PureAuteur

We already have something like this in the area: The Oil Ranch, which I believe is in Waller or Hempstead. Is it still open? I haven't been since I was in junior high school in the early 90s.

The kids just need to be careful when crossing the street, and people just need to pay attention and be fully alert when driving their cars anywhere. This phone ban stuff is too much. We need less laws in Texas, not more.

unfortunately, the woodlands will continue to morph directed by market forces. there is so much money to be had. higher buildings are sure to follow. not this year or next. i think the woodlands has created a monster that will not succumb to taste or smart growth. my dear sweet woodlands is becoming the home of ignorant beauty and shallow "i'm importantness". i'm increasingly wanting the inner loop.

thank goodness the "town center effect" continues to increase my home value. i will sell this bi*** and join the rest of you.

What do you mean by ignorant beauty and "shallow i'm importantness"? A couple years ago you were always talking about how you loved living in the Woodlands. I was really wanting to move there back in 2006, and I still like the Woodlands a lot, but I just don't really have a plan for living there as far as job or whether to buy a property or just rent. The inner loop is more my speed at this point, since I'm a single 28 year old guy, and I want to be where all the single young women are.

There is a sign near the old Circuit City building that says "new Willowbrook shopping center coming soon". Are they going to tear down that entire center with the Laff Spot, Shannons Street Waves, and Baker Street Pub?

The Heights has a more intimate character, and the large apartment complexes might detract from this. If the apartment buildings are smaller and more nestled into the neighborhood, then they are just as acceptable as homes. This is pretty much how the Heights has always been over the last few decades. Just about everywhere you turn, you see a small apartment community, a single apartment building with a few units, or garage apartments/efficiencies for lease.

Niche- then why didn't developers build gigantic cookie cutter apartment complexes with the standard 3 stories in the 60s, 70s, and 80s? Do you think we'll ever return to the days when one story apartment complexes with maybe 20-30 units will be built?

What do you think built all its history and landmark structures? A widespread warm and fuzzy sense of civic pride?

A combination of money and community vision. Now it's just money. Developers don't care about whether they put too many people in a certain amount of space. Remember when they used to make 1 and 2 story apartment complexes and small quaint little neighborhood apartments? Those days are over. Everything is at least 3 stories now, because you can get more money on the same amount of land. If you want to invest in 4 + stories, then you have to invest in an elevator, but you'd still be making enough to cover that cost.

Developers are building these multi-family units in the Heights, why? Because they like the neighborhood feel? Well, won't it all be gone by the time they're done building these dense places? Why not build somewhere else like the east end?

I concur. That kind of development works on the East End, because that area is turning into a near downtown neighborhood for young couples, and single professionals. The Heights has those demographics too, but is more of a family neighborhood.

That's really sad that they would want to demolish the building. It is a unique, classic design, and just another example of how money is destroying the character of Houston and all its history and landmark structures. I don't even see how 195 units of apartments could fit into that space. There shouldn't be any traffic problems though, since the Heights has a grid system of streets.

There will eventually come a point where white movement will slow down. The whites that are moving out to Magnolia, Conroe, and Montgomery are probably looking at the final frontier. This will be where all the baby boomers eventually settle for retirement, while their children and whites in their 30s and 40s will re-populate downtown and the inner city. It's inevitable that whites will move when blacks and hispanics start moving in. It's not that they dislike these people, but rather the cultural differences are too vast, and they'd rather not deal with all the social and institutional merging of cultures. Whites, especially those of central European descent are very clannish and like to be around their own kind.

It's interesting what's going on with the growth in Magnolia, Montgomery, Conroe, Willis, The Woodlands, and Panorama Village. This is very similar to what's going on in Los Angeles. All the whites in the San Fernando Valley (which could be compared to Spring, Cypress, Klein, 1960 area) are beginning to discover Ventura County and Kearne County, so some parts of the valley are now starting to go downhill.

I still think they should find some way to get these people out to the mall. These people should take more pride in their community. They were the ones prancing around in the 1950s in their hot new cars and expensive suits like they were the greatest thing on earth, and now they sit in their houses with the doors locked. They just allowed their community to deteriorate after it started off as a super classy, one-of-a-kind residential development. I at least give them credit for staying there and not moving to Sugarland like all the other frightened people.

Why don't they just build a new "Sharpstown" Mall closer to where its target demographics are, so that they don't have to come from other parts of town? It would be my guess that blacks are less than 1/3 of the demographic makeup of the mall's 5 mile radius, yet the mall is mostly geared toward them. I like the mall's independent spirit of welcoming mom and pop stores, but as a white guy, I doubt there would be any stores that would be attractive to me if I lived in the area. It's also laughable that the mall does nothing to attract the aging white population of the Sharpstown area, who are the ones with the most money to spend.

Are we talking about the proposed state-wide ban on smoking in bars or the city ordinance? I think the city ordinance has already been made into law, and it will take effect in September of this year.

Being 2,000 miles away I think you may have lost touch with your old environs.

Maybe the groups who hang out in the street are not part of Covenant House, but that intersection is now ground zero for street kids.

It's been that way for a long time, at least 15 years. Most of those "kids" are actually adults who have just been living that lifestyle for a long time. I see lots of people that look around 25-45 who just hang out as if they were teenagers after school lets out. I really don't know where they live or how they get an income, because the entire area on all sides of that intersection is high dollar.

Why would you want to stop it? It's a great shopping center, and after the renovation's complete, it would still be a great shopping center. It's not like it's being converted to a park or anything.

The shopping center is historically, architecturally, and artistically significant. I would suggest reading up on it. It was built in the 1930s, and it was one of the first centers of its kind with that architectural style. "Renovations" or "redevelopments" to the center will mean that the entire center will not be preserved in complete original form. This upsets many native Houstonians who feel a piece of their local history and culture is being tampered with. The Barnes and Noble rendering would look great anywhere else, but here it only diminishes the overall aesthetic of the center. You can't preserve the art deco and moderne design of the center by building new structures with accents of that style. It isn't authentic. The height of the B&N building is not consistent with the one-story continuity and horizontal emphasis. The art deco accents on the rendering are a bit overdone, and they will diminish the aesthetic effect that art deco design is supposed to achieve.

As far as redevelopment, I don't see why B&N couldn't have purchased that entire segment of the center for their space, which would have kept the original development intact. I think a one story B&N, with the right decor, could look pretty neat in that center. It could have been a smaller, more understated B&N, and maybe could have saved the Bookstop as well. The original construction was built to last forever. It wasn't falling apart or in severe decay like those PR people made it sound like. They were just trying to justify the intervention. All that was needed was maybe some cosmetic improvements to the exterior.

Finally, isn't there a Houston Preservation Alliance that has, I believe, contacted the National Historic Registry and added this landmark center to the list of historic places? If so, then shouldn't the entire center be protected?

What do you mean ? crim-class.

Socio-economic class of people who just live day to day and have no problem with stealing, robbing, committing a violent crime, or killing someone. This would include those who not only don't have a problem with it, but actively engage in crimes on a regular basis. This element of the city has really grown throughout the last few years, and unfortunately, because of the perceived danger, the Galleria area may never become a 24 hour urbanized area.

It will never go 24 hours. There are two things that keep the Galleria from innovating or being a 24 hour live and work environment: the conservative status-quo nature of most residents all over the area (as someone mentioned), and the growing criminal class.

Do you have any photos, Bachanon?

It probably wasn't bad enough that killing a human being was the only option for solving it, which is where the problem lies. Houston just has tons of these kinds of people everywhere. People who either are or just appear to be dangerous and may or may not be carrying a gun at any moment. If it wasn't for this sub-culture, we would already have a thriving nightlife downtown with partying and lots of residential activity. There was a time in Houston when altercations led to fist fights or just shouting arguments followed by cooling off or getting thrown out of a bar. Now people literally fear altercations because they might wind up dead a few seconds later.

This is also why Houston just isn't a hip place. You go downtown late at night, and you're not going to see very many people with class or even the "down on their luck" type people who just roam around peacefully and don't harm anyone. I could deal with that stuff, but the gun sub-culture is such a nuisance and keeping downtown investors from realizing the full potential of that area.

Maybe this is why downtown's night life is slowing down.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/10961238/detail.html

Would you want to go partying with your friends late at night after hearing about stuff like this?

I really feel downtown will be another suburb in about 10yrs. All the clubs that go out of business will be converted to lofts. Downtown will be another suburb with grocery stores, shopping centers, etc. I think there will only be a handful of bars/clubs in years to come.

This makes no sense. How can the core of a major city become a suburb? Downtown San Diego has shopping centers and grocery stores. Is it a suburb? I think the term refers to development that is sub-urban, as in beyond the city itself. Suburbs are defined mainly on their location, but they do tend to be known for being bland and full of chain stores, unlike downtown areas.

The problem is, Houston just doesn't have the right demographics or culture for that sort of A-list, elitist, upscale celebrity atmosphere that you get in cities like Miami or NYC. I don't think that a club that you speak of that seeks to rival the great clubs in America would survive for even a few months in the current downtown. It could be just the times we live in as a society that maybe people aren't interested in fancy and sophisticated stuff that only works on a superficial level. I think people want places of more integrity and class. The fact that a club would offer A-list specials makes it rather superficial, and that kind of scene was pretty cool in the early 90s when they were making movies about club scenes, but I just don't think that's what the downtown crowd with money wants here in Houston.

Also, just because you do not like it or do not want it, doesn't mean nobody else gets to. How much housing do you think there is inside the loop? Definitely not enough to shove all of the suburbanites into it. Plus, just because you live in the Houston area, does not mean you work downtown. And, as others have said many a time, those of us with kids appreciate the value of a good, quality education and are willing to "sacrifice" to give our kids every advantage possible.

I have never understood opponents of sprawl given our countries history of western expansion and free choice/will. Without it, we would all be living 3 miles up on a little island in NYC. No thank you, I like my backyard, my fence, my trees and my freedom to choose to do whatever it is I want.

So where will your kids go? Where is your evidence for detrimental effects on society?

The biggest problem with this country is overpopulation. It's unfortunate that Houston, where I live, is still growing at a fast pace, while it was already the 4th largest city in the U.S. If Bridgeland considered itself a neighborhood in Waller, TX, I wouldn't complain, but since its identity is that of an outer Houston suburb, it makes me cringe to think of all the people who reside along the 290 corridor now. That area was meant to be farmland. I'm sure all the residents of Hockley and Waller love how our city is creeping in on their peaceful towns. If things don't reverse in the next decade, pollution levels will be sky high and it will be easier to commute to Austin than to downtown Houston. Hopefully I'll be in another city or tucked inside loop 610 where I don't have to think about all the parasitic growth around what was once a truly great city. Bridgeland is one of the most over-hyped, marketed, corporate projects I have seen in Houston. There is nothing original or inspired about it, and there is no reason to want to move there other than to live in a new development. I hope nobody moves there. I mean come on, there are plenty of homes for sale inside the Beltway along 290. Just go find one and fix it up. It's so sad how intellectually stagnant our country is. Stop the economic growth, control the population, and keep cities at a moderate, functional size. The only homes that should exist around Grand Parkway are rural houses spaced 1/4 miles apart from each other on private land.

Was Pig Stand the oldest restaurant in Houston? I remember another thread about a really old place from the 40s that closed down but that was a while back.

The enrollment map picture of the area in the KF zone looks like an arm holding a gun to the rest of district.

http://www.kleinisd.net/docs/bond.attHS.pdf

Lol. Too funny. But seriously, MrFootball, I realize that a lot of the kids who live in the established neighborhoods like Greenwood and Wimbledon Forest experience culture shock when they set foot in Klein Forest, but why can't they keep the school, since those were the school's original neighborhoods? I would redraw the boundaries to where only some of the current areas are rezoned to the new school. I don't think removing the upper class white kids out of fear is the best solution. The changing of demographics is not the main reason schools go downhill. It has to do with the administration and teaching just as much. The parental involvement from neighborhoods like Greenwood and Wimbledon will set an example for the others to follow. I'm only commenting on this topic because I drive by KFHS every day to get to work, so I almost feel like I'm part of the community.

Try that while listening to Moby's "God moving over the face of the water" Even creepier

I'm gonna try it tomorrow evening while listening to Moby's Twin Peaks remix right as the sun is setting and the sky starts to get dark.

Lol, Midtowner!

Uptown/Galleria is a beautiful place, but it is best appreciated if one lives inside the loop and doesn't have to deal with the horrible traffic on 610.

I was driving around in the area a few years ago in an expensive black car (not mine) listening to Moby's version of the James Bond theme on a chilly overcast evening. It was kind of eerie.