does Midtown need a big box store?

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This story is about a forthcoming six-acre “superblock” being developed in Midtown, and about Midtown’s rise as a successful residential/entertainment area. What caught my eye was this bit at the end: Still, Midtown has yet to see any significant new … Continue reading →

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