Baldwin Square Area

[Ross]

The building on the NW corner of Austin and Tuam and the nice place next door used to be owned by the same guy, one Perfecto Lopez, a trucking company owner. It looks like he sold the multi-family building in 2008. I had Perfecto and his buddies arrested one time when we lived in the area. I was walking the dog and came around the corner of the power substation, and there was Perfecto taking a leak in the street, over by his beer drinking buddies and their pile of beer bottles (the women would come out and pick them up the next morning). Peeing in public was bad enough, but he wasn't even turned around trying to be discreet. Nope, jsut standing there, member in hand in full view, draining his bladder. So, I called the cops, and Perfecto and his buddies went to jail for public intoxication and public urination. After that, they did their drinking in the parking lot rather than the street.

Perfecto and his renters also thought it was lots of fun to play really loud music until the wee hours of the morning, especially on Sunday night. Only took about 50 calls to HPD to get that fixed. We would call HPD daily to run off the drug dealers and the male prostitutes. I never worried that much about the dealers - they tried to keep a low profile, and didn't want any hassles. The prostitutes were a different story. Rude, mean, and didn't care who they offended or hurt.

We liked living in Midtown, but once we had a child it was time to move - too many weird folks walking around. We joked that you could tell we were pioneers by the arrows in our backs.

The flophouse was a sore spot for years. The only thing we managed to do was to get their tax appraisal tripled. We had a number of their residents arrested at various times for being obnoxiously drunk on the street.

[brian0123]

The flophouse was a sore spot for years. The only thing we managed to do was to get their tax appraisal tripled. We had a number of their residents arrested at various times for being obnoxiously drunk on the street.

Speaking of the flophouse on Tuam and Crawford... is there anything we can call about (code violations, etc.) regarding the huge hole in the building that is now covered in plastic bags (on Tuam side)? It looks like someone drove a car through the wall. Also, the people that crash there believe that they are very much residents of the area. I was working in my yard one day and a homeless guy was talking to another homeless guy walking by. The one guy said "You should come live at my home at Tuam and Crawford".

[gazhomme]

Speaking of the flophouse on Tuam and Crawford... is there anything we can call about (code violations, etc.) regarding the huge hole in the building that is now covered in plastic bags (on Tuam side)? It looks like someone drove a car through the wall.

Call 311. I'm not sure if it is best to direct it to City Code Enforcement or Neighborhood Protection.

I did some research on HCAD regarding 2910 Crawford. (The flophouse)

As most homeowners are aware HCAD changed their tactics this year and drove up the price of land values vs. improvements. People in Midtown found their land value increased by an average of 30% from the previous year.

Take a look at the stats for 2910 Crawford:

http://www.hcad.org/records/details.asp?ta...t=0191360000003

This jokers 2007 to 2008 land value went from $374,900 to $395,000 for his 12,500 SF lot!

This is what, a 7% increase! The guy is only paying $9,993.85 in taxes on a 12,500 lot.

Click on "Nearby Addresses" and you will see that all of his neighbors witnessed their property increase in the 30% range. This is absolutely wrong!

The other strange thing is that 3410 MONTROSE BLVD , the address of INTERCITY ENTERPRISES (the flophouse owners) is also the address of La Colombe d'Or Hotel!

Strange!

Ross, if you are still monitoring this thread who did you contact originally to protest the low HCAD value assessment?

[sevfiv]

^I don't get the 3410 Montrose link, but this is the entry for "Intercity Enterprises, LP" from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts:

INTERCITY ENTERPRISES, L.P.

1980 POST OAK BLVD STE 700

HOUSTON, TX 77056-3848

Registered Agent:

BARRY SNOWDEN

1980 POST OAK BLVD., STE. 700

HOUSTON, TX 77056

File Number: 0800067945

SOS Registration Date: March 25, 2002

Taxpayer Number: 32035913808

----------------

Barry Snowden is an attorney:

http://www.mlhs.net/

[brian0123]

This jokers 2007 to 2008 land value went from $374,900 to $395,000 for his 12,500 SF lot!

This is what, a 7% increase! The guy is only paying $9,993.85 in taxes on a 12,500 lot.

Click on "Nearby Addresses" and you will see that all of his neighbors witnessed their property increase in the 30% range. This is absolutely wrong!

That really pisses me off. My land value went up 50%! I'm curious... How is this place even run? I doubt the attorney hangs out around this place. Does he have a property manager/staff/etc. that collects the $7 bucks from the homeless? Is he merely the owner and is renting it to someone else?

Even so, that land tax is completely unfair. I want to know who to call too.

[gazhomme]

^I don't get the 3410 Montrose link

Neither do I. Maybe he lives at that location as 1980 Post Oak is an office building. What is interesting is that one of the other partners at that law firm is Malcom S. Morris, one of the board members of Stewart Title. 1980 Post Oak is also Stewart's HQ's. Stewart was the firm that designed the HCAD website, and has had close dealings with HCAD over the years. I smell a rat!

[sevfiv]

Gee, and there are about 25 folks that registered to vote using 2910 Crawford...

[gazhomme]

Gee, and there are about 25 folks that registered to vote using 2910 Crawford...

And 3 of those voters are registered offenders.

[sevfiv]

Yikes - I forgot about the fun sex offender search:

COOPER,GARY ABRAHAM

COX,WILLIAM SPENCER

JONES,CLEMENT

SMITH,MICHAEL JAMES

[brian0123]

Is this something that we'd be able to get city council to do something about?

FYI, while looking on the 311 site, they do have an "NPC - Boarding House" request you can fill out. I'm going to report it right now.

[gazhomme]

The run down 4-plex house at 2818 Austin street actually decreased its land value by almost $100,000 for 2008. All the homes around it received the typical 30% range increase.

What

[RedScare]

Call 311. I'm not sure if it is best to direct it to City Code Enforcement or Neighborhood Protection.

I did some research on HCAD regarding 2910 Crawford. (The flophouse)

As most homeowners are aware HCAD changed their tactics this year and drove up the price of land values vs. improvements. People in Midtown found their land value increased by an average of 30% from the previous year.

Take a look at the stats for 2910 Crawford:

http://www.hcad.org/records/details.asp?ta...t=0191360000003

This jokers 2007 to 2008 land value went from $374,900 to $395,000 for his 12,500 SF lot!

This is what, a 7% increase! The guy is only paying $9,993.85 in taxes on a 12,500 lot.

Click on "Nearby Addresses" and you will see that all of his neighbors witnessed their property increase in the 30% range. This is absolutely wrong!

The other strange thing is that 3410 MONTROSE BLVD , the address of INTERCITY ENTERPRISES (the flophouse owners) is also the address of La Colombe d'Or Hotel!

Strange!

Ross, if you are still monitoring this thread who did you contact originally to protest the low HCAD value assessment?

Not sure what you are talking about. I looked up 4 lots across the street from this lot, and none went up more than $3000 or $4000. One guy's appraisal went down. No one increased more than 10% since 2004. In contrast, this place increased 50% since 2004.

I did notice his price psf was $35 vs. $45 for the homeowners. Without knowing lots of unstated factors, such as a floor value for smaller lots, I can't conclusively say this is unfair. Small lots can end up with bigger psf prices due to the smallness of the lot. Bigger lots are usually easier to assess for appraisal purposes.

[gazhomme]

Not sure what you are talking about. I looked up 4 lots across the street from this lot, and none went up more than $3000 or $4000. One guy's appraisal went down. No one increased more than 10% since 2004. In contrast, this place increased 50% since 2004.

Thats strange because I looked at 2909 Crawford and his land value jumped from $57,414 to $86,121.

While the total value did not increase much this is just a game HCAD is playing. Up until last year they left the land values alone and upped the improvement value. Now mysteriously improvement values have plummeted from one year to the next while land values have jumped. Its so obvious what they are doing.

And while it does stand to reason that the value of land inside the loop would increase, HCAD does not appear to be applying the same standards to the properties that I identified.

I might be wrong, but I know that when I protested my 30%+ increase in land value the guy at HCAD said that all properties in my area would see their land value component jump by this amount or even higher.

[RedScare]

The total appraisal of 2909 Crawford dropped $6000. I don't see the land component as something nefarious. HCAD is mandated to appraise something on the order of 1 million parcels of land and their structures annually. They have computer programs to assist in this task, as it is impossible to individually inspect all 1 million parcels on a yearly basis. They get some help from sales figures of recently sold property. It is far easier to appraise land than improved structures. Admittedly, it is not perfect. But, it is a start. And, the appeal process is available to those landowners who believe that the approximation is incorrect.

The "game" appears to be simply HCAD adjusting their figures to more accurately reflect the split between your land value and structure value. The overall value of the property is still matched to recent home sales, and land value is matched to recent land sales. The difference has to be made up somewhere, and that would be in the structure value. I don't understand why you are complaining that your structure value went down, but HCAD can fix that for you if you ask.

I have protested my appraisal every year since 2002 except one when the appraisal went down. I have won huge concessions from them every time. This may seem obvious, but rather than assail their entire system or complain that every parcel in my neighborhood is valued wrong (attacking the land value), I work to show their estimates wrong in the one area where they do not have tons of evidence...the structure. In this manner, I have been able to show that the value of my 88 year old house has (correctly) been decreasing in value, even though the land in my neighborhood has been increasing dramatically.

[brian0123]

The total appraisal of 2909 Crawford dropped $6000. I don't see the land component as something nefarious. HCAD is mandated to appraise something on the order of 1 million parcels of land and their structures annually. They have computer programs to assist in this task, as it is impossible to individually inspect all 1 million parcels on a yearly basis. They get some help from sales figures of recently sold property. It is far easier to appraise land than improved structures. Admittedly, it is not perfect. But, it is a start. And, the appeal process is available to those landowners who believe that the approximation is incorrect.

The "game" appears to be simply HCAD adjusting their figures to more accurately reflect the split between your land value and structure value. The overall value of the property is still matched to recent home sales, and land value is matched to recent land sales. The difference has to be made up somewhere, and that would be in the structure value. I don't understand why you are complaining that your structure value went down, but HCAD can fix that for you if you ask.

I have protested my appraisal every year since 2002 except one when the appraisal went down. I have won huge concessions from them every time. This may seem obvious, but rather than assail their entire system or complain that every parcel in my neighborhood is valued wrong (attacking the land value), I work to show their estimates wrong in the one area where they do not have tons of evidence...the structure. In this manner, I have been able to show that the value of my 88 year old house has (correctly) been decreasing in value, even though the land in my neighborhood has been increasing dramatically.

Sorry, but I'm a little confused. I live a couple blocks from here, and after looking at my land value alone, my land value increased by 50%. The property in question had a 5.6% land increase. Seems like a fairly large discrepancy to me.

[midtowntiger]

I'm fairly new to Houston, so I'm not 100% clear on the zoning (or lack of zoning laws) in the Houston area. However, how is it legal to have people living in a building that is listed on tax records as a "warehouse"? This seems like it should be a violation of some kind of law in itself.

[houston-development]

this is just my personal opinion, based upon living around the area since '99. while i am not an owner in baldwin square, i have thought about purchasing and renting out a unit. there are several factors why im not and again, this is just personal thoughts and opinions based upon personal experiences/discussions.

a large majority can be (or have been) purchased for under $250k. while i dont know the percentages, i believe most owners bought with little to no "real" money down. therefore, they really dont have a true pride of ownership for their unit and treat it more like a rental, rather than their home. there's an old saying, especially when it comes to condos: your unit is only as good as your neighboors. not saying all owners are like that, just the majority ive personally seen.

additionally, the property is almost 10 years old and will need renovations. be it the roofs, pluming, painting, ect... the cost will deplete the existing HOA reserve and will require a special assessment. perry's product, especially 10 years ago, wasnt known for its quality. build cheap, fast, in a good location, and sell below market. it was his MO and is just is what it is. if you dont believe me, look up his resales vs comparable product. 9 out of 10 times, the perry product is cheaper.

but i digest.

as for the negatives others have already pointed out, it is a part of inner city living. ive dealt with the break-ins, pan handlers, beer bottles, and 4 am yelling drunks for the past 10 years, so yes i know. guess my point is if you're a 20-something single, that wants to own something affordable for the next couple of years, and close in, this area is for you.

[musicman]

I'm fairly new to Houston, so I'm not 100% clear on the zoning (or lack of zoning laws) in the Houston area. However, how is it legal to have people living in a building that is listed on tax records as a "warehouse"? This seems like it should be a violation of some kind of law in itself.

Several that i've been in have quite nice living quarters. what would you categorize the building as?

[kylejack]

I'm fairly new to Houston, so I'm not 100% clear on the zoning (or lack of zoning laws) in the Houston area. However, how is it legal to have people living in a building that is listed on tax records as a "warehouse"? This seems like it should be a violation of some kind of law in itself.

As you said, its a lack of zoning laws. If an artist wants to convert a warehouse into a studio and live in it as well, he is allowed to do so in Houston. Go on the annual Art Crawl and you'll see what I mean, warehouses all over downtown and the East End that have been converted into studios where people live.

[brian0123]

they really dont have a true pride of ownership for their unit and treat it more like a rental, rather than their home. there's an old saying, especially when it comes to condos: your unit is only as good as your neighboors. not saying all owners are like that, just the majority ive personally seen.

additionally, the property is almost 10 years old and will need renovations. be it the roofs, pluming, painting, ect... the cost will deplete the existing HOA reserve and will require a special assessment.

I appreciate your observations, but I have to disagree on your two main points. First, my neighbors are not renters. They are families. Come by Baldwin Square any day after work, and you will see children running around and playing within the gates. You will also see many retired couples that have lived here awhile, and love the area because it's very convenient for them.

As for repairs... the HOA does not cover repairs. Each townhome handles it on their own. The HOA just enforces deed restrictions very strictly to make sure people do not get complacent. As for painting... my block just had everyone's homes painted at the same time because a neighbor organized us and got all 33 units to agree to a discounted price. Other blocks can easily do the same.

[houston-development]

I appreciate your observations, but I have to disagree on your two main points. First, my neighbors are not renters. They are families. Come by Baldwin Square any day after work, and you will see children running around and playing within the gates. You will also see many retired couples that have lived here awhile, and love the area because it's very convenient for them.

i didnt say they were renters and didnt mean to imply that. was talking about pride of ownership in which they have little to no real money in their unit (ie 5% or less down). therefore, they treat the unit like a rental rather than their home. in other words and as an example: if the toilet is constantly running, a proud owner would call their local plumber and get it fixed rather than ignore it. does that make sense?

As for repairs... the HOA does not cover repairs. Each townhome handles it on their own. The HOA just enforces deed restrictions very strictly to make sure people do not get complacent. As for painting... my block just had everyone's homes painted at the same time because a neighbor organized us and got all 33 units to agree to a discounted price. Other blocks can easily do the same.

your HOA management told me otherwise. roofs, underground plumbing, and exterior painting were all covered under the hoa. additionally, maybe im wrong but im going by memory; community water (ie sprinklers), insurance, and such as well.

so you are saying all of these items are only covered by the owners individually and the hoa is only for deed restrictions? thats pretty hard to believe but since you are an owner and im not, you know more about it than me.

[gazhomme]

As you said, its a lack of zoning laws. If an artist wants to convert a warehouse into a studio and live in it as well, he is allowed to do so in Houston. Go on the annual Art Crawl and you'll see what I mean, warehouses all over downtown and the East End that have been converted into studios where people live.

Back in the 80's/90's I would crash at a friends loft after his band played at Downtown Grounds. While his apartment resembled a flophouse the lofts I've visited on the Art Crawl are night and day above what could be construed as a flop house. I think the point midtowntiger is trying to make is that they have it labled as a warehouse and may not meet the various city code requirements for a lodge or hotel.

[brian0123]

i didnt say they were renters and didnt mean to imply that. was talking about pride of ownership in which they have little to no real money in their unit (ie 5% or less down). therefore, they treat the unit like a rental rather than their home. in other words and as an example: if the toilet is constantly running, a proud owner would call their local plumber and get it fixed rather than ignore it. does that make sense?

your HOA management told me otherwise. roofs, underground plumbing, and exterior painting were all covered under the hoa. additionally, maybe im wrong but im going by memory; community water (ie sprinklers), insurance, and such as well.

so you are saying all of these items are only covered by the owners individually and the hoa is only for deed restrictions? thats pretty hard to believe but since you are an owner and im not, you know more about it than me.

I only put 5% down and have done more to my house than the past two owners ever did. This is my first home, and my wife and I have tremendous pride in it. I know other newly weds in the area that are the same way. Plus, in today's economy, it doesn't necessarily make sense to put 20% down into an illiquid asset when you can instead use the money to purchase stocks at dirt cheap levels or save it for the rainy day that is sure to strike many more people before our economy turns.

As for the HOA, I can only speak for my section of Baldwin Square. For us... roofs are not covered, but underground plumbing (sprinklers) and exterior painting (of the fences) are. Also, there are some communities that have community water, others don't (not mine). The insurance only covers stuff like someone getting pinned by an automatic community gate and suing. We also pay for private trash pickup so we don't have to put our trash onto the street.

[brian0123]

I was thinking last night about 2910 and had an idea that I wanted to throw out to everyone. What if the MMD were to buy up properties in Midtown (like 2910) that are flop houses near residential areas? The MMD has been busy buying up properties on the other side of 288 (see the thread Midtown TIRZ & Mgmt District) Granted, the properties on our side of 288 are pricier... but shutting those places down would have a tremendous impact on Midtown. Would this be a good idea or a waste of money?

[houston_urban_fan]

I was thinking last night about 2910 and had an idea that I wanted to throw out to everyone. What if the MMD were to buy up properties in Midtown (like 2910) that are flop houses near residential areas? The MMD has been busy buying up properties on the other side of 288 (see the thread Midtown TIRZ & Mgmt District)

This is incorrect. The MMD is a separate entity from the TIRZ. The MMD is the service provider of Midtown. They manage such things as security, beautification, lighting, maintenance, etc.

While I think it would be great to get rid of that particular business it would be beyond the scope of the MMD, especially financially.

Having served as a volunteer to the MMD, I can tell you that the citizens that make up the MMD board are the same citizens who live in Midtown and pay the yearly assessments. Fiscal conservatism and transparency are the values I have witnessed the most of while attending their meetings. Time and time again calls for money to subsidize studies into *fill-in the blank* have been rejected in favor of funding items that obtain visible results that assessment payers can see. It

[derek0456]

Hey, I'm sorry this is slightly off topic, but did anyone see the police helicopter and seven+ police cars surrounding Zeppelin (San Jacinto and Rosalie) on Monday night? I live right across from their parking lot, and heard over the bullhorn "Come out with your hands up! This is your last warning!" Then I watched from my window for a while as the helicopter continued to circle pointing its searchlight at the building, while cops with dogs circled with their own flashlights looking all around. I searched chron.com and khou.com for articles about it, but didn't find anything. Are police standoffs so common in Houston that they don't even merit the news? Anyone else hear anything about it?

[Mr. Chenevert]

I'm not jumping on the Baldwin Square is going to pot bandwagon...

however, for the first time in my 4 years of living in Baldwin Square, a drunk homeless man was knocking on all of our doors and yelling Merry Christmas last night.

[Daniepwils]

however, for the first time in my 4 years of living in Baldwin Square, a drunk homeless man was knocking on all of our doors and yelling Merry Christmas last night.

LOL, he is about a month off, poor fella!

[brian0123]

Hey, I'm sorry this is slightly off topic, but did anyone see the police helicopter and seven+ police cars surrounding Zeppelin (San Jacinto and Rosalie) on Monday night? I live right across from their parking lot, and heard over the bullhorn "Come out with your hands up! This is your last warning!" Then I watched from my window for a while as the helicopter continued to circle pointing its searchlight at the building, while cops with dogs circled with their own flashlights looking all around. I searched chron.com and khou.com for articles about it, but didn't find anything. Are police standoffs so common in Houston that they don't even merit the news? Anyone else hear anything about it?

Yeah, I saw it from my window too. I found an online HPD police scanner at the time and between all the garbled mess it sounded as if someone tried to rob the place and ended up on the roof. This sort of thing happens a lot... so news doesn't always cover it.

[dbigtex56]

The route I would pursue with the Midtown Lodge property is making sure they are held accountable to every line of city code.

Phoning your representatives as requesting that the city make sure that this business follows the code and ordinances of the City of Houston is both reasonable and effective. Any money that is spent to meet city code is money that is removed from his profitability. And from what I gather it needs a large amount of renovation.

Good suggestion. Try contacting City Council member Peter Brown - he seems to have taken an active interest in problems such as these.

From his most recent e-newsletter:

Here is what my Council Office is working on for 2009:

.........

Ordinances:

a) Rid Houston of Hot Sheet Motels

Fight massage parlors, and derelict buildings.

c) Stronger Historic Preservation