Sawyer Heights Village Developments

[HeightsGuy]

Truth be told, Walmart is becoming my new friend. I have now come to embrace that Walmart is no more the enemy to us than robots were to the assembly line. People eventually adapt.

Walmart is doing things in two areas that will have a profound effect on all of us. First is their push into the organic food market. Walmart is in a better position than any entity in existence to stop the overuse of pesticides, genetically modified produce and hormone/antibiotic-laden livestock. It's a no-brianer that given the choice almost everyone would rather feed their families organic food, and cost has always been the factor. Only Walmart has the might to stand up to Monsanto and the rest of the Agro-Giants and make them change their ways. Second is the Pharma Industry. Walmart is going to give more relief to US healthcare costs than any politician would ever dare legislate.

[heightsfan]

Well I guess if they do build a Wal Mart at Northline that would increase more traffic near 290 and 610 area .

Also might even be a Super Wal Mart with food , hair salon, bank , photo studio since the parking is not an issue ?

What if they build a Neighborhood Wal Mart like the one near LongPoint ?

[nmainguy]

Well I guess if they do build a Wal Mart at Northline that would increase more traffic near 290 and 610 area .

Actually it would increase traffic more at 610 and 45-if at all. You must be thinking of NW Mall?

[TheNiche]

Actually, if Wally World does decide to try and move in to this part of town, it will have nothing to do with saving money for poor people. I can't find the article to link to, but there have bee several news stories lately about Wal-mart's new concept, which will be "higher end" to attract the Target loving, yuppie and dink crowd. I feel confident that's what they would try to bring inside the loop. Either way, I hope they keep their stores far, far away from me. I hate Wal-mart.

Don't flatter yourself with the notion that your 'part of town' is so affluent. If you draw a 5-mile ring around Northline Mall and ran demographics, you'd find that the median income was $33,671. In comparison, the Heights' median income is $49,003. And even the Heights has a median income that is LESS than that of the median household in the entire Houston MSA, $51,814. Within that five-mile radius, a 46.11% of people more than 25 years old don't have a high school diploma or a GED; within the Heights, it is 33.54%; in the MSA, it is 22.98%. Source: Claritas, Inc.

And so I ask you, is this a territory full of Target shoppers or one full of Wal-Mart shoppers?

Actually it would increase traffic more at 610 and 45-if at all. You must be thinking of NW Mall?

At one time, Northwest Mall was considered a good candidate for a mall-ified Wal-Mart. The buzz seems to have died.

Walmart is doing things in two areas that will have a profound effect on all of us. First is their push into the organic food market. Walmart is in a better position than any entity in existence to stop the overuse of pesticides, genetically modified produce and hormone/antibiotic-laden livestock. It's a no-brianer that given the choice almost everyone would rather feed their families organic food, and cost has always been the factor.

Don't even get me started on the GM vs. organic debate. There will always be toxins in your food. If not by traditional pesticides, then by the unsupressed toxins that plants synthesize as a defense mechanism. GM foods actually allow for the least amount of toxins in foods and permit higher crop yeilds per acre. The only difference as far as you or I are concerned is that there is a slightly different amino acid sequence. Meanwhile, the fact that crop yields per acre can be so significantly increased means that less land has to be brought under cultivation to feed the world. Environmentalists should absolutely love GM foods...they literally help save the rainforest.

[heightsfan]

Well there was also talk of a Neighborhood Wal Mart near

Oak Forest \ Garden Oaks but that stopped also

So I am assuming for Heights resident to shop at Wal Mart is 45 north or I-10 beltway ?

[nmainguy]

So I am assuming for Heights resident to shop at Wal Mart is 45 north or I-10 beltway ?

Personaly? I'm a shopping snob. I don't care to shop in WalMart's filthy stores filled with ill-mannerd, pot-bellied, perpetualy pregnant women and their 8 kids running rampant nor do I desire to be "serviced"-that's a joke-by their perpetually miserable "service" staff. The few times I was in a WalMart I never saw a more unhappy group of employees-almost as if they were doomed.

So if I have to go to a "Big Box", I'll choose Target as they seem to at least keep the aisles swept and have half-way decent help.

[Guest danax]

The Northline area would seem like a shrewd move by Wal-Mart. The current demographics will likely support it, although there's one not too far away at West Rd. The shrewd part is that they can safely set up shop there well ahead of the ever-present urban NIMBY brigade who seem to love to hate them. Target can get away with a Heights location but a Wal-Mart would likely have a burning cross or two placed on the site.

Then, as the rail goes in and the area draws a more prosperous resident, Wal-Mart will be a fixture.

[TheNiche]

The Northline area would seem like a shrewd move by Wal-Mart. The current demographics will likely support it, although there's one not too far away at West Rd. The shrewd part is that they can safely set up shop there well ahead of the ever-present urban NIMBY brigade who seem to love to hate them. Target can get away with a Heights location but a Wal-Mart would likely have a burning cross or two placed on the site.

Then, as the rail goes in and the area draws a more prosperous resident, Wal-Mart will be a fixture.

To be honest, I think that a Supercenter would easily pull from all the way down in the 3rd Ward with a Northline location.

And although BRT probably won't result in a great deal of prosperous riders because it is so slow, it would almost certainly induce more customer traffic from Wal-Mart's key demographics. A Northline Wal-Mart would be a surefire anchor that would foster the ridership necessary get the BRT converted to LRT quickly.

[MiDTOWNeR]

How is the mattress/ cheap shoe market not saturated yet? Do people buy new matresses every 3 months?

Probably not every three months. But do you think illegal aliens bring mattresses with them? They have to purchase them somewhere.

[heights_yankee]

Don't flatter yourself with the notion that your 'part of town' is so affluent. If you draw a 5-mile ring around Northline Mall and ran demographics, you'd find that the median income was $33,671. In comparison, the Heights' median income is $49,003. And even the Heights has a median income that is LESS than that of the median household in the entire Houston MSA, $51,814. Within that five-mile radius, a 46.11% of people more than 25 years old don't have a high school diploma or a GED; within the Heights, it is 33.54%; in the MSA, it is 22.98%. Source: Claritas, Inc.

I never said anything about "my part of town" or where I live "being affluent." There have been several news stories lately stating that Wal-Mart wants to compete more with Target and any urban stores that it plans on building will be a higher-end-then-the-normal-wal-mart (which is not that high end, mind you). One can easily assume, then, that if Wally was to build inside the loop, based on the over all price of inner loop real estate they would go with this new concept. This is also not just about the Heights, but also midtown, Montrose, and downtown. Whatever stats say about the "median income" of any of these areas, the fact is all of them are chock full of yuppies and dinks. Perhaps you should step down from the high horse...

[HeightsGuy]

Don't even get me started on the GM vs. organic debate. There will always be toxins in your food. If not by traditional pesticides, then by the unsupressed toxins that plants synthesize as a defense mechanism. GM foods actually allow for the least amount of toxins in foods and permit higher crop yeilds per acre. The only difference as far as you or I are concerned is that there is a slightly different amino acid sequence. Meanwhile, the fact that crop yields per acre can be so significantly increased means that less land has to be brought under cultivation to feed the world. Environmentalists should absolutely love GM foods...they literally help save the rainforest.

Go ahead, call me a treehugger if you wish, but I think it's bassackwards that we feed our kids food grown from seed that won't sprout UNTIL it is sprayed with Roundup.

[VicMan]

I think a Target or Wal-Mart should be placed around Reed Road in the Sunnyside area.

[TheNiche]

I never said anything about "my part of town" or where I live "being affluent." There have been several news stories lately stating that Wal-Mart wants to compete more with Target and any urban stores that it plans on building will be a higher-end-then-the-normal-wal-mart (which is not that high end, mind you). One can easily assume, then, that if Wally was to build inside the loop, based on the over all price of inner loop real estate they would go with this new concept. This is also not just about the Heights, but also midtown, Montrose, and downtown. Whatever stats say about the "median income" of any of these areas, the fact is all of them are chock full of yuppies and dinks. Perhaps you should step down from the high horse...

I used Northline as the center point for my 5-mile radius because it is a very realistic location for a Wal-Mart. Northline isn't incredibly expensive real estate and isn't likely to be anytime soon. It would draw from both inside and outside of the loop, and disproportionately from areas where yuppies and DINKs aren't at all prevalent and won't be anytime soon (ex. 5th Ward and Kashmere). If they were going in on the old HISD tract on Richmond, I'd agree with you. But they aren't and won't.

In order for Wal-Mart's investment in high-end accoutrement to pay off, the marginal present value increase in profit would have to at least make up for the marginal cost of the improvements. It'd take a LOT more yuppies buying a LOT more items to justify it. And given that a disproportionate number of the yuppies within their trade area would be left-leaning and ideologically-opposed, no matter what Wal-Mart does, part of their market will be alienated with or without beautification...again, not that these yuppies usually make all that much income to begin with.

Go ahead, call me a treehugger if you wish, but I think it's bassackwards that we feed our kids food grown from seed that won't sprout UNTIL it is sprayed with Roundup.

I won't call you a treehugger. Less consumption of GM foods means that more land comes under cultivation and more trees get knocked down. That was my point.

I think a Target or Wal-Mart should be placed around Reed Road in the Sunnyside area.

Either Northline or the Betz Cos. tract between Reed and Airline would be great spots, but I prefer Northline, myself, if Wal-Mart has the option.

[HeightsGuy]

I won't call you a treehugger. Less consumption of GM foods means that more land comes under cultivation and more trees get knocked down. That was my point.

That's a myth perpetuated by big-agrobusiness PR. The World has far more agricultural land per person than is needed. People aren't starving because there is no food, people are starving because they don't have access to the food.

Forests are being cut down to sell wood, not to plant crops for poor starving people.

[drey00]

couple of points since i just found this thread:

a&m: thanks wendy for stepping up. not all aggies are your suburban stereotypes but thanks for the generalization. but i still understand the point and it's actually fairly accurate I suppose. alot of suburban kids come back to houston, do the "city" thing and then move on. it's probably true that they search for their comfort zone. however, i don't think that is the only demographic that supports a chilis in that location. i bet a fair amount of folks from ...dare i say... the heights would actually go to it as well. this is still texas and there is a heck of a lot more homogeneity here than some of you would care to admit

target: when I was first looking for a townhouse inside the loop, i considered rice military area, and they mentioned that target. i couldn't even imagine how they would do it with all the industrial components still in existence. i was uncomfortable with living so close to a railroad track, so i walked away but I'm glad to see it took off. however, I'm pretty moderate on how i view it. I think while I would really like a modern feel and design, I can 1) understand the economics wouldn't really support them making such a large committment for the sake of goodwill and urban design (particularly when the city doesn't force their hand) and 2) any development is probably better than none. I dropped by it yesterday and it looks like a run of the mill target. i hadn't read this thread so i had no pre-conceived notions of it. Kinda ho hum if you ask me, but if it spurs development, great. Now, I'd LOVE to see that urban style of store (target/best buy/etc) in exchange for teh greyhound bus station on main. did i mention i ended up buying in midtown

mattress irony: when i read that article about the guy that finally sold out his two houses, two things occurred to me. first, i would have set my chairs out on the porch and waved at all the new passersby --bartles and james esque. second, i thought he was delusional if he thought this would help his mattress business... and then, i see there is going to be a mattress store opening up? wow. guess i don't know the mattress biz afterall

Edited November 29, 2006 by drey00

[Serrano]

Driving by TARGET parking garage being build. What could it be for?

[Guest danax]

Driving by TARGET parking garage being build. What could it be for?

Looks to be for the apartment complex as discussed on the previous page of this topic.

Is that the only parking garage design out there ? Do the architects just pass around the same template? I would think they'd at least try to come up with something with just a tad of style, or at least somewhat match the apartments since thousands of us will be forced to look at it every day.

[houstonray]

Apt complex is 350+ units, as I recall, so that's 350-700 additional cars in the area that will need parking. It's certainly not the most attractive thing I've seen. Looks like it should be attached to an office building of some sort.

[RedScare]

Looks to be for the apartment complex as discussed on the previous page of this topic.

Is that the only parking garage design out there ? Do the architects just pass around the same template? I would think they'd at least try to come up with something with just a tad of style, or at least somewhat match the apartments since thousands of us will be forced to look at it every day.

The garage will likely be surrounded by the apartments, so hopefully we will not be looking at it. I cannot find the sketch that suggested that, and it is entirely possible that they have redesigned the apartments, but that is how I remember it.

[cwrm4]

The garage will likely be surrounded by the apartments, so hopefully we will not be looking at it. I cannot find the sketch that suggested that, and it is entirely possible that they have redesigned the apartments, but that is how I remember it.

Based on my quick glance last night it appeared that there were plumbing/sewer connections in front of the garage (i.e., between the garage and I-10), which would seem to confirm that the garage will be enclosed by the apartments.

Still, you have to wonder who would want to live in an apartment that close to the freeway. I did read somewhere recently that the apts would be shod in "vintage-style brick", so, hey, at least they won't be faux stucco, err, "Mediterranean-inspired".

[TheNiche]

Based on my quick glance last night it appeared that there were plumbing/sewer connections in front of the garage (i.e., between the garage and I-10), which would seem to confirm that the garage will be enclosed by the apartments.

Still, you have to wonder who would want to live in an apartment that close to the freeway.

You are correct. The connections protrude from the ground.

You'd probably be surprised to learn this (I certainly was), but apartment complexes with visibility from freeways lease up very quickly and maintain a higher level of occupancy. A site with that kind of visibility is just a variant of outdoor advertising...and a very effective one at that.

[heights_yankee]

You are correct. The connections protrude from the ground.

You'd probably be surprised to learn this (I certainly was), but apartment complexes with visibility from freeways lease up very quickly and maintain a higher level of occupancy. A site with that kind of visibility is just a variant of outdoor advertising...and a very effective one at that.

It's always been funny to me that in Houston people hate the idea of living on a busy street or near the highway. In pretty much most of the world, the most expensive and highly sought after real estate is in high traffic, high density zones. Think Boston's Back Bay, Union Square, Mahattan...

I have been thinking about this a lot lately b/c I have been wishing that a couple of the houses on Pecore were for sale when we bought our house. They have been on the market forever and I know no one is buying them b/c of the street but they have HUGE lots! Anyway, I'm willing to bet those apts will do just fine and I am beyond thrilled to hear they won't be stucco!

[cwrm4]

It's always been funny to me that in Houston people hate the idea of living on a busy street or near the highway. In pretty much most of the world, the most expensive and highly sought after real estate is in high traffic, high density zones. Think Boston's Back Bay, Union Square, Mahattan...

Comparing Manhattan to I-10 frontage isn't exactly fair or correct. I have been lucky enough to live on or just off the "most happening" streets in a number of large cities, inlcuding 1 block off Orchard Rd. (Singapore); 2 blocks off the Champs d'Elysees; on Place Stephanie (Brussels), on Locust (Philadelphia), and more. I found the sounds of those cities invigorating...it was people and acitivity and life. And all I had to do was walk out my front door, and I was in it. I'll pay a premium for that.

But living 100 ft from the deafening, numbing, continual din of I-10 - and have to get in my car to go anywhere - is not something I'd pay for. That's annoying. And depressing. If I can't live where I can walk to whatever I want, I want peace and quiet (within an easy drive or long walk to the places I want to frequent). That's what I'll pay a premium for in Houston.

I suspect the fact that those houses on Pecore haven't sold is due both to traffic AND to the fact that a bulk of the crime in this neighborhood occurs on the main streets, including Pecore (just last weekend a guy was mugged at gunpoint at 9pm in Andy's parking lot). Houses on busy streets in the expensive big cities have minimal access points. Houses on Pecore do not.

[MiDTOWNeR]

You are correct. The connections protrude from the ground.

You'd probably be surprised to learn this (I certainly was), but apartment complexes with visibility from freeways lease up very quickly and maintain a higher level of occupancy. A site with that kind of visibility is just a variant of outdoor advertising...and a very effective one at that.

that did not work for the "lofts" at 59 and 610.

[TheNiche]

that did not work for the "lofts" at 59 and 610.

According to O'Connor & Associates, the Broadstone Uptown Lofts were 97% occupied as of the 11th of this month. I'd say that it probably worked out alright.

[heights_yankee]

Comparing Manhattan to I-10 frontage isn't exactly fair or correct. I have been lucky enough to live on or just off the "most happening" streets in a number of large cities, inlcuding 1 block off Orchard Rd. (Singapore); 2 blocks off the Champs d'Elysees; on Place Stephanie (Brussels), on Locust (Philadelphia), and more. I found the sounds of those cities invigorating...it was people and acitivity and life. And all I had to do was walk out my front door, and I was in it. I'll pay a premium for that.

But living 100 ft from the deafening, numbing, continual din of I-10 - and have to get in my car to go anywhere - is not something I'd pay for. That's annoying. And depressing. If I can't live where I can walk to whatever I want, I want peace and quiet (within an easy drive or long walk to the places I want to frequent). That's what I'll pay a premium for in Houston.

I suspect the fact that those houses on Pecore haven't sold is due both to traffic AND to the fact that a bulk of the crime in this neighborhood occurs on the main streets, including Pecore (just last weekend a guy was mugged at gunpoint at 9pm in Andy's parking lot). Houses on busy streets in the expensive big cities have minimal access points. Houses on Pecore do not.

Very good points, indeed. The only issue is that the people I talk to in Houston who typically say "I don't want to live somewhere where I can hear traffic" have never had the opportunity to live the wonderful places you have. They're sole reasoning is "noise." Perhaps they just can't articulate their argument or unsure of exactly why they're turned off by it, but your very valid reasons are not the ones that have been expressed by the people I was referring to.

[MiDTOWNeR]

According to O'Connor & Associates, the Broadstone Uptown Lofts were 97% occupied as of the 11th of this month. I'd say that it probably worked out alright.

Took long enough.

[TheNiche]

Took long enough.

Could've taken longer, too.

They delivered to market in early 2004. It was a weak and oversupplied market, the competition was offering heavy concessions, and nobody was doing very well.

[segovia]

I wished they had built a Target SuperCenter instead. Last evening, I noticed a tagger has been defacing the area (entrance sign for Target/Wachovia). The store also has an active police presence scanning the parking lot area (witnessed the officer using binoculars). Did something happen recently?

[musicman]

I wished they had built a Target SuperCenter instead. Last evening, I noticed a tagger has been defacing the area (entrance sign for Target/Wachovia).

That's a shame. People have no respect!