Going Down - Destruction Of Trees

[PureAuteur]

Today is 10/10/06, and I spotted clear cutting of forest at 1960 and Falling Creek, which is near the Greenwood Forest area.

I also spotted a massive clear cutting of forest across from Cypress Creek High School courtesy of NewQuest properties.

This thread is intended to be a venting thread for frustration related to Houston area developers clear cutting every tree on a property they intend to develop. Feel free to rant on Perry Homes soaking up every last cent of the housing boom or NewQuest soaking up every last cent of available land space in the Greater Northwest, adding fuel to the suburban traffic nightmare of the 21st century.

Please post any findings with photos. I should have mine soon.

[mrfootball]

Again, for the record...I'm not against development. I'm against what I consider stupid, haphazard development. I'm for careful development that utilizes the natural character of the area and creates long-term value for its residents.

Clear cutting of forest on Spring Cypress about a half mile south of 249, new neighborhood going in.

Also, Land clearing on Telge near the intersection of Huffmeister next to Coles Crossing. They had some nice trees on that property. Very pastoral. A shame to see them cut them all down. I would imagine the residents of Coles Crossing who back up to it are none to pleased.

Prime woods at the intersection of Jarvis and Barker Cypress on the outskirts of Coles Crossing, completely wiped out. There were some majestic looking Cypress, sycamores and oaks on this property which abuts Cypress Creek. No idea what they're putting in there.

[Guest Marty]

At Aldine Westfield @ Treaschwig they bulldozed all the trees to almost the Mercer Arboretum property line at Cypress Creek. There building a new neighborhood. 100-200 Range.

[PureAuteur]

This is all getting really disgusting. All the psycho development is getting out of control, and there is nothing in the way to stop it. Pretty soon, greater Houston is going to look like pure junk.

MrFootball, you said that you are in favor of development as long as it is done properly and is considerate to the natural surroundings. I'd be in favor of this too, but the problem is, this sort of thing doesn't exist anymore. Not a single developer actually cares about the city of Houston at all. They probably don't even live around here. Since we know the development from here on out is going to be one patch of disgrace after another, we might as well be against development altogether. I think Houston looked fine in 1999 or 2000. It could have stayed that size and I'd be happy right now.

[fresnel151]

At Aldine Westfield @ Treaschwig they bulldozed all the trees to almost the Mercer Arboretum property line at Cypress Creek. There building a new neighborhood. 100-200 Range.

They did a number on that area. You can see Dan's Hardware from a mile away now.

[KinkaidAlum]

AND, don't look for things to change any time soon, especially if Perry gets reelected. His biggest donor is Bob Perry of Perry Homes and the majority of his $9 million campaign treasure chest came from developers/builders and folks opposed to gambling (like Indian tribes from Oklahoma).

Of course, Niche will come along and tell us that there is no correlation between Perry Homes' political donations and our current climate of development free from regulations!

[MidtownCoog]

Perry killed many a live oak in Midtown.

[feufoma]

Pretty soon, greater Houston is going to look like pure junk.

I hate to say it, but it already does. Houston is a very ugly city. However, its cultural offerings, eclecticism, and relatively low cost of living are a nice plus. Moreover, the rest of the world is but a simple plane flight away. In fact, three weeks of vacation and frequent international trips are the only things that keep me sane. I can take about 3 weeks of Houston tops and then I absolutely have to travel to someplace that has it "more together."

The deforestration of Houston is simply repugnant. Take a trip to Seattle or Atlanta for example and you'll see that some developers actually care about their product and how it impacts the city. Not in Houston, though. And compared to Europe, forget about it!

[TheNiche]

Of course, Niche will come along and tell us that there is no correlation between Perry Homes' political donations and our current climate of development free from regulations!

Oh, bull. Of course there's a correlation. Freedom is costly...but the lack thereof is much more so.

[mrfootball]

Niche consulting his trusty book of Patriotic Cliches.

[TheNiche]

Niche consulting his trusty book of Patriotic Cliches

Does that make it any less true?

[KinkaidAlum]

I am not sure what Perry Homes' buying elections has to do with freedom. That's a huge stretch, even for you!

[Guest Marty]

Tell me if this would make you mad. When we moved from Brea Crest street @ Halls Bayou in 1994 the people who bought the house cut down two 18 inch diameter Sweetgums and two smaller trees about 8 inches in diameter one my dad planted when i was born in 1975 the other tree we both planted 4 months before hurricane Alicia.

[TheNiche]

I am not sure what Perry Homes' buying elections has to do with freedom.

Yeah, in a two-party system, you're right that there are a lot of ambiguities that can cloud the issue...it'd be helpful if either party was perfectly consistent in its application of political philosophy. But that's just not going to happen and we both know that. Very depressing.

Still, with respect to the single issue, at least, I think that my statement was pretty straightforward.

[nmainguy]

10 Reasons to Keep the Trees

[PureAuteur]

Not to mention trees are good for the mind and soul. That's why God made them.

I think the destruction of trees is a very serious issue that many people simply aren't paying attention to. It's not just a few tree lovers being whiny. By wiping out acres of forest in NW Houston, they are destroying the natural geography of the north Houston area. The appeal of North Houston is that it's naturally forested. The mistake was failing to incorporate these areas like Cypress and Spring around 2001 before the psycho development got out of hand.

I just drove all through Cypress today, and I still think it looks better than Spring, but the NewQuest and Perry Development signs were already in place today, all of them directly in front of some beautiful tree filled land with pines, oaks, sycamores, and mesquite trees, all very tall and old.

After I saw what they've done to Louetta and the Spring area, I'm thinking Cypress is next. As of today, what I saw in Cypress (around Telge, Spring Cypress, Grant, Louetta) looked aesethetically pleasing. There are a few commercial developments, but not many. It looks fine the way it is now, but I'm afraid of the psycho development coming in and ruining the look of the area.

I'd be willing to organize a group to help "Stop the War on Trees", and send a unified message that we don't like the way the developers are wiping out all the trees when they build. They even put all the cut down trees into a giant pile for everyone to see. It's like rubbing it in our faces. I know there are plenty of people in Longwood area who are upset, and I'm willing to be their voice.

[nmainguy]

It's not just a few tree lovers being whiny.

On the contrary, it seems to me the whiners are the tree-cutters that are being challanged to keep more trees.

[TheNiche]

I'd be willing to organize a group to help "Stop the War on Trees", and send a unified message that we don't like the way the developers are wiping out all the trees when they build. They even put all the cut down trees into a giant pile for everyone to see. It's like rubbing it in our faces. I know there are plenty of people in Longwood area who are upset, and I'm willing to be their voice.

Yeah, good luck with that.

[mrfootball]

I think its a good idea. Mr. Niche, believes that all things in the psuedo 'free market', so he should also be aware of a term called "Backlash". Many forms of backlash. Consumer backlash. Political Backlash...etc.

This is a "free" democracy as Niche would surely agree. So, it's not out of the question that an organized effort to fight this "junking" of our community, demanding more emphasis on Quality of Life issues would be effective. It simply takes an organized effort to educate the people as to why things are the way they are...and illustrate a vision as to how these things can be changed. Regulations can be changed easily if there's enough public outcry. Laws can be changed as well.

Right now, most of our laws are written by corporations and lobbyists and Common Sense is usually tossed aside giving those who wrote the law certain advantages (usually at the expense of Joe Citizen). My wife is an attorney who used to work for the Texas Legislative Council drafting bills, etc. It amazes me how much control we've ceded over to special interests. As a citizen, this makes me sick. If anyone wished to start a grassroots effort to try and change things here in NW Houston, consider me on board. In fact, I will help in the marketing effort, donating a website and forum towards this end. There are a lot of fragmented groups in NW Houston who share our concerns...there only need be a unifying umbrella group to pull them all together.

[TheNiche]

I think its a good idea. Mr. Niche, believes that all things in the psuedo 'free market', so he should also be aware of a term called "Backlash". Many forms of backlash. Consumer backlash. Political Backlash...etc.

This is a "free" democracy as Niche would surely agree. So, it's not out of the question that an organized effort to fight this "junking" of our community, demanding more emphasis on Quality of Life issues would be effective. It simply takes an organized effort to educate the people as to why things are the way they are...and illustrate a vision as to how these things can be changed. Regulations can be changed easily if there's enough public outcry. Laws can be changed as well.

Right now, most of our laws are written by corporations and lobbyists and Common Sense is usually tossed aside giving those who wrote the law certain advantages (usually at the expense of Joe Citizen). My wife is an attorney who used to work for the Texas Legislative Council drafting bills, etc. It amazes me how much control we've ceded over to special interests. As a citizen, this makes me sick. If anyone wished to start a grassroots effort to try and change things here in NW Houston, consider me on board. In fact, I will help in the marketing effort, donating a website and forum towards this end. There are a lot of fragmented groups in NW Houston who share our concerns...there only need be a unifying umbrella group to pull them all together.

Ask your wife whether it might be feasible to form a large special district through the Texas legislature for the purposes of creating and maintaining parks, preserves, and green spaces in your area by levying a tax on commercial/residential property owners. The tricky part would be getting them to consent to that kind of a thing by way of a petition. But if you could get one formed, then you could probably borrow money by issuing muni bonds backed up by your expected tax revenues so as to be able to respond to the problem more quickly, while there are still plenty of forested lands to buy.

If you could pull that off, then more power to you. As I said before, I'm very much in favor of neighborhood-based policies.

[Guest Marty]

Lets not forget what they did at Bush Intercontinental Airport that place got whacked big time.

[oldtimer]

Today I saw a dead mink on the 249 feeder near the creek. I first thought it was a cat, but as I looked closer I could see it definately was a mink. java script:emoticon('', 'smid_16')

I drove on down Cypresswood and noticed the "Bird Sanctuary" sign at the back entrance to Champion Forest and I thought of the mink on 249 dead and the destruction of the deer, coyote's , and mink's habitat. No, I am not whinning. I am crying.

[rps324]

To me the ironic thing about the tree destruction in the 1960/Klein area is the wooded terrain was one of the big draws in development of the area in the first place. Back in the 70's development followed the tree lines. The nicer neighborhoods were built in the wooded places, and open fields were left for entry-level tract homes. Non-wooded places were developed with stuff like Northcliffe or Cypressdale, smaller less expensive homes, but where the woods started, the developments almost immediately changed to more expensive homes.

If you look at the 70's era subdivisions, Northampton, Greenwood, Huntwick, Ponderosa, etc., they seemed to do a better job of saving more trees than newer developments. Waterford Park, for example, between Olde Oaks & Northgate Forest is a perfect example of the newer developments. That tract was heavily, heavily wooded, and most of those homes do not have the first tree left on their lots. It is just stupid to me.

One of the worst tree destructions happened on the south side of 1960 right at Walters Rd. There was a farm house there at one time, and there were several oaks on the site with huge, huge trunks you couldn't get your arms half-way around. Really old. They bulldozed them for a shell station.

There are so many examples of acres of pines being flattened it is insane. There is a big southern colonial facing Stuebner-Airline that sits out in the open now. It used to be tucked back in the woods & you could barely see it from Stuebner. It had a narrow straight driveway that cut through the trees that allowed a glimpse of the house. All the land across in front of Wimbledon was absolutely beautiful & wooded, before the apartments were built.

[mrfootball]

I remember those big huge thick oak trees that sat in front of Olde Oaks. I think that may have been part of the inspiration behind the naming of that neighborhood...I think there's a Wal-Mart there, now...or Public Storage.

[rps324]

I remember those big huge thick oak trees that sat in front of Olde Oaks. I think that may have been part of the inspiration behind the naming of that neighborhood...I think there's a Wal-Mart there, now...or Public Storage.

This was on the other side of 1960, a couple of the smaller ones remained around the Salvation Army, but the nicer ones were closer to Walters.

[Gary]

They've just torn up the small forest at Tanner and Beltway 8. I didn't even recognize where I was as I was u-turning South on to Sam Houston Parkway.

[cfresident]

It's all about building codes. If there were building codes they would enforce the number of trees per project and would force developers to use unified materials in a given area. Not a stone building next to a brick bulding next to a stucco building next to an aluminum building.

One thing that drives me insane is the little tract of land that developers are now leaving in front of subdivisions for retail use. Instead of utilizing the land all the way to the street, they leave that little strip. It looks horrible. And I'm amazed at the people who think nothing of that. If I were a home owner I'd much rather back to a street than to a retail center. Actaully, I'd much rather back to nicely landscaped greenbelt area that runs up to the street. In every other city I've lived in, that has been one of the building codes.

[mrfootball]

Agreed. You'd think the developers would be have enough respect for the residents that they'd buffer these areas that back to shopping centers/commercial with a thick tree barrier. Or not include them at all. I understand its a money grab, but to me, its tacky and its disrespectful to the residents. Longwood luckily avoided that mistake and I think it makes for a better neighborhood.

[Guest Marty]

Birnam Wood the subdivision i live in saved all the trees when it was built in 1970. There's a lot of old Post Oaks (white oak family) here some over 125 years of age.

[TheNiche]

It's all about building codes. If there were building codes they would enforce the number of trees per project and would force developers to use unified materials in a given area. Not a stone building next to a brick bulding next to a stucco building next to an aluminum building.

One thing that drives me insane is the little tract of land that developers are now leaving in front of subdivisions for retail use. Instead of utilizing the land all the way to the street, they leave that little strip. It looks horrible. And I'm amazed at the people who think nothing of that. If I were a home owner I'd much rather back to a street than to a retail center. Actaully, I'd much rather back to nicely landscaped greenbelt area that runs up to the street. In every other city I've lived in, that has been one of the building codes.

You're correct that homes that back up to commercial reserves or shopping centers tend to be in far less demand than those that back up to a thoroughfare, and as such, command lower prices. But the land with frontage on the thoroughfare has a significantly higher and better use in the market, which is as land for retail/office space. That is why it is sold off as a commercial reserve rather than developed into single family lots. In nicer neighborhoods, where buyers can afford it, the commercial reserves are often eliminated. But again, the costs of the higher-quality layout are getting passed on to the consumers.

So it is really up to the individual homebuyer in a subdivision to make that choice for themselves. If they don't like something about a subdivision, there are plenty of others out there with different layouts...a very competitive market.