VicMan

I bet that the Ashby folks would just counter-demonstrate and cause traffic in the surrounding area to really snarl to a halt. They can counter-demonstrate to Chris Amandes's home and the other co-chair. They can counter everything those guys can dream up with. They can spam "You are not welcome in our neighborhood. We are now a part of the neighborhood and we tell you that you are not welcome, and you can't say we aren't a part of the neighborhood; we are the neighborhood now" letters to the anti-Ashby folks. And on top of that the Ashby folks could try to buy out or take over neighborhood institutions important to folks in the surrounding area. Perhaps it's something to tell to the anti-Wal-Mart crowd: sometimes doing nothing is better than doing something, because that something will make things worse.

It would slow down interstate traffic in multiple directions. While New York may be able to charge tolls of everyone going in and out, I don't see that working for Houston

Are there particular individuals put in charge of "maintaining" the dome? Perhaps the video should cause the public to re-evaluate their roles in the county government?

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Schools-in-troubled-North-Forest-ISD-will-stay-3448606.php Why is he bothering leaving them open for one more year? I mean, if the justice Department is slow in granting approval for the closure, that's one thing, BUT if he does get it, he should reverse course.

Not the articles about the Wal-Mart, anyway. Looking through the archives, they did have a few articles about it back in 2010.

Haha, I need to get my nostalgia medication ;p I think the ones in the inner suburbs are like the Targets, etc. in Houston. The big box stores (Saturn, Monoprix, etc.) and grocery stores in inner city areas have windows.

Carrefour, Auchan, etc. are big box stores in Europe

I have no idea why Houston Press is listening to the "anti-Wal-Mart" folk, but here goes: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2012/03/heights_walmart_yale_bridge.php "​Jeff Jackson, director of Responsible Urban Development for Houston, thinks that something apocalyptic could happen to the Yale Street Bridge, especially when construction of the controversial new Heights-area Walmart is completed. In November, the Texas Department of Transportation performed a study of the circa 1931 bridge, which crosses over White Oak Bayou. (According to the City of Houston's Public Works and Engineering Department, area bridges are inspected biannually via the TxDOT Bridge Inventory, Inspection and Appraisal Program.)" And quite a few individuals on the discussion thread don't seem to like the idea that the anti-Wal-Mart organizations are full of it.

From what I've seen in Europe, when big box stores (also grocery stores) in center cities with window displays close for the night, garage door-like contraptions close so thieves cannot break glass.

Good to hear. It probably helped that Borders croaked. The HP store seems to be the only mainstream bookstore in close proximity to much of east, northeast, and southeast Houston. The next nearest stores towards the east are Barnes and Noble outlets in Deerbrook Mall (Humble) to the northeast and the Fairway Market Place in Pasadena to the southeast. Both of those stores are just outside the Beltway. There is an additional store in Baybrook II in Webster to the southeast.

Some rail extensions will be going west, BUT those aren't the ones opening immediately

Since Borders is gone, how much better do you think Books A Million is doing?

http://www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/denver/ still lists the Denver Pavilions Coyote Ugly as being in operation

Yup, the abundance of land would help the city build a facility favorable to the airline in every manner possible. Also the presence helps the airline "mark" the facility as its territory.

You know, even though United now has settled in Chicago, Houston can always try to win back the airline later, when the leases on the United buildings on Chicago are close to expiring. Right now United's headquarters, training facilities, and flight operations are in separate locations. Maybe United would, once the merger is said and one and once the leases are about to expire, want everything in one nice facility? The Houston Airport System could offer to develop a complex on the property of Bush Airport and have United move everything in - flight training simulators, corporate headquarters, crew hotels, flight operations, etc. in one facility. The city could offer a favorable lease rate to the airline, to entice them to move in. In Taiwan the equivalent type of complex also houses an airport hotel, so that is a possibility. I do not believe that O'Hare has the room to have such a complex developed on the property. In Houston we could go bold. We could include, next door to the airline facilities, educational facilities for post-secondary aviation careers (community college facilities and/or other post-secondary institutions). We could even throw in a public magnet high school for aviation careers and international relations. Maybe have United provide some support, in exchange for the possibility of getting candidates who are well prepared for the airline industry. Some pilots enter aviation careers straight out of high school, and take college courses by correspondence. Possible models include Cathay Pacific City at Hong Kong International Airport and CAL Park at Taipei Taoyuan Airport.

Bellaire sure was different. In terms of real population numbers it has been stagnant. In terms of economic growth and wealth of the residents, it went way up.

It's ironic because ultimately Bellaire realized that it needed to increase its tax base rather than stay stagnant... but by then it was too late to reverse that sale...

Once it was clear Marion was closing, do you think HISD should have tried to acquire that property and have Bellaire High School moved there, instead of letting Episcopal acquire it?

One thing is that people need to think about how the school boundaries and alignments will change. After looking at the geograophy, I believe that B. C. Elmore Middle School needs to be changed from 6-8 to K-8. That way kids in Settegast will not have to take a bus somewhere to go to elementary school.

Marin: If you want to look for schools in the Bellaire and Meyerland areas, plug the addresses into this site: * http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/abcx_tool/search.asp Once you get the names of the schools you can compare them For high schools you can look up their SAT and ACT scores at HAR.com. Generally the Bellaire and Meyerland areas have the top schools in HISD

As an FYI, here are school comparisons Greenwood Forest: * Greenwood Forest ES: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2574002899/school.aspx * Wunderlich IS: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2574002907/school.aspx * Klein Forest HS: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2574005522/school.aspx Riverside Terrace: * Lockhart ES: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2364002521/school.aspx * Macgregor ES (small portion): http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2364002528/school.aspx * Ryan MS: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2364002576/school.aspx * Yates HS: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2364002620/school.aspx * Lamar HS (small portion): http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/2364002512/school.aspx Use these links to compare test scores, etc.

Third Ward area, along the Brays Bayou

On City Data I heard something about an apartment complex that NFISD built -- Testomo said that NFISD built an apartment intended for low income housing, but HUD refused to give funding because they believed the apartments were too upscale. Testmo said that's why NFISD lost money Could anybody find more info on this?

I can also imagine that they don't want the student population. Personally I'm in favor of taking them NFISD. It will encourage homebuilders to develop northeast Houston. It will allow gentrification to more easily proceed in central Houston. Also it looks like HISD will get its fourth stadium that way. This will be good for other districts since they won't have to send as much Robin Hood money.

Turns out there are actually people who are campaigning to keep North Forest open. Sheila Jackson Lee is one of them http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/North-Forest-advocates-vow-to-fight-to-save-2267606.php