Marksmu

s3mh repeats things she hears over and over again until she believes them herself...is astounding. I watched several Tricon homes being built in 06/07 and none had a single pre-fab cabinet in them. They may have prefab now, I don't know - but none did then. Also, some of the absolute best, most expensive cabinets you can buy are pre-fabricated...or at least fabricated off site. There are multiple cabinet companies just here in Houston that do precise measurements of the home, then build the cabinets off site with CNC machines, that are orders of magnitude nicer than any carpenter could ever build on site. I've seen $10,000,000 custom homes with these off site built cabinets in them...heck, I bought some after seeing how much nicer they are. You can get them built off site, to precise dimensions, with oven cured paint that is 25x more durable than anything that could ever be done on site. With the oven cured paint, you can scrub it, knick it, wash it, basically anything short of abuse it, and it wont come off, unlike site painted cabinets, that will get knicks just from your fingernails missing a pull.

It may shock you, but in 2006, 2007 Tricon did not have any pre-fab cabinets in their stand alone units....They were all site built from oak or poplar, and they all had a good deal of detailed molding work in them. I looked at several and all were being built on site with lots of milled features. Also in 2006, 2007 when they were really building the stand alone homes (non-garage front facing), everything was granite & travertine in all builds, half the models had a small sunroom off the breakfast room...nobody was using marble or white subway tiles...marble & subway tiles did not get popular again until about 2011 or so, when the kitchen trends all switched from stained or painted wood back to white & marble, etc... In fact, with the exception of the farmhouse sink - everything that Tricon did that you say sucks, is EXACTLY what was popular in 2006/2007....I dont know what they are building now, but they built exactly what everyone (even full blown custom homes) were building at the time. I think you are just so biased against builders as you can not acknowledge what they were really doing. My point is, everything you call "Faux" or "Mc" (fill in derogatory word) is what they were building...The floor plans, the outside look (minus real wood siding) all were nearly identical. Just shows that you really cant pleased with anything new, unless it has a name that you dont associate with mass production.

I see very little difference between this house and any of the 2000-2007 Tricon standalone houses (before they started building the garage to the street town home style stand alones)....The built in's, the floor plan, the finishes, it all looks nearly identical. The only real differences that I can see are the exterior materials...real wood siding instead of hardi plank....and the marble b/c marble was not really in style during that time....Oh, ya and the price. The Tricon ones are about $300K less expensive....well they were...Now I think they are getting close to $700K for the 4400sq ft lots, and in excess of $850K on the 6600sqft lots. I guess in hind sight Tricon was not too bad huh S3MH?

I was not insulting you - I clearly stated that maybe you do not recall the process that was used to create the Heights districts, many people have short memories...if you did not, I was telling you how it was done, if you did and you still thought it was fair, then you were being dishonest...which is not an insult - its an observation. There are lots of people who are willfully ignorant on this subject, and it has a direct effect on those who do care, on both sides of the argument. I can't imagine the pro-historic crowd is proud of how low they had to stoop to win....victory at all cost is no victory at all. You said you had personal knowledge of two districts that had well over 50% - You did not state which, so I was forced to reply with the districts to which this thread is devoted...you know the HEIGHTS...Last I checked you were reading & responding to a thread about historic districts found entirely housed inside of Houston Neighborhoods -- The Heights forum -- forgive me for assuming you were talking about the HEIGHTS. The Heights only has 3 districts in it, and 2 were part of the most fraudulent formation ever. I do acknowledge others viewpoints regularly - I was basing my comments off of your comments above on the assumption you were talking about the Heights. I have no knowledge of the areas which did not effect me - so I can't offer any insight at all into how they were formed. In my opinion, the Heights districts were formed in such a manner that it amounted to outright fraud - They should be dismantled and put to a true vote - Yes or No - where not voting means nothing. If the pro-historic people can gather 67% of the votes of all home owners, including people with more than one property then they win, and there is not much to argue about...but it needs to be legit - 67% of all homes, not including city property, not just 67% of returned ballots. I am very reasonable - I just want it to be legit.

You may not recall, or you may and you are just intellectually dishonest - the only way they got to 67% was by 1) utilzing city owned property in the vote, 2) preventing landowners with more than one property in the area from voting twice...Thus creating the scenario where a person could own an entire city block of rental properties save the exception of three invidivduals and the three individiduals could bind that owner as a "majority" of the votes supported restrictions. The process was dishonest....so many people who supported the HHA which got the signature for the peititons, wanted to withdraw their support after the restrictions were announced, and there was no way to do so....you say the ballot allowed that, right? Well - the ballot was an unmarked envelope from the city, mailed over Christmas, due around new Years, where you had to OPT OUT...YES, OUT....Not mailing the ballot meant you supported the historic district.....Its the only "Vote" in hisotry, where not voting, meant you supported something. Can you imagine what would happen if not voting meant you actually voted FOR something.....I could pass anything I could ever think of...Heck I could get half this city to vote for giving me their houses for free if not mailing in the ballot was a honest means of voting for something. I support everyones right to organize and if there really was overwhelming support for this, I would back down, but there is not. This was a dishonest bait/switch, and the city and the organizers knew it, and resorted to lieing, cheating, and eventually stealing to win. It was dishonest. Period. There is no debate about that point.

Inventory of lots in the Heights was non-existent even before the HAHC. It became nearly impossible to buy lots in 2009, when just about every possible property south of 20th and north of 6th became gold. Property values are increasing inspite of the HAHC, not because of them. And for the record, I support minimum lot size designations reasonable setbacks, and other common sense restrictions on the lots that ensure the nice residential nature of the area is protected. I do not support requiring approval to build/remodel a house. I certainly do not support requirements that period details be preserved, or required either. I do not personally like the 3000sqft houses on the 2800 sqft lots any more than the bungalow owners...we just have completely opposite views on how to control those things. The problem could have been resolved easily with minimal disruption0, and the city chose to use a sledge hammer to force their views on everyone. And there was never even a majoirty of support for the districts. EVER. That is an outright lie that is well documented. The city and the HHA used the most dishonest process ever to achieve their results. They, at most, had 40% support at any time, FAR less than a super majority.

You dont have to agree with me....The pro historic people overwhelmingly want to limit the increases in their property values. The new homes were driving that cost up so fast that they needed to assemble to stop it. The HHA assembled to stop the demolitions so they could slow/stop the drastic increase in property values that has occurred. They can't come right out and say that or they would have no method to achieve their goal of controlling development. Their only option was usign the city to impose a historic ordinance b/c the majority of property owners were against them when they tried to go lot by lot block by block to get their deed restrictions imposed...most owners said no, so they had to use the city and then lie to property owners to get their ordinance passed. Whether you agree with me or not, does not change the facts. There are people who legitamtely love the history of their own homes, unfortunately they make up the vast minority of people. Most just want to prevent an $800,000-$1,000,000 house from making their little bungalow economically obsolete and reducing their bungalow to a lot value tear down.

This is so true, but the pro-historic people, dont actually care about the historic nature at all, they are against all new development - they are just trying to not get priced out of their houses...every new deveopment increases their value and their taxes. Yes, they think their bungalows are cute, but this entire ordinance is more about people trying to find ways to control development, and control cost so they dont have to sell their houses. The house are cute, but there really is nothing "historic" about them at all.

See, there you go again, making up things that cant be proven or dis-proven. What we all know to be an absolute fact is that the ballot did not look like a ballot. It came during Christmas, had to be returned within 15 days...it arrived unmarked, in an every day envelope in the mail, on the same day that an identical envelope came from the mayor's office telling people not to return the envelope...It was not called a ballot, it was called a survey, and only the informed took it seriously....By not returning the ballot you were voting in favor of keeping the ordinance...we have hashed this out...its not even remotely fair. How not voting for something is supporting it is absurd on every level. If its a fair process, lets take a vote again, I will even fund the printing and the mailing and hire a 3rd party to count the ballots.... - Ill even wager the entire greater heights area... We will send a "survey" out December 19th requiring return by January 4th. If you can get 50% of homeowners, excluding city owned property and parks, to opt into the historic districts, we will certify everything between Shephard and Studemont, I-10 and 610 as historic. If they dont vote to keep the ordinance, then its ALL repealed and gone. I will sleep well knowing you can't get 50% of anyone to do anything, especially if its done by US mail....Its ridiculous that you think the process was fair, regardless of whether or not you support the ordinance, the process of instituting was wrought with fraud and BS....only a true idiot, I mean a complete and total $%^&*(^$ moron, would think that process is a fair one.

yes, just some tiny election code violations, lets just sweep that itsy bitsty insignificant elephant under the rug - translation - you mean the outright fraud that was committed to pass something that did not have the support that they purported to have...that counted votes of public and city land, that did not allow landowners with multiple properties, multiple votes, unless of course it was the city.....I wont comment on whether or not its timely b/c frankly I dont know and have not researched it - but the election code violations are, in my opinion, the most egregious and dishonest of all of the things that took place. But, of course, it does not matter, what I think - it will all come to a trial that will determine the legality anyway.

Its broken....The Leader did its JOB, that is to report news in an unbiased way. If their facts are wrong, people are going to have the chance to rebut. That is what news is, that is what it is supposed to be. Unfortunately, some people, usually those who are very left leaning and support government intrusion in their daily life, think so emotionally on every topic that they are unable to ascertain the difference between reporting, and disagreeing with their personal belief...thus anytime someone disagrees with them, its clearly biased, or political. For once a news organization did its job! I for one say good job leader!

While off topic, I cant allow it to go without response - the "Not in the labor force" number are people who ARE employable but have quit looking for a job. That number is driving the unemployment number down. After the 99 weeks of unemployment ran out they are no longer considered to be in the labor force, regardless of age....I do not trust any statistic that removes people who otherwise can and should be working from their roles because they have been without a job too long. The number of people not in the labor force is up 3% or more than 10,000,000 people since 2008. Some of those retired because they could, others cant find a job b/c they are older, demand more money, and are competing against a younger healthier work force. Most are not retired by choice, and the number of idle rich is statistically so low as to be insignificant....10,000,000 people is not an insignificant, irrelevant number. To tie it back to the topic - The number of people who are applying and getting to do what they want to do to THEIR house is not 90%....the 90% number reflects people who also just compromised whether they wanted to or not because they needed to get something done and did not have the energy or the desire or the money to fight the HAHC

Its only 90% because the homeowners have been forced to compromise over and over and over again PRIOR to the actual hearing day. They meet with people at the HAHC to TRY to get everything lined up for approval prior to the actual hearing....Its also 90% because many people are withdrawing their applications because they won't be permitted to do what they want. Do not confuse statistics with a job well done. The government tells us this month that we are down to only 7% unemployment!!! That is great, except that 23-25% of the country is not working because they have now been on unemployment so long that they are not considered unemployed any longer....My point is that the 90% statistic is as pointless as the unemployment statistic.

I like the old houses - I think they are nice to look at. I would never want to live in one. I need more space than the older homes have. Even after extensive remodels, room sizes can still be significantly too small for my lifestyle. So while I do like the old houses, I do not want one, and I do not think that anyone should be able to force me to keep one if I owned one. You believe the new builds are crappy. Some are - most are not. Most are very nice, and their price tags reflect that. There are however significantly more crappy old houses than new ones...so I am still ok with demolishing the old ones if a person wants to do so, or keeping it if they want to do that too...I just don't think anyone else should get to tell me what to do to my house.

Woah - I did not vote for Parker. I am politically very conservative, more libertarian than conservative....I merely stated that the Heights as a whole is very liberal, and a single issue like the Historic Ordinance that effects so few people in a city of our size, did not carry any political weight at all.