TGM

There is plenty of industry and trains in the Heights. There is a chicken plant and two large warehouses on my side of the Heights. There is also the Shepherd tote-the-note automile. And we have major highways on three sides of the neighborhood.

There are no big petrochem plants near Eastwood. You cannot see any of them from Eastwood at night.

The Heights was held together through the bad times and pushed in the direction of redevelopment by many of the artists who kept 19th street going through the years. None of that happened in Eastwood.

Apples and Oranges. The spatterings of industrial complexes in the Heights pales to that in the Eastend. Changes in industry over the years has impacted the Eastend more than industry changes in the Heights. But if you beg to differ on that view, I'll counter that the chicken plant had a greater impact in saving the Heights than the artist collectives on 19th.

Was wondering if something had happened - noticed while walking by there the other night that all of the artwork that had been on the walls was gone. I was afraid they might be going out of business, but this is much better news.

I stopped going there when they refused to do anything about the chronic panhandler who lives there.

My guess is that he is about to get a rude awakening from the new owners.

The Heights came back because it was able to keep 19th street in good condition and full of interesting retail. Eastwood completely lost its original retail developments and is light years behind the Heights in property values and gentrification.

I think it is more about being in the "right" quadrant of 610, more than "the magic mile" of 19th street. That and a good portion of the potential Eastwood expansion areas was converted or has always been commercial/Industrial, which means that nothing will change for decades.

The closet comparison to what 19th street should be is South Congress in Austin. The problem is that those that live near 19th might not want the noise and traffic issues associated with expanded growth and hours. I can see both sides of it.

While signature boulevards with quirky stores can be important they still need a significant anchor, often a major brand name to stimulate further development. The Penzy's store is an excellent example of a non-local mom & pop "fitting in" and drawing others in.

It's the lack of curb/gutter streets that keep the heights appreciating! And here I mistakingly thought that curb/gutter was a good thing. I must retreat to the burbs now...

Heirloom/vintage drainage no doubt. Some of us are just a little early on realizing how superior these were back in the day. Waiting on the rest of folks to catch up...

Got to run, my blacksmith is almost finished with my 4-wagon wheel alignment.

Oh. My. God. Next thing you're going to tell me they have a Sbarro and a Great American Cookies, I can't handle this any longer, sell the house and cancel our membership to the country club, we're moving to the Heights where at least they have 19th street!

I guess the tipping point is when you have more than one store. Sellout. We the elite want you to eek along for years barely getting by, all the while making sure you do not carry a product that consumers would demand so much that you would be required to open a second, or gasp, third location. Because once you get bigger than what we elite feel is best, your product and brand is hopelessly compromised and doomed for sneer and lowered-bi-focal stink-eye.

Besides....

So basically grub, cash-money, miscellaneous accoutrements, trinkets, baubles & beads, bric-a-brac, and flotsam & jetsam?

Here is all I said:

"If 19th street was full of stores from the mall, people wouldn't be beating each other over the head to buy a house in the Heights."

The obvious point was that if the retail section of 19th street looked like a chunk of Willobrook Mall, the neighborhood would not be getting the huge premium it is getting.

Then how is it that homes in Afton Oaks also command huge premiums despite the presence of despicable chain stores in the Highland Village? I hear they even have a corporate coffee chain there. Gasp!

I guess the real question is; will this thread last longer than the Yale street bridge?

Your view of bars and music clubs is rediculously skewed.

Well for starters the historic folks are living in the Prohibition Era. (Think of it like a Heights version of Midnight in Paris) Because of this your vision for smoke-filled dens of iniquity will never be approved. I suggest you go the speakeasy route.

The good news for crackhouse owners is that in Midtown you're not required to seek approval for a modern window if they happen to kick in a historic one.

It's a pentagon. 5th stop is the morgue.

a small blurb that caught my eye in today's business section---

re: Bus station's location

.

Inviting other issues during the question-and-answer portion of her talk, Parker was asked if the Greyhound bus station would ever move from 2121 Main.

She said the possibility is high on the agenda of Andy Icken, the city's chief development officer. But she acknowledged that finding a new place for the station would be a "NIMBY issue," referring to the "Not in my backyard" argument.

"You have to site it in an area where it won't cause pitchforks and burning tar to come from the neighborhood," she said. "And it has to be somewhere where it's accessible to the bus system."

She said the city is "actively participating in discussions on what alternative sites could be

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Narrowing-the-distance-between-street-tunnel-4516479.php

"actively participating in discussions" sounds like a cross of the attourney's "we'll take it under advisement" statement and the "we'll have to get together soon" comment.

If anybody spots an Osborne 1 tossed from the building I'm interested in purchasing it.

(Hmm, is that you Mr. Kerry)

Case in point being this thread, I'm not sure someone can be cited for jay walking when they are trying to get in their car that is legally parked on the street.

If they're using the sidewalks that we all like to continually talk about, examine, measure, attend public forums about, etc, then no they won't. If they're walking down the middle of the road like some drunk teenager that was stood up by his prom date then it could happen. Cross at the corner, cross at the light, practice self-awareness, it's pretty simple. We don't need a date-night "school zone", we don't need need adult crossing guards. If mastery of walking and stopping has not yet occurred in life then ask the stranger next to you if they would hold your hand while you cross the street. Think of it as a adult buddy system. Heck, it might even turn in to nap time.

I think one of the next things to be done is to lower the speed limit in certain areas at night. 30mph during the day is pushing it in Midtown by Bagby, but at night, 10mph is pushing it for safety.

A couple of cops walking the beat the old fashion way would be awesome as well.

I don't think so. If 10mph is pushing it for safety you have a jaywalking pedestrian problem, not a speed problem. If the ultimate goal is always safety then it's an impossible goal when you're tasked with protecting people from their own stupid selves. If the number of pedestrians significantly out numbers the vehicle traffic then you simply close off the streets at night similar to what Austin does/did on 6th street during weekends and let people walk on them.

Cops walking the beat is a good idea, and in short dress weather it won't be hard to find volunteers.

I don't always stay in Amerika, but when I do...

I hope the new design incorporates the existing barbed wire. I really enjoy that Eastern Europe/Cold War era brutalist look. Not enough of it here in town IMO.

Ditto. It looks like it belongs in a Front 242 video. Somebody get them on the Telex, maybe they can play a tribute show.

I would love to see some of the vintage stuff they are pulling out. Dumpster dive anyone?

Sorry, but the first part of the typical argument, "you're new you can't complain" is just as stupid as the second part, "they were here before you were and have tenure to ignore ordinances or laws that have not been enforced."

To the homeowner: You knew what you were getting into when you bought.

To a nuisance business: You knew what you were getting away with before people started complaining.

banning high capacity water hoses will certainly help protect the innocent walkers by at 2am. So that should be an easy target.

How about a registry and waiting period? With the size of lawns in Midtown no one needs more than one hose, and a very small one at that. Then again hoses don't kill people, nozzles do.

klaxons and strobes and perhaps a recorded message

Klaxons. I think I liked this post simply because you used Klaxon in a sentence.

if you feel that this joy is missing, you can PM me your address and for a small fee, I can help you capture this joy yet again.

Sorry, but I'm chock full of dealing with thieving urban wildlife.

I thought the problem was those with a little TOO much voice. At 2am. Outside your window.

Not outside my window. I no longer have the joy of hearing drunk renditions of Sweet Caroline outside my windows at 2am.

It's the result of the never ending friction of private property owner interests vs. the maternal instincts of those who seek to insure that the concrete and asphalt public right of ways are enjoyed to the maximum by those without a voice or a HAIF account. It's also a good chuckle.

No, nor is it ethical to punish all pedestrians for the actions of certain pedestrians.

A decibel and/or glass breakage sensor will see to it that no innocent, cherubic pedestrians are punished by mistake. Would this appease the committee of PC anxiety and hand-wringing?

You want to talk about laws and I want to talk about ethics, so I don't see how we're going to make any progress.

The party goers have a right to the sidewalk and conversation. Is it ethical to be loud and obnoxious at 2am?

Water your lawn all you want. But spraying water on the sidewalk to intentionally reclaim a public right-of-way that is not yours to reclaim is arrogant and dangerous. It's not "you just happened to choose Saturday nights", you are recommending for people to intentionally choose that day and time. There is no "just happened to" about it.

Am I reclaiming the street when my run-off water hits the curb?

If he were to block off the section of sidewalk that runs in front of his house with say a orange warning come, then you might be able to argue that. Ditto for yellow caution tape. If I recall correctly property owners are responsible for maintaining sidewalks and curbs. (That was what the city always told us) He could perform maintenance on his section, insuring that it remains off-limits until the construction is complete.