Headlines

• Here’s What the ExxonMobil Campus Looks Like So Far [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Harris County Judge Hopes To Have Definitive Direction for Astrodome By Year’s End [KUHF]
• Chevron Acquires Public Parking Garage at 1400 Louisiana [Prime Property]
• Bobby Heugel and Company Form Restaurant Supergroup, Announce Plans for Tequila Bar at 310 Main This Summer [Eating Our Words]
• Songwood Residents Oppose Planned Low-Income Apartments on Oates Rd., East Fwy. [abc13]
• Harris County, State Suing Beaumont Hwy. Tank-Washing Business for Violating Environmental Laws Following Years of Complaints by Neighbors [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of El Capitan Theater: Molly Block via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• 10K-15K People Each Month Combine Bike and Bus Travel [KUHF]
• Harris County Expected To Pay $500 for 13 SF Tract of Land Valued at $59 That’s Needed for Hardy Toll Road Extension [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Main Event Entertainment Opening Fourth Houston Location at US-59, South Kirkwood [Prime Property]
• Max’s Wine Dive Adding Second Houston Location on Fairview Next to Cuchara [Culturemap]
• Prescribed Burn Planned for Jones State Forest Today Near FM 1488, Texas 242 [Courier of Montgomery County]
• Heights-Northside Mobility Study Meeting Tonight [Home in the Heights]

Photo of Downtown: Pete Molick via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Why the Astrodome’s Category 5 Hurricane-Proof Structure Makes It So Expensive To Blow Up [Houston Politics]
• Paid Parking To Begin on Galveston’s Seawall by Summer [abc13]
• Houston Railroad Museum Weighing Moves to East End, Tomball [KUHF]
• Apartments at Downtown’s Humble Oil Building Being Converted into Hotel Rooms [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Northwest Houston Poised for Future Economic Growth [Community Impact Newspaper]
• 3 Apartment Deals Across Houston Totaling Nearly 1,500 Show Strength of Multifamily Market [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Remembering Brownwood, the Suburb that Sank by the Ship Channel [Houston Chronicle ($); photos]
• Bolivar Peninsula Residents, Anglers Battle State’s Plans To Close Rollover Pass [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Conroe, Sugar Land Air Control Towers Closing in April [Houston Business Journal]
• Konstantin Dimopoulos’s “The Blue Trees” Installation at Waugh and Memorial To Last About 6 Months [Arts + Culture]
• Meet the Lone Star State’s Official Photographer [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of Buffalo Bayou Park near Waugh: Randall Pugh [license]

• Ashby Highrise Builders Linbeck Group Part Ways with Developer Over ‘Technical Issues’ [Houston Chronicle]
• Galveston Businesses Bracing for Economic Fallout from Canceled Carnival Cruises [abc13]
• EarthQuest Developers Plan To Close on Land for New Caney Dinosaur Theme Park in June [Cleveland Advocate]
• CK’s Steakhouse Owners Now Starting W. 19th St. Restaurant from Scratch, Demolishing Former Shine’s Car Care in Next Few Weeks [The Leader]
• Sam’s Club Debut in La Marque Draws Hundreds of Shoppers [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• $1.38M East End Flats Ditch-Digging Project Should Reduce Mosquito Population [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Here’s Your Chance To Own A Piece of Marfreless’s Decor [Marfreless]
• Live-Tweeting from a Press Tour of the Astrodome, Now a Storage Facility [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston’s Top 10 Downtown Skyscrapers [Art Attack]

Photo of JPMorgan Chase Mural: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Sneak Peek at Downtown Ramen Spot Goro & Gun, Opening Tomorrow [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Reimbursement Agreement To Help HBU Go Ahead With New 30-Acre Development Including Arena, Hotel, Conference Center [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Orange a Common Color in East End Thanks to Construction of Revitalization, Beautification Projects [abc13]
• Sugar Land Adding More Red Light Cameras [Click2Houston]
• Jeff Bezos Recovers Apollo 11 Rocket Engines From Ocean Floor [Wired]

Photo of 2016 Main St.: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Home Sales Grew 15.5 Percent Last Month; Inventory at Lowest Levels Since 1999 [Prime Property]
• Prime West End Parcels Up for Court-Ordered Sale [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• 46-Acre Logistics Park at Kenswick, FM 1960 West Could Evolve into Mixed-Use Property [Houston Business Journal]
• Sam’s Club Opening in La Marque on March 21 [Houston Chronicle]
• Bidding Wars Developing, For-Sale-By-Owner Sales Coming Back in Hot Real Estate Market, Says Analyst [Culturemap]
• Public Input Sought on Trail Project Connecting 40 Miles of Green Space from US 290 to Spring Creek Greenway [The Magnolia Potpourri]

Photo: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• As Many as 3 Office Towers in the Works To Change Houston’s Downtown Skyline [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Boy Scouts’ 2,100-Acre Camp Strake Property at I-45 North, Loop 336 For Sale [Houston Business Journal]
• First of 2 Marriott Hotel Brands Opens on Galveston [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Houston Planners Want Input on Mobility Challenges at 2 Meetings Next Week [KUHF]
• New Shops, Restaurants Opening in CityCentre [Culturemap]
• Galveston’s Post-Ike Population Loss Threatens To Diminish Bus Service for Island Residents [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• US Census Trades Out Baytown for The Woodlands in New Houston Metro Name [HAIF]
• New OzoneMap App Delivers Real-Time Houston Air Quality Reports [Click2Houston]

Photo of 3009 Post Oak Blvd.: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Housing Market Among Top in Nation for Affordability, Flash Sales [Houston Business Journal]
• Home Goods Designer Jonathan Adler Opening Store in West Ave Next Month [Culturemap]
• Marquette Developers Asking for Permit Extensions for Controversial West End Development [Galveston County Daily News ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Kroger Puts Opposed Plans for 24-Hour Gas Station in Woodlands on Hold [The Isiah Factor]
• Russo’s Italian Franchise Plans To Add Up to 20 More Locations in Houston Area [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Galveston, Kemah Hotels Reporting 90 Percent Occupancy or Better During Spring Break [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Parts of Houston ‘Abnormally Dry’; Climatologist Says City Still Needs More Rain [KUHF]
• Galveston Rolls Out New ‘It’s Island Time’ Slogan [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• The Reason Why Some New HAR Listings Are ‘Pending’ or ‘Option Pending’ [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of Greenway Plaza: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Facebook Page Outlines Vision for 25-Acre Amusement Park Next to Texas City’s Tanger Outlet Mall [Prime Property]
• Planned Heights Restaurant Coltivare’s 3,000 SF Vegetable Garden Delaying Variance, Causing Parking Problems [Eating Our Words]
• Hurting Galveston Businesses Await Return of Cruise Lines [MyFoxHouston]
• Squirrel Knocks Out Power to 6,100 League City Residents [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Texas Drought, Wildfires Contributing To Decline in Monarch Butterfly Populations [Houston Chronicle]
• Top 10 Parks in Houston [Art Attack]

Photo of Downtown Transit Center: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Harris County Added More Residents Than Any Other U.S. County Last Year, Finds Census [Houston Chronicle]
• League City Council Approves Mystery ‘Entertainment District’ To Be Built Along I-45 [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Les Givral’s Kahve on Market Square Closing Tomorrow [29-95]
• NASA Officials Considering Closing Unused Facilities [Texas on the Potomac]
• Bids Opened on Next Section of U.S. 290 Widening; Work Set To Begin Between FM 529, Eldridge Pkwy in November [The Highwayman]
• State Transportation Advocates Demand Dedicated Source of Revenue for Highway Construction [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• League City Council Approves Facade Improvement Fund Program for Main Street Businesses [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Real Estate Site Movoto Ranks Houston Low on Hipster Factor Based on Walkability, Dive Bars, Artsy Jobs [abc13]

Photo of homes behind Washington Ave.: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston’s Recycling Idea Runner-Up in Bloomberg Philanthropies Contest, Wins $1M [Wall Street Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Galveston Park Board Approves $58M in Moody Gardens Renovations [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• A Year After Ending Its 77-Year Run, Sherry’s Busy Bee Cafe in Santa Fe Demolished [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Projects Aim To Fix Congestion Hotspots on U.S. 59 at 610, Between Rosenberg and Beltway 8 [The Highwayman]
• Younan Properties Signed 261,648 SF of New Deals, Renewals in Houston in Past Year [Houston Business Journal]
• Galveston Expecting 300K-500K Visitors During Spring Break [abc13]
• New Video Contest ‘This is Houston’ Asks You To Capture What’s Quintessentially Houston [KUHF]

Photo of Lawndale Art Center mural: Alex Luster via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Downtown Can Absorb Another 350K SF of Shopping Space, Finds Retail Task Force [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Downtown High-Rise Apartments Being Designed To Attract Young, Urban Renters [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Woodlands Residents Petition Kroger’s Plans To Build 24-Hour Gas Station [The Isiah Factor]
• Third Ward Seeing New Developments Near Planned Metro Line [abc13]
• Commissioners No Closer To Placing Astrodome on Ballot [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Sunday’s Tour de Houston ‘Ride’ To Cycle Past Historic Neighborhoods, Hobby Airport, Clear Lake [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Museum District Metro: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• 5 Years After Ike, Some Houston-Area Homes Still Have ‘Blue Roofs’ [MyFoxHouston]
• Slideshow: The High-Tech Structures of Ikea, BP Westlake, Eldridge Place, ConocoPhillips [Prime Property]
• Clutch City Squire Bar Opens Downtown in Alleged Former Brothel on Main St. [Eater Houston]
• Downtown Restaurant Batanga Opening on April 1 with 30-Ft. Tall Bamboo Wall, Hanging Waterfall [Eater Houston]
• Lawndale’s Latest Mural Painted White; New Mural To Debut By Friday [Culturemap]
• Consulting Firm Spirit Environmental Relocating to Part of Former HP Campus in Cypress Creek [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Painted Doors To Be Publicly Installed at 16 Sites in Houston Including Castillo, Hermann, Memorial Parks [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of Reliant Park: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Lone Star College Launches $500M Bond Construction Package [Houston Business Journal]
• Tomball City Council Approves Tax Incentives To Lure Businesses Downtown [abc13]
• Bars To Tap 8th Wonder Beer Today; Tours of EaDo Brewery To Start Soon [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Major Drainage Canal Construction Project To Close Lanes on Westheimer near 610 Starting Sunday [KUHF]
• East End Cleans Up 100,000th Graffiti Site Through Abatement Program [abc13]
• Last Chapter in Houston Retail Closing with Downtown Macy’s Shutter, Says Historian [KUHF; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Bob Casey Federal Courthouse at Smith and Rusk: Bob Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Officials Confirm Downtown Macy’s Will Close Saturday [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Airport Systems Planning International Spaceport at Ellington Field [abc13]
• Residential Real Estate Brokerage Firm Redfin Expanding into Houston [Houston Business Journal]
• Capitol Bar Partner: Midtown Area Around Main and McGowen ‘Making a Comeback’ [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Exxon Mobil Plans Multibillion-Dollar Baytown Plant Expansion [Fuel Fix]
• Following Complaints, TxDOT To ‘Restripe’ Confusing Lanes on Northwest Fwy. near 34th St. [Click2Houston]
• Six Oddities About Downtown Macy’s [Hair Balls]

Photo of Buffalo Bayou: Russell Hancock via Swamplot