- Houston Developer Frank Liu Buys Finger Furniture Parcel off Gulf Freeway, for ‘Retail or Residential’Â [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
- Newland Communities Selling 90 Acres of Commercial Property on Former Sugar Land Prison Site at US-59 and University Blvd. [Houston Business Journal]
- Torchy’s Tacos Opening in Katy This Summer — in La Centerra at Cinco Ranch Shopping Center [Houston Business Journal]
- Sneak Peek Inside Lei Low, the Sunset Heights Tiki Bar Opening This Friday [Eater Houston]
- TOMS Owner Wants To Know the Ideal Location for a Houston Store [Culturemap]
- Fifth Ward ‘Poised for a Resurgence’Â [abc13]
- Lazybrook, Timbergrove Residents Say They’ve Had Water Pressure Problems Since Construction on Ella Blvd. Water Line Last Summer [The Leader]
- Video: Inside a $19M Woodlands Mansion That Has 12 Bedrooms, 18 Bathrooms, 12 Fireplaces, 9 Kitchens and 42 Chandeliers [abc13]
- Click 4 Times To See a List of 20 Houston Streets that Change Names [Hair Balls]
- Delayed Vote on Proposed Freight Corridor That Cuts Across the Katy Prairie Will Take Place This Friday [The Highwayman]
Photo of the Fred Hartman Bridge: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
“The East End is coming back big time,†Patronella said. “All the development from downtown is moving in that direction.â€
The Chron says the ex-Fingers on I45@Cullen is historic; they meant historically ugly, of course. And I don’t see that corner as very residential-friendly. Once you pass under I45 going NNE on Cullen things get very industrial. Finally, entering I45 going N anywhere in that area is a freaking nightmare, at any time of day.
@Gisgo
If you head NNE there is Eastwood and other really nice residential areas over there. Come check it out sometime while the property is still cheap. A redeveloped bungalow style home is 350k+ now in Eastwood. Overpriced in my opinion but its walking distance from the light rail and it has the organization structure of an area that could be very beutiful. Just head east on Dallas from Cullen to see.
Speaking of water pressure…
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If you live east of N. Main but below 610 and still west of 45, has your water pressure been like… shite for the past month? A few weeks back, someone from the City said that they’d be working on some lines, but since then, there hasn’t been much improvement. My water pressure gets so low sporadically that my hot water heater will not turn on. When pressure is down, I give up. I walk away and check to see if water is back up. If so, I know I can get some hot water. I called the City to put in a request because this has gotten SO ridiculous. I also do not have a leak (water meter is not continuously running for 24 hours either). Plumbing in my home has also been updated to copper.
And there you have it folks, that was the exact moment when Torchy’s Tacos jumped the shark.
RE: The Frank Liu deal, it’s a good townhome site although I don’t much like it for retail. The market isn’t there yet and the elevated deck of the freeway obscures the site’s visibility.
Not sure how that old fingers location can end up being anything other than residential, or retail that is oriented at local residential customers. at least it’s easy to get on/off the freeway from here, once you know how to do it with the downtown exit and spur 5 adding confusion.
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I have a friend moving from midtown to the north side of 5th ward. I’m not sure I’d be ready to make that move, but from my experience living in the east end, I waffle, thinking it’s probably more about looks and rumor than reality. Then again, it’s called the bloody nickel for a reason. The east end was never called the deadly double E, or anything like that.
Yeah, that Fingers corner is really ugly–and all the homeless and the railroad track–it is right across (under a hideous freeway underpass) from UH’s cool Star Trek gates—but still really ugly noisy!! area–but yeah, way better than the Bloody Nickel;)–at least they have cool Eastwood to the North, but Fingers fills very removed from Eastwood–it will be interesting to see what they build there–maybe a huge!!! Churches chicken and a Fiesta–who knows
An overpass is being built on Cullen over the railroad tracks so that the trains can be driverless and not blow their horns anymore: http://www.gcfrd.org/docs/West%20Belt%20Study.pdf
@Spencer Howard:
Any word on starting date for the Cullen grade separation? The study you referenced is about two years old.
That corner is no uglier than Taylor and I-10 was, in fact, prior to that area being redone ala “Katy inside the loop,” it made the Fingers corner look like the garden spot of Houston. With all the new townhomes going in just to the west of it, the University directly across the street, and the Eastwood area just behind it, this tract has a lot of potential. Of course that can be said for a lot of places in Houston, I’m just hoping this is one that gets something better than a strip center and a self storage.
A restaurant that is crowed due to overhype in a location that every restaurant is overcrowded regardless of hype? That place is going to be crazy. Re: water. They did road construction near my place. Nearly 3 months of water being cut and flushing the system with sediment. Had to clean my washer water intake, replace every aerator, replace 2 toilet fill valves and 1 toilet shut off valve. I know I am sure I need to flush my water heater next, but haven’t got around to it. You wouldn’t believe the size of the sediment I was pulling out of there.
@Gisgo, the building itself is not so historic, but the site is. As the Chron article alludes, it was the site of Buff Stadium, home of the Houston Buffaloes/Buffs baseball team from 1928 to 1961, when the Colt .45s came to town. Also home to UH baseball for a few years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Stadium