fwki

Let's examine the antithesis of civil discourse also.

Then they promptly went back to playing checkers with Floyd.

In Regulatory Land those storefronts are actually historical police stations with Andy and Barney chewing the fat waiting for Gomer to show up with a report that Wally's filling station had been burgularized, which is a much better method than distracting Sarah who should be on call for more important work like busting Otis' supplier. Of course the real reason Gomer goes to the station instead calling it in is that he hopes to be deputized by Barney to assist in rooting out COA violators since his "Citizen's Arrest" authority is lame at best.

Did you see the Woodland Heights newsletter? They are crying because the city doesn't have the cash to give them their non-conforming street signs....hypocrites should be happy to not have those aluminum eyesores betraying our true, one-and-only February 2, 1922 biblical creation. But cash talks, BS walks. IMO, the end of the historical districts will come from the collapse of municipal funding; it's happening across the country. Houston is insolvent once municipal pensions are considered. Even our liberal democrat mayor is going after pensions with a vengeance. Mandatory staff cuts are ubiquitous even in the police department. For the last fiscal year, "life and safety" services such as police, fire, municipal courts and solid waste took department cuts of 5 percent. Most departments — including the mayor and council offices - cut spending by more than 27 percent. We cannot even fund the operations of a new skate park planned up north resulting in a halted project. She has closed the pools, forced the Little League to take over maintenance of our Stude Park baseball fields and unless you kill somebody with WNV, forget about mosquito spraying. This fiscal year starting July 1 thankfully will not require further cuts, but forget about restoring what's been lost. Meanwhile we have a Confederacy of Dunces setting the city up for a legal onslaught it cannot afford. Want to patch a hole with Hardy, file a suit. New insulated windows, file a suit. Prop a sagging roofline with columns, file a suit. Sell your property unencumbered by city zoning, file suit. Standardize it, find some interested attorneys willing to do some pro bono or subsidized work, and don't even bother paying a contractor to face the High Priestess, let the market rule.

Do you know how the city defines a bar versus a to-go package establishment? If it uses the TABC license designation, then to get city permits Premium Draught will need five to ten new parking spaces.

LINK: How to Celebrate Arbor Day On the last Friday in April, go to Walmart and get you some trees, start digging.

In either case I'll be walking up, but it makes sense that they would have a "dine-in" option to sample the brews before toting off a half-gallon. Local beer names are easier to remember than foreign, but I am still suffering from long-term loss of short-term memory. I had a Karbach "Sympathy for the Lager" at Zelko on Friday and only remember that one because I saved the can for the lyrics. But I had to sneak the empty can out of there because their license doesn't have the correct prefix! Prohibition still has its fangs in Texas.

Texan2, did you know that the Norhill Addition to the City of Houston has deed restrictions because it was developed by Varner Realty, the same developer of River Oaks? And that these deed restrictions are sufficient to prevent the issues you cite? So why didn't these people work for a much less radical solution for the current districts than this political, inept, costly and ineffective (at preventing your reasonable worries) HAHC? Because to these people it is not about protecting landowners from those things, it is about power and self-righteousness to them and more importantly to their handlers. These pro-ordinance fools empowered the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance (located in River Oaks) to make this neighborhood its delicate flower (expletive redacted). And the head Priestess of the HAHC is not coincidentally on the Board of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. Do you think this HAHC control would fly in River Oaks? And if you still think it’s about protecting landowners, then go read the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance funded study of the districts carried out by the U of H Hobby Center for Public Policy: http://www.uh.edu/hcpp/GHPAhistoricdistricts.pdf The study (total unprofessional slide show crap, doesn’t cite sources or data) reveals the true agenda of the Alliance, HAHC and their neighborhood dupes in one of its concocted conclusions on slide 19: “When considering the value of houses, Norhill South appears to be the best candidate from the control group for future historic district designation.” So-called “Norhill South” is actually the original Norhill Addition to the City of Houston, deed restrictions and all. This part of Norhill is booming without the HAHC and faces none of the dangers you cite because of deed restrictions. Then why have they turned their sights southerly? Power and self-righteousness. They don’t give a flip about protecting me. Only fools believe otherwise.

Yankee, you got me thinking, so I looked up their TABC permit (number BG801235). That BG designates the following license: WINE AND BEER RETAILER'S PERMIT (BG) Permit authorizes the holder to sell for consumption on or off the premises where sold but not for resale, beer, ale, malt liquor and wine not more than 14% or 17% (depending on type of local option election). Requires adequate seating area for customers. (emphasis mine) So I don't know about this to-go only thing. Did you read that somewhere? This could be another beer joint, not that there's anything wrong with that. Except for the PARKING! Here's a TABC list of license types: http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/licensing/license_and_permit_description.asp

I don't understand your math. The spaces are available for kwik-e (Woods) mart. I guess someone looking for a pack of smokes better head down to the Conoco because it was tough already trying not to door-ding a mini Cooper having a latte to-go.

Classic troll intro intended to incite, not even clever anymore, and the rest of the post....what was that?. I agree this poster has lost the plot completely or accidentally logged on to HAIF instead of World Of Warcraft. How in the world was that paranoid rant ever going to help a potential new neighbor? At least the investigators now have a sufficient repository of posts to tie-in the next Ted Kaczynski manifesto. Don't worry Geaux, at least in Texas the cows haven't gone mad.

Hello geaux. I would like to join in and welcome yall to Houston and HAIF. We moved from Louisiana to Norhill 20 years ago and fell in love with the people and the city. The neighborhood has many new homes now, but the people are still very friendly compared to your basic gated community. I highly recommend a front porch no matter build or buy. One of the important things to consider on the whole HAHC thing is the type of home owner you are. That is, do you hire contractors for home improvement projects or do you enjoy or doing the work yourself and maybe some skilled journeymen? I was watching the HAHC videos online, and this one do-it-yourselfer was getting torched by those people. The guy was just trying to do what he could afford, fixing up a rundown house and going before the HAHC himself, and it was pitiful what they did to him, such as making him rip out some new porch columns because they "thought" it wasn't on the original and trying to make him prove the prior existence....that was it for me and the HAHC. To help you make a decision on new builds in and out of the districts, make a list of recent major construction homes in both areas and take a driving tour. You will notice a difference. Norhill south of 11th and north of White Oak between Michaux and Studewood is unencumbered and has seen much activity over the last three years, 6 1/2, 7th, 7 1/2 is a good sampling. Then go look at the new stuff in Heights HD, they are easy to pick out. If you dont mind the HAHC "look", then you may be ok in the district. But outside the district you can build what you want within the deed restrictions, which are fairly benign. I know you will love the neighborhood. Despite and because of all the opinionating on this board, you'll likely love this forum as well. Only once did I read out-of-bounds threats made here wrt the districts, and that was from a notorious troll anyway.

I'm telling ya it's the portals, we have to find the portals and it will all make sense....slip through into Regulatoryland where it is fun to plead in front of the Gods of Siding & Window Panes, and it's ok that only the Chosen Ones who sponsor the gods have the skills and illegals to turn our shacks into humpbacks filled with Chinese sheetrock whilst proclaiming them svelte beauties of architectural wonder. In that reality the original Norhill Addition south of the Forbidden Zone and west of the Woodland Reichstag is an example of unspeakable, vile acts against our insect and microbiological brothers cohabitating peacefully in our communal bungalows. And Norhill's secretly encoded movements of doors and windows foretell unregulated horrors occurring inside their Craftsman chambers of architectural "alternative" lifestyles. And the Gods covet the lands in the South, and want to have them as their own playground expansion and put an end to these horrors, thereby increasing the kickbacks from the Chosen Ones and redtags for the Underground. Only then will the Gods rest and say it is good.

Grand Opening party recap: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2012/07/vinal_edge_comes_back_to_the_h.php

I agree, but as you have corrected me in the past, it is not about architecture, history or reality for the hardcore, so why would they read your posts? Now I have got to get back to searching for the alternate reality portals to prepare for the HAHC, I thought I spied one in the alley next to Antidote but it was just one of the old washing machines. I'm thinking Tom's Ice House may have had one, so it's off to Berryhill for now.

We must find the portals to alternate realities. Obviously some of our members spend time there and must know the locations.

This is great one from June 28th. I like the additional comments also. http://swamplot.com/comment-of-the-day-choosing-which-history-to-preserve/2012-06-28/#comments

If he doesn't recuse himself, Ken Shortreed could cite it as an example of legislating from the bench, which is a hot campaign issue. From Shortreed's bio: "His political philosophy is straight forward. Judges should not legislate from the bench. They are to interpret and enforce the law not make it up!"

Thanks for the link to Ken Shortreed. I just Paypal'd a donation and I want a yard sign.

After consulting the Urban Dictionary and my few female friends, I have to agree. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jorts

Yeah, it kinda freaks me out on Sundays when they flock together like giant Mexican parrots on some SyFi B movie....thought I was having a flashback last week. I just bought a bike though, but I don't have anything to wear besides jean shorts and a T, hopefully they won't swarm me and peck my eyes out like I'm from the wrong bird gang or something.

These neighborhood businesses were a vital part of the life support system that kept the Heights from denigrating further during the post-war period. The owners and workers generally were from the hood and had double-vested interest in limiting crime and blight. The tile business next to me was a great neighbor with friends in the HPD that would call on us at a moment's notice. They sponsored Heights Norhill Little League (HNLL is pushing 60 years, one of the oldest in Texas), the kids went to the local schools and followed their parents' lead and stayed in the neighborhood with the business. Forget about white flight to the burbs. Fernandez (think BB's Cafe) kept my car running and I knew I made it home safe once I eyeballed all the hubcaps along his Studewood fence. Third generation neighborhood carpenters along with my tile friends rebuilt my crappy bungalow piece by piece over 20 years, replacing depression era patch work that comprises much of the "historical" districts. I have many friends who worked or owned such businesses, and when I read clueless, myopic posts about what "contributes" to this neighborhood I feel really sorry for the authors and their empty, ersatz lives.

Well, we have the restaurant thing, and, um, the crime thing, um, the Walmart…no no, that’s settled, I guess we could do curbs vs. ditches and rocks. Hmmm, I guess it’s just an architectural forum trying to reclaim its roots. That and it is just too much fun flaming the ordinance as a fool’s errand trying to preserve pine sticks in a swamp. And for many people, this topic is about real money, property rights and limited government….welcome to Texas. And don't be afraid to start a thread and defend it against hijack. But if you start a thread about building in the historic district, it ain't a hijack.

I stand corrected. Perthaps "fan of oneself" is more appropriate.

You have mistaken sarcasm for irony, not surprising. And your microcosm prevents you from understanding that jobs are more important than architecture to many people, even some of your neighbors.