mary

Hello, all:

Yes there are some setbacks in Clark Pines. Several blocks are protected by minimum lot size/building line ordinances. Despite what Heights Guy thinks of our civic association, we are very active. Eventhough the deed restrictions only provide minimal help, the civic assocation always tries to keep an open dialog with builders who start to work in our neigborhood. We have been successful in keeping out one "6-pack" on 14th (at least for now). If you need more information please let me know. I have lived in Clark PInes for 10 years.

Mary

I am a local developer with contracts on 3 lots, for a total of 52,650sf, all on 14th St, and possibly an additional 22,000sf along Turkey Gully. We are in the due diligence process reviewing restrictions, and are looking for the best layout for our tracts. As this pocket of the Heights area is most definitely the most desirable, and downright inviting, I want to build within the existing look and feel of the immediate area.

My purpose in this post is to get everyones ideas and feelings on our projects in order to keep the neighborhood the way it is. Yes, I am a developer and my job requires maximizing use of land, but there are ways to go about that without destroying the street, and hopefully pleasing everyone around us.

Please voice your concerns or ideas, as they are all appreciated.

I can be reached directly at jordan@smithterra.com

Mr. Smith:

I appreciate your concern about maintaining the character of our neighborhood. I have e-mailed you directly so that we can begin that communication. Just FYI the "gully' will soon be knwon offcially has Night Heron Creek.

This neighborhood has graciously sized lots with street facing homes and mostly detached garages. The orginal homes were built by working class people in the late 1940's - early 1950's. There are still some orginal homeowners in our neighborhhod. My husband and I have been here just since 1999. We bought here because it felt like "country" in the city. We bought our house from the orignal owners who had lived since 1949.

Most of the houses built by developers since Tropical Storm Allison devastated our neighborhood are non-descript "fake" stucco boxes. The houses take up an inordinate amount of the the now tiny subdivided lots. Some house were so poorly planned that trash containers cannot go though side gates, so many are left out front. These houses are also built much closer to the street than existing houses. Many trees have been lost in the process. Because of the increased density we are beginning to have probelms with parking on the street.

I'm grateful that you seem to be open to communicating with the people who already live here. I look forward to hearing from you.

Mary

Something else I noticed was that the map for Clark Pines shows the old 1905 W 14th property as being subdivided into three lots, so that indicates that the maps are fairly up-to-date. However, they do not show any subdividing of the property at the end of 14th 1/2.

I also noticed that the map with Heights Annex shown Dian still connecting to Wynnewood, but also extending to W 13th. Is that the case now?

Hi Heights2Bastrop:

I live in Clark Pines and no Dian does not go through to 13th. There is an utility easment at the end of Dian at Wynwood. The new Catera develpment abutts that corner on the SE.

1905 W. 14th has 3 houses currently being built there by Cooksey Custom Homes. The sign states that they start at $400K. The developer and builder had orignally planned to divide this lot into 4 20-foot lots with alley/common driveway access that was supposed to have been granted from the lot on Beall. Apparently the part of that property facing Beal that was sold to another builder had some problems allowing his driveway to be used as a driveway for 4 houses. This homeowner has not kept in contact with CPCA so we are not sure how this issue was eventually resolved. We may not be happy about all this density here but I feel we have to take some comfort in the fact that it's only 3 houses and not 4!

Directly across that street at 1904, Lindsey Custom Homes is also building 3 houses. These are supposed to retail around $450K. He also owns the property at 2001 W. 14th. Original plans called for that lot to be subdivided into 3 lots but because of the big old oak tree in the easement that property is now only two lots. These houses are supposed to be in the $500k+ range.

Northgate Custom Homes is developing the property at the end of W. 14 1/2 abutting the Timbergrove ballfields. Their plans call for 19 houses to be built in a gated development. This developer has been particulary irksome to us here in Clark Pines. They eventually agreed to meet with us only after numerous property owners sent them certified letters letting them know that water run-off from their propety would not be tolerated and legal action would be taken if water was not contained on their development. They are building in a floodplain so fill is not allowed. If they bring in sand they have truck out a load of dirt. We were happy to find out that they were aware of the "shaky" nature of the debris/fill on this property. Some of these houses will require 40-foot piers! This property has changed hands several times since Tropical Storm Allison.

At 1901 W. 14 1/2, next to the creek, Flatiron Development wants to build 4 houses with a common driveway. Their plans are causing some concerns about their driveway acces and the creek bank. The city engineer still has not approved their plans.

FYI, the creek known unofficially as Turkey Gully around these parts, but only having an offcial numerical designation is going to be named Night Heron Creek.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

Did they get the approval to build on that land? I was at a little league game at the baseball fields on TC Jester that back up to that property with a friend and his kids, and overheard a few of the parents talking about that property who said that when they were building the original I-10, that land and the baseball field were the dump for the project where all the used building supplies were tossed. At the end of the project they bulldozed a layer of dirt over it. Due to that it has never been a viable location for homes to to soil compaction issues. Heights2Bastrop, you grew up in the area, have you heard this story?

HeightsGuy:

We had been told that the property had already been replatted but the president of our civic association just discoverd that Villas at White Oak,Ref. # 2006-1847, is on the Planning Commission agenda for July 20. I'm trying to get all the adjacent properties to send their concerns to the commission. The real story is that when the Corps of Engineers straightened out White Oak Bayou in the 60's and 70's, an oxbow was cut off from the channel. The owner at that time allowed a demolished office building to be dumped into the hole (some say the old SW Bell building). Others have said that other stuff was also dumped in there. The property has changed hands several times since I have been in the neighborhhod. One past owner of the property brought in fill dirt very soon after Tropical Storm Allison (before it was illegal to do so in a flood plain) and the drainage probelm in my yard has just gotten progressivley worse with the continued in-fill development in the area. We observed some core testing but we are not privy to the information. Someone also dug a big hole, we're guessing to see what was down there. I saw lots of building debris myself. We could only hope that the lot would be unbuildable but I know that money talks here in Houston and I'll most likely have 3-story buildings staring down into my yard.

Our neighborhood cannot imagine 21 houses on that site. Only one way in for a miminmum of an additional 42 cars! Being at the end of the line for many serivces we are all concerned about the increased rain run-off and the increased waste water issues. Not to metion that the city will not be able to collect garbage there either.

I understand that something new and "nice" there is better than what was there before, and they are freestanding, but I still look at the pics and it just looks like any other number of townhome developments. I know they aren't townhomes, but by cramming as many as possible onto the lot and then building "up" just seems wrong to me.

In my humble opinion of course. And please note that my opinion is influenced by the fact that we live in a 90 year old restored bungalow that is about to have 15 three story townhomes built behind it, peering down into our backyard/pool.

houstonray,

I can't blame you and I can empathise. The city of Houston declared this an urban area and has allowed the increased density. Increased density can be advantageous for the development other city servces, say mass transit, but it's certainly a detriment to one's one privacy.

The tract of land directly behind me had been replatted and Northgate Custom Homes is going to put 21 "sinlge-family" homes there. I haven't gone to e-plat yet to see what has been approved, I don't really want to acknowledge that there are going to be so many peole living behind me and peering down into my yard.

The mint green house is to the left of the stone facade house if you are standing in the street and looking at the front. BTW, I have a strong suspicion that the owners of your 'favorite' house is one of the developers in the area. I've seen heavy equipment in their driveway on multiple trips past. I have to admit the house is pretty cool with it's raised deck. Even the AC unit is elevated above the carports. I'll try to keep everyone updated on the goings on in Timbergrove.

Cheers,

Victor

Greetings all,

I scan this site ever so often and just joined so I can add my 2 cents worth. I happen to live on the dead end part of 14th. We bought our house from the orginal owners in 1999. The reason the stone house as you call it is elevated with no sytems on the ground floor is because of all the regulations related to building in the flood plain. Any permitted construction in the flood plain cannot have any operating sytems below the "flood level". The orginal house that was here prior to TS Allison had 48" of water in it. The owners are not developers just homeowners who rebuilt one house on one lot. The man of the house just happens to be very active and handy and did lots of the preparation work on the lot prior to rebuilding himself - that's the reason for the equipment in the driveway. His most recently completed project is the iron fence so their dogs can again roam the yard.

The mint green house was built on 2 smaller lots of the 5 that were divided out of one larger lot. In fact, one of the new owners of the new stucco house bought the empy lot next to hers so that another"skinny" house would not be be built right next to hers.

If you really want to see the shenagins of the developers/builders drive by 1904 and 2001 W 14th and see the all red tags that Lindsey was able to rack up because he started building without replats, no elevation certificates and no building permits. The 311 line was full of our calls!