heights_yankee

What reservations do you have? Are you not 100% sure about this particular restaurant or the influx of new development? Just curious.

My take (full disclosure: I live within walking distance to all this): there's a lot of empty real estate on White Oak, and not much of it particularly attractive. I'm happy to see these new, budget-minded restaurants move in rather than more bars. And with the new stationary store, I'm hoping to see more retail pop up, too. And I really like the fact that the tenants are moving in to the existing buildings rather seeing them torn down for new development. To be honest, I really had no idea what would move in to the building D'Amico's is taking over. It's a pretty ugly building with hardly any windows and surrounded by a parking lot with no landscaping. Should be interesting to see what they do with it.

Well, I'll probably get all kinds of insults hurled my way for saying this, but I've already been personally insulted and sent hate emails from members of this forum, so why try to play nice now? D'Amico's is a Rice VIllage cornerstone. They've been in business for 14 years and never opened a 2nd location but now are moving to the Heights. West U is beautiful and has its positives, but I don't want to live there. So, while I am 100% thrilled with the overall development of White Oak and 95% happy about this specific restaurant- because I do like the food and the casual environment- I have 5% reservations about what this means symbolically for the Heights. Call it Heights-centric but I think we all have a vision, whether our neighbor agrees or not, about what we want our neighborhood to look like. Again, it's a tiny reservation (that I probably shouldn't have brought up) but West U just isn't mine.

Also coming to White Oak, a 2nd location of D'Amico's. Funny that after being in the Village for 14 years, they are only just now opening a 2nd location. Anyway, I feel pretty sure this is a good thing, though not 100%

My mom and I went in last week. She had a late breakfast of their crustless quiche and tomato soup. She said it was really good. The menu looks promising- sandwiches, deviled eggs, soups. They have a separate menu for teas- black, white, green, roiboos (sp?) and a couple other varieties. It's large and uncluttered inside. Wifi. Going to be a nice addition to the street, I think.

In related news, the spot next to Shade, previously going to open as Love Street Coffee House, is still going to opening, now as Heights Ashbury. They will be selling food from Radical Eats, which I think is mostly tamales (at least that was all they had on Holiday on 19th). Next to them, between Shade and Behind the Garden Gate, will be a cigar store (which, at this time, I think is unrelated to the old cigar store that was across from Pie In The Sky. Anyone know differently?). So glad to see these empty store front filling.

I call BS. They will screw everyone by turning it into valet.

Oh yeah. Just because they have the spaces doesn't mean just anyone will be able to park in them.

Don't forget Pic Café.

Pic was what Tycer opened after he stunned people by closing Aries. Pic stunk and it's short lifespan surely showed it.

He is supposed to open a Kraftsmen Cafe in the same building as the wholesale bakery on W22nd. Not sure to what extent that space is the same as the now defunct Textile. Kraftsment has talked about having a Cafe in the new West Ave development on Kirby for a few years. Not sure if that is happening or not. Tycer is looking for a location in the Galleria to try for a new restaurant. I think Tycer just can't find a groove like he did with Gravitas. Aries and Textile were pushing too hard to be the uber dinning experience and could not completely live up to the hype. But it is just a matter of time before a new Tycer venture hits the ground.

Aries always lived up to the hype. It was well regarded locally and given accolades in the national food press. It was a shock to everyone when Tycer closed it. Aries was a pre- Gravitas.

The new location will only have breakfast and lunch and is in the same space where Textile was.

It looks like it's going to be two new bars. I saw two TABC notices in that area. One was "Patio Pub" and the other was "Kung Fu Saloon" (apparantly there's one of these in Austin?). Don't know much besides that. That lot is huge though, so not sure if all that extra space will be for parking.

It might be. I heard recently that a bunch of bars on Washington were kind of cheating the system by sharing parking spaces so ample parking has become a pretty big deal down there. There is an ongoing investigation according to the Heights rumor mill. I don't know if this is the case for this lot but having a huge parking lot there is not as far fetched as it might have been before. They can probably lease some of their spots for extra revenue as well .

Unless they just put up a new sign the "coming soon" sign has been there for months, if not over a year

Excellent news. Not only will this be a great addition for people who like to stuff their faces (like me) but it will be nice to not see that sad, vacant store front on the Blvd anymore

We still haven't been, although it continues to be on our radar. I will say Allison Cook skewered them! I usually trust Allison (and my trust in food writers is seriously tempered by the opinions of real people. Frankly, I prefer b4-u-eat.com) but I thought she was a little tough on them. Will have to make up my own mind soon...

EXACTLY!!!

See what I am talking about? Planning flags everything in the Heights just so that they can see if they have control over it. I had to wait days for them to release their hold. At the time of the permit, my house was not in any proposed or existing district.

Because there will be a couple of Heights historic districts regardless what happens in South Heights, I am resigned to the fact that any permit I apply for will get flagged so that they can verify that HAHC does not have jurisdiction. But, I certainly do not wish to make it even worse by actually giving HAHC jurisdiction to run me through their wringer.

As for your architect friend, all that I can say is that he is less intimately aware than he claims. I saw the model. I saw the variance board. I signed the petition. I watched the neighbor go through it. Hope that's not your architect.

Well, the only conclusion that can be drawn without questioning your claims (and I am not. If you say it happened, I believe you) is that there is some issue specific to where you your block where you experienced these things, which is not a Historic District. I do live in a Historic district and none of these things apply other than variance requests when a project crosses the set back requirements.

Bear in mind that this HAHC approval is needed on ALL permits in historic districts. If you have an interior redo, you still must submit the plans to HAHC in order for them to certify that their approval is not needed.

So, I sent the above quote to an architect I know who is intimately aware of the process for a major renovation in a Historic District. He said this is patently false. He had also never heard of the scale model issue.

Red, I thought your house was all still the original foot print and that the only addition is the garage with gameroom?

Wow, someone needs to work at their organizational skills and/or stop hovering.

This is exactly what I keep telling my kids. You'd think at 3.5 years and 16 months they would get it but they just don't. Lazy, hovering slackers who depend on me to take care of them.

This is why I oppose historic district status for my neighborhood. Despite heights yankee's long explanation that began with, "I don't know why your neighbor had to go through this process...", the fact is that two of them have. I do not want to have heights yankee or anyone else tell me that they don't know why I had to go through this ridiculous process.

I might point out that Norhill is only designated as an historic district. The new onerous rules make Norhill, all 3 Heights districts, and all other districts the same as Old Sixth Ward's protected district. Those are much more restrictive rules. This is what my neighbors are trying to make permanent. And, while stay at home moms might find it "very easy" to plan around planning commission meetings, the rest of us get to plan an extra couple of days off work to do so, in addition to the two to three trips to permitting to deal with all of the usual rules for building in Houston. In fact, I already had Planning place a hold on my garage last year, simply because I have a Heights address. The contractor had to hold off for nearly a week while we waited on Planning to realize that my house was not in an historic district. I've already gotten a taste of their crap. It is clear to me that heights yankee has not attempted to remodel her house under these new rules (no, replacing one window is hardly a remodel).

BTW, this is what heights yankee calls "very easy".

http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Commissions/docs_pdfs/2010_HAHC_Meeting_Dates.pdf

The HAHC only meets once a month. It is at 3 pm on Thursdays. You must submit your plans at least 15 days in advance of the meeting to get on the agenda. Miss it by one day and your project just got extended by one month. That's just for permission to proceed to permitting. Bear in mind that this HAHC approval is needed on ALL permits in historic districts. If you have an interior redo, you still must submit the plans to HAHC in order for them to certify that their approval is not needed. Yeah, sounds easy.

Having been a working adult for much longer than I have been a mother, I can tell you that being a SAHM is certainly not easier from a planning stand point. In fact, it's much, much easier for my husband to make weekday meetings/appointments than it is for me. But I digress...

So with a set monthly date that a homeowner can know months before they even decide to do a project, having an open ended window of time until 15 days before the meeting is a hardship? Sure, if you plan something one night with the intention of starting the next day. I mean really, who doesn't know at least 2 weeks in advance that they are going to make major changes to their home?

I did not have to submit any plans for interior renovations to the HCAC. I do have to get proper construction permits from CoH, which is standard no matter where I live. Where are you getting that information?

Of course, you would have had to post a 4x8 foot sign giving notice of a Variance Request, ask your neighbors to sign a petition saying they do not mind, pay for an architect to not only draw plans for the porch, but to build a scale model of what the finished house and porch would look like, attend a hearing, present your case, and wait for an approval, plus the extra time involved if the HAHC denies or make suggestions for changes. This can take months to accomplish, and cost a bundle, since none of these architects and builders work for free. Time is money, and adding the HAHC to your porch project is plenty of time.

Those who think I am making this up need only wander to the corner of 10th and Oxford to see an example of this in action. My neighbor also had to do it (the scale model that he and his wife had to show me while asking for my approval on the petition was utterly ridiculous). Bear in mind South Heights is not even designated historic yet. But, because it is being considered, we already get to experience the joys of scrutiny by others who do not live here. And none of this extra time and money increases property value. It is simply added cost to the construction project that adds nothing more to the house than a porch without all the extra time and money would add.

I don't know why your neighbor had to go through this process but none of this was required for either of the porch projects in Norhill, especially not a scale model. I have never seen a scale model for any construction project in my HIstoric district. Ever. Also, the projects do NOT have to apply for a variance unless they violate the set back requirements. Only if you need a variance would even possibly have to attend a hearing. Again, a variance is only required if you are crossing a border of some sort on the property. Neither of the porch projects I am aware of required a variance and, therefore, the home owners/renovators were not required to do anything more than submit their plans.

The HCAC meetings are scheduled in advance so it is very easy to time your project around the hearings. I am currently in the process of doing this myself- I am removing a glass block window and replacing it with a wood one-over-one. I didn't even have to submit blue prints or design specs for this project, only a picture of the window and a letter of my (contractor's) intention to fill in the space with blonde, scratch face brick, which is the same as my home's exterior. The lead time on the window I want is 6 weeks, so my project will be approved by the HCAC long before all the materials to complete the bathroom redo are even available. As far as the guts of the bathroom, I do not have to provide the HCAC with any of those details as that is not their concern.

ETA: Variance requests may also vary depending on the project. We have a house in our neighborhood being moved right now and they didn't need to request a variance for that project. Admittedly, I am unsure if that is because their plans didn't pass the Board the 1st time (they were going to violate 2 set back requirements per our deed restrictions) and never made it to the HCAC- or- if the HCAC didn't require it before the plans were rejected by the Board. THat is kind of unclear but basically I am not sure if they submitted to the HCAC 1st and PPNA 2nd or the other way around. There is no set way you have to do it, although the deed restrictions are often tougher than the HCACs requirements, so most ppl submit to the neighborhood 1st.

Yes! Absolutely. I was one of those buyers. Of course we wanted a little, charming, beautifully fixed up bungalow with a clawfoot tub and a big front porch. And we got it.

But here's a dirty little secret - that big front porch isn't original to the house. A developer re-did a plan-jane boring flat-fronted bungalow and built out a lovely, "craftsmanesque" porch. Which the neighbors across the street somewhat copied when they did their new front porch.

And the stone fireplace in the living room? Not even "actual" stone. It's a concrete substitute.

Judging from the oohs and ahhs we get from visitors, no one is the wiser.

The renovation probably wouldn't have passed muster with the committee, and that would have been a shame. It's a perfect example of a neighborhood-appropriate (though not "historically accurate") fix that improved the aesthetics on the block.

The HCAC has approved 2 (that I know of, possibly more) front porch additions in my Historic District. They also do not control anything regarding the interior. Sounds like you could have bought your exact same home in Norhill, with the blessing of the HCAC.

I have to laugh. Took a bike ride around the Heights area yesterday and anecdotally at least 80% of the Anti-Walmart blue signs I saw were in yards of recent construction McVics and townhouses. So the pariahs of the Historic District's pros are now protesting the pariahs of the retail business. Who says this isn't about classism?

You should come to my neighborhood. Virtually no new construction. Plenty of no Walmart signs.

If this is true, what explains the growing values of homes in the Norhill that were posted about earlier? Historic, deed restricted and continues to grow in value. My friends who live in a nicely renovated 2/2 on 14th, which is a less desirable street due to the traffic, have seen their home increase in value to the tune of $50k in the 4 years since they bought it.

Yes, that would be my area. We have not modified my home since we moved in almost 7 years ago and it has increased in value almost double what your friends have experienced.

I went out of town for 4 days. We left Thursday and got home last night. In that time, a 3/2 down the street from me (renovated 3 years ago) put a for sale signb up in the yard. Today there was an inspector out there and I just checked HAR and it's "option pending."

There has been no stagnation in this area at all and, again, we already live by "rules" stricter than those everyone is so up in arms about. Not only do homeowners have to answer to the HCAC but they also have to deal with the neighborhood Board, which is sometimes in line with the HCAC and sometimes not. It has caused no slow down, no stagnation, no ghetto. This area is highly desireable and most houses (unless they've been totally jacked and ruined by cheap flips) sell very quickly. As a matter of fact, even the quick flip- some of you may remember the putt putt house on Melwood- sold quickly and the man who bought it has been lovingly making improvements to the home to rememdy some of the subpar work done by the flipper. So, yeah. No ghetto.

Funny, that's exactly what I thought about all the white non-sportsmen wearing white fishing shirts and toting Anti-Wal-Mart yard signs at White Linen Night was that they looked like Republicans from The Woodlands. And in fact, they are doing very Republican things. They're waging a class war and imposing restrictions upon their neighbors. They're even apparently voting Republican. Many of these same people had anti-Sarah-Jackson-Lee stickers slapped on their shirts.

To be fair, many Democrats dislike SJL in the same way many Republicans dislike Rick Perry.

You can check with a fellow HAIF poster and fellow preservationist, heights yankee, who is on the board of Proctor Plaza Historic District. She stated in this very forum that only 3 homes were demolished in the 10 years of historic district staus WITH the 90 day waiting period. That is irrefutable proof that the old ordinance worked.

Ugh. I just typed out a thoughtful and articulate answer to this and when I hit the send button my computer ate the freaking post. I will try to duplicate my genius for you again here...

So, actually this statement isn't accurate. It has not been the 90 day rule that has preserved the homes in my neighborhood, North Norhill/Proctor Plaza. Very few people apply for teardown variances here because of our deed restrictions, which have a lot of control (not all exercised) over new constructions. It is extremely difficult to build a large McCraftsman here, no thanks to the 90 day rule. As long as I have lived here, all applications for tear downs have been approved by the neighborhood association and the HCAC save one- the infamous home at 801 Pizer. They requested a variance to tear down and were denied by the HCAC and pleaded with by their neighbors but they tore it down anyway after the 90 day wait. This is the only one that could have and should have been saved and it fell after 90 days anyway. The other tear downs in this area needed to go due to condition issues (although one was 'demolition by neglect' which is such a sad and shady way of doing it- intentionally letting your property fall in to a dangerous state of disrepair so you can tear it down in hopes of making bigger money. It didn't work and the lot is still vacant. This is not a case study in why the deed restrictions are dangerous or wrong, either, as it is 1 house out of 850. It's rare anywhere to find such a homeowner who is willing to do that with their investment.)

We have roughly 1% new construction and this is primarily because of our neighborhood deed restrictions, which are strikingly similar to what the HCAC is trying to move forward with. Yes, I do favor preservation generally but I also live with in restrictions similar to the ones being proposed already and I see, 1st hand, how they benefit my neighborhood and do no harm to property owners. We are still a very eclectic neighborhood and diverse from a socio-economic standpoint. Our deed restrictions provide for this and protect this, not make it impossible as others have suggested.

Also, values. 2 examples- a bungalow with a large addition on the back recently sold with in 8 days of being listed. Listing price: $500k (Melwood). Another home is a 2/1 with the original footprint and a teeny sunroom added off the larger bedroom in back. It had an offer over asking price within 48hours of being on the market. Asking price was ~$329k. Both cases here are friends of ours. If you search HAR for 77009, you can see 2/1s that sold in the high $200ks or low $300ks, then there are the ones with additions selling for quite a bit more.

Someone said Mango Beach is "by Stude Park", but where? 'Cos that might be walking distance...

On the east side, south of the convenience store before the old apartments. -or- on your left if you're headed to kind biscuit

Did Mango's reopen? It was closed for a while and I never saw if it reopened again. The building is still the same.

He closed for the winter but hopes to find someone who can make crepes and use them as a way to stay open this winter. He will also have hot coffee drinks. BTW- my fault for saying it 1st- the name is actually Mango Beach, not Mango's.

I went and answered my own question.

Mango Beach- owned by a life long Heights resident. Not as finely shaved as Mam's but still better than a snocone. Called it "Hawaiian" style shaved ice.

$1 for small 8 oz up to $2.75 for "Jumbo" which is 32 oz (why anyone would ever need 32 oz, I'll never know)

Has lemonades with fresh fruit, aquas frescas, fozen coffee drinks, free wifi, **misters**, seating for 8-10 on current patio and is building a 2nd patio in his time off from being a full time Harris Cty deputy constable and part time college student. Also sells a few savory snacks like elote and chicharones.

No website yet but will eventually be up and running as mangobeachonline.com

Super nice guy and working really hard to make this a nice neighborhood place. His mom also helps out and you can tell she is so proud of him. Definitely give them your business every once in a while!

I could be wrong but I'm guessing it's the typical Texas/Mexican style sno-cone, not the New Orleans style shaved ice sno-ball. Way different texture and I prefer the New Orleans style.

Well, I could be wrong too but I think real Mexican raspas are actually shaved ice. The ones at Tampico are shaved, not crunchy.

Yes, every single place (around 10 of them that I've been to) in Baton Rouge where I grew up. In fact, half of those have a covered patio area with picnic tables, and the stand also offers snack foods like nachos, hot dogs, etc. I have no idea why Houston sucks so bad at having good sno-ball stands. Maybe there are better ones in the 'burbs where families are more catered to.

Well, I'm not in BR so that rules that out for me.

I've been lead to believe there aren't many in the burbs. There is a strong possibility of a couple here or there but another forum I am on (marriage/family/baby stuff) is almost all women from the suburbs. There have been a couple threads about Mams b/c one of the women is a wedding planner and is in the Heights a lot. She lives in Clear Lake and is always going on and on about Mams. Most of the other women have no idea what a snoball stand is, have it confused with a snocone or claim it's a "city" thing. These are the kinds of people who are pretty entrenched in family life and neighborhoods out there in the burbs so I would guess that they would know if there was a Mams of some sort.

Yes, you can go to Tampico on N. Main for a cheaper cone. It's a different scene though.

Cheers

James

I love Tampico but my kiddos can't really run around outside there and I feel like if I am giving them all that sugar I should be letting them run it off at the same time.

Does anyone know anything about Mango's down by Stude Park? I thought I heard they have raspas but I still haven't been down there to check it out.