beetlemania

Yikes... Per hcad, looks like the appraised value went up another $6 million this year. From $5.4 million to $16.7 million since 2005? The Wilshire Village shopping center across the street has shot up from $2.8 million in '06 to $7.5 million this year. Seems a little extreme considering that there hasn't really been that much change in this area the past few years

Southampton is encroaching from the south and River Oaks encroaching from the west. The area is changing, and the Dunlavy+Alabama intersection will be redeveloped in an "upscale" fashion at some point relatively soon. It's just a matter of when. The HCAD appraisers recognize this...

I think this is one of the units in the development supposed to go in there (or is this development only in the old Half Price Books lot ?)

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y

I think the recently cleared area on Commonwealth is a separate development from the one on the old Half Price Books lot. There's an existing apartment complex between the two cleared areas, and it appears to be operating normally...

Don't know, but I'd say it's some sort of temporary construction trailer/storage thing...it's been there for several weeks now...sure to be new townhomes going up any day now...

This is the site of the old Half Price Books building before they moved to their present location on Westheimer. I'm surprised the site has remained cleared and vacant for so long...

Funny...all this bashing of the turret house (1603 Marshall), and it's now no longer on the market (no "for sale" signs in front, and no longer listed on har.com). Presumably it's now been sold...someone wanted that spiral staircase...took long enough to sell though...had been on the market for well over a year....

Now on to bigger and better (or at least more modern) new $1M homes in the neighborhood. Check this one out, two blocks away at Harold and Mandell, going for a cool $1,329,000 (though construction hasn't yet started): http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y

And just down the street, looks like the same builder, suggested retail price of only $1,319,000 (though again, construction hasn't yet started...): http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y

Ooh Baby, Ooh wee! Have you noticed the proliferation of $1M+ new homes going up in the area around W. Alabama and Mandell? At the SW corner of Mandell and Marshall, a completed home that's been listed at $1.3M for over a year. Now a new construction going up across the street, same list price. And two recent teardowns on Harold just north of W. Alabama; one at the corner of Harold and Mandell and one just down the street on Harold. Neither lot has started construction yet, but both are listed on HAR at over $1.2M. Ooh, Baby! Where do they think we are, River Oaks?

Good thread. I've been wondering about the two separate cleared lots on the north side of W. Alabama just east of Mandell. Hope they'll be something cool.

Also noticed a recently cleared lot down the way on Yoakum just north of W. Alabama, across from the Annunciation Orthodox school. Used to be a dark brown, two-story old apartment complex from what I remember. Now, who knows? Who's buying up all these lots anyway?

Thanks for the update, Big Tex!

I drove by the Executive House yesterday, and there's a big banner on the outside declaring it NOW OPEN. I drove into the driveway, and it didn't look like much was going on inside.

Anyone wanna call and find out what rent's going for? I didn't write down a phone number, and I don't remember seeing a website listed on their display. I'm still living out in the boring world of Westchase, so I don't make it down to the ol' hood as much as I should.

Great news on Paks! They're finally getting the recognition they deserve. I'll never forget the loud dance music blaring at 6:30am when I stopped by on my way to work.

We are also going to the renovated MOMA-I don't expect long lines there.

Are you kidding? I know this summer there were pretty good sized crowds to get into the MOMA. I'd expect it to be crowded at the holiday season too...plus with tickets costing $20/person now, it might not be the best option for a large family visiting New York. The kids might have trouble with the Jackson Pollock pieces too...but, if the adults have extra time (and money) it's definately worth checking out.

In addition to the tree and skating at Rockefeller Center (caution: big crowds and long lines), check out the display windows at Macys and also at Saks Fifth Avenue. The kids will like it. And take a stroll along 5th Avenue between Central Park (The Plaza Hotel) and the Rockefeller Center area for enjoyable siteseeing. Again, the size of the crowds are huge, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time.

Also worth checking out (though can be pricey) is a Rockettes show at Radio City Music Hall. A couple of years ago, I also saw a production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Lots of kids in the audience, and they seemed to be having a good time.

If you're there for Christmas itself, I recommend going by St. Patrick's Cathedral and sitting in on part (or all) of a mass service.

Regarding Ground Zero: I'm not even sure what's left to see there. There may be some sort of memorial there now, but many of the new permanent buildings aren't up yet. The rest of that downtown area doesn't have much to see during holiday time, particularly if it's a weekend and Wall Street's closed.

So much attention has been paid to New Orleans that these other communities seem to have been overlooked, even though they suffered as much or greater damage.

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Yes, they suffered greater damage from the direct hit of the hurricane itself, but New Orleans is now flooding because of the levee failures.

The man on the Weather Channel said that Gulfport and Biloxi suffered damage near total destruction in all areas south of I-10. This includes the downtown areas of both cities, as well as the multitude of casinos lining the beach. The governor of Mississippi described it as "our Hiroshima". Evidently there is also extensive damage in much of the state between I-10 and I-20 (mid-state) and nearly 100% of the state is without power.

So, they're saying this may be the most costly and extensive natural disaster in our nation's history. It's heartbreaking, and I'm most concerned with New Orleans now.

I am just saying why must every thread be about doom and gloom.

Well this thread is.  We already have five topics on New Orleans and Katrina.  I am not saying we should not have sympathy, it is just that what is wrong with reminiscing about what could be lost. 

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OK, so there are other threads here about this, fine. What seems to be missing here is any "reminiscing" about the people affected here. New Orleans is not a theme park created simply for your vacation pleasure. Your remarks at this hour show a tremendous insensivity, in my opinion to the real city with real people whose lives have simply been decimated in the last couple of days. Today it is getting worse. After 9/11 were you "reminiscing" about fond memories of downtown New York? I hope not.

My heart goes out to the residents of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Honestly, I have never been to New Orleans and have never had the desire to. To me it seems like a scary place with all of the old history, highest murder and suicide rate per capita, the city being below see level. It just seems to be a very dark gritty place.

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So you're saying they got what they deserved?

What's wrong with you people? Where's the sympathy for the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are now drastically altered? This is not about you, or your fond memories of New Orleans...geez.

I love Terry Hershey Park, it's great! I take my dogs there off the path where all the people are because they like to go play in the creeks, it's such a nice area. 

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I wish they could extend Terry Hershey Park further into town. Ideally, wouldn't it be great if it would connect with the trails along Allen Parkway and Memorial Parkway east of Shepherd? Of course, that means going through the River Oaks and Memorial areas, which probably have large houses already bordering the bayou. And, I don't think they'll allow a bike trail through River Oaks Country Club...

Thanks. I'm curious as to how it'll turn out in the end. So far this particular area has held off the droves of yuppies...could this be a turning point? That could be the end of Paks (to be replaced with a brand new CVS).

MFAH just had a film series called Modern Mexican Cinema.  I got to see three of them.  Good movies, and pretty big crowds, so I think there's some demand there.

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Yes, I wanted to make it down there and see some films in that series, but unfortunately I missed it. MFAH does a great job showcasing lesser known eclectic films, and they get a pretty strong turnout of knowledgable filmgoers in attendance. Speaking of Mexican film, one of the hot young filmmakers from that country had a film chosen as an "Official Selection" at Cannes this year. Carlos Reygadas's film entitled "Batalla en el Cielo" (Battle in the Heaven) received fairly positive reviews.

And, regarding the Bollywood Cinema 6, are their films subtitled? I think it'd be fun to check out the place, but I don't speak Hindi...

Yes, CityWest is a nice, clean complex, and there are others along Westheimer as you go west towards Woodland Park. But the complexs further north on Hayes towards Briar Forest, in paricular the one at Hayes and Olympia, are more shady. I think there was a shooting there a few months ago. But then there are nice neighborhoods just across Hayes and across Wilcrest from these complexes.

Likewise there are some run-down apartment complexes along Kirkwood interspersed among nice residential neighborhoods. No zoning. That's Houston!

Thanks. I couldn't find any website with rental info on the "new, improved" Executive House (if that's what they're calling it now). Is there any info, i.e. phone number or web site, posted on the outside of the building?

I can't visualize connecting the 11 story building with the neighboring garden complex. Was that 2 story building torn down? I don't know how it could be renovated really without starting from scratch. I need to get back down there and check it out.

I assume Paks is still going strong? Need to pick up some more incense next time I'm down there...

Couple of comments on Westchase (to which I moved 1.5 years ago):

There are some nice neighborhoods out here. There are also some nice, clean apartment complexes, as well as some not-so-nice complexes. Overall it's more generic of an area than you'll find in Montrose / Heights.

A very nice thing about this area is the Terry Hershey park along Buffalo Bayou. It's a godsend for bikers and runners. It's a well maintained trail along the Bayou, stretching from Beltway 8 out to Highway 6. Easy access for all Westchase area residents! There are also some nice mountain biking trails right along the banks of the bayou.

And, regarding the median work on Westheimer: it appears many of the standard median openings were closed off, probably for safety reasons (cars backing up traffic trying to turn left or make U-turn). Also, as has been stated, many of the left turn lanes have been lengthened - also in the interest of keeping traffic from backing up in the main lanes. All in all, a very good idea in my opinion.

Any update BigTex? They kicked everyone out in fall '03 for "6-12 month" renovations. It's still shuttered, apparently. Maybe there's a website out there now, I'll check it out.

Between Angelika (downtown), River Oaks, and Greenway, we get a pretty good inundation of "art-house" films, particularly ones that get wider critical acclaim at the national / international level. Sure it could be better, and we certainly don't see the variety of films as other large U.S. cities (i.e New York), but we still get much more exposure than many, many other places in this country.

And if an "International movie", i.e. indie flick, is popular enough, it may even pop up at a few multiplex theaters like Dunvale.

To go back to the original pictures (I'm trying to get caught up here), what is that monument / structure there at the end of the reflecting pool in Hermann Park?

I haven't been down there recently - obviously this is similar to the Washington Monument and reflecting pool in Washington D.C., only on a smaller scale. Is our monument dedicated to anything or anyone in particular? Am I correct in thinking that this is recent construction?

Can't we think of anything more original than copying the D.C. layout?

Cool. I'm also an engineer, have done both land development and some public works type work. Took the PE exam on April 15th, so I know all about the ethical and legal obligations of PEs.

True, the developers must conform to the rules, but they also have traditionally had a rather big hand in writing those rules. Does seem to be changing recently, though, particularly after TS Allison. That was a wake-up call. HCFCD is sharpening its teeth now, and I'm sure it's keeping you busy...

First of all, I don't think we need another newspaper here in Houston, as long as the one we have will do what it's supposed to do.

I do think the Chronicle has improved over the last couple of years with the new editor. I still refuse to subscribe to it, but I pick up print editions from time to time. It seems more interesting now than it was 5 years ago?

What do I want to see? Would like to see more coverage of the arts in Houston, state, country, world, i.e. more in-depth articles about films, filmmakers, local art exhibits, etc. Seems like we get now is just one-time reviews.

Also, the Sunday paper "Outlook" section is incredibly stupifyingly boring. This is the section with editorials / opinion pieces about current events. The subject matters covered usually seem unoriginal and the articles rather banal. Maybe that's just Houston, where the most controversial issues seem to be whether or not the Rockets suck and whether the City of Houston has the right to tow abandoned vehicles on freeways. Oh well...

To chime in here:

The reason you see "City of Houston" on manhole covers in MUDs outside the City of Houston limits is that all engineering projects in these ETJ areas must be designed according to the City of Houston specs, details and design criteria manual, which include the requirement of labeling such manhole covers. Plans for new development in ETJ, even if not in the City of Houston proper, must be submitted to and approved by the City of Houston before it can be constructed. This is to insure that, upon annexation, the infrastructure is "up to par" with City of Houston standards.

By the way, the inlet stenciling you see is also per City of Houston details / specs. As has been said, the idea is to keep people from dumping oil, trash, etc. directly into the storm sewer system, which eventually makes its way to Galveston Bay and the Gulf.

kjb434: are you a developer? Just curious, sounds like you've got some experience dealing with these bureaucratic issues...

The advent of the MUD has created a huge industry for the MUD consultants, i.e. the engineers, attorneys, bookkeepers, tax assessor collectors, operators, etc. for these individual MUDs. There are hundreds of MUDs in the Houston area, and each one usually has its group of individual consultants. This is big business, and it's probably an additional political reason why annexation of MUDs won't be moving too quickly in the near future...