OkieEric

So I got my property tax bill today and noticed that they are not applying my homestead exemption (which I had from 2006 and on). I refinanced early last year and my wife was added to the title. Was I actually supposed to reapply for homestead exemption? Obviously, this makes a huge difference in my bill

Hmmm....watch us get a simplified version of the Pavilion, minus some of those raised sections. Looks suspiciously like a giant box. Even with those raised areas it will pretty much look like a giant box from the street. I really have a hard time imagining that so many would have gone for that design. I guess it could be worse, but basically we've gone from talk of stilts to just a generic grocery store.

Edit:

Just saw this:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/zones/7279730.html

McClelland, who said he is pleased the pavilion's architecture will be vaguely compatible with the nearby Menil Collection, said inviting ideas from the community has improved the project.

I think "vaguely" may be a bit strong. Anyway, glad to see that they are opting for more neutral colors

I was amazed that they offered a gate for pedistrian access that would be on a timer and only open from daylight to dusk--

What was the general consensus? Assuming that they use those shopping carts with the locking wheels, I am all for it. I live on Branard and if it's walled off then what would be a nice, short walk suddenly doubles or triples in length. I guess if you lived on the dead end sections it might not be as appealing

I also think any of these 3 designs would be fine. The 2 stories would be nice but I'm guessing it won't happen at this point. Do I see pedestrian access from Branard and Sul Ross on that first sketch? Was that discussed at all?

Great site btw, new to me....

I'm not even sure what that site is, but it looks like it just pulls in everything that mentions "Montrose" in the Chronicle and perhaps some other sources. I was able to find the original Chronicle article:

http://www.chron.com...es/7257790.html

I'd like to be there for that part of it - problem is it's a long meeting (9-1) and I'm not privy to the agenda. Presumably this would be one of the major topics, therefore earlier rather than later....

Just found this article - mentions vote should be around noon

Residents to Vote on H-E-B designs on Oct 30

None of the three designs shows the store on stilts, an approach that would have allowed a two-acre park to be incorporated at the south end of the 7.7-acre tract.

To help offset the added cost of a second-floor store, McClelland and a group that had lobbied for green space on the site, the Montrose Land Defense Coalition, tried to raise $700,000 but have been unable to do so.

McClelland said the City Parks Department, thanks to other nearby green space, gave the plot a low score, which hurt the grant-seeking process.

If the money can't be found within 45 days, he said, H-E-B will build the store at ground level.

"We can't run a two-year capital campaign while paying heavy rent on land that sits idle," McClelland said.

Sounds as if the stilts idea is toast. So the Montrose Land Coalition was in charge of raising $700,000? Not that they ever had a chance, but good luck raising anything without any kind of rendering - sounds like the stilts idea was doomed from the start. Thanks to the City Parks Department for their part

The article also mentions Dunlavy will go to 3 lanes

Three renderings of the planned shop will be presented at this Saturday's Neartown meeting. I understand a vote will be taken on them. Whether HEB will honour it I know not, but it's a welcome gesture nonetheless.

Are you going to make the meeting? I would go but will be out of town

So they will unveil and take a vote all at the same meeting? Ugh... I don't understand why they can't release something beforehand. Hopefully there is a good turn out or else we'll probably wind up with "tree house" or "whale". j/k.

Has to be one of the neatest empty lots in the city. You could practice your putting on that grass!

I even saw a guy picnicking under a tree there yesterday morning. Yeah....that's what he was doing

Anyone go to the latest Neartown Association meeting? Just ran across this article:

http://ultimatemontrose.com/stories/216428-residents-to-choose-heb-store-design

H-E-B regional president Scott McClelland decided to host the vote in person, rather than online.

No designs have been finalized, but three have been chosen to describe each store’s roof shape: museum, wale and tree house.

Currently, fundraising is underway to get the store built on stilts, accommodating parking underneath and leaving enough room at the southern end of the site for a park.

McClelland announced that as of yet, he has no pledges and estimated the fundraising target at $700,000 to help offset the added cost of putting the store on the second level.

Well, that sucks for those of us who won't be in town on Oct. 30th. Also, why would there be any pledges at this point without some sort of rendering? Hopefully those attending will have more to go from than "museum, whale, tree house" before the meeting.

There's been a sign up for a while that 24 hour fitness will be coming soon...but I can't find any info online. Does anyone have an idea when they plan to open?

Wow....no news here, but that's awesome! Maybe it will take some "pressure" off the one in midtown. I wonder if they would close the smaller one at Holcombe and Greenbriar?

Several years ago, this was the site of a metal warehouse, occupied by an artist. Tragically, he was killed, and the building was burned to the ground. All that remained was a large concrete slab.

A couple of days ago, the slab was removed. Any word on what might be built here? Townhomes seem most likely; I hope they'll enjoy having a bar on one side, and a carwash across the street.

Looks like the artist that died has a wikipedia

Robin Utterback

Yeah, given that proximity to the car wash and autozone, I can't imagine anyone building townhomes there. But then again this is Houston

I found this interesting "article" on Houston Press regarding Walmart grocery prices:

"Would Walmart Bring Low Grocery Prices to the Heights? Not Really"

http://blogs.houston...cery_prices.php

And with H-E-B having declined to build on the site -- Ainbinder claims that the grocery store chain had exclusive rights for two years -- it looks as if Walmart will almost certainly be building in the Heights, whether residents like it or not.

Hmmm....not sure if this has been mentioned or not, but I didn't realize that HEB had exclusive rights for 2 years and had declined to build (assuming this quote is accurate). Was HEB really outbid, then, or did they simply opt not to build on this particular site? Doesn't this make all of those comparisons of a Walmart vs. an HEB sort of irrelevant? (Of course, the fact that Walmart is willing to pay the most $$ alone makes the comparison irrelevant)

Nothing really new here, but now $700K has been quoted a few times (versus $2-3 million) as the money needed to offset building the store on stilts.

This articles mentions a possible restaurant to offset the costs:

http://www.hcnonline...stilted_heb.txt

and another from the chron back on the 5th mentions a few interesting items:

The cash needed to secure a park on the site now stands at $700,000, McClelland said Monday, thanks to a design change that would add 12,000 square feet of lease space on the first level of the store, next to the parking area.

The design McClelland currently is working with shows facades on all four sides of the building, he said, and places the loading dock out of sight underneath the store. This design also could include a wine bar and café, McClelland said, perhaps on an upstairs patio. He stressed the final design would be chosen by the community.

http://www.chron.com...ws/7141022.html

I like the sound of all of this, but it sure seems a bit out of place there so it's kind of hard to imagine. $700K seems like a drop in the bucket...

Edit: Now if they could just bury the power lines along that stretch....

This must be the most unscientific poll ever - we've now got people signing up just to vote. Which reminds me, shouldn't these polls be anonymous?

Just to remind everybody, this is the plot of land that adds character to the Heights and brings values up and reduces crime.

Wal-Mart should build the store on stilts and convert some of that beautiful land into a park

OK, I give....no one has gotten around to posting the swamplot link:

http://swamplot.com/is-this-your-montrose-supermarket-on-stilts-a-south-beach-model-for-the-wilshire-village-h-e-b/2010-08-02/#comments

I'm sure we've all seen this "pseudo" rendering by now. Honestly, if anything remotely close to this comes about I will be very pleasantly surprised. I'm still curious as to whether all of the options HEB plans to present will be on "stilts" or just one of the three with some sort of "must raise a few million $$ for option #3" caveat

You tried walking on the sidewalk in Montrose recently? . They're death traps!

Could have fooled me...I thought those pothole-infested streets were!

I wonder why "stilts" and not like the Randall's in midtown? Cheaper? My only concern is that a grocery store "up in the air" sounds like it would really stick out, lol

If they can do this park that would be awesome...hopefully this development can help spur investment to clean up some of the immediately adjacent properties. Who knows, maybe the Foteh family will finally start to sell off some stuff

I'm certain it was Third Ward. In one scene, you can see street signs and while they're not clearly visible in the YouTube versions, the regular video versions have the street names clearly visible. I forget what the street names were exactly, but I remember them being Third Ward area streets.

You're right - the corner being turned at the 3 min mark appears to be someone headed south (SW, I guess) on Nagle and turning right onto McGowen. I see you already linked to the Ralston's down the street, which is really the only identifying marker besides the shape of that building on the corner

Edit: Random story, but I actually ran into Forest Whitaker at the baggage claim in Luanda, Angola a couple of years ago. Talk about unexpected...

Oh I hope this does not happen. What a sad day indeed if this is the case. Wal-Mart killing the beauty of the mom-and-pop feel of the Heights with their corporate greed and ugliness.

Perfect! A central wal-mart not in my neighborhood is exactly what I've been hoping for....j/k. Well, sort of

But seriously, it does seem like a pretty good place for one, and it's not like it's smack dab in the middle of the Heights. I also don't see how this would kill the mom-and-pops when Target hasn't

I can think of worse than an HEB for that piece of land - any attempt to woo neighbors (as I am one) is fine by me. Green space? Subterranean parking? Sharing renderings with the neighborhood? I'm not sure what else we can expect... If they do somehow wind up allocating more to green space and incorporating additional retail (not sure how there would be space), then even better

Maybe I'm not hip enough to really appreciate the Fiesta as it is, but a little sprucing up due to impending competition couldn't hurt. They have served the area well, but that is one ugly strip center

Third for amica...I switched last year and couldn't be happier. My homeowner's insurance cost was virtually cut in half (of course, that was after a 50% hike from nationwide)

I also got a nice reduction in auto, and the service was excellent in a recent claim that we had

The house is 9 years old, so it'll be PVC.

I ended up calling Roto Rooter, mostly because they do not charge to come out and make an estimate (they also had mostly positive reviews and there's the shout out here). We have 7 houses all clustered together with a shared courtyard, and he thought the leak was on the line next to ours, anyway, so it's good that i didn't have to pay anyone $50 to come out and tell me that. He estimated $290 for the job. Dunno if that's high, low, or average, but it's not as much as I was afraid it could cost.

Yeah, that's about what it cost me (after coupon), and that seems to be their standard for fixing a leak outside the house - it seemed high to me but I was in a bind. At the same time, I can't image a plumber coming out and doing that kind of work for much less, especially when they charge $50 to just show up. At least now you have a number to compare to... Anyway, make sure you use that coupon

They wound up charging me about the same to change out our shower valve and install new fixtures, and the guy was there for several hours.

Anyway, I was happy with their work both times I've called them

The problem with Village (and maybe Nick's?) is that they are NOT going to give you a free estimate, though they will apply the fee towards their work if you pick them. I can't remember the exactly amount ($70?), but forget that. You might want to check out some of the online reviews

I actually used Roto Rooter for a couple of jobs lately, including a leak outside. They actually give a free estimate - I think it might even be a standard price for repairing an outside leak, so they might be able to give you a price over the phone. Anyway, they honesly seemed a little high, but if you go to the website you can get a $30 coupon. Can't hurt to give them a call, anyway. I had never dealt with a plumber and was sure I was going to get robbed, so it's nice to at least get a price upfront without worrying about losing $70

Along these lines, has anyone protested using the online iSettle feature on HCAD with any success? When we bought our house last August, HCAD decided to automatically bump up the 2009 appraised value to the selling price (i didn't realize they could do that in the middle of the year). Now, they are saying that the value has increased 15K in those few months. I don't want to get stuck in some perpetual contract with some property tax consulting company like a bad magazine subscription you can't seem to cancel.

I used iSettle two years ago and had problems - as in I had to wait for months and months, only to be told I had to come in person anyway. Last year I used it again and used three or four concise, clear examples in the section they give you to present your case. I basically attacked them on comp appraisals, comp sales prices, basically anything I could get my hands on. Actually, what was very useful is that some of these protest services actually send you a flier with decent comps (which are hard to find in my case). Anyway, HCAD got back within weeks last time and virtually matched my own assessment

If you bought your house last August, protesting and presenting your sales price should be simple enough to knock off that $15K. I had a similar situation when I bought back in 2006 and they were pretty agreeable when I protested. You will probably have a tough time getting anything below that, thoug