Apartments

02/22/10 4:49pm

Matthew Dilick: Wilshire Village Residents Were Just “Squatters”

Foreclosures, Lancaster Place, Leasing, Neighborhood Disputes

15 Comments

Did Matthew Dilick, managing partner of the partnership that owns the 7.68-acre site of the former Wilshire Village Apartments, really refer to the long-term tenants of the long-neglected property at the corner of West Alabama and Dunlavy — many of whom had lived in their apartments and paid rent for decades before they were evicted last year — as “squatters”?

In a February 1st affidavit he provided to the 133rd District Court in hopes it might help forestall Wedge Real Estate Finance from foreclosing on the property, Dilick states that “the Plaintiff [Alabama & Dunlavy Ltd., of which Dilick is the general partner] expended considerable time and expense in evicting squatters on the Property.” This just a page or so after declaring his qualifications: “The Plaintiff and/or limited partners of the Plaintiff have owned this Property for over 50 years.”

Gosh, maybe there’s a bit of confusion here? Maybe the “squatters” Dilick is referring to weren’t the actual long-term rent-paying Wilshire Village residents, but some other people he found hiding out in the complex who didn’t have authorization to be there from “the Plaintiff and/or limited partners of the Plaintiff”?

Uh . . . no. By “squatters,” Dilick clearly means Wilshire Village’s long-term residents. The ones he sent eviction notices to; the ones he addressed as “reported occupants” in the release forms he asked them to sign. Otherwise, why should it have taken “considerable time and expense” for Dilick to evict them? How about just . . . “shoo!”?

Neatly left out of the affidavit: The apparent ongoing conflicts Dilick had with Jay Cohen, the sole owner of the property for the bulk of those 50 years. Until they were evicted, the tenants paid their rent to him every month. What’s Cohen’s role?

A person familiar with the situation writes in:

77098, Apartments, Evictions, Foreclosures, Lancaster Place, Lawsuits, Leasing, Neighborhood Disputes, Wilshire Village

02/18/10 12:45pm

Comment of the Day: The Ghost of Wilshire Village

Comments, Lancaster Place, Neighborhood Disputes, Quicklink

11 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE GHOST OF WILSHIRE VILLAGE “Where is Jay Cohen in all of this? Supposedly he sold the property and yet continued to collect rent from the ‘squatters’ as they are referred to by Dilick. Did he, does he, still own an interest in the property?” [Matt Mystery, commenting on Wilshire Village Owners Try To Hold Off the Bank]

77098, Apartments, Comments, Lancaster Place, Neighborhood Disputes, Wilshire Village

02/18/10 12:16pm

The Numbers on Commerce Towers

Condos, Condos for Sale, Downtown, Highrises, Lofts

7 Comments

How has that condo conversion of the former Commerce Building at the corner of Main St. and Walker Downtown been working out?

The building has 122 finished units and a two-story-tall penthouse that has not been built out yet.

A total of 69 units have been sold, and another 25 have been leased. [Commerce Towers sales and leasing agent Susan] Speck said some of the renters are interested in buying.

Prominent Houstonian Jesse Jones built the first part of the structure in 1928, and added onto it in the 1930s, Speck said.

An entity named Premier Towers bought the building in 1999. It was redeveloped by New York-based Whitney Jordan Group with Tarantino Properties Inc. of Houston.

The first condo units were finished and people starting moving in during 2002.

Commerce Towers goes back to sales push [Houston Business Journal]
Previously on Swamplot: Eye-Opening Parking Garage Design

Photo of Commerce Towers, 914 Main St.: Sandra Gunn Properties

77002, Apartments, Commerce Towers, Condo Conversions, Condos, Condos for Sale, Downtown, Highrises, Lofts

02/17/10 2:43pm

Comment of the Day: Look Out for Those Tweaked Townhomes!

Comments, Home Design, Quicklink, Townhomes, Washington Corridor

4 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: LOOK OUT FOR THOSE TWEAKED TOWNHOMES! “. . . My reason for staying away from those townhomesâ€¦Any one of those townhomes could be easily tweaked in the future to be 2 apartments. Pair that with the common driveways and you could easily have alot of people sharing a pretty small area.” [justguessin, commenting on Comment of the Day: Here Come the Almeda Promoters]

77007, Apartments, Comments, Home Design, Townhomes, Washington Corridor

02/15/10 10:28am

Doing Their Level Best

Demolitions, Disaster Aftermath, Park Place, Quicklink

DOING THEIR LEVEL BEST Latest poster child for the approximately 9,000 abandoned, vandalized, or dangerous structures the city is working bit by bit on demolishing: the 43-unit Park Place Apartments at 7410 Park Place Blvd., near the corner of Long Dr. and Telephone Rd. in southeast Houston — which neighbors say has been vacant of paying tenants for at least 20 years: “More than $84,000 in back taxes is owed on the property, according to the Harris County Tax Assessor Collector. Owner Rodolfo Yannarella, 67, said he fell on tough times and wants more time to get a loan so that he can repair the place, which he called his last chance for retirement. ‘It is very Draconian,’ Yannarella said of a Houston police order earlier this month that it be leveled. ‘I plead with you, I want to repair this property. It is my only future,’ he said moments before he was told the building would have to come down. Five years ago, the city delayed demolition and gave him a chance to fix it up. He claims he was making progress until Hurricane Ike ripped it further apart in 2008 and he fell ill. Then, thieves ripped apart the walls and ceilings in search of copper piping and wires, he said.” [Houston Chronicle]

Apartments, Demolitions, Disaster Aftermath, Hurricane Ike, Park Place, Public Safety

02/12/10 5:28pm

Houston’s Volunteer Apartments

Texas Medical Center

23 Comments

The Hospitality Apartments at 7300 Bertner just north of OST are â€œnot posh. But they’re perfectly nice,” explains Ann Hightower, whose husband Joe founded the organization that runs them 42 years ago. “Totally functional, with linens, dishes, a stove and oven, a microwave, TVs and access to free laundry.”

Where’s the swimming pool? There isn’t one, but that’s not usually too much of a concern of the people staying there. All the residents of the 42-unit complex are out-of-towners undergoing treatment at the nearby Texas Medical Center.

Joe [Hightower] estimated the apartments have been filled â€œ99-plus percent of the timeâ€ over the years.

â€œYou could probably have four projects this big in Houston and just barely meet the demand,â€ Ann said after the organization’s annual meeting on Super Bowl Sunday. â€œAnd then you would uncover another layer of need.â€

Residents stay anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months — for free.

The nonprofit has never applied for or received money from any government agency. The organization has relied on personal fundraising efforts by the Hightowers and friends and the generosity of Houston congregations, private foundations and hundreds of individual contributors. It has no debt, pays no salaries and operates each apartment for less than $10 a day.

77030, Apartments, Texas Medical Center, Tourism

01/20/10 2:30pm

City to Shy Apartment Owners: Show Us Your Stuff!

Public Safety, Quicklink

Apartments, Public Safety

CITY TO SHY APARTMENT OWNERS: SHOW US YOUR STUFF! The Houston Apartment Association reports that only about 800 properties have been registered so far at the city’s new Multifamily Rental Property website. Under new regulations passed by City Council in November aimed at eliminating dangerous conditions at apartment complexes, all rental properties consisting of 3 or more units on a single lot are required to be registered by the end of January — or face fines. Inspections will begin in April. [HAA; registration website]

01/06/10 3:26pm

Comment of the Day: Fast Food Townhouses

Comments, Condos, Franchises and Chain Stores, Quicklink

10 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: FAST FOOD TOWNHOUSES “Iâ€™ve been in Houston for 3 years and Iâ€™ve noticed how many expensive townhouses and condos back up to fast food restaurants and other potentially noisy businesses. It would drive me nuts but I would also look around the neighborhood before I purchased or rented something there. I canâ€™t imagine having to listen to the Jack-in-the-Box drive-through traffic all night long. ‘YA WANT FRIES??'” [Apartment dweller, commenting on 2520 Robinhood Vs. the Merry Men of Hansâ€™ Bier Haus: Itâ€™s Come to This]

Apartments, Comments, Condos, Fast Food

01/06/10 11:44am

And the Second Tower Too: The Montage Foreclosure

Bankruptcies, Condos, Financing, Foreclosures, Hermann Park, Highrises

Real estate agent Sandra Gunn informs us that the Montage, the second glass Almeda St. tower across from Hermann Park, was foreclosed on yesterday. Originally named Mosaic to match its adjacent twin directly to the north, the Montage has been a rental property since it was completed.

Almost exactly a year ago, the developer of both buildings — a limited partnership between Phillips Development & Realty and Florida Capital Real Estate Group — declared bankruptcy in order to avoid foreclosure on the Mosaic, which at the time was officially a condominium tower. And Florida Capital’s chief operating officer expressed hope that the Montage’s separate $71 million loan with Corus Bankshares could be renegotiated.

77004, Apartments, Bank Failures, Bankruptcies, Condos, Financing, Foreclosures, Hermann Park, Highrises, Mosaic and Montage

12/09/09 2:41pm

Old Building Still Blocking 27 Cars from Parking Downtown

Demolitions, Downtown, Historic Preservation, Minute Maid Park, Parking, Public Buildings

4 Comments

What’s getting in the way of county commissioners extending the clear zone around Minute Maid Park with a much-needed 27-car county parking lot at the corner of Texas Ave. and Austin St.? Well, there was the owner of a Galena Park chemical business who shouted from the back of the room at yesterday’s commissioners court hearing that he wanted to buy the building sitting on that land — the 1923 Hogan-Allnoch Dry Goods Building at 1319 Texas Ave. — and turn it into a nutcracker factory or something. Plus, darn it, the building is getting less valuable as time goes by!

The building has gone to auction twice. In 2007, the minimum bid was set at its appraised value of $3.25 million. For a September auction, the appraised value was lowered to $1.98 million. There were no takers at either auction.

Lawrence Chapman of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance said the most recent auction used an outdated 2008 appraisal and that a new appraisal would bring in an even lower price tag that could save the four-story building from demolition.

Art Storey, the county’s public infrastructure director, estimated the building would cost $150,000 to demolish, but as much as $5 million to restore.

And so the latest delay: Commissioners voted to circle the block for another 3 months — and get another appraisal in the meantime.

Houston History is Spared for Now [KUHF, via Hair Balls]
1923 building gets reprieve [Houston Chronicle]
Houston Spares Two Buildings For Now [Preservation Nation]

Photo: Flickr user telwink [license]

77002, Demolitions, Downtown, Historic Preservation, Minute Maid Park, Parking-Lots

12/07/09 11:40am

Allen House: The Apartments That Demolition Forgot

Cancellations and Delays, Demolitions, North Montrose, Proposed Developments

Driving around North Montrose, a reader is surprised to find the Allen House Apartments still standing. Weren’t those units part of the Allen House that was demolished more than 2 years ago — so the land could rest for a bit while Regent Square tries to get some funding?

I am curious as to why 2 buildings of the erstwhile allen house were left untouched. Was Regent square never expected to cover these lots or is this allen house a new entity with no links to the GID Urban Development Group ? Are these going to be demolished in the future?

77019, Apartments, Cancellations and Delays, Demolitions, North Montrose, Proposed Developments, Regent Square

11/05/09 1:26pm

Replacing Richmont Square: The Low Cost, Bohemian Option

Menil, Redevelopment, Renting

22 Comments

Communications director Vance Muse tells the River Oaks Examiner‘s Michael Reed that the foundation’s board won’t replace the bargain-rent Richmont Square Apartments in a way that’ll change the character of the Menil campus:

â€œItâ€™s on our mind that we could, in a low-key Menil way, build a (residential) property along Richmond Avenue,â€ he said.

Apartments at Richmont Square range from $650 for one-bedroom, one-bath units of 575 square feet to $955 for two-bedroom, two-bath units of 1,064 square feet. Deposits are between $250 and $300.

Asked about the possibility of the Menil plan including dwellings that are priced similarly to what would be replaced, Muse said specifics have not been discussed yet.

â€œWeâ€™d like to keep it bohemian, if at all possible,â€ he said. â€œThere has always been a commitment (by Menil) to offering a break.â€

Moderately priced rentals a thing of the past? [River Oaks Examiner]
Previously on Swamplot: Chipperfield Sculpts the New Menil: Goodbye, Richmont Square

Photo of Richmont Square parking lot, 1400 Richmond Ave.: River Oaks Examiner

77006, Apartments, Menil Collection, Redevelopment, Renting, Richmont Square

10/23/09 12:22pm

Only the Towers Remain Standing: Mosaic and Friends Break the Bank

Bankruptcies, Condos, Financing, Foreclosures, Hermann Park, Highrises, New Construction: Residential

42 Comments

With its most recent achievements, the Mosaic earns its place in Houston’s spec-development record books: Last month the 29-story condo tower near Hermann Park — wedged between Almeda and 288 — scored the loan-default trifecta, having notched a bankruptcy, mass foreclosures, and an attendant bank failure to its credit all within a single calendar year.

Chicago’s Corus Bankshares, which held a $71 million loan for the Mosaic, foreclosed on all 271 unsold units (out of 394 total in the building) in September, just days before the bank itself was seized by the FDIC. A few weeks later, the federal agency sold 40 percent of the bank’s real estate loans to a team of private-equity firms calling itself Northwest Investments and led by Starwood Capital Group — for 60 cents on the dollar.

Any further fun at the Mosaic will be courtesy of the FDIC, reports Nancy Sarnoff:

77004, Apartments, Bank Failures, Bankruptcies, Condos, Financing, Foreclosures, Hermann Park, Highrises, Mosaic and Montage, New Construction: Residential

10/02/09 5:08pm

Chipperfield Sculpts the New Menil: Goodbye, Richmont Square

Art, Institutional Buildings, Menil Collection, Museums, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment

13 Comments

The Richmont Square apartments on Richmond Ave. get knocked down in the new master plan for the Menil Collection campus. Speaking at a public forum last night, British architect David Chipperfield referred to the Menil’s big multifamily property as “this thing getting in our way.”

Cite magazine’s Raj Mankad describes more details of the Chipperfield plan:

The car park along Alabama would be strengthened with the new bookshop, cafe, and auditorium nearby. The key change would be to connect West Main across the site [to Yupon] through the area occupied by the northern end of Richmont Square. The complete street grid would surround a new green space that would also be made possible by the clearing of the north side of the apartments. It would connect, slightly off axis, with the current Menil park between the main building and the Rothko. The Drawing Institute and Study Center and Single Artist Studios would be sited around the new green space. And along Richmond itself, the plan calls for dense residential and commercial development.