Headlines

• Former Hollywood at Galveston Hotel Being Gutted, Facade Removed [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Reef Duo Bill Floyd, Bryan Caswell Opening Oyster Bar in IAH’s Terminal B on April 1 [Culturemap]
• Montgomery County Officials Considering Constructing 2 North-South Toll Roads [Courier of Montgomery County]
• TxDOT Looking for Sponsorship Money for Help with $3.5M in Highway Cleanup Costs [KUHF]
• 82 Percent of Texans Support a Vote on Gambling, Finds Poll from Group Pushing a Vote on Gambling [Hair Balls]
• Battle to Stop Waller County Landfill Continues with Public Hearing Tonight [The Isiah Factor; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of BBVA Compass Plaza at 2200 Post Oak: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Cousins Properties Acquires Post Oak Central Tower Complex for $232.6M [Houston Business Journal]
• U of H Breaks Ground on New Football Stadium [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Katz’s Deli Owner Scouting for Second Katz’s Express Location [Houston Business Journal ($)]
• NASA Layoffs Continue To Affect Small Businesses, Real Estate Market in Clear Lake [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Metro Bike and Ride Survey Aims To Improve Connections Between Bicyclists, Transit Network [Houston Tomorrow]
• Galveston Residents Say New FEMA Flood Map is Raising Insurance Rates [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Ryon Residents Say They Just Learned About Contaminated Dump Site Declared a Superfund in the 1980s [Click2Houston]
• A Tour of Houston Hospitals’ Luxury Suites [abc13]
• Menil Lecture Spotlights Campus Earthwork Sculptor Michael Heizer Tonight [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of WaterWall Place at Hidalgo and McCue: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Hines Looking To Sell Downtown’s $470M BG Group Place [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Dickinson Property Owners Offered Incentive To Change Building Facades to Resemble Late 19th Century Main Streets [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• 8th Wonder Brewery Starts Brewing; Tours of EaDo Facility To Start in March [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• South Montgomery County Regional Mobility Plan Moves Forward [Courier of Montgomery County]
• Federal Approval for Newest 28-Mile Segment of I-69, Along U.S. 59 from 610 Loop to South of Rosenberg [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Texas Lawmakers File Bills Designed To Keep Electric Customers from Absorbing Costly Utility Project [Courier of Montgomery County]

Photo of West Loop: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• La Marque Sam’s Club Opening on March 21 at I-45, FM 1764 [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Pearl Midtown Apartments Meant To Appeal to ‘Echo Boomers and Professionals’ [CultureMap; previously on Swamplot]
• North Forest ISD Discussing Partnership with Texas A&M To Avoid Closing [abc13]
• IAH Opening Mexican Restaurant from San Antonio Chef in March [San Antonio Express-News via 29-95.com]
• Brazos River Bottom Closing Next Month After Nearly 35 Nears in Midtown [Houston Voice]
• Giving Last Concert Cafe in the Warehouse District One Last Chance [Eating Our Words]
• 3-Month Delay for Metro’s New North Line Trains [abc13]
• State Climatologist: Current Drought Could Rival Record 1950s Drought if Rainfall Remains Below Normal [Houston Chronicle]
• Spring Residents Protest 2 Proposed Low-Income Housing Projects [abc13]
• Harris County Rounding Up Feral Hogs in Addicks, Barker Reservoirs, Processing Meat for Food Banks [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Video: Shelby Hodge Tours Designer Showcase at Historic Shadyside Mansion [CultureMap]
• Apple Maps Is Not Ready To Let Go of Astroworld [Hair Balls]
• The Top 13 Buildings To See in Texas in 2013 [Architizer]

Photo of the Galleria: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Off-Street Parking Proposals Could Change How Houston Grows [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Parking Garage, 5 New Gates Included in Hobby Airport’s $150M Expansion Plan [Click2Houston]
• League City Sees Growth in Retirement Communities [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Justin Burrow Trying To Make Downtown a ‘Cool Destination Spot,’ Opening Cocktail Bar on Main Next Month [Eating Our Words]
• Largest El Tiempo Yet Opening Next Door to Ninfa’s on Navigation This Month [Houston Business Journal]
• Harris County Attorney Files Lawsuit Against Southwest Houston Cabaret Located Within 500 Ft. of School [Click2Houston]
• Downtown Hotel Rates As High As $1,000 a Night During NBA All-Star Weekend [The Isiah Factor]
• Pearland, Sugar Land Make Congressional Quarterly’s List of Safest Cities in the Country [abc13]
• Average Houston Driver Wastes 2 Days, 23 Gallons of Gas a Year Sitting in Traffic [abc13]
• Cite Magazine Editor Starts Petition To Open Streets to Pedestrians Once a Week [KUHF; previously on Swamplot]
• 2 Civil War-Era Buildings Renovated in San Jacinto [Galveston County Daily News ($)]

Photo of Rice Military apartment construction at TC Jester and Washington: Loves Swamplot

• Old Doctor’s Hospital Near West Parker, North Freeway Abandoned Since Ike Torn Down [abc13]
• Fire Destroys $1M Home in The Woodlands [Houston Chronicle]
• Galveston Wants To Take Control of 600 Acres of East End Flats from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Pizaro’s Pizza Importing 8,000-Pound Wood-Burning Stove from Naples for Second Location [29-95.com]
• Group Makes Bid To Return Auto Racing to Galveston [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• TxDOT Planning Reversible Toll Lanes To Connect Texas 288 to Medical Center [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• League City Might Cancel Criticized Project To Add Medians, Turn Lanes to FM 518 [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Oil Firm Proposes Massive Seismic Study That Would Include Santa Fe, Hitchcock, La Marque, Texas City, Galveston Island [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• ‘Monopoly Houses’ Providing Alternative to White, Stucco-Clad Boxes in Houston [Arts + Culture Magazine; previously on Swamplot]
• Huntsville Recycling Yards Works Out of Office Made from Recycled Materials [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Central, South, Gulf Coast Texas Architecture Subject of New Book [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Gary Tinterow: Houston Not as Active a Tourist Destination As It Could Be [Arts + Culture Magazine]

Photo of Texas Department of Transportation at Washington near I-10: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• San Antonio-Based Lynd Residential Properties Buys $14M Multifamily Complex Near Richmond and Texas 6 [GlobeSt.com]
• $11B in Construction Contracts Were Awarded in Houston in 2012, Up 20% Over Previous Year [KUHF]
• HCC’s 100-Year-Old San Jacinto Memorial Building Accepted in National Register of Historic Places [Houston Chronicle]
• Market Square Park Undergoing Month-Long Revamp To Waterproof Dining Trellis, Fix Muddy Patches in Lawn [Culturemap]
• Your Weekend Closures for U.S. 290, Loop 610 and More [Houston Chronicle]
• Most of Texas Still in Some Form of Drought; Houston ‘Abnormally Dry’ [Click2Houston]
• Vacant House in Hunter’s Valley Full of Snakes, Rats Swimming in Pool, Say Neighbors [abc13]
• Vandals Arrested for Emptying Fire Extinguishers Inside Historic Navy Ship USS Stewart [Galveston County Daily News]
• Slideshow: Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Rolls Through Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Video: How Bobby Heugel Served Cocktails to 80K Thirsty Concertgoers at Last Year’s Free Press Summer Fest [Eater Houston]

Photo of San Jacinto Memorial Building: Houston Community College

• 919 Milam To Change Hands Again as Fort Worth-Based M-M Properties Puts Downtown Office Tower on the Market [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• $6M Galveston Downtown Transportation Terminal Breaks Ground Today [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Fuddruckers Opens in Pre-Ike Downtown Galveston Location Today [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• After 36 Years at Richmond and Greenbriar Greenridge, Ruth’s Chris Steak House Moving to Old Bank Building Closer to the Galleria [Houston Business Journal]
• Uptown Management District Eyeing Bus Rapid Transit Along Post Oak from West Loop to Westpark [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Planned Highway 249-Sam Houston Tollway Direct Connector Enters Final Design Stages [Cypress Creek Mirror]
• All MetroRail Stations Will Be Closed This Weekend for Rail Construction, Maintenance [Houston Chronicle]
• New Houston Magazine Houstonia Dropped ‘N’, Changed Name After Houstonian Hotel Complained [CultureMap; previously on Swamplot]
• Slideshow: Retired Astro Jeff Bagwell’s $15M River Oaks Mansion and Other Pricey Homes for Sale [CultureMap]
• H-E-B Montrose Market Wins Urban Land Institute Houston’s People’s Choice, For-Profit Awards [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Concertgoers Have Been Camping Out in Front of Toyota Center for Tonight’s Lady Gaga Concert [Rocks Off]

Photo of West Loop: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Mystery Buyer Purchases 192 Acres on Woods Road in Brookshire After Interest from Industrial Users, Investors in Area [Real Estate Bisnow]
• Photos: Sneak Peek at Vintage Park Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Under Construction [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Original Ninfa’s on Navigation Getting Facelift; Dropped Ceilings, Interior Air Conditioning Ducts To Go [29-95.com]
• Residents’ Fight Against Proposed Alexan Heights on Yale a Long Shot Because ‘We Don’t Have Zoning in Houston’ [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• City’s Proposed Increases to Off-Street Parking Regulations Go Before City Hall Today [Eating Our Words; previously on Swamplot]
• Free WiFi Coming to IAH, Hobby Airports By Year’s End [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Texas Lawmakers Again Targeting Statewide Ban on Texting While Driving [Houston Chronicle]
• Post Oak School Expansion Plans Revive Neighbors’ Traffic, Street Parking Complaints [Your Houston News]
• Army Should Have Warned About Training Drill Involving Helicopters, Gunfire at Former Carnegie Vanguard HS Near Scott, Airport, Say Residents [abc13]
• Crepe Murder Happening All Over Houston [The Lazy Gardener]
• St. Regis Houston Ranks Among Best in State, Country in U.S. News & World Report Lists [Houston Business Journal]

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

• Trendmaker Acquires 100 lots in Hitchcock’s Luxury Community Harborwalk, Remaining 20 Lots in Victory Lakes [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Chef Bradley Ogden Opening First 2 Houston Restaurants in April or May in Heights Blvd. Shopping Center Near Walmart [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Heights Mogul Ken Bridge Branching Out into Bellaire, UH with 5th, 6th New Pink’s Pizza Locations [Culturemap]
• City Preparing to Implement Drainage Fee on Developers [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• New Apartment Construction Brings No Relief On Rents [KUHF]
• Large Controlled Burn Planned for University of Houston’s Coastal Center Tomorrow [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Houstonia Magazine Launching in April Featuring Houston Chronicle, Houston Press Alums [mikemcguff.com]
• Why Houston, Not Austin, Should Be the Texas Capital [Texas Monthly]

Photo of Buffalo at South Main: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Marathon On Track To Take over BP Refinery Starting Friday [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Commercial Real Estate Firm Colliers International Expanding with Move from Galleria to Loop 610 at Post Oak Blvd. [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Thelma’s Bar-B-Que Quietly Closes at Scott and Southmore, Replaced by Trailer Named Abdel’s [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Third Ward Bike Shop Moves Within Third Ward to Wheeler Ave. between Dowling St., Hwy. 288 [Glasstire]
• Houston Bike Lobbyists Pushing for Adoption of Safe-Passing Law [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• 20,000 Trees Planted Across Houston in Honor of Arbor Day To Replace Those Lost in 2011 Drought [abc13]
• The Woodlands Township Proposes Rental Fee Increases for Park Facilities [Courier of Montgomery County]
• UH Auctioning Off 112 Signs Salvaged from Robertson Stadium Before It Was Demolished Til Noon Today [Click2Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• ‘HOUSTON’ License Plate Goes for 25,000 in Houston Auto Dealers Association Auction [Tomball Potpourri]
• Custom Furniture Designers’s Raw Materials Include Tree Pulled Out of Lake Travis, Vintage Mahogany Flooring from River Oaks Mansion [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of East Side Social Center at Canal and Estelle: Candace Garcia via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Silver Eagle Buys 100 Acres at Beltway 8, Highway 225 in Pasadena for Major Distribution Facility [Real Estate Bisnow]
• Noble Energy Planning 20-Story Office Tower at Texas 249, Louetta, Creating 1M SF Corporate Campus [Houston Chronicle]
• Hines Reveals Invesco Advisers Bought Williams Tower for $412M [Houston Business Journal]
• Hotels, Medical, Retail Planned for Springwoods Village [Houston Business Journal ($); previously on Swamplot]
• 670-Home Residential Development Coming to Clear Lake City [Bay Area Citizen]
• Slideshow: Inside the New Katy Whole Foods on Fry Rd. at Grand Pkwy. Opening January 30th [Prime Property]
• Red-Light Cameras Coming Down in League City This Week [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Houston’s 28 Public Charging Stations Served About 1 Electric Car a Day Across the City Last Year [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Tall Ship Elissa To Return To Dry Dock in Galveston Harbor This Saturday [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Port, Park Board Unveil Informational Signs To Point Tourists to Island Attractions [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Weekend Beam Work To Affect U.S. 290 Around Mangum [The Highwayman]
• Houston Barely Stays Out of Drought Status [Click2Houston]

Photo: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston, Austin, Dallas Among America’s Fastest-Growing Cities [Forbes via Houston Business Journal]
• More Than 2M SF of New Shopping Space Will Be Built in Houston This Year [Prime Property]
• Former San Jacinto Hospital in Baytown Sold to GRP Holdings for $550K [Houston Business Journal]
• Hanover Co. Broke Ground on BLVD Place Residential High-Rise 1 Month Ahead of Schedule [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• TransCanada Moving Offices a Couple Blocks Downtown to Bank of America Center [Prime Property]
• Brewery Incubator Wants To Bring Nano-Brewing to Downtown [Eating Our Words]
• Shooters Targeting Protected Hawks, Say Texas Wildlife Officials [Click2Houston]

Photo of the Menil campus: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• WesternGeco Signed Biggest Houston Office Lease in 2012 with 554,364 SF Deal in Westchase Business District [Houston Business Journal]
• Land Acquisition Still Not Made for Planned League City Studio Movie Grill [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Sprouts To Open First Local Store in Late March at Cinco Ranch Blvd., S. Peek Rd. in Katy [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• At Least 4 Other Projects Opening This Year within Walking Distance of Downtown’s OKRA Charity Saloon [Eating Our Words]
• Port of Galveston Might Hire Consultant To Help Attract Cargo, Other Business to West End Public Docks [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Dickinson Festival of Lights Could Relocate; Galveston County Parks Director Says It’s Outgrown Paul Hopkins Park [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Houston Municipal Courts Offer Traffic Ticket Amnesty For Certain Outstanding Warrants [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Pasadena: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool