Larissa

DRIVE THROUGH: Since 93% of services provided by Planned Parenthood are preventive services, things like contraceptives,exams and such, a drive through pharmacy like they have at other places where prescriptions are dispensed - i.e. CVS or Walgreens - would not be unreasonable, although there are no plans for such.

LOCATION: The current location on Fannin is a block from Houston Community College Central Campus, which has a large minority population, and has tens of thousands of students - so the "moving near a college, or minorities" arguement is simply wrong. The new location is farther from both UH and TSU than the old location is from HCC.

There is a separate thread to discuss the issues of Planned Parenthood services.

ooh isnt that lovely...lol

1) There is plenty of street parking for protesters on the back side of the new building, which is where the entrance is (and will continue to be) to the parking lot.

2) A for the current location - I know people going to Atdkins, and students walking to HCC are sometimes frustrated at protesters approaching them, but for the most part, the protesters are more interested in saying things to patients, staff, volunteers, etc. at PP.

As for controversy - PETA is not happy with Baylor building a hospital because of animal research, some are not thrilled with a Islamic Center being planned for Montrose and Allen Parkway, and there have been arguements on the amount of money the Catholic Church spent on the new Co-Cathedral. Perhaps we all should show some tolerance, and be happy that Houston continues to have interesting architectural/building projects, and keeping contractors and craftsmen employed.

There have been stories in the Houston Chronicle (link below) saying it was being planned - but now if you drive by, you can see the building is finally being gutted for renovation. The stair-stepped exterior will be retained. Planned Parenthood will be selling their midtown properties (a two-story building, a four-story building, and parking lots) and moving admin operations (for both its Texas and Lousiana health centers) to the Gulf Freeway location. PP across SE TX provides around 100,000 family planning visits a year, so less-crowded conditions will be a welcome relief.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/5990832.html

Get on the email lists of Historic Houston, Save the Bungalows, Houston Arts and Media, Amnesia Houston, and Save Our Landmarks. Get involved in the preservation community in Houston so you know what is going on and can hear about any workshops or trainings or gatherings that will help you get a start on organizing your neighborhood. Get to know the property owners who are owenr/residents and see how they feel about preserving/protecting their neighborhood. You MUST show a great deal of support at City Hall or you don't get anywhere. Get to know your council members, let them know what you care about, they can put you in touch with others when known. Be visible. You have a good start by posting on this board, post on blogs also and get your ideas and needs out there so people can find you.

Good Luck!

When you have professional lobbyists and spokespersons for the developers making the comments, you are, for the most part, only going to get what they want you to hear. They stay "on message", using their finely crafted talking points so the reporter, and they public ONLY get what they want you to hear. Spin is a crafted art, and hard to break.

The rumours going around is that Lance Feagin (Glass Wall) will be opening a new eaterie in the downstairs space, once renovations are complete. The Dittman Building, a block down toward downtown, is also being marketed for a restaurant, with rooftop dining. Add Beavers just a few blocks away, and you have some mighty nice pickings!

welcome to the forum larissa. good to have you.

I've been lurking and reading for years. :-) thanks.

The new faux Victorians are interesting. The Neighborhood Association fully supported the new construction, going as far as attending the HAHC meetings and speaking in support. The house that was once there http://www.old6ward.org/2004Kane.jpg was demolished long ago, and there were half a dozen or so apartments put there in it's place, perhaps for post-WWII housing. They were poor construction, and were finally demolished. Paul Gomberg (Premiere Victorian) was "recruited" to build in our neighborhood. We believed he would respect the set backs of the street, etc. He originally was looking at 4 houses on the two lots. Instead he did three larger homes (the three big sisters), next to the three shotguns beside it (the three little sisters). The setbacks are the same as the house across the street, and at the end of the block. The height is higher than most around it, but not that much higher than what was once there. As I have said before, we are not against new construction - which is why we have design guidelines that include new construction - and realize there are people who want to live in an old neighborhood, but in a new house.

About restoration vs renovation. Few, if any of us 100% restore our houses - we don't replace siding using square nails, we use modern paint and primer (although we try to keep within a historic color family), we have electricity and indoor plumbing, which most of our houses were built without. I'm sorry the houses on tour didn't live up to some people's standards of what a renovated house should be. We are not museum houses, we are living, breathing houses where people raise their children, celebrate birthdays, have friends over for dinner, and continue with life as comfortable as the next person, albeit often in smaller quarters than the average person. Our home tours were once annual, but has become "when we have the houses ready to do a tour", so that we don't always have repeat houses, and we don't have alot of "in progress", or public buildings that can be seen at other times. We try to have a mix of styles and homes that will appeal to a diverse group, many who have never seen a house with 12 foot ceilings, or transomes, brick walls, or wide-plank hardwood floors. We also realize there are people who have seen alot of these types of homes and are looking for more. Whatever you are looking for, attacking those who have opened up there homes to let others in, or attacking those who have worked hard to create a tour that is both entertaining, educational, and a fundraiser is hurtful to those who volunteered hundreds of hours on a tour - whether in Old Sixth Ward or elsewhere. No, I was not one of those volunteers this year, but I have been in the past. The tour lived up to the expectations of the leadership of the OSWNA, and to it's chairs. I'm sorry it didn't live up to everyones, maybe next time.

Well, it did go nicely with the granite and stainless.

Don't mind me, I'm just an over-the-edge purist.

ONE house out of 6 on the tour was new construction. It is the first new construction that has been on the tour in 10+ years. The one on the tour was in scale and mass with those around it, and there is an advantage to showing you can build on an empty lot in a historic district, and have it fit into the character and size of those around it. A rarity in Houston with our three townhouses to a lot mentality. Another on the tour was recently restored after being boarded up for almost 20 years, and was never on the tour. Yet another (also never on the tour) was recently restored after being split into numerous apartments. You could see where a wall had been opened where the owner discovered a fireplace! A small addition in the rear proves you can add on to a house, and have it fit into the character and design of the period. Tt has never been unusual or unheard of for these houses to change and grow through their own history. Oh, and I'm sorry, the houses also have been updated to have central air and heat along with modern kitchen appliances.

We inthe Old Sixth Ward are often accused of wanting to live in the past, which makes your comments a bit funny. You seem to want us to LIVE in the past, and in some cases recreate it? when we want to protect it from demolition, and create infill that doesn't fall into the category of how creative can I get - how many materials, angles, and levels can I manage to include.

I think the horse-drawn carraiges and antique bicycles were a nice touch as well.