Give the lawsuit filed by 7 residents of the costumed Gotham and Renoir Lofts buildings along the Shepherd Curve just south of West Dallas St. some credit. News of the legal action has spurred the defendant to do something it previously hadn’t: release to the public an actual rendering of the 8-story senior living facility it’s about to construct between the 2 Randall Davis condos, once it finishes clearing away the remains of the RR Donnelley printing company building at 1015 S. Shepherd Dr. And here it is, showing almost exactly how Bridgewood Property’s Village of River Oaks will look a few years from now — when you view it from Google Street View, that is.
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It’s a curious image: Oak branches from neighboring River Oaks (the neighborhood boundary is across the street) block the view of the building’s northern portions, giving it a bit of the air of a shy, overweight online would-be dater who’d discovered the most slimming angle and foreground object for a portrait. And somehow, through either the mechanics of perspective or the effects of super-high loft ceilings, the planned 8-story structure ends up appearing not much taller than the 4-story Gotham. Even more shocking: The senior-living complex appears to lack any of the masquerade-ball adornments worn so frontally by its lofty neighbors. Still, there could be a stray gargoyle, caryatid, or other gewgaw lurking behind the greenery.
- Suit claims senior living facility will harm luxury condo owners’ property [Prime Property]
- Previously on Swamplot: Renoir and Gotham Residents File Suit Against Company Planning To Fit a Senior Living Facility Between Them
Rendering: Bridgewood Property
They have no legal case. Absolutely none. The good news is their future neighbors will be quiet and it won’t add to the traffic mich after construction. It’s not like old people drive. Ironically, the future residents of the new development don’t want to be that either. It could be worse. It could be a prison.
*there, not that
It actually looks a lot better than the horrid buildings it will sit next to.
New Swampy category.
Most ridiculous Land Use lawsuit.
The whole vibe I’ve been getting is, “Your midrise residence is worse than my midrise residence because the tenants are unfashionably old. What is they get loose, and start acting old in public? Chaos, I tell you! Yech.” So far they haven’t really forwarded any really valid concern other than, “We just don’t know,” and that makes me suspicious.
I agree with rgrhourgr. It is a similar height to the neighboring buildings. It looks like an average apartment complex — strike that, it’s actually more interesting than the average “luxury apartment” complex going up these days. The residents won’t be coming and going at all hours. Heck, many of them probably aren’t even driving anymore and won’t have cars, so the traffic argument is bogus too. I bet what happened is that RD wanted that piece of land and got outbid for it, or couldn’t scrape up the cash.
I hate extra crap on/in buildings that’s there just for the sake of being there. A friend just posted a picture of a home her company is building. The picture showed workers installing some huge wooden (8×8 maybe?) beam along the peak of the vaulted ceiling inside. It’s purely decorative. So cheesy.
Not a curious image – Gotham and Renoir are not 4 story buildings.
What appears to be each floor from their front facades are double ht. spaces.
( Check out the back of Renoir from streetview on Newhouse St. )
Each unit is probably a combination of double ht space at those front windows, and mezzanine space at their back (in the middle along corridor).
So yes.. an 8 story assisted living building is going to be roughly the same ht at Renoir and Gotham.
Counter sue for age discrimination?
Countersue for being asshats and a nuisance, with all the procedural issues, it won’t go to court for well over two years, by that time old folks will already be living there and the douche neighbors will have a pile on legal bills to each of them individually.
@Cody: sentiments of a true modernist!
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I always thought of Randall Davis as the Donald Trump of Houston. But Trump’s buildings, as big, brash, and glitzy as they are, are usually actually pretty nicely designed. He leaves the ugly outlandishness to his hair. Randall Davis puts it backwards.
Look if you had a bunch of seniors moving in next door you’d be concerned too. Imagine the raucous late night parties, beer and liquor bottles littering the lawns, wreck less driving, debauchery and scantily clad females running around the pool area. Not to mention the loud music and you never can be sure what kind of scoundrels could be moving in and before you know it , there goes the neighborhood.
Not to mention the concerns over design choices and tacky decorative embellishments that might adorn the
building. Who knows crime will probably go up and neighbors will be afraid to take their pets out to poop in the grounds. If I was them I’d start selling their apartments now before they lose their value.
You know what they say, “once seniors move in the neighborhood will go to pot”. That’s another thing, drug trafficking will probably go up. I feel so sorry for those poor people who are going to have to look at that monstrosity and live next to them. Who knows what it will be next. Maybe another Randall Davis project.
New old person establishment wreaks havoc on tacky and eccentric neighbors image and lifestyle. Neighbors suing for emotional distress. You heard it here first.
I live at Gotham. I’m not a party to the suit, but our original concerns about the new building stem from traffic congestion and emergency vehicles.
If you’ve driven on that curve of S Shepherd during most weekdays, you’ll find yourself sitting in traffic. It’s been this way for years. It’s the price we pay for living in a popular area of the loop, and we’re mostly okay with that.
But early last year (before the waterlines were being renovated), the fire department was dispatched to our building – the sprinkler system was accidentally activated and was flooding the first floor. It took the fire department 30 minutes to reach our building! They were just a few blocks away – but it was rush hour traffic on a Tuesday night. Once they were there, it took just 2 fire trucks to jam up the streets, causing an even bigger traffic jam than before. It was insanity.
With an ‘old folks’ home in this same intersection, there’s no doubt there will be plenty of emergency vehicles – much more so than for a ‘regular’ building. My personal concerns are the ability for those vehicles to reach the home in ample time – and sirens all day and night.
The residents (or their family members) who can afford this kind of retirement home with all these amenities are not on Medicare and their primary care physicians bend over backward to make sure they stay as healthy as possible so as not to lose wealthy clients who can pay for every diagnostic test and medication under the sun. I doubt there will be as much emergency vehicle traffic as neighbors worry about.
Yeah, I see a flaw in that logic…
Gothamres,
I think the problem with the emergency vehicles was that they were dispatched to your building so naturally they were parked on Shepherd which would cause a huge traffic jam.
However the station 16 which would respond to emergency calls in that area is located on Dunlavy and would come down Dunlavy to Allen Parkway to enter the senior citizens home which will have entrances there. It won’t be anywhere near Shepherd.
I just don’t see your logic, but I sure didn’t see any concerns about traffic issues on shepherd at west Dallas when they built the Gotham and the other Davis project. What’s good for the goose is good for the Gotham.
Gothamres,
Although I understand where your coming from, I don’t know how you came to the conclusion that ambulances going to the senior’s building will affect traffic on Shepherd since station 16 will respond and its on Dunlavy and will more than likely come up Allen parkway to get there.
The reason the firetrucks were parked on Shepherd is because they were called to that address.
Randall didn’t seem to care too much about traffic on Shepherd, or if the neighbors would mind those two huge ugly buildings blocking views, sunlight and privacy when he built.
Like they say;
“Whats good for the Goose, is good for the Gotham”
Bob R –
Actually, our MAILING address is S. Shepherd, but we are physically located on Dunlavy. So the firetrucks were on Dunlavy. (don’t know why it was set up that way, but it confuses everyone – ha)
Not sure if you’re familiar with the area, but Dunlavy is only a two-lane street – and as soon as you pass Backstreet, in front of Gotham and the new building, it turns into a one-way street.
The new building will be located where RR Donnelly (a company) was previously located. It was a fairly small company, so it didn’t much extra traffic. And it certainly didn’t require emergency vehicles.
The new building would theoretically use RR Donnelly’s previous address, since it’s the same tract of land. Their physical AND mailing address is 1015 S Shepherd.
The building would literally be at the corner of S Shepherd and Dunlavy – which is a nightmare during rush hour – and other times as well.
I personally am not ‘offended’ by this new building – nor does it cause me “distress” or any such emotions. While *anyone* with a nice view would like to keep said view, I’m a realist in that I can’t prevent buildings from going up around me.
But I still think the traffic/emergency vehicle situation will pose a serious problem. It’s such a crowded space, with no room to expand the roads or tracts.
@gothamres,
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You don’t walk around outside your building much, do you? That little street you’re talking about that runs in front of the new senior living center is McDuffie. Dunlavy is about a quarter mile east of you.
I appreciate your response, however I’m confused about your street names, because Dunlavy and Shepherd both run north and south and Dunlavy is almost to Waugh which is a fair distance from Shepherd. Maybe you’re thinking of the street that runs next to Sur La Tab and the old La Griglia, but I don’t think its Dunlavy.
I don’t know if there is a cross street back off of W. Dallas and Shepherd behind your buildings. I don’t really ever get back there.
Dunlavy is almost a half mile east of Shepherd, and Gross Street runs north/south midway between them–the cemetery is located just east of it. There is no Shepherd / Dunlavy intersection.
I completely flaked – yes, of course it’s McDuffie. Sad, since i’ve lived at Gotham for over 5 years – LOL (what can i say, it’s been a long week).
My original point is the same though – the senior center will be located at the corner of S Shepherd and McDuffie – at which there is a ton of traffic. McDuffie (not Dunlavy like I mistakenly said) turns into a one-way street in front of Gotham and the future senior center, and then it ends in S Shepherd.
If an ambulance or fire truck came from Allen Parkway, they’d have to take some back roads to get to the senior center, since the only left turn one can take is at W Dallas (left turns are illegal at Backstreet Cafe & Tilas).
The back roads are super small – they’re jam-packed with townhomes (tiny lots, so they’re practically on the curb), and often crowded with parked cars. W Clay isn’t too bad though.
I agree with the posters that this lawsuit seems frivolous – I think it’s a last-ditch effort to get something from the developer, since it’s possible that it might reduce property value (but I think even that’s a stretch). Hence my ‘anon’ posting – pissing off neighbors is not something I’m interested in doing.
Unfortunately though, because a person owns an “expensive” home, that seems to automatically reduce our ability to complain – our complaints immediately appear ‘vain’ to people. We have money, so we should shut up and be happy. LOL
gothamres – if an emergency vehicle is called for an emergency at the residential home, it will likely be one ambulance, and an illegal left turn is the only way to access its destination quickly, it’s not going to be deterred from making it.
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Don’t feel bad – any homeowners who complain about perceived threats to “quality of life” due to new development, gentrification, etc., are open to ridicule. This is an equal opportunity forum for schadenfreude.