The Heights Real Estate

[segovia]

The weekend seems to attract the most activity. I can hear vehicles racing down my street all the way to 6 AM. I do agree that most of the traffic is from the surrounding neighborhoods passing through. I guess we need more stop signs and speed bumps but that will only prolong the *boom...boom* music :-) . The weekend also attracts a lot of trash in the water drainage areas...mostly beer cans and bottles. I've never understood why people throw their trash outside. Regardless, one has to pick it up to keep it nice and green.

[Talbot]

^For people like that though, they probably won't slow down for any speed bumps, probably not even for a stop sign, since it seems they're racing to get away from something or to something.

[J.A.S.O.N.]

I'm telling you, Independence Heights, North Shepherd, and even Acres Homes, all filter through that area. Shepherd is a major throughfare for them it seems.

Hopefully they shot and killed whomever they were aiming at, or that the targets moved. It sounds cold, but the last thing you want is someone elses mess in your front yard.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Qu

[LTAWACS]

It's prolly some illegals. Again.

[Casual Observer]

It's prolly some illegals. Again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Unless they were MS13, or some other similar somewhat organized Central American gang, then probably not. 99% of illegal don't cause trouble, and don't say a word to anyone. The last thing an illegal wants is attention, or worse yet deportation via criminal arrest.

[segovia]

I used to live in the Medical Center. I was always impressed by the police presence in the West U, South Hampton, and adjacent neighborhoods. Speed traps are a common sight. My understanding is that these neighborhoods have their own police force/ City charter? The frequency of people being pulled over is also noticeable.

The 1st Ward has some nice older homes. I remember touring the area one Sunday afternoon. I feel sorry for the folks who bought the Perry town homes near the railroad tracks a couple of blocks away from the Pig Stand restaurant. The fresh smell of baked bread is no consolation.

[LTAWACS]

It seems we need to band together to put a stop to this./

[RedScare]

This topic is also being discussed in this thread.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...t=0entry30960

[Casual Observer]

I used to live in the Medical Center.  I was always impressed by the police presence in the West U, South Hampton, and adjacent neighborhoods.  Speed traps are a common sight.  My understanding is that these neighborhoods have their own police force/ City charter?  The frequency of people being pulled over is also noticeable. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The best thing you could do in the Heights is band together as a neighborhood and contract a Harris County Constable to exclusively patrol your neighborhood. I think it cost around 45k a year though.

[jgs1419]

The best thing you could do in the Heights is band together as a neighborhood

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Talk about herding cats......there are too many disparate interests and points of view to consider that as an option. I can hear the arguments now:

"We're creating a police state"

"You're taxing me unfairly"

"I'd rather spend $45k/year on a peace exhibit and sit-in at Milroy Park"

"Let's form a Heights citizens' militia...where's my gun?!"

"Let's go to Jimmy's and talk about it some more"

Good idea somewhere else, but I don't think it will work for us. The weirdness is what makes the neighborhood special but it also precludes us from acting conhesively on crime, development, etc. (IMHO)

[RedScare]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/page1/3241936

I live less than 3 blocks from this house and never knew it was there, so I can't say it offends me. How about the rest of you? This sounds similar to a homeowners fight against a HOA, but I've never seen it in a Houston neighborhood.

[pineda]

I had to laugh when I read this story yesterday.

The long-time president of our MUD has had his house completely camouflaged by nature for as long as I've lived here. He's also a Master Gardener and a Boy Scout leader. Everyone has always admired his yard because it is such a natural habitat. I don't even know what his house (outer facade) looks like because you cannot see it through all the trees and grasses and flowers and birdbaths and bird feeders and squirrel feeders... It's never bothered me or anyone else out here as far as I know.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Some of you would be surprised, but some of the best residential lawns/hedges/gardens can be found on the south side in Bellfort Park. Perfectly green lawns, elaborate shrubs and bushes and so forth. I really think it comes down to the HOA and what they allow. Some of them are progressive while some are more utilitarian.

[kjb434]

As long as it doesn't hurt anyone (snakes) else, I see no problem. If the HOA is really bothered, they should just require her to build a fence. There a house like that around my neighborhood. The lady owns two old cottages with an open lot between them. One is her business and the other one is her home. The lot in between is fenced off from the street. The yard behind is very wild and unkept in appearance, but yet it is quite beautiful.

[pineda]

Officials with the city, state and the nonprofit groups that encourage natural landscapes can't recall another case that has gone this far.

"It's a very severe case," said Bonnie Bradshaw, public relations coordinator for Texas Discovery Gardens in Dallas, which has certified Walker's yard a butterfly habitat, one of only two in Houston. "Neighbors don't realize the values of the specific plants. If you know what the plant is and its special qualities, it gives a whole different appreciation of what beauty is."

Therein may lie the solution to the problem of what to do with Kelly's garden lawn!

The Texas Discovery Gardens which has been in existence since 1997 has only certified two Houston gardens in all that time to be called Discovery Gardens. (These people could use a better approach to community outreach, but I digress.)

Perhaps Kelly Walker could schedule some free educational tours through her property just for her neighbors so that they may properly appreciate what she has accomplished.

Maybe they would like it so much that they would want to emulate what she has done and learn how to do this from her.

Maybe one of her groups that gave her certification for different things could sponsor some small neighborhood event to give it the cache she needs to be accepted by her own community.

TPWD, NWF, MonarchWatch, Texas Discovery Gardnes, time to step up here...

[RedScare]

In response to the HOA posts, this is in the Heights, so there is no HOA, and no deed restriction issues. It is the COH giving citations, after complaints from neighbors.

As part of my diligent research for my dear HAIF posters, I drove by the house on my way to work. It is indeed, very native. From my quick drive-by, the most obvious things were 5 to 6 foot tall sunflowers in the front yard.

I'll try to get pics later to aid the debate, including the monstrosities that have been built nearby.

I do wonder which side the Heights Association takes, given their strident efforts to protect the bungalow nature of the Heights?

[stolitx]

I'd love to see pictures. I saw the article today and I used to live on that block of Arlington.

[HeightsGuy]

Funny, you could probably find 40 lots in that general area that became nature havens with no help from anyone:). Someone must have an agenda against this lady. Who want's to bet it was this guy:

Lexus SUV driver

[jghall00]

Someone post pictures. I'd like to drive by on my way home, but I don't think I'll have time. I'd like to say people are overreacting, but I haven't seen the yard.

[westguy]

She should confine her wildlife refuge to the backyard. Otherwise, she's just like a neighbor who paints his house purple or sets up an outdoor firing range. I can imagine that property values around her house are much lower than others in the neighborhood.

[HeightsGuy]

Westguy, she lives in the Heights. People are allowed to paint their houses purple there, or green, or silver. You can build a tin house, a mansion, a house that looks like a houseboat, put up a picket fence made out of popcicle sticks, plant bamboo in your front yard, and pave your whole yard with concrete and lay down astroturf if you want to. It's the Heights.

[MidtownCoog]

My favorite quote:

"Neighbors don't realize the hazards of having a perfect, green turf lawn," Bradshaw said.

Yes, Bradshaw, we are all idiots. Only YOU have the brain power to see the truth.

Sheesh!

[pineda]

Food for thought,

a history lesson about weeds

[RedScare]

She should confine her wildlife refuge to the backyard. Otherwise, she's just like a neighbor who paints his house purple or sets up an outdoor firing range. I can imagine that property values around her house are much lower than others in the neighborhood.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe not outdoor, but HPD has an indoor firing range 4 houses away from me in an ugly tin building.

[HeightsGuy]

Actually, Bradshaw is probably pretty close to the truth. The American lawn is an imported idea. We in Houston are spoiled because pretty much anything grows here, and what you typically think of as weeds may very well be native to the region. Think of that beautiful lush St Augustine lawn we have in your front yard. We spend millions in a quest to keep it green, people up north spend millions to kill it. The same companies make products to help you in either of these quests.

To a trained botanist, the typical Houston yard looks as out-of-place to the natural habitat of Texas in the same way a grassy manicured yard looks out of place in New Mexico.

[MidtownCoog]

You can do a mix of Texas Natives (like I do) without breaking the law.

[HeightsGuy]

Well, no doubt she breaking the law, but it's a law that sees very little enforcement without the input of "tattlers". Like I said earlier, you could probably find 40 overgrown yards within 2 miles of this place without tickets. Try taking a drive through my neighborhood Shady Acres, there are numerous lots that haven't seen a lawnmower in a decade or more.

I wonder if the Dixie Gay house is next, that place sure could use a lawnmower.......

Talk about your overgrown Heights yard.....

[pineda]

Thanks for the link, H/G.

What a fantastic place, have you been there?

[Heights2Bastrop]

My mom used to live next door to Dixie, and she and Ron bought Mom's house. That was the only house I ever knew growing up.

[westguy]

I think the Dixie Gray house is nice. The landscape was very thougthfully designed.

I've seen houses where people plant literally jungles in their front yards. There was a woman out in Katy who did something like this. I remember her story in the paper, and it looked like she went nuts at the garden center.