Long Point Redevelopment In Spring Branch

[SpringShadows]

Hey everyone,

I've been looking high and low for detailed information about what the plan is for the Long Point Re-Development that's been happening. I see signs saying "Stop The Long Point Land Grab" but I can't find any information on what that means.

Then this weekend the wife and decided to get dinner at Otilia's and we noticed the intersection just before it is amazing. All new, very beautiful brickwork inlaid in the street. Is this the plan for any more intersections, all of Long Point? Is this a result of the "Land Grab"?

Sorry, I'm new to all this. I just wanted to get smart on the area, this was our first house (Spring Shadows) and in 2 years it has appraised 50k higher than we paid. Our 20% load was literally swallowed when we refinanced and locked in at 4.5. Thngs in this area have been getting better, but I am very interested to see if the momentum behind this transitioning of Spring Branch will continue. I noticed they installed a car meter at the north side of the feeder of I-10 and Gessner, hopefully a sign of more things to come. Also, of course we have 12 schools being replaced, but other than this site I really can't find a good resource for new information and existing plans.

Like, are they going to re-build Gessner, the street looks terrible from I-10 to Clay?

Can anyone fill me in on anything else they know of that hasn't fallen under the "Bunker Hill" post?

[Ducks]

I was pleased to see the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on Longpoint close, however looks like Wal-Mart will be opening a Supermercado de Walmart in its place. I do not see that as a good thing for the area.

[SpringShadows]

I was pleased to see the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on Longpoint close, however looks like Wal-Mart will be opening a Supermercado de Walmart in its place. I do not see that as a good thing for the area.

LOL, even though it's not really funny.

[CHiPs]

I was pleased to see the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on Longpoint close, however looks like Wal-Mart will be opening a Supermercado de Walmart in its place. I do not see that as a good thing for the area.

Why not?

[Ducks]

Why not?

because to me, a Supermercado de Walmart does not scream revitalization to an area. i'm probably wrong, though.

[lockmat]

Found this so far, but it doesn't explain the Wirt intersection.

http://www.culberson.house.gov/media/pdfs/fy08thud.pdf

http://www.houstontx.gov/cip/08cipadopt/ex...y/es-street.pdf

2006 article: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories...html?from_rss=1

And what do ya know: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...mp;#entry306194

Edited March 23, 2009 by lockmat

[SpringShadows]

Found this so far, but it doesn't explain the Wirt intersection.

http://www.culberson.house.gov/media/pdfs/fy08thud.pdf

http://www.houstontx.gov/cip/08cipadopt/ex...y/es-street.pdf

2006 article: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories...html?from_rss=1

And what do ya know: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...mp;#entry306194

All very interesting, thanks a million.

[Corbusier]

this was part of Toni Lawrence's push in making Long Point a major corridor. a few key intersections were going to get nicer improvements. the turning lanes will help get traffic through.

Wirt is looking nicer now. hope the SuperMercado stays clean. maybe it will pick up some of the Fiesta business.

not sure about the north side of Long Point..those neighborhoods are not improving.

Edited March 25, 2009 by Corbusier

[lockmat]

this was part of Toni Lawrence's push in making Long Point a major corridor. a few key intersections were going to get nicer improvements. the turning lanes will help get traffic through.

Wirt is looking nicer now. hope the SuperMercado stays clean. maybe it will pick up some of the Fiesta business.

not sure about the north side of Long Point..those neighborhoods are not improving.

It wouldn't surprise me to see it eventually happen. The neighborhood southwest of Wirt/Long Point is doing a lot of tearing down old houses and building huge McMansions.

[KatieDidIt]

I saw this the other day. It looked really out of place.

Usually the neigborhood elevates first, then 10 years later the street gets a face lift.

This is definately a different approach.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I have to admit that the intersection turned out very well (Long Point @ Wirt).

I saw this the other day. It looked really out of place.

Usually the neigborhood elevates first, then 10 years later the street gets a face lift.

This is definately a different approach.

I suppose a similar phenomena is taking place at Belaire and Fondren in Sharpstown--although, from what I've heard, many of the MCMs of the neighborhoods nearest to that intersection are being bought and refurbished and the surrounding neighborhoods are seeing a rise in property values.

[G-man]

The redevelopment/improvement of Long Point has been an on-going issue for some time now, and I too saw the renovated Long Point/Wirt intersection for the first time a few days ago, and agree that it looks great. As was noted in some of the links posted in previous responses, due to the fact that property values to the south of Long Point have increased so greatly, redevelopment has in fact moved to the north. But everyone agrees that in order for things to really improve there, the physical appearance of Long Point will need to be improved.

The intersection redesign is one of the major projects supported by the the Spring Branch Management District, which has some designated taxing authority over commercial enterprises located within Spring Branch. Here's an overview of the SBMD's plan:

http://sbmd.org/sbmdprojects.aspx

In fact, coordinating the redevelopment of Long Point was one of the primary reasons for the creation of the SBMD by the State. I think that these management districts, which get relatively little notice, will play an increasingly important role in redevelopment in Houston. As for the issue concerning the acquisition of property along the right of way to the north of Long Point, see the second article from Michael Falick's Blog from a while back:

http://mikefalick.blogs.com/my_blog/2006/0...lawrence_r.html

In particular, the residents of Rollingwood, a very unique Spring Branch community, were concerned about the potential loss of green space to the north of the road. In any case, it's good to see the continued improvements currently taking place in Spring Branch.

G-man

Edited March 26, 2009 by G-man

[SpringShadows]

The redevelopment/improvement has been an on-going issue for some time now, and I too saw the renovated Long Point/Wirt intersection for the first time a few days ago, and agree that it looks great. As was noted in some of the links posted in previous responses, due to the fact that property values to the south of Long Point have increased so greatly, redevelopment has in fact moved to the north. But everyone agrees that in order for things to really improve there, the physical appearance of Long Point will need to be improved.

The intersection redesign is one of the major projects supported by the the Spring Branch Management District, which has some designated taxing authority over commercial enterprises located within Spring Branch. Here's an overview of the SBMD's plan:

http://sbmd.org/sbmdprojects.aspx

In fact, coordinating the redevelopment of Long Point was one of the primary reasons for the creation of the SBMD by the State. I think that these management districts, which get relatively little notice, will play an increasingly important role in redevelopment in Houston. As for the issue concerning the acquisition of property along the right of to the north of Long Point, see the second article from Michael Falick's Blog from a while back:

http://mikefalick.blogs.com/my_blog/2006/0...lawrence_r.html

In particular, the residents of Rollingwood, a very unique Spring Branch community, were concerned about the potential loss of green space to the north of the road. In any case, it's good to see the continued improvements currently taking place in Spring Branch.

G-man

Amazing post, thank you so much for the information. SBDM.org has been added to my bookmarks and I will tune in regularly to see the updates. The pdf's were packed with great info.

[G-man]

Here's more on the redevelopment of the Wirt/Long Point Intersection:

http://blogs.chron.com/westsidestory/2009/...ng_point_r.html

http://www.hwcoc.org/en/art/461/

G-man

Amazing post, thank you so much for the information. SBDM.org has been added to my bookmarks and I will tune in regularly to see the updates. The pdf's were packed with great info.

[SpringShadows]

Here's more on the redevelopment of the Wirt/Long Point Intersection:

http://blogs.chron.com/westsidestory/2009/...ng_point_r.html

http://www.hwcoc.org/en/art/461/

G-man

Thanks again as always.

Many of us in the area are extremely enthusiastic about the developments in our neighborhood, hopefully the people instigating these wonderful changes catch wind of how happy many of us are. My wife and I are very successful 30somethings returning to where she grew up to re-invigorate this neighborhood. We could have lived in the Heights but we believe in Spring Branch. My wife wanted to contribute by being a school councilor to some of the more at risk children. She has a masters from Saint Thomas and kept a perfect 4.0, she could have worked anywhere she wanted, and left a much more financially lucrative job to do so. Before she graduated, while in school, she worked ias a teacher recruiter and worked very hard to place the best talent in our district as well.

We are trying to stack the odds in SB's favor!

[G-man]

SS,

I couldn't agree with you more. I moved to an area in Spring Branch near Spring Valley/Hilshire Village about 6 years ago, after also looking at places in the Bellaire, West U, and Frostwood areas. I could already see that that the area was ripe for redevelopment and that there would be a greater potential for increased appreciation, as those other areas had been redeveloping for longer periods of time. And though I am often away on extended businesses trips (as I am at the moment), I am quite the fan of SB and love living there. It offers a wooded location near town, without being in the center of congestion, combing urban, suburban, and even a bit of the rural. And of course the school district is the tops in the area.

It's of note that you compared Spring branch to the Heights, since when I was growing up in the 70s Spring Branch was a much more desirable place to live than the Heights. And though the northern areas of the neighborhood declined in the 80s, the areas south of Long Point really never did, and the area as whole is undergoing an amazing redevelopment. But I'm amazed that this has largely escaped the knowledge of Houston at large (possibly not a bad thing), as many appear to retain impressions from the past, and are totally unaware that it's become basically impossible to purchase a new house in many areas of Spring Branch for less than $800,00+.

I as you look forward to ever better things in SB!

G

Thanks again as always.

Many of us in the area are extremely enthusiastic about the developments in our neighborhood, hopefully the people instigating these wonderful changes catch wind of how happy many of us are. My wife and I are very successful 30somethings returning to where she grew up to re-invigorate this neighborhood. We could have lived in the Heights but we believe in Spring Branch. My wife wanted to contribute by being a school councilor to some of the more at risk children. She has a masters from Saint Thomas and kept a perfect 4.0, she could have worked anywhere she wanted, and left a much more financially lucrative job to do so. Before she graduated, while in school, she worked ias a teacher recruiter and worked very hard to place the best talent in our district as well.

We are trying to stack the odds in SB's favor!

[Rammer]

Somebody mentioned the loss of greenspace in Spring Branch.

The biggest loss of greenspace is just about to take place - the Spring Branch horse stables are history. Frank Liu is helping to destroy over 100 beautiful acres with another unnecessary townhouse project. How the City/Planning & Development board can approve this is beyond sad. They 'talk the talk' about greenspace...then lick the nearest developer's butt. There are already homes flooding on Blankenship at Hollister. I'm betting that number is about to increase bigtime in the Binglewood/Langwood II area.

There is already an empty cankersore subdivision on Emnora(next to post office). Lui ought to call this obscene project 'Ghost Town Townhomes'.

Supposedly there will also be a private school built, too.

[G-man]

Rammer, I'm glad that you brought up the issue of this development as I had intended to post about it earlier. I think this is the development to which you referred in your post:

http://www.dpz.com/pdf/0708-PDSpringBranch.pdf

This is the Andres Duany project with Lovett, and there had been a fair amount of press about it when it was announced in 2007. But in light of the current national real estate situation, I had wondered whether the plan was to move forward with it. Duany is one of the gurus of the "new urbanism" movement, and the plan appears to incorporate a fair amount of greenbelts and other open space. The plans even refer to incorporating the stables into the development somehow. It appears as if this Spring Branch development will be part of the growing trend of mix-use developments in the Houston area.

In any case, if these plans go forward, this will be a major milestone for Spring Branch, and would solidify its continued redevelopment (especially since it would be north of Long Point, though as you point out, this area has already begun to attract a good amount of development). I think that it's been a long time since we've had a 110 acre development this close close in. It would certainly be the largest single Spring Branch development in a generation or more. Again, I hope that the stables will be retained somehow, as I remember when the Pin Oak stables were lost. But maybe this is just the fate of such things when land prices reach a certain level. By the way, I think this development will be primarily single family homes, as the the Lovett townhome development in the area is a separate project, and has already opened across the street (to the west) from this site.

G

Somebody mentioned the loss of greenspace in Spring Branch.

The biggest loss of greenspace is just about to take place - the Spring Branch horse stables are history. Frank Liu is helping to destroy over 100 beautiful acres with another unnecessary townhouse project. How the City/Planning & Development board can approve this is beyond sad. They 'talk the talk' about greenspace...then lick the nearest developer's butt. There are already homes flooding on Blankenship at Hollister. I'm betting that number is about to increase bigtime in the Binglewood/Langwood II area.

There is already an empty cankersore subdivision on Emnora(next to post office). Lui ought to call this obscene project 'Ghost Town Townhomes'.

Supposedly there will also be a private school built, too.

[lockmat]

Rammer, I'm glad that you brought up the issue of this development as I had intended to post about it earlier. I think this is the development to which you referred in your post:

http://www.dpz.com/pdf/0708-PDSpringBranch.pdf

This is the Andres Duany project with Lovett, and there had been a fair amount of press about it when it was announced in 2007. But in light of the current national real estate situation, I had wondered whether the plan was to move forward with it. Duany is one of the gurus of the "new urbanism" movement, and the plan appears to incorporate a fair amount of greenbelts and other open space. The plans even refer to incorporating the stables into the development somehow. It appears as if this Spring Branch development will be part of the growing trend of mix-use developments in the Houston area.

In any case, if these plans go forward, this will be a major milestone for Spring Branch, and would solidify its continued redevelopment (especially since it would be north of Long Point, though as you point out, this area has already begun to attract a good amount of development). I think that it's been a long time since we've had a 110 acre development this close close in. It would certainly be the largest single Spring Branch development in a generation or more. Again, I hope that the stables will be retained somehow, as I remember when the Pin Oak stables were lost. But maybe this is just the fate of such things when land prices reach a certain level. By the way, I think this development will be primarily single family homes, as the the Lovett townhome development in the area is a separate project, and has already opened across the street (to the west) from this site.

G

Where exactly is this? Is it here... http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=U...mp;t=h&z=15

I was looking for 110 acres of green space.

edit: I suppose it is since I see horses roaming around on live.com's map. It's a little surprising that something hasn't been done at least south of Emnora since nothing is on it, not even horses.

Edited May 2, 2009 by lockmat

[Rammer]

Thanks for the post, G-man.

Where do I begin with this? The keyword associated with all of this is deception.

First, notice that Frank Liu has two plans associated with the Duany Plater-Zyberk diagram.

The second plan has better stormwater retention pond plan. Unfortunately, when you look at the Fenway Development site, they only display the first plan....the less water retention friendly plan.

Also, the description '..and a large field used temporarily as a horse pasture' is ridiculous.

The horses roamed freely from Kempwood to Emnora for at least 20 years! I usually counted about 35-50 horses, one time I counted 75 horses. When I add up the acreage (under the deceptive owner name of 'KEMPSPRING INVESTMENTS LTD') in HCAD, I get 81.41 acres. Perhaps I miscalculated or he owns 28 acres under another name.

Notice that one entry has 2900 Hollister ST, while another has 2900 Hollister RD. There are a total of 4 entries for KEMPSPRING INVESTMENTS. The subdivison to the east of the plan is Langwood II, the structure to the east is Edgewood elementary(lower east).

To make another part of a long story shorter, Frank Liu still hangs out at 5177 Richmond, suite 1166(despite the signage/security desk).

If anyone can help stop the cars, crime, and water coming to this area, please help.