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longhornguy

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Posts posted by longhornguy

  1. Was Wal-Mart approached by the owner of the property on Yale between I-10 and Washington to buy the land? This is the same property H-E-B was looking at to build a new store along the lines of the one on Bunker Hill. Is the deal done with Wal-Mart? I've heard yes. What does this mean to the likes of our Heights Mom and Pops? What will that do to the traffic patterns on Yale and Washington? Google "Wal Mart parking lot crime" and let us know our thoughts!

    If this is true, I would have to guess that it won't be a regular "blue-label" Wal-Mart store. WM has been testing neighborhood grocery stores in Arizona named "Marketside". It's a little swankier than WM Neighborhood Market (like the one off of Hillcroft in Westbury).

    This Marketside concept actually sounds exactly like what Heights residents have been wanting.

    I would agree that lot is not nearly large enough for a typical WM big box store.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketside

    Supposedly they put their Marketside concepts on hold during the recession in 2009, but who knows, things may have changed since then.

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  2. There is a definite shortage of Process Engineers throughout the industry as a whole. 100k minimum for your experience level, you shouldn't have a problem with the interview and obtaining at least a $50/hr rate.

    I can't speak for the interview process, but I know of plenty of new grads that are getting $45 an hour.

  3. I'm not sure five years would influence the district to change high school boundary lines. Unless these couples have kids that are ten years old right now, living in West End (doubtful).

    It just surprises me, each time I drive down Washington, how much development is going on!

    Benjy's, Spec's, Lush Lounge and not to mention the whole block next to Joy Yoga that is up for sale.

    This is probably the first time I've been truly excited about Houston retail business development.

  4. I agree with you, strangely enough, the train doesn't bother me that much either.

    Getting stuck at the tracks can suck though.

    Looks like West End is barely on the fringes of getting zoned to the River Oakie's public schools (Lamar HS, etc), how many of them actually go to public school is debatable. LOL!

  5. Does anyone have any historic knowledge of West End Park (off of Patterson, south of I-10 and north of Washington)?

    It seems to have seen it's better years already and I'm always seeing vagabonds asleep on the bench.

    However, the potential of having a small neighborhood park surrounded by pricey townhomes seems overlooked?

    The park would be a great place for a picnic if it was cleaned up! Not to mention adding value to the surrounding properties...

  6. Thanks for the input everyone!

    I've pulled the trigger on a townhome development off of Thompson (between Koehler and Eli) and will hopefully be moving in soon!

    I too see the huge potential for the Washington corridor (proximity to Memorial and BB parks, trendy bars/restaurants and the Heights a 10 minute drive away) and would like to be part of the movement!

    A buddy of mine also recently moved into the area and he's been completely happy so far.

    West End Park would be such a gem for the immediate neighborhood (I'm not aware of areas south of Washington and West of Shepherd with a small neighborhood park) if it could get cleaned up. It does need to be lit up at night a little better and crime awareness by the local HPD needs to be increased.

    Hopefully with a collective effort, HAIF members and their friends could launch a "Clean Up West End Park" campaign!

    Also, I've noticed there's a crack house (probably where most of the people hanging out at the park come from) at the corner of Patterson and Center.

    I have no doubt that's where the crime originates from (knife-point car jacking and muggings).

    What are everyone's thoughts on this?

  7. Has he been helpful? He never answered a single question. His comments could apply virtually anywhere that gentrification is occurring, most notably, his own neighborhood. He really hasn't told you anything.

    As the west end has gentrified, the "easy" areas, as usual, gentrified first. Those would be the areas closest to Memorial Park and closet to Memorial Drive. The area between Houston Avenue and Shepherd/Durham remained largely untouched until 4 or 5 years ago. As such, the area is not very far along in the gentrification process. Washington Avenue itself remained stubbornly resistant to rehabilitation until 4 or 5 years ago.

    When the gentrification came to Washington, it pretty much arrived with a vengeance. All up and down the avenue, new shopping centers, townhomes and apartments are being built, most within the last 2 or 3 years. As the housing jumped to the north of the avenue, it clustered around Durham and Heights/Yale. It is slowly moving north of Washington and west from Yale and east from Shepherd. As construction continues, land values increase, and more homes are sold to developers. As the west end is a finite area hemmed in by Memorial Drive and Katy Freeway, builders will continue to buy up old homes until there are none left.

    As the affordable homes disappear, the number of shady types will decrease. The area may not be suitable for night time dog walking yet, but neither is it the 5th Ward. Assuming inner loop housing does not hit a slump, expect this area to look like the area between Memorial and Washington in about 5 years. Remember that in 1999 when I moved into a place near Memorial and Detering, there were sketchy homes in that neighborhood, too. It wasn't until about 2 years ago that they really obliterated the last remnants.

    You get a price bonus for buying in these still gentrifying areas. As it gentrifies, land prices take away the bonus. If that doesn't square with you, buy in the pricier area. Otherwise, save a few bucks and practice the care that all inner city dwellers should be practicing.

    Thank you so much, this post was actually much more helpful than the previous post. I knew there had to be somebody with value to add to my question.

    For what it's worth, my previous reply was more of a sarcastic comment to end the general responses I was getting. Musicman's responses reminded me of a buying a car, when you would ask a direct question and get something from third base as a an answer!

    You do make some excellent points about the finite area of West End. I read an article about the Citizen lounge owner who was likening Washington Ave. to 4th and 5th St. in Austin. I can actually see that happening, especially with Blue Door, Pandora, Drake, etc causing all the buzz in the area.

    The relatively close proximity to Memorial Park is also a huge plus. West End seems like it has all the elements of a budding community. Very attractive to me.

    What it seems to be missing is a grocery store serving the direct area. This could be a HUGE return for somebody willing to invest money in this venture.

    I did drive by the property I was interested in last night and there was some form of shady characters roaming the streets. Probably not too safe to walk your dog at night, but I can see huge potential as things get developed.

  8. being optimistic is fine...esp if you're active and want to help clean it up. otherwise, a touch of reality might be better.

    That's a good point, I think that with the right mix of driven people in the area there will be large civic pushes to clean up the area, especially a greenspace with potential like West End Park.

    I'm kind of curious as to why that hasn't begun, with the influx of people with $$$ to spend on these 300-400k t/h's.

    Something doesn't seem to add up?

  9. should be and will be are two different things.

    I guess that means I should follow my hunch and not be too optimistic? It's literally only a couple of blocks away from Shepherd, right behind the Joy Yoga shopping center. A medium development with several gray exterior t/h's on Center and Patterson St.

    The location is attractive because of the straight shot from Patterson out to I-10 and driving by West End Park at night is slightly unnerving.

    Can anybody help with some opinions?

  10. Does anybody live in this area and have any opinions on the crime, traffic, etc?

    I'm looking at Rice Military/Cottage Grove area and really like it because of the proximity to Memorial Park and Washington Ave.

    I originally intended to get as close to Memorial Park as possible, but am interested in a property that is between Shepherd and Studemont, north of Washington, nearby West End Park.

    This area does seem quite a bit more sketchy than the areas West of Shepherd, but it should be cleaned up in a few years.

    I drove by West End Park at night the other day and did notice what seemed to be either bums or crack dealers, that is making me have second thoughts.

    Anybody here live by West End Park off of Patterson?

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