Comments on: Boyd’s Wilshire Village Prayer, with Photos

By: Library Lil

Library Lil — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:03:34 +0000

The Fiesta is a wonderful store with great variety of produce, wines, and cheeses. It is a manageable size. Yes, it could be updated, but take a backhoe to it would be unconscionable. Many people, including students from St. Thomas, walk there. You can’t have an Urban area without places to walk to. My hometown had within walking distance of our little row house, a bank, post office, Church, shoe-maker, park with lake, library, a butcher, and a bus stop to get to the places you could not walk to. That is urban living, not multi-storied buildings with no place to walk to. All this “urban” talk is just public relations for big money interests. Mixed-use means you live, shop, relax, worship, in your own neighborhood. It also means its not an enclave for the rich, but residences for a variety of budgets. Get real, Houston. This is just the rich helping the rich and using buzz words to make it all sound so urbanly equal.

By: GoogleMaster

GoogleMaster — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:15:44 +0000

There is now a giant “FOR SALE” sign on the Wilshire Village land offering up 7.68 (or 7.84 or something) acres.

By: movocelot

movocelot — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:56:31 +0000

May I add a prayer, a wish?

I’d like to see archaeologists - bane of all developers - find the bones of the Sieur de La Salle there! Then the spot becomes a Shrine. And while I’m dreaming: Let them uncap a natural spring during the dig:

Wilshire Park, Shrine and Community Fountain.

By: matt

matt — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:52:51 +0000

I am going to write all the people running for mayor, plus a couple of public works people and tell the candidates to show me what they can do if they want my vote.
_______________

Don’t forget Sue Lovell. Who lives in the area. And do share with us her response. No doubt she will respond that it’s already on her list of things to do in her next term. It was probably on the previous list of things to do.

By: markh

markh — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:47:41 +0000

I am going to write all the people running for mayor, plus a couple of public works people and tell the candidates to show me what they can do if they want my vote. I did this back when White first ran and the only one that took action was Orlando Sanchez. The patches he had placed on Driscoll were done right and are still fine today. He required the Director of Public works to respond also. I am going to start writing my letters today. As to Sul Ross, that street was completely redone with new curbs, and a blacktop overlay a few years ago. You could never tell today… the work was done poorly, plus the City has come in numerous times doing other things, including tearing it up again for new sewers… I think one problem is there is no inspection process by the city.. Contractors do what they want…

By: Ross

Ross — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:29 +0000

I gave up on 311 for most things. I call my council member’s office and complain. That usually gets some sort of action. I’ve also been known to send an actual paper letter to the head of the department responsible for correcting the issue. Email can be ignored, but mail usually works. The next step is to send the letters, and then call the council member’s office every day asking for an update. Be annoying - something will happen just to make you go away.

By: OkieEric

OkieEric — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:06:35 +0000

And I thought I was the only one who used 311 around here! Seriously, enormous potholes and overgrown yards seem to go weeks without notice - well, I guess that was until I started calling 311 and quickly realized that it takes weeks to get anything accomplished. Driscoll really can’t get any worse…it’s definitely the most horribly patched, rough street in this part of the city. The fact that the Chocolate Bar and those dumpsters take it down to virtually one lane doesn’t help…

I personally have to take Driscoll every day since you can’t turn left on Woodhead. I’m waiting for the day the city comes through and reworks all of the crappy roads in our neighborhood, but I’m definitely not holding my breath.

What I find interesting is that the grid around here is shown on early maps of Houston (1915-1920), yet there aren’t really any structures from that time (all 30’s and on). The streets seem to be pretty vintage, though…

By: markh

markh — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:41:08 +0000

I actually have complained numerous times to 311 about Driscoll. The contractor filled the holes with sand that just washed out… Plus getting by the Chocolate Bar on Driscoll is sometimes impossible with how the people park.. The dumpsters at the Chocolate Bar and fabric place across the street are both illegally placed in public Right of way but the City does not seem to care… As to the variance, who is working on which lots? When they say minimum lot size I thought maybe they were going to make the street wider for something going in where Wilshire Village was… thats my guess

By: OkieEric

OkieEric — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:15:25 +0000

I think that variance is for minimum lot size. I still wonder what the deal is with the streets around here… They replaced Sul Ross east of Woodhead with concrete, yet did a strange half pave job on the west side. They’ve been doing some sort of underground utility work on Driscoll and Branard and have basically left dirt holes in what was already terrible pavement. Where are our concrete streets?

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:32:05 +0000

I heard (not joking) that KB homes (I think, or another home builder) was looking at this site for a new style of very small and relatively inexpensive 1,000 sf-ish single family hyomes on very small lots. The traget pricepoint was about $150k I believe.

By: markh

markh — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:57:46 +0000

Hey does anyone know what they are doing on Branard just west of where Wilshire Village was? The city has posted signs near Woodhead about a variance….

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:21:19 +0000

Oh, please. Fiesta on Dunlavy isn’t “chi-chi” and we all know we must have “chi-chi.”