JJxvi

I'm pretty uneasy with you applying "they" to people in the Heights. The Heights is not even remotely close to uniform by any standard I can think of, which is why I described a contingent of people in the neighborhood who's numbers have grown since the turn of the century.

Inner Katy would provide access to a fairly large employment center in Uptown if we're following the idea that the University Line isnt connecting to anything AT ALL while its just a colored line on a map somewhere, which was my point, not that Inner Katy was a better alignment overall.

As for Memorial Park proximity, it all depends on where you can put a station and the line proximity, obviously the West Loop would be better than somewhere north of I-10 at Eureka. If there were a way to get users close to the park near I-10 and Washington I think it would be used. I'm not all that familiar with Hermann Park or how often its used and what the traffic situation is there, so maybe you're right, based on that. I just know that it seems like a ton of people crowd into Memorial Park at times.

Seems like this line would add a lot to the system, particularly with Memorial Park as a potential destination as well. As is, with Uptown and University-West currently sitting on hold with nothing going on, doesnt seem like this will happen any time soon. I wonder now if they made a mistake by not doing Inner Katy before trying to go with a Richmond alignment. Now any inner Katy is alignment is possibly going to face resistance from a revitalized business community in the Heights and in the Washington corridor that is going to resistance any further traffic disruption, not to mention a growing NIMBY contingent in the Heighs itself that would likely oppose any Heights/Yale ROW or using the ROW on 7th.

There is almost nothing negative at all about this development, whichas far as I can tell is why the primary opponents have had to turn magnifying glasses and complaints onto a bridge which has always been there.

Look at the comments under the alligator story. The July 17 post by Stop The Heights Walmart begins...

Stop the Heights Wal-Mart! ‎@Michael: The Walmart and Kroger sites were formerly greenfields.

This is patently false in regard to both sites. A quick glance at Google Earth Historical as recently as April 2006 clearly shows industrial sites at both locations. Perhaps Stop The Heights Walmart editors do not know what a greenfield is, but they clearly mislabeled both sites.

I'm sure they really meant WAY back before the industrial sites were built....

RE: A view into MMP

How tall is Union Station? It seems like with the added distance (the further away from a wall you are the taller higher you have to be to see over it), that is the absolute minimum possible height that could offer a view into MMP, and it would possibly need to be slightly taller than that.

nm

Lets see....Gulf, Fina, Shell, Sinclair. What are the first two and the last one?

Is it just me or do Leonard and s3mh often show up at the same time?

Well, look who got screwed...lifelong residents who made the Heights "historic".

And, then the best the history lovers can do is accuse the lifelong residents of being greedy. Ironic.

Their kids are greedy! You know those folks would want their "historic" house to stay untouched forever and all time (or if not ecomomically feasible then transformed into a 4000SF humpback whale.) Thankfully, they can rest in their graves/heaven/wherever knowing that their kids' greedy schemes have failed, and a new glorious monument to the era of working class tract housing that they lived, now shines over their block in all its 4000SF glory like a beacon. No doubt, if the home had a personality, it would vigorously be thumbing its nose at the pitiful "new" houses next door.

Dont worry Red Scare, its still possible that whoever Saphire Equity is got a heck of a deal and will make a bunch of money. I'm sure they are one of the historic friendly developers.

Where I'm going is simply the idea that these people lost money or profit because they "bought at the height of the real estate bubble" and "sold at the bottom of the bust" as described here by s3mh...

I am surprised that there is no constitutional takings allegation. I can only assume that is because the plaintiffs ended up with a profit when they sold, just not as good a profit as they thought they would get with a tear down. Any claim that they lost money as a result of the ordinance will be very difficult to support as they bought at the height of the real estate bubble and sold at the bottom of the bust. A similar old bungalow on Courtlandt that needs updating is on the market for $310,000 and is already under contract within days of listing:

...is bogus. These people inherited a home, thought they could do something with, ended up having to sell it off and they feel that the city's actions regarding the ordinance caused them damages. There is no "profit" here, or timing the bubble involved.

A quick google search confirms, that Bialas, Allen, and Sostak names who have owned the house back to the beginning of the HCAd records on the web, are all family members.

Yes it is. That is some deprivation of due process when the historic ordinance causes your home to be flipped into a $895k, 3800 sq ft renovation/addition. At lot of people in this country wish they had their due process rights violated like this.

1) We dont know how much money the developer put into the house to know whether this "flip" is even profitable. The house has been on the market since march and we don't know what the actual selling price even is beyond that the current owner hopes someone is willing to pay 900k for it.

2) The plaintiffs sold the house in July 2011 for after they were unable (apparently) to get HAHC approval for whatever they wanted to do with the property. They sold it for maybe $250k. It doesn't appear that the house has ever been on the market beyond that, its at least a possibility that they did not "buy" the property in a conventional sense at all. I suspect they inherited it.

I particularly like how the empty lot next door serves to frame this home when viewed from the north and give you a true appreciation for its historic nature.

Thats a really historic looking 5 house stretch that this house sits in the middle of, it would have been a shame to lose that one (eyeroll)

amen

Didn't the renderings of Regent Square have multiple building stylings/ heights etc to make it all kind of look like that it had grown up in independent organic/urban chunks anyway (not that the stylings were radically different, but subtly so).

The idea of section 8 housing with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances intrigues me though.

Right.

Anyway here is the PR release for this project for the OP.

http://woodpartners.com/news-releases/wood-partners-announces-plans-to-build-alta-heights-apartment-community-in-houston-s-vibrant-washington-corridor

How rudh.

I think he's a bot.

I heard the apartments were going to be responsible urban development for Houston.

The idea that the historical ordinance has an influence on the possibility of this reverting to residential is a joke. Similarly, the idea that it is needed to protect against industrial interests buying up $80/SF land and bulldozing houses to build warehouses/shops is another joke.

I'm all for Historic Districs if they keep out the Jupiter crystals.

JJxi - at least I found some trees you care less about than the 9 live oaks.

You are wrong. I actually care MORE about the scrub trees, because I would like them to be cut down, and would be mildly pleased if it happened.