barracuda

Yes. The street is too small for rail, but I think it could be reconfigured in a number of different ways to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

I would even be happy if the city just fully dedicated the right lanes for parallel parking in the Montrose area east of Shepherd.

I just learned of a new requirement. You must present at least a pound of termite frass to the commission in order to get approval for wood window replacement.

I agree with the others....congratulations! I'm really confounded as to why HAHC tried to change the rules mid-game regarding the second-story setback, rather than adhering to the stated ordinance. It's great to have opinions and all, but their ruling seemed to had no basis and defied any common sense. Good luck with your home! 

Apple maps has Dynamo stadium in 3D, which is pretty cool to rotate and zoom around. Unfortunately, Uptown does not show up on 3D yet.

I have to agree, I would think most people are capable of making it through the guided crosswalk at Alabama. There are literally six restaurants, two bars and the Continental Club within a couple blocks. The area is very walkable, and steps away from a light rail station.

Also, it's worth noting that plenty of residential buildings in Manhattan also lack ground-level retail...this isn't strictly a Houston phenomenon.

I wonder what all the Walmart employees who had their health insurance canceled last year think of this.

There's no reason tea and bagels can't get along. To be honest, I don't know where in town one can find a really good bagel.

I think the best defense against becoming a "bum hangout" is for the park to be actively and frequently used. I've noticed the occasional bum or two at many inner-loop parks (Baldwin Park, Hermann, Eleanor Tinsley, White Oak/Stude, etc.), but these parks are all fairly active, and I wouldn't consider them bum hangouts.

I find bums to be less of an inconvenience than groups of people who walk side-by-side and block 90% of the sidewalk, even when others are trying to get by. I bet there will be more of those people using this park than bums.

If rush-hour traffic has increased on Yale and Heights Blvd, I would suspect much of it is due to folks shifting their driving pattern to avoid Studemont. But I haven't noticed any notable traffic problems in the area, other than the occasional train blocking Heights Blvd and a few construction-related lane closures.

What I find amazing is the author did not feel the need to bash Houston before complementing it. Maybe the general perception of this city really has changed.

My rental house is in the historic district, and it had no change in its 2012 market value per hcad. My actual house I live in is out of the historic district and its appraised value rose $137,000...the only "improvement" done to my house was a $38,000 pool - so roughly $99,000 is appreciation out of the district, while the well maintained shack we rent saw zero change.

Ouch, that is going to be a big tax increase for you, but I assume you will fight it.

I would note that HCAD values don't necessarily equate to market value. My HCAD appraisals have been all over the map since living here. As of right now, my HCAD appraisal is 10% below market value, and a neighbor of mine has their home listed for 67% more than their 2012 HCAD appraisal. Even if they sell for below list, there is quite a discrepancy.

Residential high rises with retail on the bottom floors in Midtown instead of blocks of town homes and suburban strip centers.

I sometimes wonder about the lifespan of town home complexes in Midtown. They barely appreciate in value, and in some cases, like the one I sold awhile back, they depreciate. I suspect that in time, some of the complexes will be demolished for higher density development...but the question is when.

I'm pretty sure I heard the boom from the demolition in the Heights.

I always get a kick out of builders who plant trees and thoroughly landscape immediately in front of an attached garage. So basically they admit the house in the stock photo is ugly, and their solution was to make a major feature of the house totally unusable while trying to sell it.

Oh! And by the way, what I meant by "militant gay" is that they are hardcore in their beliefs that homosexuality is the way to go and take offence over any percieved slight.

I'm guessing they feel that way about themselves and not others. If they are easily offended by perceived slights, there is probably a hurtful backstory driving that as a defensive mechanism.

Congrats on your personal progress, and I hope it leads you to greater happiness. I am a little dumbfounded by your association with the GOP, particularly in light of their 2012 party platform pledging to ban gay marriage. But to each his own, I suppose.

The vast majority of what you consider aesthetically pleasing "bungalows" are nothing more than a 19XX Sears catalog build on your lot track home....They are the Pulte/David Weekly/Meritage/Trend Maker,etc homes of the 19XX's....

I do like the look of many of them, but I abhor the look of a camel back. It is possibly the most visibly displeasing style of "architecture" and I do use the word architecture lightly here, as it is just a box built onto the back of an old track home.

Some of the new construction lacks creativity, but there are quite a few builders like Sullivan, who go out of their way to build a beautiful house that fits the neighborhood, that also actually fits a modern day life style with nice kitchens, baths, family rooms, etc....

The VAST majority of the people moving into the heights driving up the property values want bigger houses... because they also want/have families. That may necessarily displace those like you who want to live in a shack....Is there a market for shacks? Yes - there are a good number of folks looking to feel good about themselves as well who want to downsize their life, get an electric car, and be environmentally conscientious....those buyers, though they exist, generally wont be able to afford the area for long..unless they keep the HAHC from driving up their property values...I predict that many of these new residents will start to move b/c after a few years the novelty of being green will meet the realization that the small houses have no storage, and their bike looks stupid in their kitchen.

My understanding from another thread is that most of the Heights area bungalows are not Sears catalog homes. Not that I care either way. There are some tear-down candidates sprinkled throughout the Heights, for sure, but I wouldn't presume to tell someone their home is a "shack". Perhaps if I were a disconnected elitist living in a River Oaks mansion I might feel otherwise.

Regarding HAHC driving up property values, I thought you argued that they would have the opposite effect in another thread?

The hurricane won't affect the reliably democrat states....we may have lower turnout, but that wont matter...people who live in big cities tend to become heavily dependent on the government. Whether it be for roads, debris removal, police protection, or trash pickup - they look to the government to solve their problems....The NE will still vote heavily democrat.

New York and New Jersey both pay more in federal taxes than they receive in federal funding. Ironically, it's the tea party states that tend to get the most federal welfare. So, your theory is debunked.

http://www.politifac...-leaning-state/

As to voter fraud - I think its quite funny that Red believes republicans would try to rig an election through code on a computer...Doing things like that leaves digital footprints that are not difficult to track down - No, I don't believe any republican group would do such a thing. I think the majority of voter fraud is committed by people voting more than once in different precincts (which I personally witnessed in 2008) and also by groups like Acorn, or others who will make fraudulent voters and then send them to the polls...Its small tactics that when aggregated make a difference....it also leaves little trace as the people are half the time fictitious.

Voter fraud is a problem in this country, and so is government dependence, but alas none of it matters...more than half the population is too dumb to really understand the implication of their vote or why they are voting for one party over their other...most just vote the way their parents voted without any thought whatsoever as to why....America has become full of uneducated buffoons, and the tone of our politics reflects it.

And yet there is no evidence that voter fraud has been of any significance in federal elections in this country, even after numerous investigations, including a 5-year effort by the previous administration.

All the Sam's Clubs in the area are located along freeways outside the loop. There is probably less of a market for bunker-sized packaging in most parts of the loop due to demographics and limited storage space.

That said, there are some large parcels near NW Mall along 610 that might be ideal for a Sam's Club. Or, perhaps they could buy the land from the Emes Place developer, turn it into a Sam's Club, and connect it to I-10 over the bayou.

Look, pissy little complaints do not rise to the level of allowing government to deny a property owner use of his property. I am continually stunned that people believe that their pissy complaints entitle them to condemn the use of land by others. The landowner is not proposing a landfill. He is proposing a condo that shares a property line with a large apartment complex. All the variance request concerns is placing a private driveway at the end of a deadend street.

The narcissism of some of my neighbors astounds me.

What would be wrong about building a landfill on the site? A landfill would eventually provide a nice distinction for abutting properties. There aren't too many hills in Houston. It could be turned into a green park and called Mount Houston once its usefulness as a landfill expired, providing great 360 degree views of the CBD, Uptown, Heights, etc.

Many of the trails are repaved, its looking good and being utilized heavily.

I saw some construction on the bayou by downtown, not sure if its part of the Master Plan (they don't show anything east of the Sabine Street bridge in an renderings I've seen). It appears they are building some sort of bridge or structure at bayou level, very close to where Capitol/Rusk/45 goes over the bayou. I didn't have my phone on me but next time I'll take a pic.

Anyone know what's going on over there?

There is already a bike/pedestrian bridge nearby. I'd be surprised if they were building a second so close.

http://goo.gl/maps/gSLKz

What'd be nice is a separate bridge near UH to connect the Heights Bike Trail to downtown, but I don't see anything in the plan. Right now, you have to use Main, which is under construction, or cut over to Milam (high-speed I-10 freeway exit) or Fannin.

http://goo.gl/maps/qw7b9

I don't think you need anything other than the electrical permit based on your description. Niche is right though, and if you pull permits, expect an unannounced visit from HCAD soon after the permits expire to admire your work.

As to that truck - I could not even back that out of my driveway....the street is too narrow. It would be a beast when towing though....Can't imagine its a fuel sipper....I feel that 17/22 is pretty good mileage considering the size and capabilities of the vehicle....there are lots of SUV's and sedans that do much worse than I do.

You could always just park it in the bike lane.

I caution everybody to take a look at the fabulous renderings of High Street, BLVD Place and most famously the Embassy Suites downtown that turned out to be one ugly ass building despite what the renderings showed. I LOVE this building but I was always cautioned growing up to believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see.

It would funny if the develop put a cheap, ugly beige dome on top of this building, similar to the one on Embassy Suites, just to mess with people. I could see this becoming a trend.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/07/05/tidbits3.html

The tIme horizon is 30 years. It's a place she would live in for a while and then rent out until the mortgage is paid. I'm curious why you think the returns would be higher than the west side. Baldwin Park already seems built out. I don't know what else is going to make it much better. The light rail will bring in a constant flow of vagrants. Also, the neighborhoods on the other side of 59 aren't going anywhere soon. Don't get me wrong, the area looks nice. I just wonder how any of the current problems will go away.

As a former resident of the area, I'd be hesitant to buy a town home as an investment property. Not only are many of that area's town homes nearing a cycle of large maintenance expenses (replacing roofs, AC systems, water heaters, appliances, etc.), but I'd also worry about the construction quality in many of these town homes. I'd also consider the fact that many of the owners are first-time home buyers who often have no clue how to repair or maintain things. If it's a 3-story townhouse, some exterior maintenance and repairs may require a professional, unless your girlfriend carries around a 40-ft ladder and is comfortable climbing it.

The biggest problem I have with townhouse complexes is being dependent on adjoining neighbors to maintain or improve their homes. As more owners rent their units out, it becomes more difficult to maintain and upgrade the homes cohesively (exterior cleaning, repainting, re-roofing, etc.). And as Brian mentioned, the HOAs don't collect enough dues to handle large expenses, and getting all the owners on board for these items is a challenge.

In terms of renting the unit out, keep in mind that property taxes and HOA fees could make it difficult to turn a rental profit, unless she has a large down-payment to bring the mortgage + escrow payments + HOA fees + maintenance expense below the rental value of the property. Even in a tight rental market, it's tough to turn a profit on a townhouse (or any house) unless you bought it years ago or buy in a depressed market where home prices are low relative to rental prices. Note that you can't claim a homestead exemption for a rental property you don't live in.

From a livability standpoint, I find the area to be mixed. It is extremely close to the CBD and not too far from the Medical Center, and of course Montrose, the Museum District, and lots of great restaurants. Freeway access is excellent, but it is in the core of freeway congestion. Walkability is good in some respects, but just okay in others, as there are many wide roads in and out of the CBD that one must traverse. The area is very accessible by bicycle, and it's easy to head into downtown or areas like the east end or Buffalo Bayou park from the area.

And in terms of safety, I don't think the area is particularly bad. Yes, there are homeless folks perusing the area on a regular bases, but the ones I met were harmless and even friendly if you acknowledged them. But I know some people are uncomfortable around homeless folks, and I suspect that doesn't help property values. In terms of crime, I did have planter pots stolen from inside the gated area behind my house one time. I also has someone run into my garage to steel some random tools and a cheap bike pump, who then bolted and dropped half his loot when I casually walked out of the door and noticed him. But that's only two petty incidents over a 7 year period that I lived there. I never felt unsafe in the area and don't recall any significant crimes ever occurring among my immediate neighbors. Of course, most of the complexes are fortified with gates and alarm systems.