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1111 Studewood Place


maggie

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That is exactly the insinuation being made by Swamplot. They compared the renderings to the less than spectacular rendering at the construction site and suggested that budget issues may have done away with the window treatments and other niceties. We all know how often the real thing differs from the renderings, so we'll just have to wait and see how this thing pans out. If they are going to risk ridicule by building something new in the Heights, the least they can do is shut up the naysayers by making it look nice.

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That is exactly the insinuation being made by Swamplot. They compared the renderings to the less than spectacular rendering at the construction site and suggested that budget issues may have done away with the window treatments and other niceties. We all know how often the real thing differs from the renderings, so we'll just have to wait and see how this thing pans out. If they are going to risk ridicule by building something new in the Heights, the least they can do is shut up the naysayers by making it look nice.

Really, anyone building anything new anywhere should make it look nice. There is no reason for crap design other than lack of caring. It doesn't need to be super fancy to be interesting.

I know I am a minority on this point: I am very strongly in favor of preserving old things for several reasons but when new ones are build, for the love, make them look new. Otherwise 9 times out of 10 you end up with a) bad design... Whitestone Builders, I'm talking to you... or B) living in the middle of Disneyworld... Harry James... I'm talking to you.

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Well, since Swamplot was merely asking a rhetorical question, not stating a fact, I'll wait to see what the finished product looks like before passing judgment.

Interesting that you trashed two builders who design and build homes in the Heights to look like they've been here awhile. I completely agree. However, that is what that stupid historical ordinance attempts to impose on new construction. Faux history. But that's another topic.

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Well, since Swamplot was merely asking a rhetorical question, not stating a fact, I'll wait to see what the finished product looks like before passing judgment.

Interesting that you trashed two builders who design and build homes in the Heights to look like they've been here awhile. I completely agree. However, that is what that stupid historical ordinance attempts to impose on new construction. Faux history. But that's another topic.

It is, but I have to say I agree. That is the part of the ordinance I don't like. I do like the size restrictions but not the style. What I am most interested in (and the reason I bought in a historic district) is to save what's here, not to make new look old.

I can't help but pass judgement. I drive by this everyday and a large chunk of my neighborhood will lose afternoon sun because of it. I do look forward to more retail options, but only if they are independent/local.

To my previous concern about the patio in the rendering- I really just cannot see how. There is a huge concrete beam exactly at the corner. Of course, if you look at their rendering, there is no sidewalk either but there is not enough space between the existing sidewalk and the new building to have that drive thru area. I think the rendering is a bunch of bunk based on these observations. Again, I am not architect. Someone else needs to go over and look and tell me if I am crazy!

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a large chunk of my neighborhood will lose afternoon sun because of it.

Morning sun maybe, but afternoon is a hard sell. I haven't done trig in a while but I think that most of the afternoon shadow won't make it accross Studemont.

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I can't help but pass judgement. I drive by this everyday and a large chunk of my neighborhood will lose afternoon sun because of it. I do look forward to more retail options, but only if they are independent/local.

To my previous concern about the patio in the rendering- I really just cannot see how. There is a huge concrete beam exactly at the corner. Of course, if you look at their rendering, there is no sidewalk either but there is not enough space between the existing sidewalk and the new building to have that drive thru area. I think the rendering is a bunch of bunk based on these observations. Again, I am not architect. Someone else needs to go over and look and tell me if I am crazy!

If you stand on 11 1/2 Street, you will see a space between the building and the sidewalk of approximately 20 feet or so. That is sufficient for a pation on the corner, even if they put the circle drive in front on Studewood.

As for the suggestion that a "large chucnk" of your neighborhood losing afternoon sun, I have to say that this is a bit of an exaggeration. I hate to bust out my algebra on you, but it will help visualize how much shade the building will produce. The building will be approximately 60 feet tall. It sits 20 feet from the City right of way. Studewood is 75 feet wide, including sidewalks. The first house on the other side is approximately 15 feet from the edge of the right of way. So, a shadow must be 110 feet long to even reach the first house.

Obviously, at noon, there is no shadow. As the suns drops in the sky, the angle to the building will increase, lengthening the shadow. At approximately 4 pm, the sun would be at 45 degrees (VERY rough estimate). This would put the building's shadow at 60 feet, not even crossing Studewood. At 6 pm, the angle would be roughly 60 degrees, or 30 degrees above the horizon. This would produce a shadow of 104 feet, not quite reaching the first house across the street. After 6 pm, until sunset, the first house would be shaded. Remember, however, that every house to the east of that first house will also be shaded by the house directly west of it. So, by 6 pm, virtually all houses in the neighborhood will be blocked by the other houses. Effectively, NO houses will be blocked of afternoon sun, and only the FIRST house will be blocked of evening sun.

Remember that the building is only 100 feet wide, so the width of the shadow will only block one house.

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If you stand on 11 1/2 Street, you will see a space between the building and the sidewalk of approximately 20 feet or so. That is sufficient for a pation on the corner, even if they put the circle drive in front on Studewood.

As for the suggestion that a "large chucnk" of your neighborhood losing afternoon sun, I have to say that this is a bit of an exaggeration. I hate to bust out my algebra on you, but it will help visualize how much shade the building will produce. The building will be approximately 60 feet tall. It sits 20 feet from the City right of way. Studewood is 75 feet wide, including sidewalks. The first house on the other side is approximately 15 feet from the edge of the right of way. So, a shadow must be 110 feet long to even reach the first house.

Obviously, at noon, there is no shadow. As the suns drops in the sky, the angle to the building will increase, lengthening the shadow. At approximately 4 pm, the sun would be at 45 degrees (VERY rough estimate). This would put the building's shadow at 60 feet, not even crossing Studewood. At 6 pm, the angle would be roughly 60 degrees, or 30 degrees above the horizon. This would produce a shadow of 104 feet, not quite reaching the first house across the street. After 6 pm, until sunset, the first house would be shaded. Remember, however, that every house to the east of that first house will also be shaded by the house directly west of it. So, by 6 pm, virtually all houses in the neighborhood will be blocked by the other houses. Effectively, NO houses will be blocked of afternoon sun, and only the FIRST house will be blocked of evening sun.

Remember that the building is only 100 feet wide, so the width of the shadow will only block one house.

I'll buy that. Fine. I really don't care to think 3 paragraphs about it. But the construction is already blocking the sun of my friend's house on Key in the late afternoon...

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I'll buy that. Fine. I really don't care to think 3 paragraphs about it. But the construction is already blocking the sun of my friend's house on Key in the late afternoon...

Well, now you've moved straight from exaggeration to making stuff up. The construction is all of about 12 feet tall right now. I just drove by there and the shadows do not even make it to the sidewalk in front of the construction, much less across the street.

1111Studewood3.jpg

I'm curious which house on Key is getting blocked of sunlight, the one with the 40 foot oak next to it, or the one behind the forest?

1111Studewood4.jpg

Edited by RedScare
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Well, now you've moved straight from exaggeration to making stuff up. The construction is all of about 12 feet tall right now. I just drove by there and the shadows do not even make it to the sidewalk in front of the construction, much less across the street.

1111Studewood3.jpg

I'm curious which house on Key is getting blocked of sunlight, the one with the 40 foot oak next to it, or the one behind the forest?

1111Studewood4.jpg

it will also be easier to accept once the homeowner realizes that he didn't buy sun rights when he moved in, so it is not the 'sun of his friends house' it isn't any bodies sun.

Anyway, even if there is sun being blocked by the building, or construction, or whatever, the sun doesn't travel in a direct line across the sky, it travels in an arc, so even if one building blocks the sun at one point during the day, it isn't likely to block it at all points. If it is specifically blocking the sunset right now, cheer up, because the sun doesn't always set in the same place all year long, it will move and you'll be able to see it again.

I assume though that they are complaining about sunsets.

I never understood why people complain about obstructions to their view of sunsets in Houston anyway, I worked in Greenway 5 for a while on one of the upper floors, I had a westward window, that is a magnificent sunset, and no where on the ground in Houston can equal that, you cannot find anywhere that you get to watch the sun dip below the horizon on anyone's porch (and certainly not a backyard patio if you have a fence). If you live in Houston and want to watch the sun dip below the horizon, buy an upper floor condo facing west.

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I assume though that they are complaining about sunsets.

I don't know why. I had occasion to drive down Key Street yesterday. The entire block is adorned with huge oaks that have grown over the street, blocking virtually all of the sun on that block. And, I'll bet $100 that the residents brag on that green canopy. They likely talk of how the shade of those trees keeps the temperature 20 degrees cooler than in the direct sunlight. But, somehow the shade of a building is evil. Good shade versus bad shade, I suppose.

I've never understood the complaint about blocking sun in Houston, given that we go to such lengths to create shade here. I have always taken the position that an opponent who must go to an argument against self interest, such as the blocking of the sun, really has no argument at all. That would be the case here, especially considering that the new structure will not cast a shadow upon any residence that is not already shaded. And, it may not cast a shadow upon any residences at all, at least not until after 6:30 pm. I measured the shadow coming off of my 2 story garage yesterday. It took until 6:30 pm to reach 58 feet on a 29 foot tall garage (roof line). On a 60 foot building, the shadow will not reach the house across the street until 6:30 or later. And, it will only hit that one house. Every other house is blocked by the house to the west of it.

Non-issue.

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Yeah, I'll assume it was sunsets they were complaining about. I didn't see it 1st hand. I was told the construction (not necessarily the building, could be the cranes and such too) was bumming them out. You can really make the biggest deal out of nothing.

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I've never understood the complaint about blocking sun in Houston, given that we go to such lengths to create shade here.

You obviously have never been out to the suburbs.

And your opinion about shade is yours and only yours. Apparently, you haven't noticed that people in Houston buy houses so they can have these things in and around their property that are called "gardens". It turns out that you need sunlight in order to have a successful "garden". And it is also a coincidence that the trees you mention also need sunlight.

Probably a half dozen homes will have the sun blocked by this building. If they decide to move, I really doubt the realtor will put in the listing "low AC bills due to six story neighboring condos!" (although, you never know with realtors). And I know that no one will think "wow, this house is close to a six story building!" if they were to look to buy one of the houses.

This development has a negative impact on the immediate neighbors. You can come up with all kinds of twisted rationalizations, but the fact of the matter is that the people living immediately in and around this are going to lose light and have people peering into their back yard from a few stories up.

This development only impacts a very small number of people in the Heights. But, it sets a precedent that if you can do 6 stories without much fuss (as long as you keep the plans secret until permits have been issued), then 8, 10, 12 stories are worth a shot. The developers that hold the land over by the bike trail and White Oak are watching all of this as are many others who are looking at old industrial sections of the Heights.

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You obviously have never been out to the suburbs.

And your opinion about shade is yours and only yours. Apparently, you haven't noticed that people in Houston buy houses so they can have these things in and around their property that are called "gardens". It turns out that you need sunlight in order to have a successful "garden". And it is also a coincidence that the trees you mention also need sunlight.

I am very glad you brought up gardens, as I have a very successful vegetable garden in my backyard, as well, my neighbors have very successful vegetable gardens around their houses as well.

My garden gets direct sun less than 50% of the day, being that it is located in such an area that it is either shaded by my home, or shaded by my 100 year old pecan tree the other parts of the day the garden gets shade.

The tomatoes do better in my 50% direct sun location, than in my neighbors yard where it has damn near 100% direct sunlight, as a matter of fact, she just erected a shade over the tomatoes so they wouldn't get burned by the sun.

Additionally, I have gardens with non-edible plants (flower gardens) that are extremely successful with even less sun.

Probably a half dozen homes will have the sun blocked by this building. If they decide to move, I really doubt the realtor will put in the listing "low AC bills due to six story neighboring condos!" (although, you never know with realtors). And I know that no one will think "wow, this house is close to a six story building!" if they were to look to buy one of the houses.

This development has a negative impact on the immediate neighbors. You can come up with all kinds of twisted rationalizations, but the fact of the matter is that the people living immediately in and around this are going to lose light and have people peering into their back yard from a few stories up.

This development only impacts a very small number of people in the Heights. But, it sets a precedent that if you can do 6 stories without much fuss (as long as you keep the plans secret until permits have been issued), then 8, 10, 12 stories are worth a shot. The developers that hold the land over by the bike trail and White Oak are watching all of this as are many others who are looking at old industrial sections of the Heights.

The amount of time that these properties will be affected by the sun is not enough to kill vegetation of any type. At most the building will block direct sun for at most an hour late in the evening. Sunlight that late in the evening has to travel through so much atmosphere to reach us, it has been sufficiently diffused by particles floating around in the atmosphere, which means that much of the power and strength that these plants require from the sun is gone.

In short, I call BS on your garden reasoning.

As to the rest of your reasoning, it doesn't hold water, as has been easily explained earlier in this thread when you made the same arguments.

In fact, your reasons for not wanting these miniature 'towers of terror' are in stark juxtaposition to your advocacy of mixed use and densification you used in other threads...

Edited by samagon
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This development has a negative impact on the immediate neighbors. You can come up with all kinds of twisted rationalizations, but the fact of the matter is that the people living immediately in and around this are going to lose light and have people peering into their back yard from a few stories up.

did you seriously just say that. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

BTW, the other immediate neighbors (Decapos, Brazilian Arts Foundation, Andy's, 11th Street Cafe etc.) are all quite excited about the increase in residential density. That is a positive impact, not to mention while your probably right, nobody would say "wow its next to a neat 6 story building" as a reason to buy nearby, the thought of being near new development would likely be viewed as a positive.

They lofts won't be able to see people in their backyards, because the building will cast a black shadow upon the yards making it impossible to see anything. = ]

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You obviously have never been out to the suburbs.

And your opinion about shade is yours and only yours. Apparently, you haven't noticed that people in Houston buy houses so they can have these things in and around their property that are called "gardens". It turns out that you need sunlight in order to have a successful "garden". And it is also a coincidence that the trees you mention also need sunlight.

Probably a half dozen homes will have the sun blocked by this building. If they decide to move, I really doubt the realtor will put in the listing "low AC bills due to six story neighboring condos!" (although, you never know with realtors). And I know that no one will think "wow, this house is close to a six story building!" if they were to look to buy one of the houses.

This development has a negative impact on the immediate neighbors. You can come up with all kinds of twisted rationalizations, but the fact of the matter is that the people living immediately in and around this are going to lose light and have people peering into their back yard from a few stories up.

If you look at the sun path for growing season in Houston, there is very little angle for much of the day. In addition, there is a spread of nearly 240 degrees, from about 60 degrees to 300 degrees across the horizon from sunrise to sunset. So, the building would need to be built nearly on top of the homes, and surround the homes by 240 degrees from northeast, south, and northwest to be block all the sun.

Come winter, the sun sets much further to the south, so the homes affected by brief shadows in the summer won't be affected later in the year.

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If you look at the sun path for growing season in Houston, there is very little angle for much of the day. In addition, there is a spread of nearly 240 degrees, from about 60 degrees to 300 degrees across the horizon from sunrise to sunset. So, the building would need to be built nearly on top of the homes, and surround the homes by 240 degrees from northeast, south, and northwest to be block all the sun.

Come winter, the sun sets much further to the south, so the homes affected by brief shadows in the summer won't be affected later in the year.

The growing season in Houston is all year. Fall/Winter can be just as productive for vegatables than spring and summer (even more so when you get a blast furnace summer like we are having right now). I've grown collards, red russian kale and broccoli through winter freezes with a few blankets and Xmas lights.

And the building is on top of the neighboring homes. The west wall of the building is almost right on the property line. The set back to the north side of the building is ahead of the neighboring homes. The shadows won't be brief. To the west, a half day of sun may be lost. To the north, more sun will be lost in the winter as the sun's path is lower. I would guess that the better part of the afternoon would be lost.

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did you seriously just say that. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

BTW, the other immediate neighbors (Decapos, Brazilian Arts Foundation, Andy's, 11th Street Cafe etc.) are all quite excited about the increase in residential density. That is a positive impact, not to mention while your probably right, nobody would say "wow its next to a neat 6 story building" as a reason to buy nearby, the thought of being near new development would likely be viewed as a positive.

They lofts won't be able to see people in their backyards, because the building will cast a black shadow upon the yards making it impossible to see anything. = ]

Of course, neighboring businesses will like the density. And developers will see more traffic in the area and want to build another similar building. That one will probably be bigger if this one succeeds. And next thing you know there will be 8, 10, 12 story buildings sticking up where old machine shops and warehouses used to be. Instead of sitting on your deck, watching the yellow crown night herrons fly across the sunset at night, Heights residents may have a great view of the fourth floor condo occupant's 52" LCD TV watching the latest episode of CSI Miami. But those property owners just have to take one for the team so some developer can make a fast buck.

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Of course, neighboring businesses will like the density. And developers will see more traffic in the area and want to build another similar building. That one will probably be bigger if this one succeeds. And next thing you know there will be 8, 10, 12 story buildings sticking up where old machine shops and warehouses used to be.

One can only hope.

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Of course, neighboring businesses will like the density. And developers will see more traffic in the area and want to build another similar building. That one will probably be bigger if this one succeeds. And next thing you know there will be 8, 10, 12 story buildings sticking up where old machine shops and warehouses used to be. Instead of sitting on your deck, watching the yellow crown night herrons fly across the sunset at night, Heights residents may have a great view of the fourth floor condo occupant's 52" LCD TV watching the latest episode of CSI Miami. But those property owners just have to take one for the team so some developer can make a fast buck.

maybe they'll watch the discovery channel so you'll be able to see all kinds of critters from your deck.

Why is it always a "if X happens, then Y will definitely happen run for your lives" situation with you? I would argue that if this building is sucessful, it would be more likely to spawn similar size projects, as the formula is proven. The truth is you don't know what "the evil developers" are going to do, but you will go through these mental gymnastics to try to convice yourself and others that you are right. There aren't that many old machine shops/warehouses on major thoroughfares in the Heights... If you are so concerned about this type of development happening, why don't you try to get "at risk" blocks to sign up for min lot size min set backs? If the "neighborhoods identity" is at such a high level of risk as you state, this should be an easy task.

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The growing season in Houston is all year. Fall/Winter can be just as productive for vegatables than spring and summer (even more so when you get a blast furnace summer like we are having right now). I've grown collards, red russian kale and broccoli through winter freezes with a few blankets and Xmas lights.

And the building is on top of the neighboring homes. The west wall of the building is almost right on the property line. The set back to the north side of the building is ahead of the neighboring homes. The shadows won't be brief. To the west, a half day of sun may be lost. To the north, more sun will be lost in the winter as the sun's path is lower. I would guess that the better part of the afternoon would be lost.

The houses across the street have large trees in their front yards, even without this building there will be no planting.

The house to the west won't be affected as you imagine. Again, having a garden in my backyard and a house (my house) situated closer to my garden, in a similar position as this building (granted not 6 stories, but the proximity gives my garden shade for about the same period of time as this building will) the homeowner would not be adversely affected by shade.

Other than that, since we're going off of guesses anyway, I'm going to guess you're wrong.

This really is moot, and I'd encourage you to keep tabs on the properties once this is built and give us a full crop report, since the building isn't going to stop now.

Of course, neighboring businesses will like the density. And developers will see more traffic in the area and want to build another similar building. That one will probably be bigger if this one succeeds. And next thing you know there will be 8, 10, 12 story buildings sticking up where old machine shops and warehouses used to be. Instead of sitting on your deck, watching the yellow crown night herrons fly across the sunset at night, Heights residents may have a great view of the fourth floor condo occupant's 52" LCD TV watching the latest episode of CSI Miami. But those property owners just have to take one for the team so some developer can make a fast buck.

First, it's yellow crowned night herons.

Second, I've lived in Houston (Alief for 32 years [back when most of the neighborhoods were ranches with cows] and East End for the past 3) my whole life and never seen this, maybe they only socialize in The Heights.

I think your doomsday scenario won't play out, there's very few places in Houston where densification on that level has played out, and those aren't primarily residential (Galleria Area and Med. Center Area). The majority of Houston doesn't embrace condo living, and unless drastic things happen, it never will, at least not before we are long dead and buried.

Hell, even around River Oaks, which is way more affluent than The Heights, there's very few residential high rises, at least not on the level you foretell.

And finally, if high rise residential areas were to start popping up over there, I'd bet they'd fill out the areas south of I10 first, you know, the Washington Corridor, there's a lot more single owner contiguous land on that side, when you consider you have to account for parking, as well as size for a 10 or so story building, you're talking a large footprint, and I don't think there is much land that can sustain that in The Heights, before you have to start buying out individual homeowners.

Just out of curiosity S3MH, where would you think these 8, 10 and 12 story buildings would be located? I'm genuinely curious now!

Edited by samagon
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what color will the "Stop Reasonable Development" signs be?

They'll just recycle the "Stop Walmart" signs, so I would guess blue. Unless they want to co-opt the evil Ashby highrise signs, in which case they'd be yellow. Whatever the color, I just hope they have a cool caricature of an evil building on it. If they do, I'd put one in my yard.

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.

Just out of curiosity S3MH, where would you think these 8, 10 and 12 story buildings would be located? I'm genuinely curious now!

While I think this 6story bldg is fine. 12th 1/2 ST at Studemont has a lot for sale, multiple times the size of this one, so indeed you could build a much bigger building 1 block over.

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While I think this 6story bldg is fine. 12th 1/2 ST at Studemont has a lot for sale, multiple times the size of this one, so indeed you could build a much bigger building 1 block over.

That would be awesome to have multiple midrises along such a major thoroughfare through the 'hood. S3mh made it sound like they will only be built in the middle of the neighborhood between houses along small interior streets.

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That would be awesome to have multiple midrises along such a major thoroughfare through the 'hood. S3mh made it sound like they will only be built in the middle of the neighborhood between houses along small interior streets.

Once built I agree.

But the construction process can be horribly inconvenient, For the past couple months either a lane of Studemont has been blocked with dump trucks lined up or now 11th 1/2 is backed up with cement trucks making the street impassable at least between 630-730 in the morning. Then there are the wondering front end loaders and trucks that turn on the wrong street then race through till they figure out where they are going. If I lived on 11th 1/2 or 12th I'd go nuts.

If they could manage to keep their mess on their property then have at it, but the intrusion on other people's life is real (sunsets and birds notwithstanding)

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