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jgs1419

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About jgs1419

  • Birthday 05/29/1967

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    The Heights

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  1. We are zoned to Field Elementary. We have two kids at Harvard (2nd G and K). I lost my wife to the PTA. If you would like the details of our decision making process, please PM me and I'll share with you our thinking on schools and why we selected Harvard. Old oldest has been there since K and we are very pleased with the school, staff and parent involvement.
  2. I'm pretty sure that they are rehabbing. Some of the shanty out buildings were demolished. There is a sign in front of the house for a local designer (APD). Looks like this one will be redone.
  3. To clarify, I wasn't addressing rent controls or subsidy when I made the previous post. My point was that deed restrictions that limit lot division or a change in density don't allow for the lower price per unit that usually results in dividing a 'full size' lot in half and building two houses in lieu of building one house on the same lot. Were it not for the 25x132 lots and 33x132 lots that many builders are using in the Heights, the only new construction available in the Heights would be $600k plus. Likewise deed restrictions don't do anything to prevent the demolition of houses.
  4. Deed restrictions are very effective at limiting/restricting undesirable development but Sheila's point seems to be that The Heights needs to restrict development, densification, and lot size without affecting the diversity of housing stock, maintaining the broad range of price points and encouraging refurbishment/historical preservation. Generally, those aspirations work in conflict and deed restrictions address only one of the variables in the equation.
  5. The ongoing dialog regarding development restrictions and neighborhood preservation is an important one in The Heights and in other inner city neighborhoods experiencing the tension caused by redevelopment/new construction. Normally, the dialog is peppered with comments that disparage the character of otherwise reputable builders (profiteers, sorry bastards, etc.) or call into question the motives of the existing homeowners ("now that I'm here, I don't want anything to change", do gooder ninnies, etc.). I wanted to thank both Sheila and Niche for reducing the discussion to a cogent dialog on the issues in lieu of a rhetoric filled rant. Neighborhood redevelopment/Neighborhood protection is a very emotional issue. I think we are all well served by dialing down the vehemence. These posts are a winning example. IMO, issues regarding neighborhood protection have to be solved by revised development ordinances. Deed restrictions, prevailing lot size, etc. are tools that have limited effectiveness. Everyone would benefit from a clear set of rules and or incentives for quality infill development that balance the conflicting need for affordability, availability, density, and neighborhood preservation.
  6. Does anyone know if anything has happened with this building? I had an architect friend doing some due diligence on it a year or so ago but don't think the project went forward.
  7. Generally, everything north of 610 to Crosstimbers and west of 45 to Airline is in the 100 year flood plain. West of Airline to North Main is in "Zone X". The flood plain south of the Loop is limted to an area around 29th and Airline. Look at the map for more info. (www.tsarp.org). Many of the lots in IH are vacant because the owners were flooded out, had no insurance and couldn't afford to rebuild. If you look at the tax delinquency rate in IH, it is sky high. There are two or three properites in the Harris County Tax sale every month.
  8. One of the big problems with I.H and one that has limited growth/rebirth/gentrification is that it floods like crazy, especially the eastern ends. Flood control is looking to rework where the bayou's flow is restricted by 610 and 45 but i don't know the schedule for implementation. Likewise, the mayor has talked alot about infrastructure investment in that area but so far that has been all talk. It's some of the cheapest dirt available that is close to downtown. It has some interesting history. Unfortunatley, very few of the original structures are habitable if they exist at all. Look at the GIMS map for tax delinquency and vacant lots for more info.
  9. We're building two homes not too far away. 19th street is quickly becoming a 'walkable' amenity. Good news for the restaurant and retail starved Heights.
  10. I found out about Kaplan's closing when I got the flyer by e/mail that the property was for sale. If I could figure out how to post it, I would but I've reached the limit of my technical capacity on that one. I'm sorry to see the store close. I have bought countless birthday presents, gift cards, last minute anniversary presents and even a baptism gown for my kids there. The service was spectacular. It's always nice to shop where folks know you. Th 19th Street commercial corridor will continue to evolve as rents increase and surrounding demographics become more attractive. The Kaplan property is almost two acres. A right minded developer could do well with a mixed use project on that well traveled and centrally located location......wait.......maybe that's me! I don't recall the whole story but the Yale Street pharmacy has been on or around 22nd and Yale since the 20s. The last pharmacist is still alive and kicking though the family no longer owns the property, they sold it a couple of years ago. My neighbor is part of the family and has some great photos of the pharmacy and its customers.
  11. I've seen it. I bet the first floor would go 7.000ft2. I don't know the whole story but I bet it's a good one.
  12. I was just being glib.....but since you ask, the 'master' plan for the city (it was self reliant when incorporated) included all police, fire, schools, retail, and an industrial base. Many of the facilities are in use today (e.g. the retail shops on 19th, the waterworks, and the fire house/jail which is owned by the Heights Assoc.). Some of the old industrial buildings are being converted to lofts. This is way off topic so I won't expound further. For those interested, an excerpt from a book about the history of the Heights can be found at: http://www.houstonheightsonline.com/history.asp.
  13. The biggest obstacle is to mixed use for developer's is readily available financing. Lenders on a project like this will want a signficant equity contribution from the developer's plus 30+% of the units presold before they pony up the construction loan. The retail lending world is segmented into the super center, neighborhood center, strip, etc. and will only lend based on demographics and comparables (which largely don't exist in urban infill efforts). Likewise, some underwriters that do residential lending have very low limits on how much they can lend on retail (remember that the real estate finance world largely lives in silos). The end result is that a developer can't readily assemble the financing for mixed-use and the project goes straight residential. That dynamic isn't helped when a local (myopic) multi-family developer gets quoted in The Chronicle saying "you have to have 1,500 residents in a development to justify ground floor retail". Lenders, surprisingly, can and do read the paper.
  14. It is encouraging that the residents got the city's attention and the city is taking preservation seriously. Of course, if you had already spent money on due diligence and predevelopment in preparation for the bid opening, you're a little steamed at the timing of the change in plans. Don't expect to see any eye catching redevelopment plans for that site anytime soon. It will sit idle while the residents and the city kibbitz over redevelopment plans that neither have the power or money to implement.
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