East End/EaDo Real Estate

[elecpharm]

Sales Activity Surges in Houston's East End

By Connie Gore

Last updated: Friday, October 1, 2004 06:44pm

HOUSTON-Developers and investors, staking claims in the East End, have picked up the pace to acquire blocks of redevelopment candidates, all vintage industrial product with high appeal due to a positioning less a mile east of downtown high-rises, convention center and Minute Maid Field.

"I've been selling there for three years and haven't made a dime, but that has changed this year," Christopher S. Klein, vice president with Colliers Texas' Houston office, tells GlobeSt.com. "Some buildings aren't even making it to market." With building quality as the qualifier, properties are trading for $17 per sf to $23 per sf.

Klein's back-to-back sales of five industrial properties are just the tip of the iceberg as interest mounts in a close-in neighborhood, giving rise to townhouse development in one-off projects, both from the ground up and conversions. Meanwhile, a previously announced sale of the 156,000-sf shuttered Sara Lee bakery has closed, but the new owner's not discussing the plan--except to say that it won't be used for production.

"You're starting to see a lot of townhome development," says John Ferruzzo, principal and industrial division leader for NAI Houston, "and it's right around the corner (from the bakery at 4104 Leeland St.)." And the reason is simple: "It's close to the freeway system and has views of the downtown," says Ferruzzo, who sold a building just last week in the East End.

Klein says "the line of demarcation" is east of Scott Street, defining what is likely to stay industrial and what's emerging as a residential pocket. "It's an area of town that's completely gentrifying," he says, pointing to Perry Homes' shift from Midtown to the East End to develop close to 60 townhouses on a half dozen sites as the driver for change.

Joining in the rush to build are Wiese Properties, Omni Development and the latest to come in, Spire Realty, which just bought 3301 Polk St., a World War II blimp hangar carted in from Galveston Island. The 36,000-sf hangar on 1.4 acres, equal to a full city block, was sold by C&K Instruments of Houston, which also sold a 25,814-sf structure on about a half-acre at 3232 McKinney St. Klein's other sales were a 32,830-sf building, once used by York Casket Co., at 3719 Leeland St.; a 23,625-sf former ice cream factory at 1102 Sampson St.; and an 8,000-sf warehouse at 3119 Lamar St. Some will be used for manufacturing and others are being eyed for their infill value for residential development.

The bakery's new owner, Flowers Foods Inc. of Thomasville, GA, is mum about the long-term plan for the 10 acres and 35-year-old plant, but has acknowledged it bought the bakery to get access to the St. Louis-based Sara Lee's customer list in Houston. The immediate plan is to strip out the equipment and produce all baked goods at a recently opened, 200,000-sf bakery in Denton, north of Dallas.

Sales Activity Surges

[dalai]

where was this article published?

[elecpharm]

follow this link:

East End Activity

[ninjacop]

follow this link:

East End Activity

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE EAST END OF DOWNTOWN BEHIND MINUTE MAID?

We noticed some new homes being built and a small piece of land next to a steel company on JENSEN. Anyone know what's going on there?

[Guest danax]

Yes, the East End is gentrifiying, and, as a resident of Pecan Park (www.ppca.50megs.com), I think it's a good thing. The down side is that some people won't be able to afford to stay where they've lived for many years. Our neighborhood is a few ripples back of the splash, although Perry Homes has a project nearby off of Woodridge, but we really need to clean up the general trashiness and lack of interest and pride and a fresh flush of yuppies should help. I may eat my words if taxes get too high. Our architecture consists of simple dwellings of 1100-1600 sq. ft. built between 1930 and 1945. The interiors have wood floors and little art deco touches like archways and two-panel doors. We also have huge pecan trees lining the streets, which give a nice shady effect in summer and allow winter sun to penetrate when leafless. There are quite a few neat neighborhoods on the East side still waiting to be discovered. Broadmoor, with it's brick bungalows, had sat unnoticed for decades but people have started buying the better ones. Pineview Place is very cool, if not close in. 20s and 30s houses that look like Sears kit houses. Forest Hill and Mason Park are two other nice spots. Has anyone seen the beautiful Spanish Colonial or Mission style house on Alta Vista in Forest Hill. Looks like it's from the 20s. Anyway, just thought I'd give a plug to our neighborhood and invite you all to check us out.

[Montrose1100]

Isn't that borderline "Dead Zone"?

The East end will pretty much be the West End in a few years. By which I mean older, smaller homes, will be torn down only to be replaced by a row of Townhomes.

[Guest danax]

Isn't that borderline "Dead Zone"?

The East end will pretty much be the West End in a few years. By which I mean older, smaller homes, will be torn down only to be replaced by a row of Townhomes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Montrose1100, if your definition of "Dead Zone" is industrial, then we are fairly close, but the dividing line is the East Loop and we are several miles from there and inside the loop is pretty much free from heavy industry, except a bit along the feeder. Pecan Park, along the with Mason Park subdivision, which was developed around the same time, depression era, really are the eastern most subdivisions that still resemble intact, decent neighborhoods on the East End. There is some old semi industrial around there, and old abandoned Dayton Tire plant, stuff like that, that could end up as townhouses, or worse, apartments. Other than that it's light retail. It will be interesting to see how the East End looks in 10 years since we're the next target and the development frenzy is going strong. However, and I don't know how it was on the West End when the townhouse thing began years ago but the East End should not be underestimated. Just as the West has their certain deed restricted intact neighborhoods floating amid the modern flotsam, the East is set-up for the same. The handful of neighborhoods that are "intact", Eastwood, Broadmoor, Lawndale, Idylwood, Country Club Place, Forest Hill, Mason Park and Pecan Park are going to resist any ugly intrusion. Perry Homes has bought some old light industrial property at Lawndale & Telephone to build " The Enclave", 300 units of townhouses and single family units with 4500 sq ft lots. Eastwood and Broadmoor had a big say in making them increase the size of the lots. Pecan Park is the only subdivision amongst those mentioned that is without deed restrictions but we are in the process of getting them implemented. I predict that we will be successful in maintaining our single family character and will end up an island of cute little Blondie and Dagwood houses surrounded by a mish mash of modern and old. Magnolia Park, Central Park etc, the Northern East End, along with 2nd Ward, with their old homes, unfortunately, are mainly Hispanic areas with people who don't participate in civic affairs and we'll probably see a bunch of that area start to fall. Just like the Near North, these neighborhoods without organization are easy prey. All of the East End intact neighborhoods are composed of houses at least 60-70 years old so we have a fairly contiguous area of historic architecture that hopefully will remain. Don't fear the worst and miss out on an opportunity to buy single-family inside the loop for under 100K, for anyone that is thinking about buying that is. Pick one of the intact neighborhoods, join us in our good fight and sit back and enjoy the ride.

[Guest danax]

I was at this workshop this morning at Ripley House. In attendance were Councilpersons Carol Alvarado, Adrian Garcia and Gordon Quan, along with representatives of various groups, developers etc. The point of the meeting was to have an open forum and see what the people wanted, as far as 1) the Buffalo Bayou Master Plan Buffalo Bayou Partnership and 2) how development should proceed on the East End. A survey was passed out and we all rated our concerns and excitement levels about these things then turned them in and the results were that the vast majority of the folks there were very excited about the Master Plan and the development that is moving East, a few expressed concerns about gentrification and displacement etc. These groups, including the City, say they want to not have what happened in 4th Ward and Midtown, as far as people being displaced, but they all agreed that green spaces, high density housing and some kind of affordable housing, as well as mixed use retail would all fit into the Plan. The subject of how to avoid what is happening in parts of the West side, as far as old neighborhoods being broken up piecemeal by townhouse construction came up. Quan was asked, since almost all East End houses are over 50 years old, making some kind of tax break incentive for neighborhoods to become Historic Districts so they could fend off fragmentation and he mentioned that 6th Ward has that but they can opt in/opt out so it has no real teeth. I was left with the impression that they have no clue how to stop that kind of neighborhood change from happening. There was also a joint think tank type study done earlier this year and the results and recommendations are in the hands of the interested players Housing Houston. The idea of having a Riverwalk was brought up but Quan said it would cost 300 milliion to dam it up in order to create that so it won't happen. Flooding? Only one property flooded along the east end of the Bayou and the Bayou Partnership owns that along with 40 acres total along the bayou. As for how development is currently progressing, there have been about 60 new projects East of Minute Maid in the past 18 months, although I was told by a person from Commissioner Sylvia Garcia's office that Perry Homes has backed out of "The Enclave", which was to be near Lawndale and Telephone. Apparently this decision was due to slow sales at their Woodridge and Clinton projects. Oh well, maybe the development wave is ready for a pause to let the rest of the city catch up to what's taking place out here. Also, there was talk as to how to deal with the 1.5 to 2 million new residents that are predicted to move to Houston in the next 20 years, and where will they live? They said the vast majority will be low income immigrants. Should we find an affordable place for them inside the city, since it's likely to be very expensive? Mention was made of how many low income people right now in Houston are moving to the suburbs and spend more in transportation costs than in housing costs. Is that fair? I bit my tongue a bit but felt like asking for them to help me move to River Oaks, cause I can't afford it, and that's not fair, but I didn't.

I left feeling positive that, for once maybe, there will be a real, master-plan project outside of Downtown and that the Bayou will be a great place to be in a few years. They all felt that the East End has enormous potential and that they want to get a grip on it's future while land is still cheap and available. I didn't feel very positive about the lack of plans to protect our East End intact neighborhoods from getting bulldosed by developers, that will evidently be left up to the civic clubs.

[rps324]

There is very little protection for neighborhoods without any deed restrictions. I recently sold my house in the sixth ward. They were very militant about talking with developers and using various approaches to try and prevent the historical fabric of the neighborhood from being bulldozed out. I am sure it is a tougher battle every year. Even as a historic district, basically if what the developer wanted to do was not approved by whatever department reviews the building permits for historic districts, the developer could just wait 90 days, and proceed. That was it. I wish I could remember more of the specifics. You can check out the 6th ward web site at www.oldsixthward.org. If you contact J.D. Bartell, who is the conservation officer, he would probably be happy to share some ideas with you on tactics to preserve an area. He would probably enlist you in the fight to tighten the preservation ordinances, which right now in Houston are a joke.

If any more good community events come up for the Southeast area, please post them!

[pineda]

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

01/12/2005

Communities experience revitalization

By PAM GIBBENS , Greater Houston Weekly, HCN

Houston, once known as the city where 17 railroads met the sea, has exceeded all expectations for population growth and sprawling development.

When the first channel from the Gulf of Mexico was completed in 1875, slightly more than 9,000 people called Houston home. By 1910, 78,000 people resided in the Bayou City.

Houston's economic outlook seemed as limitless as the dreams of the city's founding fathers. In 1914, the newly deepened Houston Ship Channel was officially inaugurated with a cannon shot at the request of President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, D.C.

In 1913, the Eastwood subdivision, one of the city's first master-planned communities, was home to well-known Houstonians such as Howard Hughes who lived there as a child. Many German, Italian and Latino families settled near the busy port, making the area a rich cultural melting pot. By the roaring 20s, 138,000 Houstonians were paving the way toward prosperity.

But the city began to shift westward after World War II. Older East End neighborhoods began to experience a slow but steady decline in population. Eventually crime took its toll in the once bustling port-side community, adversely affecting the quality of life for residents and businesses.

Soon gangs moved in and graffiti defaced the facade of many commercial buildings, making the East End a less desirable area to live or work. Had it not been for residents' and business owners' desire to take back their community, the area would have continued to deteriorate. Instead, the revitalization of an historic part of Houston would be soon be underway.

To improve the quality of life in the East End, business owners and residents joined together to create a municipal management district.

Management districts were established by the Texas Legislature in 1995 to supplement the municipal services provided by the city. Improvements are paid for by a combination of self-imposed property taxes, special assessments and impact fees. Commercial property owners form districts to enhance a defined business corridor. The primary purpose of a management district is to promote employment, commerce and economic development in commercial areas. Homeowners within a management district are usually exempt from the special assessments.

Greater East End District created

After a petition was signed and a request for the creation of an improvement district was made, state Sen. Mario Gallegos and Rep. Rick Noriega sponsored a bill which called for the establishment of an East End management district. In 1999, it was signed into law. By 2000, the East End Management District began implementing programs designed to reverse the downhill slide of the community and promote economic development.

But, it has been an uphill battle, admits Mary Margaret Hansen, president of Greater East End District.

"Since we started, we have abated 2,274 graffiti sites," Hansen said. "Today, we have an award-winning graffiti abatement program. We used to spend three days a week painting over graffiti. Now we paint one day a week. We just don't have the graffiti that we used to have."

The district operates a Graffiti Mobile to remove or paint over graffiti. This service is available at no cost to commercial property owners within the boundaries of the district.

"We have a project coordinator and a whole staff that drives the streets looking for graffiti. When they find it, they paint over it immediately," said Hansen.

In addition, colorful murals are painted in areas where graffiti was once prolific. In 2003, the district sponsored its first community mural, a 140-foot work of art behind Ninfa's original restaurant on Navigation. Underwriters and the district helped pay for the $25,000 mural.

To date, the district has assessed a total of $4,286,069 and leveraged an additional $3,268,434 in services, giving the district a total of $7,554,503 to further community goals. The assessment is $.15 per $100 valuation of real property. The district is also partnering with Texas Department of Transportation on the East End Streetscape project, a $3.2 million beautification project to begin in the fall of 2005. The project design uses both railroad and highway underpasses as "gateways" into the community. New lighting and columns painted in bold colors will welcome new visitors and long-time residents to the area.

The Greater East End Management District also partners with Trees for Houston, Keep Houston Beautiful, METRO, City of Houston, Central City Industrial Park, Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce.

In addition, the district partners with Harris County Precinct 6 constables to provide extra protection for residents and business owners along Harrisburg, Canal and Navigation between downtown and Wayside Drive. Adding deputies has helped curb crime and gives the community a new sense of security.

"More patrol has helped a lot," said Hansen. "Now we have a three to five minute response time in emergencies.

To enhance the aesthetics of the thriving community, a five-member litter crew walks the streets collecting trash, edging and cutting weeds.

"We calculate that they walk about 2,706 miles of public right-of-way each year," Hansen noted. "They've picked up one ton of street trash like bottles, cans, dirty diapers and newspapers. We also use Harris County probationers to help pick up more than 2,000 tires. We also maintain our street lights. Every quarter we report lights that are burned out to CenterPoint. We do a lot of house keeping."

Today, the 16-square-mile East End area, bordering downtown and Minute Maid Park, consists of 2,500 businesses and more than 85,000 residents. Where there was once crumbling, graffiti-scrawled infrastructure, there is now new development, affordable housing, lush green hike and bike trails along Buffalo Bayou and a five-year strategic vision for the future.

Greater Greenspoint Management District

Similarly, crime plagued the Greenspoint area of Houston at one time, causing businesses and residents to relocate. But in 1991, the Greater Greenspoint Management District was formed to address the problems and to create new opportunities for businesses. The Greenspoint assessment rate is $13.7 per $100 valuation. The district encompasses 12 square miles of north Houston.

After business owners were convinced that more services were needed than were being provided, they approached U.S. Congressman Gene Green and state Rep. Kevin Bailey to sponsor a bill to form the management district.

Jack Drake was the person who convinced others business owners to support a new management district and to sign a petition that would begin the legislative process.

As the president of Greater Greenspoint Management District, Drake explained that commercial property owners desired to revitalize the area to attract new businesses and development.

"They wanted to bring focused daily management to specific areas," said Drake. "They were interested in reducing crime, improving transportation and work on the streets and roads."

Crime was definitely a factor that challenged the district in the beginning.

"We did have crime here," said Drake. "But we've worked with the police and sheriff's departments on a variety of programs. Basically what we've done is make the atmosphere here not welcoming to criminals."

As the business climate improved, more companies migrated to the area. Today, approximately 50,000 people work in the Greenspoint area and 85,000 people reside there. There are more than 70 restaurants open for business and residential development has grown exponentially.

Improvement is evident in Greenspoint, according to Drake.

"Last year Houston Police Department reported the overall crime rate was down 1.6 percent. In Greenspoint, crime was down by 6.7 percent and continues to decline. It puts Greenspoint on an even playing field. We're as safe as any place else in Houston. And, we've seen a 66 percent increase in the number of jobs created since 1990 and a 43 percent increase in our population."

As a result of the metamorphosis of Greenspoint, businesses are now eager to establish roots in the area. ExxonMobil has some 7,000 employees officing within the Greenspoint district.

"This is a city within a huge city," Drake added. "There are some outstanding places to live, work and shop."

Westchase Management District

In 1969, Friendswood Development purchased a large tract of land west of downtown Houston near Westheimer and Gessner now known as Woodlake. In 1973, the Westchase Corporation purchased 760 acres to be developed. Both developments established community associations to enforce landscaping and architecture covenants.

Soon major corporations such as Western Geophysical and Chevron and apartment developments began relocating to the fast-growing community. When the Sam Houston Parkway opened in 1988, Westchase became one of the most desirable places to live and work in the greater Houston area and has been rated number one for the past two years by PM Realty Co.

To manage the growth and shape the future, the Westchase District was formed in 1995. Business owners pay $.09 per $100 valuation. In Houston, the average assessment in other districts is $.12 per $100.

At the helm of district is Jim Murphy, president of the organization, who was successful in convincing business owners to adopt a service plan.

"We ended up targeting mobility, safety, beautification, and marketing," said Murphy. "We wanted to create conditions that would reflect a healthy community. The owners gave us a limited time of 10 years which ends at the end of next year."

Business owners are so pleased with the results of 10 years of marketing and management they agreed to another 20-year commitment with Westchase District.

"We are in what is called a positive absorption mode," said Murphy. "We are actually leasing more space than we are building."

Westchase demographics are attractive to investors and potential restaurant chains. More than 500,000 people live within five miles of the Westchase District.

Today, 1,500 businesses office in the area, including major employers such as ChevronTexaco, Dow Chemical, Halliburton, BMC Software, ABB and Microsoft.

Houston Downtown Management District

Last year, downtown Houston played host to the Super Bowl and the Major League All Star Game. Many locals and tourists visited Houston during that time and were pleasantly surprised to find first-class sports facilities, thriving restaurants and a lively theater district. They rode the Metro rail to the events and enjoyed the urban atmosphere.

While the City of Houston deserves much of the credit, the Houston Downtown Management District has been working quietly behind the scenes for many years to help make downtown shine.

Governed by a 30-member board of directors, the Downtown District represents property owners, managers, and tenants in downtown Houston. Directors serve four-year terms and nominees are approved by the mayor and city council.

Robert Eury, executive director, explained that the district has helped Houston remain vital.

"Five years ago there were four hotels in the downtown area," said Eury. "Today there are 16. Five years ago there were 1,800 rooms; now there are 5,000. We started planning for the future back in the early 90s and started the district in 1992."

The Downtown District has an agreement with the City of Houston to improve the quality of life in the downtown area.

"It's actually two entities working together. We also partner with Metro. We do capital projects and also a lot of operations such as cleaning and gardening," he added. "We've put in pavers and the bricks on Main Street and landscaped around the fountains. We've placed some of the banners you see and the blue signs that direct people to our hotels and the theater district."

The district also picks up garbage in the downtown area.

"We own and operate garbage trucks. We call them the 'yellow submarines.' The city fuels them and does repairs. Most people don't realize that we have our own crews.

Approximately 700 to 800 downtown property owners pay an annual assessment of $.12 per $100 valuation.

"Our base is right over $5 billion," said Eury. "It's a significant amount of money. This helps move redevelopment along. In the old days you had to get support for planning and studies to get development going. The district allows improvements to be built. The public and the property owners are the beneficiaries. The district not only partners with other entities, we are facilitators to move projects along."

For more information about downtown revitalization and management districts, visit www.ida-downtown.org

[The Great Hizzy!]

Interesting article. I'd be interested to find out what areas of the city have these independent management districts.

[rps324]

Okay I missed the news tonight, (if you can call the local 10 PM broadcast news, but that's another story). They did a story on Channel 2 on highest and lowest crime areas. Someone told me River Oaks, Kingwood, and the area around Hobby were the three lowest according to their report? Did anybody see this?

[pineda]

I saw it. It seemed pretty simplistic. If you live in area with lots of private security personnel patrolling around or citizens watch groups or lots of wide open spaces or lots of homes, then you're considerably safer than someone living near low-income apartment properties that can't afford private security and where people don't know each other and where there's considerable density of said apartments. Also malls are magnets for criminals, not just because it's easy pickings but also easy on/off of major roadways allows criminals to disappear quickly rather than be entangled in normal subdivision traffic with stop signs and red lights. Robert Arnold is going to expound further on his topic tonight also.

[kjb434]

I actually caught the report last night. I typically don't want the night news. It is usually repeating material that i already heard on the radio during the day or caught on the internet. The report just reinforced that. Nothing that anybody didn't already know about was true.

I gotten to the point where any form of television news is completely worthless. The only thing usefull is the traffic report and weather in the morning before i go to work in the morning.

This also goes the crap the the chronicle puts out. I mostly just use new radio and i registered for emails from the area road construction projects so i know when i will have driving issues.

For world news, I mostly use the Drudge Report so that i can read from many sources and form my own opinions and not have it fed to me from the TV.

[rps324]

I actually caught the report last night.  I typically don't want the night news.  It is usually repeating material that i already heard on the radio during the day or caught on the internet.  The report just reinforced that.  Nothing that anybody didn't already know about was true.

I gotten to the point where any form of television news is completely worthless.  The only thing usefull is the traffic report and weather in the morning before i go to work in the morning.

This also goes the crap the the chronicle puts out.  I mostly just use new radio and i registered for emails from the area road construction projects so i know when i will have driving issues.

For world news, I mostly use the Drudge Report so that i can read from many sources and form my own opinions and not have it fed to me from the TV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am about the same way.

[editor]

The Houston Police Department's web site is a great resource for getting the truth about crime in your area. You can narrow the city down to individual neighborhoods and beats and see every crime reported in your little corner of the world month by month. It's great for making real estate decisions.

[pineda]

HPD Active Incidents by zip code

[Subdude]

Feb. 22, 2005, 7:45PM

Project to focus on East End entries

$3 million construction effort may start by end of year

By BARRETT GOLDSMITH

Chronicle Correspondent

A $3 million project to beautify roadway sites in Houston's East End is awaiting final approval by the state, with construction expected to begin early next year.

The plan was conceived by Mary Margaret Hansen of the Greater East End Management District. The district would fund about 20 percent of the project and the Texas Department of Transportation would underwrite the remainder using federal highway funds.

Hansen and the district pinpointed seven entry points and roadway areas in the East End. Under the plan, these "gateways" would be completely redesigned.

"First impressions are very important, and we want to make people's first impression of the East End a strong one," Hansen said. "We're using bright colors, lighting, special paving and intricate designs to really grab people's attention."

Houston-based Ray de la Reza Architects Inc. staff members Ray de la Reza and Jeanette DiCorcia designed the proposed improvements. De la Reza said the primary challenge was staying within the $3 million budget.

"We couldn't do anything like what they did downtown or uptown," de la Reza said. "It wasn't possible to create large-scale structural changes; so we had to be creative in our design and in our selection of materials."

Most of the entry points involve either Harrisburg Boulevard or Wayside Drive.

Hansen said the project is part of a larger plan to revitalize the East End, a historically important and culturally rich area of the city. The management district is working with the East End Chamber of Commerce and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston to create a "strategic vision" for the area.

The Greater East End includes the 16 square miles between downtown and the Port of Houston.

"It's about creating a sense of place and a sense of pride in where you live," de la Reza said. "People have a totally different attitude toward their home if they're proud of the way it looks."

The improvements will involve more than streets, sidewalks and lights. Flowers and other plants will feature prominently in the designs, as will artwork and brightly painted columns.

Hansen sees the streetscape project as part of an area resurgence.

"It's an area with a lot of history, but it's got a great future ahead of it," she said.

Link to Chronicle

The print edition has a map and drawings.

[Guest danax]

Can't wait to see what it all looks like. The EEMD has been the impetus for an lot of creative ideas on the East End, which will just attract more of the same. I mentioned an idea that a few of us had about creating an Art Deco district out there, using paint schemes and small touches to try to create a 1920s-40s feel as you tool the streets and neighborhoods. The vast majority of the neighborhoods east of Scott St. came into being in that period so it would be appropriate. We are considering talking to all of the civic clubs from Pecan Park to Idylwood and then to Carol Alvarado and EEMD to help make it happen.

[mike]

Ray de la Reza's vision:

East End Streetscape

[jm1fd]

Wireless networks don't click with some

Telecom bill would ban free Internet access like that in model East End program

By ERIC BERGER

Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Will Reed envisions a mouse in every house

[Guest danax]

We had a civic club board meeting last night and were discussing this. I think they picked us because we're near the company's office and our neighborhood covers a lot of territory and has a lot of residents. We now have wi-fi and Starbucks. Now all we need is a Borders or Barnes & Noble to be real card-carrying inner-loopers.

As for the legislation to try to prevent this kind of thing....they need to wake up and smell the tapioca latte. Apparently wi-fi is going to be a freebie everywhere soon and to try to make a law against it is like saying it's illegal to have public libraries in order to protect publishing interests.

[jm1fd]

We had a civic club board meeting last night and were discussing this. I think they picked us because we're near the company's office and our neighborhood covers a lot of territory and has a lot of residents. We now have wi-fi and Starbucks. Now all we need is a Borders or Barnes & Noble to be real card-carrying inner-loopers.

As for the legislation to try to prevent this kind of thing....they need to wake up and smell the tapioca latte. Apparently wi-fi is going to be a freebie everywhere soon and to try to make a law against it is like saying it's illegal to have public libraries in order to protect publishing interests.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So are you in range of the signal? How's the up/down speeds? Pecan Park may be back on my shopping list.....

[Guest danax]

So are you in range of the signal?  How's the up/down speeds?  Pecan Park may be back on my shopping list.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't know jm. I just heard about this a couple of days ago. I'm gonna call the number and find out more info.

[Guest danax]

So are you in range of the signal?

[jm1fd]

Here's the deal. They have 1 meg and 512K download, don't know about up. You must get the receiver box, which costs $125. The service will be free for low-income residents only, otherwise it will be reduced rate, meaning $10 mo for 512K and $25 for 1 meg. The box is not free but they're trying to come up with a way for it to be. They need 13-15 strategically placed antenna sites placed around the area to achieve full coverage and they have 4 so far. The mayor and city council are involved and interested in this as a pilot project for other areas, that is if the proposed state law against it isn't passed first.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow....$25 is SOOOOOOOOOOO much better than $50+ for cable/DSL.

Any of your neighbors selling their house FSBO, or about to? The houses over there in the MLS are crap...

[Guest danax]

Wow....$25 is SOOOOOOOOOOO much better than $50+ for cable/DSL.

Any of your neighbors selling their house FSBO, or about to?

[jm1fd]

I'm never quite sure in your posts what parts are sarcasm and what parts are serious. As for the houses around here, you know they're not fancy. This one is MLS but I have been inside and it's decent. The hardwoods were redone and it's got a fireplace. It's pretty close to it's 1938 look except for the bathroom. I think it would look better if they removed the lattice and returned the front porch to original. The aluminum screen door as an entrance door is ultra-tacky. Also, I'm not a big fan of vinyl siding and, the original front windows were replaced at some point with a picture window. It's also less than a block to the train tracks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That was the only house in the MLS I would even consider looking at, but being that close to the tracks is the final nail in the coffin.

[musicman]

That was the only house in the MLS I would even consider looking at, but being that close to the tracks is the final nail in the coffin.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[musicman]

Pecan Park IS hit and miss like most areas of Houston.  However I found a hit.  House was relatively untouched and i've been remodeling for several years...but at least now i'm happy.  wood floors, original glass door nobs, lots of wood trim, AND wifi.  i'm using it and so far so good.  it is still an experiment so there are no guarantees, but as danax said...at least it's another option.

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[Guest danax]

WiFi ban dropped from telecom bill

Fri. Mar. 18, 2005

TECHBLOG: With Dwight Silverman

Looks like citizen pressure has had the intended effect -- the ban on city-provided WiFi service has been axed from HB 789.

Save Muni Wireless, however, says the Fat Lady has yet to croon:

But it's not time to relax -- we expect bad amendments to appear again on the House floor, or attached to other telecom bills like HB 2637.

We hear that SBC is continuing to lobby members HARD to prevent cities and towns from increasing high-speed internet choices for citizens.

Perhaps the telecom lobbyists now regret not speaking up on the provision's behalf during hearings on the bill earlier this month. Then again, I'm sure their voices get heard in, um, other ways.

[musicman]

WiFi ban dropped from telecom bill

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thx for the update. By the way, the Technology for All company installed another antenna a couple of days ago. Even though the system is still in its infancy, i've had good success with accessing the net using their system. They also donated 10 laptops with wireless access to the library which is another plus for Pecan Park's library. You can check them out....for use in the library.

http://www.techforall.org

[hokieone]

Just put a deposit down on a lot with In Town Homes close to downtown in the East End (right off Clinton/ Jensen). Right now is definitely a "transitional" area. However, it seems with the Buffalo Bayou partnership, this could be an area that has quite a bit of potential over the next several years and seems to maybe be a little more planned than the randomness of the Midtown area. What are everyone else's thoughts on this area?

I think it could end up being a pretty funky area due to mix of people that live within 5 miles around.

[LTAWACS]

I drive through there once a week. Where exactly?

[hokieone]

Well the exact address is I think off Cline and Gregg, but basically if you were coming out of downtown, you would take Franklin until it turns into Navigation, then go on Jensen, right on Clinton and then like a block back, you see all this construction with In-Town and Juliet Builders. Allegedly Alan Atkinson is involved in a few projects around there too.

[kjb434]

I have also bought and Intown Home in the Cottage Grove area by TC Jester and I-10. I love the home but hate the builder. They are completely un-organized. The last month I was sending emails every day to three different people at the company and and faxes. This included the president. They wanted to delay my closing date by a month. I told them to have the house finished or I want my earnest money back. Just make sure you have a copy of every thing that happens and keep on top. Go by the house every couple of days and ask a ton of questions. Become a pain in their ass to make sure you get the house they want. They were trying to make changes to the exterior, windows and host of other things that were orginally promised. I stood my ground and also had a realtor who had a strong bark to keep them in line. Be prepared for typical builder excuses and don't take "i don't know" or '"no for an answer". I know you may seem like a delicate flower when you act this way, but this is your house and deserve to be treated fairly.

[dalai]

There is a great looking project called the Cityview Terraces on south jensen and ann, right across the street from the Alexan Lofts and Perry Homes development. I think this is one of alan atkinson's deals or he's involved to some degree. I picked up a flyer from the sign there and its looks very nice. Each unit has a 272 sq foot roof-top terrace and views from there should be awesome.

I currently live in midtown at post apts, but am considering a move to the east end and this project looks most intriguing.

[jm1fd]

There is a great looking project called the Cityview Terraces on south jensen and ann, right across the street from the Alexan Lofts and Perry Homes development. I think this is one of alan atkinson's deals or he's involved to some degree. I picked up a flyer from the sign there and its looks very nice.  Each unit has a 272 sq foot roof-top terrace and views from there should be awesome.

I currently live in midtown at post apts, but am considering a move to the east end and this project looks most intriguing.

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Sounds nice. How much are they? They have yards?

[hokieone]

I have also bought and Intown Home in the Cottage Grove area by TC Jester and I-10.  I love the home but hate the builder.  They are completely un-organized.  The last month I was sending emails every day to three different people at the company and and faxes.  This included the president.  They wanted to delay my closing date by a month.  I told them to have the house finished or I want my earnest money back.  Just make sure you have a copy of every thing that happens and keep on top.  Go by the house every couple of days and ask a ton of questions.  Become a pain in their ass to make sure you get the house they want.  They were trying to make changes to the exterior, windows and host of other things that were orginally promised.  I stood my ground and also had a realtor who had a strong bark to keep them in line.  Be prepared for typical builder excuses and don't take "i don't know" or '"no for an answer".  I know you may seem like a delicate flower when you act this way, but this is your house and deserve to be treated fairly.

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Thanks for the advice. I actually am not in the biggest of rushes for the house to get done, but still good to know I will need to stay on top of it more to make sure they don't literally make changes days before closing. I actually went by Cottage Grove to see the finished product before they are moved into and was impressed by how good they looked with nice touches, much, much better than Perry. However, the attitude of the builder rep over there was awful, Mabyl I think was her name. Even though I explained I had been referred by the rep in the East End, she acted as if I wanted to break into the houses to steal something. The rep at the East End homes has been awesome so far.

[travelguy_73]

Back to the original question, I think that the East End is ripe for development and property appreciation. The question is how fast will it happen? I have been surprised how many townhomes have been popping up and this bodes well for the area, but then you have a project like Live Oak Lofts which seems to be very slow to sell, and so then you have to wonder.

I think that the bayou improvements will make a considerable difference, but really only to the homes in proximity of those improvements.

[dalai]

I think the live oak lofts are slow to sell because of the hugh price per sq foot that they are asking. For a 2 bed/2bath, 1936 sq foot condo they are asking $319K or $165/sq. ft. For that price you should be able to live in the heights or montrose.

Most new construction projects in the east end seem to be around $100psf. Cityview Terraces, the project i mentioned before, is offering a 2bed/2.5bath with study, 1974sf for $210K or $106psf. Thats a huge savings. I think perry and juliet are around that price too. juliet was even going to throw in a 42" flat panel tv when i spoke to them.

[hokieone]

I think the live oak lofts are slow to sell because of the hugh price per sq foot that they are asking. For a 2 bed/2bath, 1936 sq foot condo they are asking $319K or $165/sq. ft. For that price you should be able to live in the heights or montrose.

Most new construction projects in the east end seem to be around $100psf. Cityview Terraces, the project i mentioned before, is offering a 2bed/2.5bath with study, 1974sf for $210K or $106psf. Thats a huge savings. I think perry and juliet are around that price too. juliet was even going to throw in a 42" flat panel tv when i spoke to them.

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That price for the City View is great. I'm guessing its pre-construction pricing, but still very competitive, especially for that size and if they all have a terrace with a view. Its more than I would have needed and a little out of my range, but InTown was a little more in terms of price per square foot ($120 range) but still not at Live Oaks range. I was just looking at their web site and it looks like they still have a lot of units to sell.

[Guest danax]

Just put a deposit down on a lot with In Town Homes close to downtown in the East End (right off Clinton/ Jensen).

[Trophy Property]

Sounds nice.  How much are they?  They have yards?

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No an no. The Perry Townhouses are very crammed together. The Alexan lofts look pretty cool but there is not much of yards around there.

To be honest I am not happy with what Perry has done on the East side. I think there Midtown developments are much nicer and better organized.

[dalai]

I spoke to the cityview rep yesterday, and she said that each unit has 10ft by 15ft of yard space. she added that they think the yard is secondary on this project because of that open terrace...and i agree. that would make a great place to relax and entertain. the builder is installing a gas line up there for a grill. she added that five of the nine units already have contracts on them, and they expect to break ground by the end of the month and complete by september.

[ninjacop]

Just put a deposit down on a lot with In Town Homes close to downtown in the East End (right off Clinton/ Jensen).  Right now is definitely a "transitional" area.  However, it seems with the Buffalo Bayou partnership, this could be an area that has quite a bit of potential over the next several years and seems to maybe be a little more planned than the randomness of the Midtown area.  What are everyone else's thoughts on this area?

I think it could end up being a pretty funky area due to mix of people that live within 5 miles around.

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Bought a Juliet Homes in the area.

[jm1fd]

she added that they think the yard is secondary on this project because of that open terrace...and i agree.

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I agree too...but I don't want dog poop on my terrace....

All I need is 800sqft with a few hundred sqft more of yard....I don't need some 2k sqft triple decker McMansion.....WHY is that so hard to find!??!

[Guest danax]

I agree too...but I don't want dog poop on my terrace....

All I need is 800sqft with a few hundred sqft more of yard....I don't need some 2k sqft triple decker McMansion.....WHY is that so hard to find!??!

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800 sq ft? You know you're way out of touch with the times, man. No demand for something that "tiny". It's unlikely anyone would build something that size these days. The 21st century woman "needs" that much space just for her clothes. I lived with my wife and first child in a 750 sq. ft , 2 bdm. house and it seemed perfectly fine to me.

I think the terrace idea is great. It's about time roofs were used once again. And, I think that Clinton Drive area is a bit isolated right now and it will take time for the various other townhouse islands on the East end to get glued together by more building and eventual new improved retail. The views over there are nice.

[hokieone]

800 sq ft? You know you're way out of touch with the times, man. No demand for something that "tiny". It's unlikely anyone would build something that size these days. The 21st century woman "needs" that much space just for her clothes. I lived with my wife and first child in a 750 sq. ft , 2 bdm. house and it seemed perfectly fine to me.

I think the terrace idea is great. It's about time roofs were used once again. And, I think that Clinton Drive area is a bit isolated right now and it will take time for the various other townhouse islands on the East end to get glued together by more building and eventual new improved retail. The views over there are nice.

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I agree it will take time, but the good thing is that both Juliet and In Town are building pretty close together, block by block. I would guess that in another year there should be around 300-400 townhomes out there and populated. I was out there yesterday and I guess it was In Town that bought the huge tract of Super Fund land located out there. Said they would have to clean it up over next 1- 2 years, but interim plans are to build possibly more community style homes similar to what they did over by the Dome. Also In Town is building some high end $280+ on Clinton with terrace views. Not sure the size, but for that price, I'm guessing 3 story ones, over 2k sq ft. I meant to take pictures of the view from there, but didn't have the time. Retail will be nice, but I kind of like the idea of getting more people there first in a set of established ownership properties and then it will be easier to get retail to come.

[LTAWACS]

cool