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Eminent Domain, Proposed Developments, Public Transportation, Quicklink

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LAND PURCHASES BEGINNING ALONG PROPOSED HOUSTON-TO-DALLAS BULLET TRAIN ROUTE Tokaido Shinkansen Tokyo Osaka Line Texas Central Railway’s CEO tells Realty News Report’s Ralph Bivins that owners of some propertiesÂ in the projected path of the planned Houston-to-Dallas 200mph rail line have already agreed to sell their land to the company, which is hoping to get started on construction of the 90-minute route next year. Tim B. Keith says he’s “encouraged with the progress” of what he refers to asÂ the project’s “voluntary land purchase program.” He notes that “Texasâ€™ Constitution and state statutes have long granted eminent domain authority to railroads such as Texas Central, as well as pipeline companies, electric power companies and other industries,” but calls eminent domainÂ “a last resort.” The line’s Houston station is now planned for “the area along the 610 Loop between 290 and I-10″ after a Federal Railroad Administration review rejectedÂ the idea of a Downtown stopÂ because of projected high costs and environmental impacts. [Realty News Report; Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot] Photo of Tokaido Shinkansen Tokyo-Osaka line: Texas Central Railway

Buying and Selling, Eminent Domain, High-Speed Rail, Proposed Developments, Public Transportation

08/01/16 4:30pm

Once Bashful Heights Post Office Replacement Retail Now Willing To Step Up to the Street, Learn To Like Sidewalks

Houston Heights, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Retail

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Revised Plans for Heights Central Station, Heights Blvd. at 11th St., Houston Heights

Fresh from the architects (Kirksey), here are revised plans (above) for Heights Central Station, the retail-and-office center MFT Interests is planning for the site at the corner of Heights Blvd. and 11th St. (and Yale) in the Heights where the former main post office for the Heights still sits, awaiting its fate. And whaddya know, the strip-mall-style parking that in the previous plan for the new development was shown fronting Yale and 11th St. has now been stripped away, allowing twinÂ 10,000-ish-sq.-ft. 2-story buildings to front 11th St., right on up to the sidewalk:

Heights Station

77008, Houston Heights, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Retail

Demolitions

08/01/16 1:00pm

Gasoline-and-Burgers Mashup at Wilcrest and I-10 To Be Replaced By Innovative Fuel-and-Fast-Food Combo

Openings and Closings, Redevelopment, Restaurants, Wilchester

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Exxon Gas Station with McDonald's, 11035 Katy Fwy., Wilchester, Houston

Do not mourn the Exxon station with the McDonald’s inside on the eastbound feeder road of the Katy Fwy. Yes, there’s a new fence around the property, and it’s about to be demolished. But the replacement is well worth waiting for: It’ll be a brand new Exxon station — with a brand new McDonald’s! Ah, but the more things stay the same, the more they change: A reader who contacted the burger chain’s regional office reports the new McDonald’s willÂ sport McDonald’sÂ “next generation” design, and will feature free wifi when it opens — around ~~mid-October~~ Election Day.

Photos: Swamplot inbox

Exxon and McDonald’s, Together Again

77079, Demolitions, Fast Food, Gas Stations, Openings and Closings, Redevelopment, Wilcrest

Bars and Clubs

08/01/16 10:15am

Meet Hops Meet Barley, Now Brewing in the West Alabama Building Where Uberrito Completed Its Burrito Mission Last Year

Openings and Closings, Upper Kirby

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Hops Meet Barley, 2245 West Alabama St., Upper Kirby, Houston

It’s a good bet the kiddie playground that once stoodÂ in front of the Mission Burrito (and laterÂ Ãœberrito, after the Mexican fast-foodÂ restaurant changed its name) at 2245Â West Alabama St. won’t be returningÂ for the dining and drinking jointÂ now slated to take its place. Ãœberrito shut down that location 11 months ago. But aÂ couple of weeks ago aÂ sign for a grains-and-greetings-themed establishment (above) emerged where once a plastic castle held court in a sea of mulch. And newer signs on the property, reports a Swamplot reader, indicate that staff is now being hired.Â According to Eater Houston’s Amy McCarthy, incoming beer destination Hops and Barley is a project of Stephen Long, an owner of the Reserve 101 bar at 1201 Caroline St. downtown.

One Of Houstonâ€™s Fave Burger Spots Closes This Month; West Alabama Beer Bar Is Moving Forward;Â Adam Dorris And Stephen Long Are Planning Two Exciting New Additions To Houston’s Bar SceneÂ [Eater Houston]

Photo: Hops Meet Barley

Missin’ Burritos

77098, Bars and Clubs, Openings and Closings, Upper Kirby

07/29/16 10:45am

Cemetery-Side Digging for Human and Dog Park Wrapping Up in Old Sixth Ward

Old Sixth Ward

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Most of the lowÂ mounds of dirt appear to be in place nowÂ at the carefully labeled Park for Human & DogsÂ on Sawyer between Union and Decatur streets (though there’s still grass to plant and a port-a-potty to extract). The park-to-be (across from beaver-free barbecue pub Beaver’s)Â sitsÂ on city-owned land backed backed up against the Glenwood Cemetery and the 2411 Washington apartment complex. The Old Sixth Ward Redevelopment Authority (e.g.,Â TIRZ 13)Â was given to go-aheadÂ to build on the site back in October.

WavyÂ playhouse designerÂ Metalab currently has a few renderings of the project up on their website; those tiny hillsÂ popping up around the property make an appearance, as does the spindly gazebo off to the left above (which the firm says reemployedÂ the Witch Hat, the salvaged cupola of an 1899 house demolished in 1997 at 2201 Fannin St.):

People-Friendly on Sawyer

77007, Dog Runs, New Construction, Old Sixth Ward, Parks

07/28/16 1:30pm

This Morning on Memorial: Pollo Bravo’s Last Stand

Rice Military

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Demolition of former Pollo Bravo at 5440 Memorial Dr., Rice Military, Houston, 77007

Here’s the last pieces of the former Pollo Bravo at 5440 Memorial Dr. still holding out against the excavator onslaught today. A reader sends the snapshot above from the Starbucks end of the strip center across the street. The demo permit for the structure came through on Thursday of last week,Â trailing in the wake of the property’s May 2015 sale and the restaurant’s subsequent December departure.

The owner of the Peruvian fusion chicken chain said at the time that she was seeking new locations; a few more Pollo Bravo spots seem to have opened up since then, including branches on Long Point Rd. east of Gessner, and on Mason Rd. south of Kingsland Blvd. Here’s one last look at the rapidly clearing site, between a Chase bank and the Memorial Towers apartments:

Fowl Flattening

77007, Demolitions, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Rice Military

Downtown

07/28/16 11:15am

Lawsuit-Limboed Chronicle Building Now Dressing in Black, Slowly Going to Pieces Downtown

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Former Houston Chronicle Building, 801 Texas Ave., Downtown, Houston, 77002

NoÂ wrecking balls are swinging this morning at 801 Texas, but a reader notes that some of the glass panelsÂ of the southern facade are being draped inÂ long swaths of black material, while others have already been removed. What about thatÂ lawsuit over tunnel rights that forced developer Hines not to demolish the building back in April? Documents filed with the district clerk’s office show that plaintiff Theatre Square did get the court to issue a temporary stopÂ on any work “demolishing, damaging, interfering with, filling in, impacting or otherwise physically impairing” that particular pieceÂ of the former Chronicle building’s basement (which Theater Square wantsÂ for the purpose ofÂ building a tunnel system connection to its own propertyÂ across Prairie St.) The court chose to modifyÂ thatÂ order in mid July, however, to clarify that HinesÂ canÂ demolish, damage, interfere with, fill in, impact or impair the sectionÂ in ways that areÂ reasonably necessary to design and build a new building on the site.

Coming Apart At The Seams

77002, Basements, Demolitions, Downtown, Downtown Tunnel System, Lawsuits, Tunnels

Downtown

07/27/16 4:30pm

Market Square Tower Crane Now Taking Itself Apart as Construction Wraps Up

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Market Square Tower construction, 777 Preston St., Downtown, Houston, 77002

The spindly yellow crane that has been dangling over the top of Woodbranch Investment’s Market Square Tower is coming down in pieces this afternoon, notes a downtown reader.Â The shot above shows the scene from the corner of Prairie and Travis streets, with the top edge of the still-standing-by-court-order former Houston Chronicle building sticking in from the left.

The 463-unit tower has been leasing spaces since April, with plans to open this fall.Â There’s still work to do on the building before then, though the support for the glass-bottom cantilevered rooftop pool that will hang some 500 feet above Preston looks to be in place. Here’s Jackson & Ryan’s rendering of what the space will look like once the water has been added:

Coming Down Downtown

77002, Apartments, Construction, Downtown, Pools, Skyscrapers

Buildings for Lease

07/27/16 12:45pm

Architectural Antiques Shop Leaves 1917 Brick and Mortar Spot, Embraces the Digital Age

Midtown

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Adkins Architectural Antiques, 3515 Fannin St., Midtown, 77004

Closing Sale Sign at Adkins Architectural Antiques, 3515 Fannin St., Midtown, 77004 A reader noted these notes nearÂ the door of the former homeÂ of Adkins Architectural Antiques, which had been operating out of the 100-ish-year-old houseÂ at 3515 FanninÂ (at the corner with Berry St.). The shop is rebranding as Adkins Antique Hardware Co.Â and retreating from the realm of physical architecture to a fully digital storefront.Â The company’s inventory also looks to be shiftingÂ away from bigger items like salvaged doors and windows to focus in on the little things — likeÂ knobs, pulls, and hinges, bothÂ oldÂ andÂ old-looking. Per the new website, you might still be able toÂ get anÂ in-person appointment as theÂ closingÂ sale wraps up.

The property itself was listed for lease on LoopNetaboutÂ 2 weeks ago,Â under its HCAD alter ego of 1103 Berry. The house and its early-1990s warehouse are the only structures on the block, which otherwise serves as parking lot.Â CBRE’s leasing flier aerial (below) showsÂ the space bathed in green highlighting,Â in placeÂ between the Ensemble Theater, several Houston Community College buildings, that Holman-St.-facing strip center,Â and the Downtown Pregnancy Help Center (thought the fact that itÂ doesn’t show much progress on the recently-wrapped MATCH building dates the shot):

Out with the Old in Midtown

77004, Antiques, Buildings for Lease, Midtown

07/27/16 11:00am

Your Chance To Read Into the New Rice Village Mural on Morningside

Rice Village

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The latest work by sanctioned graffiti artist Gonzo247 is dry this rainy morning, hanging back from Morningside Dr. onÂ the sheltered stretch of shopping center wall between Black Walnut Cafe and New York & Company. (That’s along the eastern edge of the Rice Village building groupÂ currently being rebranded away from its long-running gig asÂ theÂ Village Arcade.) The new pieceÂ is a little more coyÂ in its messaging than some of the artist’sÂ previous work (which includes theÂ edited Houston IsÂ Inspired ~~Hip Tasty Funky Savvy~~Â muralÂ commissioned by the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors BureauÂ near Market Square in 2013) — though it does include a lot of letters.Â Take your ownÂ shot at deciphering the close ups below of the piece, around the corner from the space on University recently vacated by theÂ theater-hearkening Village Arcade sign:

Spelling It Out

77005, Murals, Public Art, Rice-Village

Dunvale

07/26/16 5:15pm

The 387 Apartments Now Taking the Dunvale Sam’s Club’s Place

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A reader sends a few fresh shots showing the state ofÂ the new apartment complex going upÂ on Dunvale, flankedÂ by theÂ sprawl of the WalmartÂ andÂ AMC 30 parking lots to the north and south. After a few-year-stint as a Garden Ridge, the former Sam’s Club (and its short-lived Business Center experiment) got knocked out of the way last fall to make room for a 387-unit complex that developer Embrey appears to be calling Everly (though the entity that bought the landÂ lastÂ May before the demolition was called The Domain on Dunvale).Â Â Here’s a rendered taste of what the buildings may look like, once the structures growÂ out of that awkward Tyvek phase:

Between 2 Parking Lots

77063, Apartments, Dunvale, New Construction

Adaptive Reuse

07/26/16 1:00pm

Inside the Downtown Post Office Stripping Down To Join the Entertainment Biz

Downtown

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Former Barbara Jordan Post Office, 401 Franklin St., Downtown, Houston, 77002

Barbara Jordan Post Office, 401 Franklin St., Downtown Houston The former Barbara Jordan Post Office campus at 401 Franklin St. is on its way toward a new careerÂ (as highlighted by yesterday’s news that trippy music and art festivalÂ Day for NightÂ will be hosted on the property this year). The new stage name for the 16-acre planned mixed-use space near Buffalo Bayou isn’t quite setÂ yet — PaperCity says that Lovett has been calling the property Central Post, but an active Facebook account using the name Post HTX (and staking claim toÂ the 401 Franklin address) has been posting photos of the insideÂ and promising updates on progressÂ atÂ the site.

Demo permits for some interior walls were issued back in October after the property’s summertimeÂ sale last year. Those concrete finsÂ on the outside of the post office’s Franklin-facing midrise sectionÂ are creating the stripy light pattern visible in the interior shot up top; here’s more of Post HTX’s photosÂ of the building, pre-redo:

Franklin St. Remake

77002, Adaptive Reuse, Downtown, Event Spaces

07/26/16 10:45am

Upscale Party Warehouse LIFE HTX by Lanier MS Now Labeled, Open To Your Interior Decorating Ideas

Montrose

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LIFE HTX, 2512 Woodhead St., Montrose, Houston, 77019

An evening update on that wood-adorned metal structure at 2512 Woodhead St., behind The Upper Hand salon: all of the slats are in place along withÂ the LIFE HTX signage, andÂ the company appears to have hosted itsÂ first event in late May. The venue’s website says that the 4,000-sq.-ft. space can hold up to 250 people, though you’ll have to start hiring extra security guards if you tip pastÂ 100. The setup also allows renters to project the giant images of their choice onto the interior walls (or just hang things on them instead).

The space is across Woodhead from the Eagle Express Cleaners, the AZ Food Mart, andÂ Bravo Key & Lock, at the Shamrock gas station:

Marked Up in Montrose

77019, Event Spaces, Montrose, Venues

Buildings for Sale

07/25/16 4:00pm

Digging Up a Little Dirt on the Uncle Johnny’s Good Cars Lot in Near Northside

Land for Sale, Near Northside

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1901 N. Main St., Near Northside, Houston, 77009

Chris Andrews has caught a few snapshotsÂ of what appears to be a soilÂ sampling crew at workÂ at 1901 N. Main St.,Â formerly the site of Uncle Johnny’s Good Cars. Most of the 37,679-sq.-ft.Â property, occupying the block onÂ the east side of N. MainÂ between Hogan and Gargan streets (including the 1950s auto shop and the next door 1930s Beer’s Building), was transferred to a legal entity called Cerveza FourÂ in May of 2015. Shortly thereafter,Â Keller Williams RealtyÂ postedÂ the cheerily-soundtracked video listing below showing the ins and outs of the property, nestled between the Casa De Amigos city health clinic to the south and the former home of Alamo Thrifty Bail Bonds (now bike shop HAM Cycles 2) across Gargan: