The Heights Information & Developments

[native_Houstonian]

Really? I haven't paid any attention to the TABC notice in the window. I'll go by and check and see if it is still there. That would be wonderful to have a Spec's there.

I wish they would do something with the old Akin's drugstore center across the street. Mrs. Akin died a few years ago, and I thought her heirs would have sold the property by now.

And, the corner that is vacant used to be an Exxon station. That area seems so primed for new retail, I wish something would happen.

Has anyone noticed the townhomes they are putting behind the Blockbuster? The sign shows they are going to list for $390K, but I don't know if they'll be able to sell for that.

Edited September 7, 2007 by native_Houstonian

[heightsfan]

Good Afternoon All,

Does anyone have more details, specifics, or knowledge about this program being implemented

along some areas of the Heights ? I think I read something about Karen Derr working with this program ??

Will the residents pay for this service ? What about areas with deed restrictions ?

Thank You

"make it a great day"

[Guest Marty]

In my neighborhood the Precinct 4 Constables are very vigilant. aka follow the school buses when they run and look for speeders/stop sign runners ect...

But this is around the Cypresswood and Treaschwig area on the north side.

Edited September 8, 2007 by Marty

[musicman]

Good Afternoon All,

Does anyone have more details, specifics, or knowledge about this program being implemented

along some areas of the Heights ? I think I read something about Karen Derr working with this program ??

Will the residents pay for this service ? What about areas with deed restrictions ?

Thank You

"make it a great day"

having deed restrictions and having a patrollled area are two different things. it is probably being considered because the news is reporting so much crime in the heights

Edited September 8, 2007 by musicman

[Guest Marty]

having deed restrictions and having a patrollled area are two different things. it is probably being considered because the news is reporting so much crime in the heights

I should consider myself lucky, I live a deed restrictive neighborhood, but they are not that strick aka a week without sweeping your driveway without the letter in the mailbox .

Edited September 8, 2007 by Marty

[musicman]

I should consider myself lucky, I live a deed restrictive neighborhood, but they are not that strick aka a week without sweeping your driveway without the letter in the mailbox .

LOL.....i know...had have a good friend in clear lake who got a summons because she had some poppies growing........my mom gave her the seeds. LOL

[Guest Marty]

LOL.....i know...had have a good friend in clear lake who got a summons because she had some poppies growing........my mom gave her the seeds. LOL

I had a sheriff pull in my driveway once thinking this was a real pot plant, I cut it down.

Vitex agnus-castus

pic credit Paul L. Redfearn, Jr.

Edited September 8, 2007 by Marty

[RedScare]

having deed restrictions and having a patrollled area are two different things. it is probably being considered because the news is reporting so much crime in the heights

You would probably be wrong. A constable patrol program has been in discussion for well over a year.

You're starting to sound like another well known crime exagerator on this forum. You live near him, don't you?

[travelguy_73]

Good Afternoon All,

Does anyone have more details, specifics, or knowledge about this program being implemented

along some areas of the Heights ? I think I read something about Karen Derr working with this program ??

Will the residents pay for this service ? What about areas with deed restrictions ?

Thank You

"make it a great day"

In my old neighborhood, we had a constable program and most everyone was very happy with it. We paid for it through our homeowner dues, and it was (is) money well spent. Response time much faster than HPD, and they had a nice vacation watch program where they would stop by your house each day and check the exterior for anything suspicious.

[musicman]

You would probably be wrong. A constable patrol program has been in discussion for well over a year.

and now the need is becoming obvious to more people. i find it interesting that a realtor is taking the lead. maybe prospective buyers have mentioned crime in the area and as a result she's trying to help the situation

Edited September 8, 2007 by musicman

[houstonray]

I hadn't seen this. I'll have to check it out. A strip center could bring something interesting (at least it's not condos or townhomes). It will be interesting to see what goes in...as long as they don't mess with Someburger!

[houstonray]

Specs?? Really? That would be nice. I hope they build one that has some of their food items as well. Might be time to email Specs and make some suggestions....

[sevfiv]

looks like Cherry Demolition is taking care of Clark's Motors...

[AJXterra]

and now the need is becoming obvious to more people. i find it interesting that a realtor is taking the lead. maybe prospective buyers have mentioned crime in the area and as a result she's trying to help the situation

If prospective buyers are concerned then we all should be too. Even if you're not concerned about the crime, you should be concerned about the impact on property values if the crime rate is 'percieved' to be increasing. It makes sense to me that a realtor is running point on this as it's a direct impact on the income they make.

[MidtownCoog]

The Boogy Man is gonna get all of you!

PRINT IT

[musicman]

If prospective buyers are concerned then we all should be too. Even if you're not concerned about the crime, you should be concerned about the impact on property values if the crime rate is 'percieved' to be increasing. It makes sense to me that a realtor is running point on this as it's a direct impact on the income they make.

they had a news report on heights crime sat night. they interviewed a younger couple who moved from montrose to the heights because they felt the area was safer, but then their home was broken into 3 weeks after they moved in. basically they are now questioning their decision to move. IMO criminals tend to flock where the perception of money is.

unfortunately for the mayor, the crime hotspots are changing and HPD hasn't reacted quickly enough for the area residents.

[MidtownCoog]

IMO criminals tend to flock where the perception of money is.

The Heights has always had crime. This is not a new occurance.

What is new is the number of DINKS who can get the word out on how "unsafe" they "feel".

That couple must be very naive.

[RedScare]

If prospective buyers are concerned then we all should be too. Even if you're not concerned about the crime, you should be concerned about the impact on property values if the crime rate is 'percieved' to be increasing. It makes sense to me that a realtor is running point on this as it's a direct impact on the income they make.

Isn't that the whole problem with "perceptions"? My limited attempts to ascertain whether crime is increasing indicated that crime is not increasing at all. In fact, in some respects, it seemed to be LESS than a couple of years ago. There is certainly some problems along Shepherd/Durham, the North Loop, and some areas of N. Main, but the interior of the Heights appears to see little more than some burglaries and auto thefts. Even these crimes seem lower in many months than previous years. Admittedly, there is not a lot of validated info to do a good comparison, but I do not see a big increase in the places I looked.Now, about perception. A store clerk kills a shoplifter, and a few days later, some robbers fron N. Main drove through Woodland Heights. This makes the news, and suddenly musicman is carping about the "obvious need". THAT is perception, along with musicman's clear exageration, an annoyance that is FAR too common on this forum. One event occurs, and suddenly a couple of posters are screaming Armageddon. The fact is, neither of these crimes even occurred in the Heights. Calling it one's opinion does not change the fact that certain people on here love to overstate things.Having said that, I am not opposed to additional patrols. Even mundane crimes like vandalism or car burglaries can be extremely annoying. And, in fact, these are the very crimes that police patrols help eliminate. Murders tend to occur regardless of police presence, but opportunity crimes tend to drop when patrol cars drive by. If Heights residents want to pony up for the patrols, I don't have a problem chipping in. But, to claim an "obvious need" without any evidence to back it up is ridiculous.Now, does anyone want to talk about the perceived crime in the East End? musicman...Vertigo...Anyone?

unfortunately for the mayor, the crime hotspots are changing and HPD hasn't reacted quickly enough for the area residents.

PERFECT example.Care to cite your source for this? Edited September 10, 2007 by RedScare

[musicman]

The Heights has always had crime. This is not a new occurance.

What is new is the number of DINKS who can get the word out on how "unsafe" they "feel".

That couple must be very naive.

i agree...crime is everywhere. many of the newbies are expecting "suburban heaven" in the inner city. but their realization is clouded. adrian garcia has been on just about every tv station saying how the city is going to provide protection to these same people.

[west20th]

unfortunately for the mayor, the crime hotspots are changing and HPD hasn't reacted quickly enough for the area residents.

Make that SOME area residents. When our house and 11 others were built back in 2004 there was a rash of crime focusing on the back alley, fresh pickings I suppose, and issues with an existing car lot blocking alley access, he thought for all those years the alley was his property. HPD took care of all that in a very timely and professional manner. Frankly I don't think we need the constables around writing tickets for expired vehicle inspection stickers and not wearing seat belts.

[Porchman]

they had a news report on heights crime sat night. they interviewed a younger couple who moved from montrose to the heights because they felt the area was safer, but then their home was broken into 3 weeks after they moved in. basically they are now questioning their decision to move. IMO criminals tend to flock where the perception of money is.

unfortunately for the mayor, the crime hotspots are changing and HPD hasn't reacted quickly enough for the area residents.

The Heights has always had crime. This is not a new occurance.

What is new is the number of DINKS who can get the word out on how "unsafe" they "feel".

That couple must be very naive.

The couple lives near N. Main one block in from the North Loop. Apparently their neighbor's AC unit was swiped, too. Lots of ped traffic allows for an easy case of houses. I'm pretty sure the guy who panhandles on the feeder with the sign "I need a beer. Why lie?"

is not an effective watchdog.

[Porchman]

Isn't that the whole problem with "perceptions"? My limited attempts to ascertain whether crime is increasing indicated that crime is not increasing at all. In fact, in some respects, it seemed to be LESS than a couple of years ago. There is certainly some problems along Shepherd/Durham, the North Loop, and some areas of N. Main, but the interior of the Heights appears to see little more than some burglaries and auto thefts. Even these crimes seem lower in many months than previous years.

I agree. I'm not seeing some explosion in crime. If I have the time (inclination!?) I'll try to spreadsheet the HPD stats and post them. As you indicate, a lot of the corridors are seeing crime and some of that moves in with ped traffic (as I mentioned with regard to the couple living near N. Main and the Loop).

Make that SOME area residents. When our house and 11 others were built back in 2004 there was a rash of crime focusing on the back alley, fresh pickings I suppose, and issues with an existing car lot blocking alley access, he thought for all those years the alley was his property.

The alley burglaries. The grafitti. Car break-ins that happen along in a condensed block area alll build the perception that there's a problem with crime. A rash of the first two last year prompted the first discussion of the constable patrol.

[AJXterra]

The couple lives near N. Main one block in from the North Loop. Apparently their neighbor's AC unit was swiped, too. Lots of ped traffic allows for an easy case of houses. I'm pretty sure the guy who panhandles on the feeder with the sign "I need a beer. Why lie?"

is not an effective watchdog.

According to my friends who live in Sunset Heights (where the couple lives) crime up there has always been a significant problem. They say they know where the people come from and it's on the other side of the loop.

[TJones]

I absolutely love my neighborhood's constable patrol program, it is precinct 5. Response times would seem to be VERY adequate, though I luckily haven't needed them yet. There must be 20 or so constables in my area, rarely do I see a Houston cop or a Harris County Sherriff. I see one or two Constable patrol cars show up when an ambulance or firetruck is called also. They are a constant presence in Bear Creek. There is still crimes being perpetrated in the N'hood , although , I could imagine what it MIGHT be like if we didn't have them around. I believe ANY N'hood would and could benefit from programs like this.

Edited September 10, 2007 by TJones

[Porchman]

Details of the proposed patrol program...

PROVIDE: 8 hours of patrol, 5 days a week (proposed 10pm to 6am)

Can be expanded in the future as more participants sign up.

FOR THOSE WHO PAY ONLY: Provide Vacation Property Checks and a Direct

Number.

COST $255 per year per participating property.

START: Takes about 45 days to implement after we get our target

number of participants signed up and money collected.

TARGET TO START: 250 participants per 1200 properties

The Houston Heights will be divided into 4 quadrants with businesses

and residents included. Woodland Heights will be 2 more. Sunset

Heights west of Main is another.

Your quadrant can start as soon as we hit the goal for your quadrant.

ALL MONEY: will be collected by a third party management company who

does this for other neighborhoods around town.

SIGN UP: just by e-mailing me (Karen@KarenDerr.com) your name, phone

number and address for now. You will be billed later, when we have

your exact start date and the third party management company has all

the info.

[musicman]

Isn't that the whole problem with "perceptions"? My limited attempts to ascertain whether crime is increasing indicated that crime is not increasing at all. In fact, in some respects, it seemed to be LESS than a couple of years ago. There is certainly some problems along Shepherd/Durham, the North Loop, and some areas of N. Main, but the interior of the Heights appears to see little more than some burglaries and auto thefts. Even these crimes seem lower in many months than previous years. Admittedly, there is not a lot of validated info to do a good comparison, but I do not see a big increase in the places I looked.Now, about perception. A store clerk kills a shoplifter, and a few days later, some robbers fron N. Main drove through Woodland Heights. This makes the news, and suddenly musicman is carping about the "obvious need". THAT is perception, along with musicman's clear exageration, an annoyance that is FAR too common on this forum. One event occurs, and suddenly a couple of posters are screaming Armageddon. The fact is, neither of these crimes even occurred in the Heights. Calling it one's opinion does not change the fact that certain people on here love to overstate things.Having said that, I am not opposed to additional patrols. Even mundane crimes like vandalism or car burglaries can be extremely annoying. And, in fact, these are the very crimes that police patrols help eliminate. Murders tend to occur regardless of police presence, but opportunity crimes tend to drop when patrol cars drive by. If Heights residents want to pony up for the patrols, I don't have a problem chipping in. But, to claim an "obvious need" without any evidence to back it up is ridiculous.Now, does anyone want to talk about the perceived crime in the East End? musicman...Vertigo...Anyone?PERFECT example.Care to cite your source for this?

talk to your local captain....my dad volunteers weekly at the police substation. i know the captain there has said manpower is at a premium currently and taking them from one area to work a hot spot hasn't been good for them. it has been more difficult to respond to more petty crimes which plague the inner city. these are the crimes that affect the most people. most officers will say that the mayor hates news reports on crime because that is what the voter sees the most. criminals have become more brazen which doesn't help the situation. in july there were 5 robberies between 2300-2800 block of yale for instance. i know that buffalo freds and boom boom were hit earlier this yr too. as for perceived crime in the east end....there's real crime there too, no doubt about it. i reported a vandalized/damaged bus stop just last week. a drug dealer was murdered at a nearby park last yr, etc. i think last month they mentioned a spike in robberies at those gaming places.it comes down to lack of manpower IMO and the lack of adquate coverage. with the population of houston increasing, it is only contributing to the problem. greater heights summary of crime. of course, beat sizes etc will make it pretty much impossible to compare but it does provide a good summary over time.looking at the july 2007 houston data, HPD received over 10000 calls.

Apparently their neighbor's AC unit was swiped, too.

this is the kind of petty crime i'm talking about. pisses you off cause the money they got for the unit won't near cover the replacement cost out of your pocket.

[RedScare]

talk to your local captain....my dad volunteers weekly at the police substation. i know the captain there has said manpower is at a premium currently and taking them from one area to work a hot spot hasn't been good for them. it has been more difficult to respond to more petty crimes which plague the inner city. these are the crimes that affect the most people.

No statements or statistics that Heights crime has increased....either substantially, or at all.

most officers will say that the mayor hates news reports on crime because that is what the voter sees the most. criminals have become more brazen which doesn't help the situation. in july there were 5 robberies between 2300-2800 block of yale for instance. i know that buffalo freds and boom boom were hit earlier this yr too.

At least you actually stated a number. How many robberies occurred on this street last year?

as for perceived crime in the east end....there's real crime there too, no doubt about it. i reported a vandalized/damaged bus stop just last week. a drug dealer was murdered at a nearby park last yr, etc. i think last month they mentioned a spike in robberies at those gaming places.it comes down to lack of manpower IMO and the lack of adquate coverage. with the population of houston increasing, it is only contributing to the problem. greater heights summary of crime. of course, beat sizes etc will make it pretty much impossible to compare but it does provide a good summary over time.looking at the july 2007 houston data, HPD received over 10000 calls.

More anecdotal evidence, plus a graph of LAST year's statistics....no comparison with this year. So HPD logged 10,000 calls. What is a normal month? 1,000? 100,000? Using those 2 numbers, calls are either up 10 times a normal month, or they dropped 90%. I do know that overall crime in Houston was down 2% last year. What I do not know is whether the Heights is up, down or the same as previous years. I also know that you did not provide anything that will give me my answer. The only thing I DO KNOW is that LAST year there were 5 murders in an area generically called "Greater Heights", and this year there have been 3....2 if you do not count store clerks shooting shoplifters as a murder. So, does that mean crime is down 60%?

Here's the point, to musicman, Vertigo, and every other poster who uses Channel 2 News as their crime statistics. One crime televised by a breathless bimbo on a crappy news show fighting for ratings does not a crime spree make. Neither does having a friend who heard about a burglary a couple of blocks over. Crime is a fact of life in inner cities, suburbs, and across the country. It is a fact of life in the Heights, as well. But, make outrageous claims that you have no evidence to support is as ludicrous as me claiming that no crime exists, just because my house has never been burglarized.

If you guys want to smack talk your own neighborhood, have at it. But, if you are going to smack talk mine, at least base it on something a little more reliable than Channel 2 News or a lame anecdote.

Note to Heights residents: If you have something a little more solid than the schoolgirl gossip displayed above, please PM me.

[MidtownCoog]

I think the problem is that people are getting generous with their geographic definition of "The Heights".

You see it all the time in the real estate ads: "Heights Area" locale even if it's a bit of a stretch.

[TJones]

The Heights is full of Thieves, Thugs, Katrina evacuees and Mexican illegals. Every store and house has burgalar bars on them. Every other house is a known CRACKDEN, and RedScare's second job is actually being a PIMP, or he is being "Pimped out", I can't remember. He explained it to me awhile back just how bad everything IS in that area. It's mass hysteria, they got space aliens runnin all over the place, transvestites wearing clogs and too much mascara, cats and dogs........living together. It's just utter Chaos over there.

Here is an example of the Heights these days:

Edited September 10, 2007 by TJones

[musicman]

I think the problem is that people are getting generous with their geographic definition of "The Heights".

You see it all the time in the real estate ads: "Heights Area" locale even if it's a bit of a stretch.

it is a problem over many areas of inner houston. as for "screaming Armageddon"...i know i didn't say that.