JJVilla

Why do people like that place? Not only is it the worst tex-mex food but it's over-priced!

What do you think the rare merger at the low cost end of spectrum will bring (Southwest buying Airtran)? Consolidation to be more specific.

Southwest Airlines to Acquire AirTran

TheNiche, what's up with you valuing old building over old people?

You got to give them props for their confidence and approach, at least.

How are you defining "East End" in terms of streets bordering it? There are multiple subset areas which collectively comprise the East side. Please describe.

Not sure how familiar you are with that part of town so maybe this is too much?

It includes Eastwood and that is where most people I know are/were buying homes. I am actually in one of their picture, even though I was just visiting! According to Eastwood website their (greater) Civic boundaries are Harrisburg, Oldham, Gulf Freeway and Milby but the subdivision is smaller. More information: East End Website, Area Map

From Wiki:

The East End is bounded on the west by downtown Houston and on the east by the Port of Houston. Buffalo Bayou flows past the site of Harrisburg, an early Texas trading post and seat of government for the Republic of Texas in 1836.

From an outsider perspective (grew in NW part of the county and live in Galleria area now) the overall view has changed for the area. It's still considered gay friendly and open-minded but the community has spread out more. It seems that the new residential hot spot is East End (since my straight friend invites me and my wife to their parties) but the clubs have remaimed in this original area.

Growing up I remember going to part of town to get help with my parent's immigration process, it was a pain but the non-profit groups were a big help.

ExCeLLeNt!

I think it's about as big as it's going to get. Arizona (and L.A.) have serious issues to contend with as far as water goes. I wouldn't doubt if the population shrinks in Phoenix would start occurring sometime in the W's. LA might do a bit better, but their infrastructure is going to need a major improvement for water. That is, unless an earthquake or taxes takes them out sometime in the mid century.

Water and reduced tax base is going to kill them (or least slow their growth) for sure. My wife went to ASU and works for a consulting firm that deals with water so she agrees with/has told me of the water issue they face and the empty neighborhoods. Whole blocks in some subdivisions are empty due to out of state (CA) speculators or people forced to leave them.

I think their misperception of Houston reflects badly on them not us!

Two semi-related aspects to be proud of and worth sharing:

• Houston leading in the World Cup Bid Leaderboard for most bid signatures http://www.gousabid....august-24-2010/
• Justice - Soccer not second class in this city: http://www.chron.com....e/7192487.html

Ghetto bird circling the hood! Any updates?

Heritage Plaza

That was my question exactly, also. Where is it in those pictures?

Exactly the kind of area that has tourists and visitors. No one stays in a hotel downtown when they come here, and very few people live downtown. That's why it's dead at night. You can't just build things downtown and expect people to journey to them. First you need to get people staying/living down there - more conventions, more hotels, more lofts/apartments.

Agreed with your points.

Where do most big name/high profile visitors stay when they visit or tour Houston? Like it or not it's the Galleria/Uptown area because of the hotels and shopping mostly.

So back to topic, a smaller theater/film center like this would be welcome here. Maybe BLVD development?

One aspect that won't help some of the far flung homes is the ever increasing energy prices. Until realistic transportation fuels and power sources are found they will go up and hurt large, cheap built homes that are generally less energy efficient or expensive to maintain (i.e. less quality but most importantly larger utility bills). Even if transportation is not the issue you still have to deal with variable utilities cost.

As the article I cited previously stated these type of homes will not disappear but the demand will drop.

An extreme view on homeownership from Times but with some valid points:

Homeownership contributed to the hollowing out of cities and kept renters out of the best neighborhoods. It fed America's overuse of energy and oil. It made it more difficult for those who had lost a job to find another. Perhaps worst of all, it helped us become casually self-deceiving: by telling ourselves that homeownership was a pathway to wealth and stable communities and better test scores, we avoided dealing with these formidable issues head-on.

Read more: http://www.time.com/...l#ixzz0xoedQCGW

Hey, not against anybody that builds large energy guzzling homes and drive similar cars. It actually helps us out here!

It seems like yesterday that I was sitting at mass in St Jerome or at the carnival/Fall Festival with English, Spanish and Vietnamese speaking people. Tri-lingual mass is something else.

Yes, they were at/part of St Jerome Parish (in Spring Branch) till about late 1980's. It's amazing and great to see how much this community have grown.

I think it's time to come to terms that this will happen. Much like the Montrose HEB; these retailers are at least listening and making an effort to passify the residents of these well established neighborhoods.

It is my hope, that after it opens, several years down the road, it doesn't become pitted out like Meyer Park or Dunvale. The last time that I went in both of these stores was the last!

The closest store to me is that one Dunvale and it can be an experience just driving by there.

Some key points mentioned in relevant article about McMansions and housing trends (The Next Slums? - http://www.theatlant...xt-slum/6653/3/):

This future is not likely to wear well on suburban housing. Many of the inner-city neighborhoods that began their decline in the 1960s consisted of sturdily built, turn-of-the-century row houses, tough enough to withstand being broken up into apartments, and requiring relatively little upkeep. By comparison, modern suburban houses, even high-end McMansions, are cheaply built. Hollow doors and wallboard are less durable than solid-oak doors and lath-and-plaster walls. The plywood floors that lurk under wood veneers or carpeting tend to break up and warp as the glue that holds the wood together dries out; asphalt-shingle roofs typically need replacing after 10 years. Many recently built houses take what structural integrity they have from drywall—their thin wooden frames are too flimsy to hold the houses up.

Of course, not all suburbs will suffer this fate. Those that are affluent and relatively close to central cities—especially those along rail lines—are likely to remain in high demand. Some, especially those that offer a thriving, walkable urban core, may find that even the large-lot, residential-only neighborhoods around that core increase in value.

On the other hand, many inner suburbs that are on the wrong side of town, and poorly served by public transport, are already suffering what looks like inexorable decline. Low-income people, displaced from gentrifying inner cities, have moved in, and longtime residents, seeking more space and nicer neighborhoods, have moved out.

I doubt the swing toward urban living will ever proceed as far as the swing toward the suburbs did in the 20th century; many people will still prefer the bigger houses and car-based lifestyles of conventional suburbs. But there will almost certainly be more of a balance between walkable and drivable communities—allowing people in most areas a wider variety of choices.

I dump mine in Galveston Bay.

That way the sea creatures can preserve energy by floating on them. Brilliant!

I will tell you that the Wal-Mart opposition is nothing like the caricatue you have invented. The Wal-Mart opposition is made up of people of all ages and from all walks of life. Some have spent a lifetime working for the Heights and West End communities, and some are participating in their community for the very first time. You can put them down all you want, but that will not change a thing. While you think you have made a differene by bullying a few people who are against Wal-Mart on a message board with your insults, the thousands who are joining together are making a difference. It is no coincidence that the application for the reverse curve variance on Koehler was tabled for two weeks to require further study.

This is true. You got to wonder why people would defend slimey companies like this and then say thay are for the working class. There are many examples but if your business is decimated by them then you would not be in favor of them, as has occurred in many small towns across the USA. For the record I grew up poor, am a minority and have been unemployed for more than a couple of months, too.

Either way the simple solution is not set a foot in their business or buy from them, as is case of any company you don't like.

It's all about the benjamins...or audience at least.

Look at where almost all of those cities are located--all non-Southwestern states. Plus the access to XM, internet radio and interest in more Spanish music has shifted the taste of former listeners that had NO choice before. This true for me and many people I know in town. I agree that competition would be great and welcome.

Not sure of some of your points but one of the examples of weird boundaries is that people that lived by Klein Forest went to Ike and vice-versa.

Because beer bongs aren't the only use for a funnel.

Agreed. Interesting analogy.

Great article about what drives Houston past the old tired "creative" and "hip" cities.

This is one of the better ideas/aspects discussed in the article:

But Houston's biggest advantage cannot be reduced to numbers. Ultimately it is ambition, not style, that sets Houston apart. Texas urbanites are busy constructing new suburban town centers, reviving inner-city neighborhoods and expanding museums, recreational areas and other amenities. In contrast with recession-battered places like Phoenix, Houston remains remarkably open to migrants from the rest of America and abroad.

Desperate cities (like Chicago) will do whatever it takes to "convince" entities to keep jobs around since they can't naturally add many as supported by the following Forbes article:

So what does Houston have that these other cities lack? Opportunity. Between 2000 and 2009 Houston's employment grew by 260,000. Greater New York City--with nearly three times the population of Houston--has added only 96,000 jobs. The Chicago area has lost 258,000 jobs, San Francisco 217,000, Los Angeles 168,000 and Boston 100,004.Politicians in big cities talk about jobs, but by keeping taxes, fees and regulatory barriers high they discourage the creation of jobs, at least in the private sector.

Houston: Model City

They also finished the pocket park (at Southwest corner of San Felipe & Post Oak Ln), well most landscaping anyway.

Great idea on their part to create this district plan.