SilverJK

Mark, Do you really think these criminals give one crap about whether or not who they are robbing is liberal or conservative? Do you think they pull up a map of politcal affiliation and decide where they are going to rob based on poll data? Give me a break dude. They break into your car because they are walking by and see something in your car and nobody around. This ain't the damn wild west either... if someone jumps out of a car with a gun drawn and wants your cell phone... it doesn't really matter if you have a gun or not... all you are going to do is get yourself shot. I'm all for gun rights, I own several, but your vision is highly dillusional. Now if you hear someone trying to break into your house and you get your gun and wait on them... thats a bit of a different story.

We as a community need to be on our watch more. I'm personally responsible for the arrest of a few people (called the cops and they showed up VERY quickly) because of my late night tendencies and my constant looking outside when I hear noises. One of the guys I caught was a habitual offender and was responsible for a plethora of burglaries just on my block alone. I'm not saying we don't need more police presence, but meeting and organizing with your neighbors to make a community effort to help the police will make better progress stopping these kinds of crimes. As you stated, these are mostly opportunity crimes. I've seen many times where someone is walking down the street (instead of the sidewalk) and checking door handles to see if they are locked. If there are cops around they obviously won't do this... but they will simply wait until they aren't there. The real issue is these people just get slapped on the wrist when caught. The guy I caught had an arrest record of over 18 convictions. (i had to go to court because the fool wouldn't plea down and I got subpoena'd). Several of his arrests for drugs or burglary he didn't even spend more than a month in jail. Rediculous. If you knew that you would spend serious time (years) behind bars for breaking in to a car or detached garage then you'd probably think twice about it.

These were broad daylight armed robberies... not exactly the standard vehicle smash and grab of the heights. I don't think this is a trend for the area, but more of a one off group of desperate losers who will quickly be caught. I see a rather large police presence in the Heights... but I do live on a block that is sort of overlapped by two beats so we get both patrols.

I agree. (WHAT!!!!) I grow lemongrass, thai basil, chilies, mint, chinese mustard greens, and I have a kafir lime tree myself. (most of my incredients I originally got for making my own Tom Yum Goon soup, which I admittedly hardly ever make anymore).

yay BEER! Maybe they can capture the feel that Onion Creek used to have before they started serving liqour. Lack of RedBull and Vodka keeps a certain type of d-bag away. Shortly after OC started serving liqour you saw an increase of those types of people (dude bros), in large groups always standing/blocking the doors to get in to the bar, being overly loud and obnoxious. I still like going to OC and they probably made the right financial move, I just personally like beer joints more (like D&T)

To each their own I suppose... but comparing Teotihuican (which I like) to Hugo's (upscale) as being anything close to similar is completely wrong. upscale can = more than just costing more.

3 years? Did you even live here 3 years ago. It was about 2.5 years ago when they first started breaking ground on this project. While I agree that it has taken a very long time, I find your slant on the property hilarious. You say "small multifamily condo" to exaggerate the timeline, when you've previously said something along the lines of huge, out of scale, will shade the neighbors, etc. Union Kitched bailed for many reasons (one of them reportedly due to the delay in finishing out the building which makes a lot of sense). This post is a great example of s3mh being s3mh.

Except for the one area that has the most significant architecturally interesting Historic homes... River Oaks. But for some reason they were bypassed? Oh yeah, don't bite the hand that feeds you. You kinda of explain my problem with you in your own post... you want to micro control your immediate neighbhors whetehr they are okay with it or not. For the billionth time... it isn't about preservation, it is about the Ordinance. Non democratically assigned overbearing control mongering doesn't bode well even for those that are for preservation.

Everyone knew about those laws/regulations long before they bought the property... can't say the same for people living in the HDs.

Uhm, you said precisely that. I didn't claim you said they were the most collectable vehicle ever... I said you claimed they were one of the most collectable vehicles on the road. I guess I read too much into your post which stated that EXACT thing. Again you've shown that think you know everything about a subject and only know a small niche of second hand information. Lots of people swap in the 302/351/390... these are people who actually drive the cars and enjoy them for what they are. There are also whole kits designed for IRS conversions of the first gen thunderbirds... thats not very original now is it... yet there is demand enough to necessitate a KIT to convert them. A friend of mine owned a Tucker... now that is a collectable car. (he sold it to a museum) Maybe you should buy a Model T, so even your car looks historically appropriate for your house. Then you can tell us all about the color options you would have had when it was new.

All that you say is for collectors. A original 57 in great condition is worth around 35-45 thousand (which is not very expensive for a collector car), but a ratted out project car would be worth less than 5k. I would say a vast majority of 57 thunderbirds don't even run. I know a guy who has like 15 first gen thunderbirds and most of them dont run. (he does have one with a 427 swap that most definitely runs). Your probably thinking the 57 thunderbirds with stock paxton supercharger and etc. Those are rare and very collectable (these are the ones you see going at auctions for big bucks) but they are rare... the majority of them were just the stock 312 y-block and most people don't car about keeping them original... they just want a cool 50s cruiser. Again you take your niche knowledge about 5% of an industry and try to pass it off as the majority. 57 thunderbirds are not even close to what any collector would consider most collectable on the road... not even top 50. There were a good bunch of them made, making them available if you want one. I mean a 57 vette would go for at least 5 times as much. I would never own either.

Oh now you know all about classic cars too? You are flat out wrong regarding this. The vast majority of people who own 57 thunderbirds do not spend huge sums of money to keep them original. This is a complete fabrication. Yes there are collectors that pay big money for original 57 thunderbirds... but they are just that... collectors. They rarely drive the vehicles and collect them as more of an art piece than a viable means of transportation. They pay a lot because there aren't that many completely original 57 thunderbirds around... because THE VAST MAJORITY has changed them from original... A majority would just swap in a 302/c4 combo (or similar) and drive it like a hotrod. What would I know... I was only a car scene magazine journalist (for fords in particular actually) in my previous life... I am in the market for a mid fifty's ford custom 2 door post (or 48-56 F1) project though if you have a line on one.

If I owned a 57 thunderbird... I would modify it with modern technology to make it more powerful, energy efficient, safe, reliable, and comfortable. I'd be really angry if the Civic owners club put a rule in place that prevented me from doing these things...

what about scale with the non contributing structures? If a non contributing structure wants to remodel don't they have to satisfy the HAHC as well, are they just given a free pass for being non contributing? I'm sure that the Heights will be some of the first districts done.

Yep. I know a guy who owns one of those... it makes plenty of money, enough to where his only intrest for selling the lot is to buy another where he would have more space for more cars. A lot of the ones that are closing and selling are popping up somewhere else in a cheaper location. They use the profit off the land sell to purchase more inventory. If they rent the property there is no incentive to move, and unless they stop paying rent there isn't much incentive to sell the land as it will just keep on appreciating.

Funny how NOBODY had heard of the preservationist's true agenda until a few years ago. We all thought it was just to stop the Demolition of old homes when it first came about... oh wait, that was the main purpose of it when they got all the signatures in the beginning... nothing a little ammendment won't change though to get your true intentions in place... Nearly everyone here can and would support something to prevent teardowns (if it was in bad enough shape to warrant a teardown, there could be a process to get a demolition permit). Why in the hell should someone need a historical committee's certificate of appropriateness to change out their windows when nearly half of their neighbors homes are non contributing new structures? It just doesn't make any sense. Someone like me, who plans to do a few small - medium rennovations now... and a major rennovation/expansion in 2 years would be extremely annoyed at having to get the COA for every single project. It reminds of the walmart issue... target is okay... walmart is evil. Developers are evil, unless they are your catchy named Renovation Developer, then they are okay. The HDs are PRO-Developers if you haven't noticed.... just a different kind of developer. Guess who gets to charge a premium because they are always approved by the HAHC. Yes they are rebuilding old houses, but they are still in it to make money and the HDs help them make even more money. Dont get me wrong though, I support the Renovation Developers and their milking of the system to make big money. Taking advantage of a situation is the Real Estate way.

now we wait for s3mh to avoid all your answers and focus on you being friends with the Creole Designs guy.

This is a flat out lie. I also want to preserve the character of the neighborhood which has been eccentric and friendly, which you and your like have destroyed by imposing your will upon your non approving neighbors. No I don't like seeing old houses smashed that could be saved, but the lengths you are willing to go to to save them is destroying the fabric of the community in my opinion. I have said all along that a clearly written, set of guidelines and rules for preservation is something I could likely support, but the way this was put in place and the ability of a few to allow and deny projects based on a whim is sickening. By the way, I also preserve and restore antique furniture as a hobby. (I have also repurposed several destroyed pieces I picked up off the side of the road). I enjoy doing this and enjoy keeping things that have use from going to the dump. I am a presrvationist for many things have been for many years.

I don't trust half the people on the commision's position as they approve and deny very similar projects during the same hearings, often times appearingly based on who knows who. These last few posts from the supporters have really shown how underhanded the supporters can be. Just because you don't like the ordinance does not mean you aren't a preservationist. I guarantee many of us have done more than you ever will in the name of preservation, it is the power grab that angers most of us. (and as seen in the hearings, a warranted anger)

I would think government funding improvements in "lower-middle class" neighborhoods would fit in to your "best use" your always preaching. Besides the one current mixed use development being built in the Heights you and your cronies complain about nonstop. Oh yeah, THE WALMART IS NOT IN THE HEIGHTS! You would moan and complain like crazy if any thing close to the DC project happened in the Heights Proper, but you want it to happen in the fringe neighborhoods nearby becasue they are lower-middle class neighborhoods? Disgusting.

I walk right by them, and head over to El Rey for the Cuban Tacos.

I like D'Amico's... but every time I went there I would ask myself "why didn't I just go to Nundinis Chef's Table?" With Coltivare opening and Bellissimo I think we have plenty of Italian. I thought D'Amico's was doing okay though... I was going to go the other Friday around 8pm and they had a wait so I just went to Tacos a gogo

moo. I would have liked to see something we didn't already have around here but this sounds ok.

I bet the workers of that office will find that walmart to be rather conveinent. Also you WILL see workers crossing washington at Waugh I gaurantee, not to go to Walmart, but to go to Star Pizza. I can't even wrap my mind around the rest of your statement... as it is dizzying the mental gymnasitcs one will go through to imagine a legitimate reason why a business shouldn't have been developed. Btw, what you call an "embarassing mess of urban development" we call Houston. Unplanned vibrant culture mix.

A chef even if business owner is not the same as a typical business owner. There is a level of micromanagement that can only be achieved in certain scales as a chef... I would place that as the exception to the rule, you are trying to say it is the normal way of things. So no... we don't see higher end boutique restaurants break off into chains very often...