Search the Community

who owns the plot of land just north of Palmer Episcopal Church, between Main and Fannin, just north of TMC? a residential highrise in that location would be ideal IMO if it isnt planned to be another hospital.. easy access for both doctors and professors. or rich Rice students i suppose. and great views of Rice and Hermann Park.

I'm very interested in learning more about the old 'Westwood' subdivision which lies just south of the Loop and west of Stella Link. I grew up in this neighborhood in the late fifties and early sixties and attended Shearn Elementary School from 1959 to 1964. I have so very many fond memories of my childhood there but have not visited or had any contact with the area for well over thirty years. I currently live in Southern California and have heard and read reports that the area had fallen on some pretty tough times in the past three decades. I do not know if my old neighborhood avoided the problems associated with the general area or not. I lived at 4118 Omeara Drive, and I recall that Oboe Drive bisected Omeara right where our house was located. I believe that most of the homes in this neighborhood were built in the fifties. They were small tract houses but had a lot of nice features - a lot of windows, hardwood floors, tile bathrooms and kitchens, nice yards, etc. I also remember that there was a UTOTEM Store near the corner of Omeara and Stella Link and a Weingartens further north near Braes Bayou. Anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows about this area - where it's been, where it is now...and, where it's going. Westwood was truly a wonderful and secure little world back in the fifties and early sixties with a lot of young, upwardly mobile families (still at the height of the Postwar Baby Boom). Jeff C in Apple Valley, California

I grew up in Park Place, and my Mother still lives there. My Dad built the house that she lives in in 1948. He passed away in 2000. She is 83 and considering selling the house. For a while, the civic club newsletter talked about a revitalization in that area. I don't see it - but I may not know what to look for. I DO know that there have been at least 4 new homes built in her section of Park Place (the River Drive section) in the past two years or so. Just wondering - because the people interested in her house are not offering very much according to what is listed on HAR. Thanks.

My fiance and I will be moving from DC to Houston in May. She is originally from Houston, and while I am not, I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks in Houston this summer. We're both extremely excited to be leaving DC, and moving to a city where two young professionals will not be priced out of the housing market. I did quite a bit of exploring in the downtown vicinity during my time in Houston and I really like what I saw. In particular, I'm very intrigued by the Binz neighborhood for its proximity to Hermann Park, the Museums, and downtown. This area appears to be in the midst of being redeveloped and it seems like a tremendous bargain compared to properties just west of Main. I also like Washington Terrace, Riverside Terrace, and the other close neighborhoods east of 288. While I realized these areas are a bit sketchy, the architecture is great and all things considered the price seems right. My impression is that property crime (which I can tolerate) is more of an issue than violent crime (which I cannot), but I was hoping that some of you might be able offer a bit of insight on this. Likewise, I would greatly appreciate any advice that you might have regarding these neighborhoods. Thanks.

I was house hunting with my cousin the other day in Memorial an I said I wanted to move in River Oaks(if I could ) She said River Oaks had a lot of racial undertones because they had Deed restrictions until 1986 saying minorities an jewish ppl live there. Is this true? (its hard for me to believe this

Does anyone know what is being built at the northwest corner of Main and Montrose? I scanned the existing topics but didn't see any info. What a great lot...I hope the new building is intended for something worthwhile.

hey everyone...i just wanted to get some of your input on the housing changes that have begun in the past decade or so in Bellaire. Twenty years ago, the houses were quite "cookie-cutter" one story homes. Today, these homes are being bulldozed at a high rate and are being replaced with larger, more "modern" two to three story homes that cover alot more area of the original lots. living there, or just observing, what is going to be the fate of Bellaire in the next decade? what do you think about the issues that could come into play here, such as ecology or the skyrocketing prices?

March 1, 2005, 9:49PM Montrose remains hot growth area But resale of townhomes hard to accomplish, Realtors say By TOM MANNING Chronicle Correspondent The boom in construction of townhomes and condos in the Montrose area has created a buyer's market for those properties, while single-family residential and commercial properties in the area remain hot commodities, said Realtors who work in the neighborhood. Single-family homes are selling at a faster rate than they were a year ago, said Lee Hudman, a Keller Williams Realtor who has worked inside the Loop for 20 years. "The average number of homes is up and the average time it takes to sell them is down," Hudman said. "Interest rates are still low, so right now things are moving quickly. We've had lots in East Montrose sell recently on Peden, Stanford and Willard. Single-family just doesn't last long inside the Loop." Karen Derr of Karen Derr and Associates Realty agrees. Derr said single-family homes in the 77006 ZIP code have an inventory of 5.1 months, easily a seller's market. Inventory is measured by the amount of time it would take all of the properties for sale in an ZIP code to sell at the same rate they did the year before. Any area with under nine months of inventory, Derr said, signifies a seller's market. "For comparison, West U. is at a little over three months, so (Montrose) is fairly comparable," Derr said. "There are clearly more buyers than sellers when it comes to single-family homes." But the inventory for townhomes and high-rises place them in the seller's market category, Derr said, based on statistics from the Houston Association of Realtors. "There's one segment that shows to be a buyer's market, and that's high-rises," she said. "There's more than 9 1/2 months of inventory, and almost two years of inventory on the multiple listing service." Derr said townhomes are at 7.8 months of inventory citywide, "not a huge number." Townhome glut "It's the townhouses that are hard (to sell) right now," Hudman said. "There are just too many. That's been the big problem with re-sale. Why buy a used town home when you can get a good price on a new one because there are too many units and not enough buyers?" Some 42,000 new homes were built in Houston in 2004, with 70 percent of them priced below $200,000. At its annual forecast luncheon held last month, the Greater Houston Builders Association projected that new home construction would hold steady in 2005 at between 40,000 and 42,000. The number of townhomes, condos and patio homes built in the city is expected to rise in 2005, according to GHBA projections, although analysts warned that the market for those units is becoming oversaturated. Hudman said part of the problem with townhomes are the nomadic nature of people who often buy them, as well as the need for builders to get the most out of their investment, considering the high price of property in the area. "A lot of times what you get is urban professionals buying them, than they get transferred and they leave, and suddenly you've got a resale town home that doesn't garner as much interest," he said. "New construction is mostly two- to three-story townhomes due to the high value of the lots," Derr said. CitiPlex Corp. recently paid just over $48 per square foot for an 8,100-square-foot tract of land at the intersection of Stanford and Harold in east Montrose. The company, which has built numerous apartment, town home and office buildings throughout the city, plans to build a five-unit townhome complex called Stanford Oaks on the property. CitiPlex president Bob Sandman said the key to developing property in an area like Montrose is making sure new construction fits with the overall aesthetic of the community. "This project is being designed in the craftsmen style that's the distinct style in Montrose," Sandman said. "The main thing we've done is design it so that it fits in the neighborhood. The key is to build something people want to live in, but also build something that the neighbors are going to be able to say adds to the overall feel of the community." Stanford Oaks' units will be three stories and will have three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms, Sandman said. He said CitiPlex worked hard to ensure that their design plans included the preservation of nine live oak trees that surround the property. "We designed the project to maintain those trees," he said, "because we knew that would be important to the neighborhood. This will not be a project that's just cranked out. We spent a lot of time on the design, because we want it to stand out." Sandman, who expects ground to be broken on the townhome project "in 2 1/2 to three months," said units at Stanford Oaks will run in the mid-$300,000 range. He said that despite the increase in the number of townhomes going up in the area, Montrose remains a prime spot for both developers and buyers. Young professionals "We looked at a lot of lots and there just weren't many for sale in this area," he said. "A lot of people in this neighborhood buy homes and renovate them. But there's a group of young professionals who don't want to leave downtown, and that creates a demand for units like these." Realtor Chip Hubbard, who handled the sale of the lot that will soon become Stanford Oaks, said nearby lots at 710 and 716 Harold that have been for sale for six months are also drawing interest from both developers and buyers who want to build their own homes on the properties. "We've had quite a few people run at us with lowball offers," Hubbard said. "Right now we've got three people looking at it, two of them developers." Even with the over-saturation of townhomes and condos in the area, Hudman said, Montrose remains one of the most enticing areas in the city for potential home buyers. "Anything under $200,000 or $250,000 in Montrose is gone," he said. "The only thing you'll find available are homes that are going to have to be torn down." Link to the Chronicle article

Galleria offices slated The Galleria area may have an abundance of vacant space in its office buildings, but that doesn't seem to bother Midway Cos., which is planning to build one more. But this building won't house huge law firms or oil and gas conglomerates that most big landlords drool over. For one thing, they wouldn't fit. Midway's office building is going to be only four stories tall with 50,000 square feet. That's about the size of one major tenant in a building like Williams Tower. The low-key location and high-end design sell a different kind of experience. The property is being built on Wynden, a tree-lined street tucked away from the cluster of high-rises and bumper-to-bumper traffic on Post Oak Boulevard. And it's adjacent to Tanglewood, one of the priciest neighborhoods in town. "A lot of the potential tenants we get are either heads of companies or doctors that live in Tanglewood or Memorial, and they want the convenience of having their office close to their home," said Jonathan Brinsden, executive vice president of Midway. Other developers feel the same way. Don Hand is developing a 90,000-square-foot four-story building on Cypresswood near the Hewlett-Packard campus. It's also next to the Champion Forest neighborhood, which has million-dollar mansions overlooking the Raveneaux Country Club. Hand developed that neighborhood as well. Tenants have committed to lease about 40 percent of the upscale building, and it's still under construction. "There's a real demand for quality office space in the suburbs, and people will pay a premium to get it," said Brenda Pennington of Pennington Commercial Real Estate, which is leasing the building. Indeed, space there is going for $22 per square foot, Pennington said. Those are top rents for that area. And the owners of The Woodlands are planning to build a seven-story, 105,000-square-foot building with retail space along its Waterway. The Woodlands Development Co. is considering moving into the building. These developers weren't the first to recognize a growing demand for smaller, high-class office buildings near silk-stocking suburbs. In the late 1990s, Redstone Cos. purchased undeveloped land adjacent to the Houstonian Hotel and developed a six-story office building on the site. "They filled that building very quickly at high rents," said Midway's Brinsden. And the link.

I'd like to get some feedback on the future of Meyerland specifically, and the inner southwest near the loop in general (Woodside/Woodshire, Meyerland, Willow Meadows/Bend/Brook, Westbury). We purchased a home in the area within the last few years, and from our viewpoint (at least in Meyerland), there has been a lot of money reinvested in the ranch houses (of course with a few teardowns and McMansions). It seems that a lot of young professional couples are moving into the area to support this change. On the flip side, however, many articles have referred to the demise and deterioration of the "first ring" suburbs over the next decade to twenty years (that has already begun in some places). Granted, these articles typically are focusing on Eastern cities, but it seems that Meyerland (and further, places like Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, Briarmeadow, etc.) fit the definition, but are the areas more likely to suffer in Houston places one "pass" further out (e.g. more like the ring near Beltway 8)? So let's keep it wide open. Any thoughts?

What are your thoughts on Shady Acres and all the activity going on there. Is it me, or does it seem to actually be ramping up even more? Is there an end in sight, or do you think it will reach a critical mass and completly flip? I have mixed feelings, I live in a restored home in the area and would like more of the same, but I am also not entirely opposed to all the new construction.

Sales Activity Surges in Houston's East End By Connie Gore Last updated: Friday, October 1, 2004 06:44pm HOUSTON-Developers and investors, staking claims in the East End, have picked up the pace to acquire blocks of redevelopment candidates, all vintage industrial product with high appeal due to a positioning less a mile east of downtown high-rises, convention center and Minute Maid Field. "I've been selling there for three years and haven't made a dime, but that has changed this year," Christopher S. Klein, vice president with Colliers Texas' Houston office, tells GlobeSt.com. "Some buildings aren't even making it to market." With building quality as the qualifier, properties are trading for $17 per sf to $23 per sf. Klein's back-to-back sales of five industrial properties are just the tip of the iceberg as interest mounts in a close-in neighborhood, giving rise to townhouse development in one-off projects, both from the ground up and conversions. Meanwhile, a previously announced sale of the 156,000-sf shuttered Sara Lee bakery has closed, but the new owner's not discussing the plan--except to say that it won't be used for production. "You're starting to see a lot of townhome development," says John Ferruzzo, principal and industrial division leader for NAI Houston, "and it's right around the corner (from the bakery at 4104 Leeland St.)." And the reason is simple: "It's close to the freeway system and has views of the downtown," says Ferruzzo, who sold a building just last week in the East End. Klein says "the line of demarcation" is east of Scott Street, defining what is likely to stay industrial and what's emerging as a residential pocket. "It's an area of town that's completely gentrifying," he says, pointing to Perry Homes' shift from Midtown to the East End to develop close to 60 townhouses on a half dozen sites as the driver for change. Joining in the rush to build are Wiese Properties, Omni Development and the latest to come in, Spire Realty, which just bought 3301 Polk St., a World War II blimp hangar carted in from Galveston Island. The 36,000-sf hangar on 1.4 acres, equal to a full city block, was sold by C&K Instruments of Houston, which also sold a 25,814-sf structure on about a half-acre at 3232 McKinney St. Klein's other sales were a 32,830-sf building, once used by York Casket Co., at 3719 Leeland St.; a 23,625-sf former ice cream factory at 1102 Sampson St.; and an 8,000-sf warehouse at 3119 Lamar St. Some will be used for manufacturing and others are being eyed for their infill value for residential development. The bakery's new owner, Flowers Foods Inc. of Thomasville, GA, is mum about the long-term plan for the 10 acres and 35-year-old plant, but has acknowledged it bought the bakery to get access to the St. Louis-based Sara Lee's customer list in Houston. The immediate plan is to strip out the equipment and produce all baked goods at a recently opened, 200,000-sf bakery in Denton, north of Dallas. Sales Activity Surges

Moneymakers: Alexander Muhammad Community project lets builder branch out Carlos Antonio Rios/Chronicle "A lot of people need homes, and I want to stretch more into the affordable housing market." -- Alexander Muhammad When Project Row Houses, the public art project that renovated 22 shotgun homes in the historic Third Ward to provide housing for single mothers and artists, wanted to build duplexes, it needed help. It already had a design provided and test-built by the Rice Building Workshop, which is affiliated with the university's architecture school. But the not-for-profit wanted an African-American contractor who lives and works in Third Ward to build a modified two-unit version on four adjoining lots. It found Alexander Muhammad, president of Eastern Design Homebuilders and bearer of the graduate master builder designation bestowed by the National Association of Home Builders. Last week, he took time out from inspecting the nearly complete duplexes on a mud-clogged street behind the white row houses to talk with Chronicle reporter Shannon Buggs about this job. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What else have you built or will you be building in Third Ward? A: I've built three custom homes in Riverside Terrace that cost $220,000 and up. They're all in West MacGregor Estates. I did a little refurbishing of the mosque in Riverside Terrace. And the mosque is getting ready to build a new structure for elderly housing, with businesses on the first floor that will be across the street. That should start in January and I'm going to do that. This is the first multi-unit project I've done. Q: How did you get involved with the Project Row House Community Development Corp.? A: Minister Robert Muhammad met with the project manager, Antoine Bryant, and I came to meet with Project Row House after that. Knowing that this was a community project and that they want to do more, my fees were negotiable. But I really can't discount my workers. They have to do the work for a certain price. Normally, what I would actually charge for doing a house, I really wouldn't take anything less than $25,000. Q: What was the most difficult part of the building process? A: The foundation was the most different thing that we did and the most important part. It's called an adjustable pier and beam, and it was designed by Mr. Danny Samuels at Rice University. When a house gets unlevel, you can adjust it by turning a bolt versus hiring a company to come out and jack it up. You can save a lot of money that way. Q: What happened on this project that surprised you? A: There were some design things that I had not seen before. The subfloor is also the finished floor. It's 2-by-6 tongue-and-groove treated planks. And there was not that much theft. I thought we might have a lot of stuff stolen. A few pieces came up missing, but nothing on the scale of a $1,000 or more. We were building four houses at one time, and there was a lot of material laying around all the time. But nothing big came up missing, and that was surprising. Everyone is real nice out here. Q: Will you be expanding your business to include more commercial projects? What type of construction do you prefer to do? A: Residential is what I like to do. It's what I have a lot of experience in doing, and it's what I want to master. A lot of people need homes, and I want to stretch more into the affordable housing market. A lot of people, when they want a house, they usually go to the production builders, get a brochure and bring that to me. They don't envision sketching out their own homes. But you can do that even if you don't have a lot of money. That's how I'm building my own home. It's going to be right near the George R. Brown Convention Center on Dallas at St. Charles streets. I don't know if they call that Third Ward anymore.

I am the owner of an exciting search engine designed exclusively for downtown Houston (http://www.tunnelquest.com). If there are any new businesses or any other information that you think would be useful for Houston downtown residents, employees, and patriots, please contact us at http://www.tunnelquest.com/contactus.htm. Thanks, TunnelQuest.com