Headlines

• Texas City’s Tanger Outlets Set To Open Today at 9 am [Galveston County Daily News]
• Dallas Company’s Mason Creek Spec Office Building Begins Construction in Energy Corridor [Houston Business Journal]
• Jason Chaney Closes Barbed Rose Steakhouse Replacement Coastal Crossing Grill in Alvin [Eating Our Words]
• Rehab of Vandalized Obama Mural Near Breakfast Klub Complete [KHOU; more photos; previously on Swamplot]
• Greyhound Express Adds Houston-Atlanta Route [Houston Business Journal]
• Pasadena Bus Service Cancellation Also Affects San Jacinto College Students [Pasadena Citizen]
• I-10 To Be Shut Down in Both Directions at Hwy. 99 This Weekend [abc13]

Photo of revised mural along Alabama at 3710 Travis St.: Candace Garcia

• Chick-Fil-A To Open Eighth Houston-Area Location in Kingwood on Oct. 25 [Houston Business Journal]
• Galveston Restaurant Group’s Nonno Tony’s To Open at Pier 21 by Nov. 1 [Galveston County Daily News]
• Houston Fifth on Urban Land Institute List for Investors of Top Real Estate ‘Markets To Watch,’ Behind Austin [Houston Business Journal]
• Internal Documents Show BP Tried To Avoid Reporting Emissions Violation in 2010 [Galveston County Daily News]
• East Downtown Neighbors Complain About MegaBus Facility Noise, Diesel Tank [MyFoxHouston]
• Truck Fire on U.S. 287 Destroys Hundreds of Pumpkins Headed to Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Live Alligator To Attend Texas Contemporary Art Fair Preview Party at GRB Tonight, Maybe [Glasstire]
• Breaking Down That $14M Summer Fest Economic Study [Rocks Off]

Photo of courtyard at South Shepherd and Kipling: Triniti Restaurant

• Houston a Finalist in Bid To Host 2017 Super Bowl [Ultimate Texans]
• Closure of Devon, GenOn Offices Downtown Could Drive Down Rental Rates [Houston Business Journal]
• League City Has Nearly a 2-Year Backlog of Sidewalk Repairs [Galveston County Daily News]
• Texas Business Group Backs Plan To Double Texas Vehicle Registration Fee [Texas Tribune]
• Nearly Half of Houston’s Residents Foreign-Born or from Another State, Analysis Finds [Houston Business Journal]
• Second App Lets You Hail Houston Cabs from Your Smartphone [Click2Houston]
• Vandalized Obama Mural Near Breakfast Klub To Be Repainted with President in ‘Uncle Sam’ Pose [Culturemap]
• J. Randall Powers’ ‘Ultra-Refined, Art-Filled’ Townhouse Featured in Architectural Digest [Culturemap]

Photo of Buffalo Bayou at I-45: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Sellers Lower Mall of the Mainland Asking Price from $15.4M to $9.5M [Galveston County Daily News]
• $1.25B in Projects Under Construction or Planned in Galleria Area [Prime Property]
• Houston Home Sales Continue Climb for 16th Straight Month [Tom Plant’s Houston Real Estate Blog]
• Toll Road Increase Costs Some Commuters an Extra $500 a Year [Click2Houston]
• Houston Experiencing Deluge as Oak Trees Drop Acorns at Rate 5 to 10 Times Above Normal [Houston Chronicle]
• Vandal Defaces Obama ‘Hope’ Mural Across from the Breakfast Klub in Midtown [abc13]
• City Installs Sculptures of Space-Race Astronauts Gagarin, Glenn in Front of Parks Dept. HQ [KUHF]
• Perspectives on Branding Houston [Houston Strategies]

Photo of Lakewood Church, Greenway Plaza: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Some Texas City Retail Centers Already Struggling Before Tanger Outlets Open [Galveston County Daily News]
• Nearly 2.7M SF Leased in Houston So Far This Year, Second Only to Silicon Valley [KUHF]
• LA Chef Bradley Ogden To Sign Leases This Week on First 3 Houston Restaurants [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Ulrich Franzen, Designer of the Alley Theatre, Is Dead [New York Times]
• Galveston Had Record Summer with $8.4M in Tourism Revenue [Galveston County Daily News]
• As Many as 10 Prehistoric Burials Discovered in Path of Grand Pkwy. Project [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• 85 MPH Tollway Between Austin and San Antonio Opening October 24, Free for First 2 Weeks [Houston Business Journal]
• City Council Approves Revised Noise Ordinance [Galveston County Daily News]
• Exploring the Biodiversity of Galveston Bay [Houston Chronicle]
• Rob Pruitt’s Andy Warhol Sculpture Lands at CAMH [Culturemap]
• Lease on Tomball ‘Haunted House’ Says Paranormal Activity Not Grounds for Breaking Contract [Tomball Potpourri]

Photo of Andy Warhol statue: CAMH/Webstagram

• Devon Energy Leaving Devon Energy Tower in Downtown for Oklahoma [Houston Chronicle]
• Bloomingdale’s Outlet Axed from BLVD Place; 2 or 3 ‘Important’ Out-of-Town Restaurants Negotiating Leases [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• $2.25M Renovation of UH’s Blaffer Gallery Debuts Tonight [The Leader; previously on Swamplot]
• City Council Approves Construction of 9-Story Aloft Hotel on Seawall [Galveston County Daily News]
• Owners of The Woodlands and Bridgeland Market Bridgeland as a New Woodlands [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• New Data Show Expanded Katy Freeway Has Decreased Commute by 10 Minutes [Houston Chronicle]
• Short on Riders, Pasadena Bus Service To End Oct. 31 [Houston Chronicle]
• Man’s Pet Hog Deer on the Loose in Bellaire Area After Escaping From Home [abc13]
• Photographer Turns Galveston, Kemah Boardwalk, Heights Scenes into Panoramic ‘Little Planets’ [Houston Chronicle]
• New Documentary Looks at 100 Years of Rice University [Culturemap]

Photo of One Moody Plaza, Galveston: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Hines Apartments Going into Cafe Adobe Spot and Parking Lot on Westheimer [Culturemap]
• Construction of 29-Story Hanover Tower at BLVD Place Now Scheduled To Begin Early Next Year [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Onion Creek Owner, Neighbors Upset Over Revived Condo Development on Dead End Heights Street [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Crews Begin Construction of $33.1M Public Safety Building in League City [Galveston County Daily News]
• Ruggles Green Now Open in Sugar Land [Houston Business Journal]
• Falling Vacancies, Rising Rents Likely at Port of Houston, Finds Study [KUHF]
• Annual ‘Barkitecture’ Fundraiser To Showcase Architects’ Doghouse Designs [Ultimate Bellaire News]

Photo of Cafe Adobe at 2111 Westheimer: Candace Garcia

• Construction of $25M Oak Ridge North Retail, Office Plaza Delayed Until Next Year Over Tenant Negotiations [Ultimate Woodlands]
• Commons of Lake Houston in Huffman Expanding with More Waterfront Homes, Park, Beach [Ultimate Kingwood]
• What Would Make You Live Downtown? [Prime Property]
• Deer Park Apartment Complex Overrun with Rats, Say Residents [Click2Houston]
• Hotel Icon’s ‘Different Personalities’ on Display in Independent Film Shooting on Premises [ab13]
• Sports Field Lights Interfering with James Turrell’s Skyspace at Rice University [Rice Thresher via Glasstire; previously on Swamplot]
• Planned Gallery Show by Spray Painter of Menil Picasso Ignites Facebook Comment War [The Great God Pan Is Dead]
• TxDOT Seeks Public Input On I-45 North Improvements This Thursday [KUHF]
• Cafe Adobe Sells Land at 2111 Westheimer, Will Move Next Year [Houston Business Journal]

Photo of Downtown parking: Jackson Myers via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• BP Selling Texas City Refinery to Marathon Petroleum for $2.5B [Fuel Fix]
• Office Rents Continue To Rise with 2% Increase Over Last Year [Prime Property]
• Demo Begins on Old Comcast Building To Make Way for $7.1M Gulf Foundation Center [Galveston County Daily News]
• 24-Hour-a-Day Residents Key to Downtown’s Growth [Houston Chronicle]
• Texas Leads Nation’s Restaurant Industry with 10.2% Job Growth Over Past Year [Houston Business Journal]
• TxDOT Distributing $70M in Funds for Local Transportation Projects [KUHF]
• Houston Man Receives Visit from FBI After Photographing Weather Near Lyondell Refinery [Pixiq]
• Texas Contemporary Art Fair VIP Lounge To Reference Port of Houston, Hurricanes, Honky-Tonk Clubs, Weight Issues [Culturemap]

Photo of Diana at Bayou Bend Gardens: Jenn Allbritton via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Conroe, The Woodlands Now Rank as “Large Urbanized Transit Areas,” with Tripled Population Since 1990 [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Ranks No. 2 in Nation for Construction Job Gains Over Past Year, Finds Study [Houston Business Journal]
• West Alabama Private School’s Alcohol Ban Could Affect Mixed-Used Project at Old Fiesta Spot [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Meet the Developer Behind Downtown’s Second Convention Center Hotel [Houston Chronicle]
• Free Press Summer Fest Brought $14M to Houston Economy, Finds U of H Study [Rocks Off]
• Rare Manatee Sighting in Galveston Canal Draws Crowd [Houston Chronicle]
• San Antonio Mayor Accuses Houston of ‘River Envy’ [Culturemap]
• How Rice University Went from Muddy, Treeless Spread to 4,000 Oaks and Swamp Elms, 80 Buildings [Houston Chronicle]
• Slideshow: Rice Architecture Grads Update Historic Third Ward Row House with Prefab Kitchen-Bath Unit [Culturemap]
• Documentary Footage: The Astrodome in 1965 [HAIF]
• Help the Greater Houston Visitors and Conventions Bureau Update Its List of 15 Iconic Houston Meals [Eating Our Words]

Photo of Williams Tower: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• 2 Weeks Before Opening, 74 Out Of 80 Retail Spots Leased at Texas City Tanger Outlets [Galveston County Daily News]
• Torchy’s Planning Third Houston Location in Former Gugliani’s Space in Rice Village [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Ronnie Killen Transforming Killen’s Steakhouse in Pearland into Killen’s BBB [Eating Our Words]
• Houston’s Distillery Business on the Rise [Houston Business Journal ($)]
• GRB To Market Proposed Downtown Hotel To Lure Convention Crowds To Houston [Houston Business Journal ($)]
• Working to Revive Fifth Ward’s Lyons Ave. Through Community Gardens, Home Renovations, Lot Cleanup [KUHF]
• 4 Believable Houston Stories in Latest Book from ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not!’ [Hair Balls]
• State Fair of Texas’s Art Deco Roots Explored in New Book [Houston Chronicle]
• How To Get a Free EZ Tag for Houston’s Tollways [Click2Houston]

Photo of Mecom Fountain: elnina999 via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Downtown Management District, Subway Last Tenants To Leave Americana Building in Advance of Remodeling [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Sneak Peek at Burger Guys’ Downtown Location in Former Korma Sutra Spot [Eater Houston]
• Planning Group Names Buffalo Bayou a ‘Great Public Space’ for Design, Amenities, Public Art, Restoration Efforts [Houston Chronicle]
• Replacement Apartment Complex at Law and Bissonnet Will Be Named ‘Allusion West University’ [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Near Northside Residents, Businesses Complain Light Rail Line Driving Up Property Taxes [The Isiah Factor]
• West U Begins New Parking Etiquette Program This Month [InstantNewsWestU.com]
• Where All Those Cars Along Harborside Dr. near Port of Galveston Docks Are Going [Galveston County Daily News]
• Houston Blues Museum Campaigning for Permanent Home [Rocks Off]

Photo of Buffalo Bayou: Flickr user Roy Luck [license]

• FBI Investigating Improvement District’s Connection to Proposed New Caney Dinosaur Theme Park [The Tribune; previously on Swamplot]
• Ric Campo: We Will See Mixed-Use Developments Downtown — But Not Now [Houston Business Journal]
• Ziegler Cooper Architects Designing Its Own Lofty Office Space in Downtown’s Bank of America Center [Prime Property]
• New Antique Mall Set To Open in Downtown Conroe Next Month [Courier of Montgomery County]
• Berryhill Baja Grill Returns to Push-Cart Roots with Food Truck [Eating Our Words]
• Galveston Planning Commission Approves Revised Noise Ordinance [Galveston County Daily News]
• Bad Roads Cost Houston Drivers $1,900 Each Year, Finds Report [Houston Chronicle]
• Heights’ Nightmare on the Bayou Named 13th Best Haunted House by HauntWorld Magazine [Houston Business Journal]
• Houston Ranks Among Top Cities for College Students [AIER via Houston Business Journal]
• Houston Residents ‘Incredibly Optimistic’ About Its Economy, Finds Study [Houston Chronicle]
• More of R. Allen Stanford’s Empire To Be Auctioned This Saturday [abc13; Q&A; slideshow here]

Photo of the Strand, Galveston: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Heights Leads Inner Loop Rent Hikes with 17% Increase Over Last Year [KHOU]
• Hanover To Demolish Bissonnet Village Apartments Near Bissonnet and Kirby Next Month To Begin Work on 5-Story Complex [Houston Chronicle]
• Third Texas City Tex-Mex Restaurant Closes This Year with Shuttering of Cabos Grill [Galveston County Daily News]
• Moody Gardens Golf Course Has Yet To Pay City Since Reopening in 2008 [Galveston County Daily News]
• Santa Fe Couple Plans To Sue Galveston County Over Landfill Leakage [Houston Chronicle]
• South Houston Man Fighting $9,000 City Water Bill [KHOU]
• Cleveland Raises Property Tax Rate, Blaming Spike in Debt Service, Declining Property Values [Cleveland Advocate]

Photo of IAH construction: Candace Garcia via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Planning Commission OKs 9-Story Hotel on the Seawall [Galveston County Daily News]
• Galveston City Council Approves Public Housing Plan Just 1 Hour Before Federal Deadline [Houston Chronicle]
• Skanska Begins $35M in Renovations to HCC’s San Jacinto Building [Houston Business Journal]
• H-E-B To Open Stores in Cypress, Jersey Village along U.S. 290 This Fall [Prime Property]
• Calling Houston ‘Under-pizza-ed,’ Reginelli’s Pizza Chain To Open First Location in Memorial [29-95.com]
• New Highway Segment Loops Traffic Around Downtown Cleveland [KUHF]
• How Power Outages Like TPC’s Last Week Near Park Place Subdivision Increase Refinery Pollution [StateImpact Texas]
• Tourism Officials Looking for More Effective Ways To Deal with Seaweed, Erosion [Galveston County Daily News]
• Number of West Nile Virus-Infected Mosquitoes Down in Past 2 Weeks [KUHF]
• Abandoned Sections of Original Brays Bayou in the Middle of Texas Medical Center [HAIF]
• Ship Channel View Marks Houston Landscape’s First Appearance on a Stamp [KUHF]

Photo of 321 W. 23rd St. demo: Swamplot inbox