Headlines

• City Recommends Alternate Routes, Parking Locations, Public Transit Options To Limit Rodeo Traffic [Houston Chronicle]
• Wood Partners Begins Construction of Apartments Next to Woodlake Square Shopping Center in Westchase [Houston Business Journal]
• Skanska Acquires Old Arco Building in Energy Corridor, Will Replace with Office Space [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Landry’s Rumored To Have Bought Last Bowling Alley in Galveston [Galveston County Daily News]
• More Mosquitoes Than Normal Thanks To Wet, Warm Winter [Click2Houston]
• Dozens of Giant Rodents Hanging Around Pasadena Apartment Complex [KHOU]
• City Council Poised To Vote on 13 Percent Rate Increase for Taxi Services This Wednesday [KUHF News]
• Developer ‘Likely’ To Abandon Planned Affordable Housing Complex off FM 1488 in Westwood After Community Opposition [Magnolia Potpourri]
• The Best Finds from Jason Smith’s Houston Modern Architecture Tour [Art Attack]
• Corps Seeking Ideas on Hurricane Damage Reduction, Flood Risk Management at Upcoming Public Workshops [Galveston County Daily News]
• TransCanada Breaks Up Keystone XL Pipeline, Will Build Southern Leg First [Reuters]

Photo of I-10 and Sam Houston Tollway: Cory Borealis via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Court Sides with Ranch Landowners in Von Ormy Water Rights Case [Houston Chronicle]
• Three Office Buildings Considered for The Woodlands [Houston Business Journal]
• Woodlands Real Estate Conference Celebrates Woodlands Real Estate [Culturemap]
• Houston Management Districts Valued in Billions [Houston Business Journal]
• Judge Lifts Order Blocking Segment of TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline, Trial Set for April 30 [Click2Houston]
• ‘Complete Streets’ Plan Aims to Make Navigation More Pedestrian, Bike Friendly [Culturemap]
• City Begins Repairs to Southeast Houston Homes Damaged by ‘Fecal Fountains’ [KHOU]
• Seabrook Lifts Water Restrictions [Bay Area Citizen]
• February Rains Help Replenish Brazos River Basin Reservoirs [Galveston County Daily News]
• After Nearly Reaching Pumping Cap Last Summer, League City Considers Alternative Water Sources [Galveston County Daily News]
• Real Estate Agents Are Dinosaurs, Says Houston Real Estate Broker [Wall Street Journal]
• Houston One of 25 Cities in ‘Homeowners Assurance Program’ [KUHF]
• Slideshow of Houston’s Most Expensive Homes for Sale [Prime Property]

Photo of Eastex Fwy. near Deerbrook Mall: Eric Prado [license]

• Last P.H. Robinson Power Plant Tower in Texas City To Come Down Today [Galveston County Daily News]
• Southeast Houston Homes Get Sewage Shower During City Street Work [KHOU]
• The Tank Explosion Heard Across Galveston [Galveston County Daily News]
• Houston Drought Recovery Faster Than Expected [KUHF News]
• Dynamo Stadium Gets Orange Glow as Seats Installed, Walls Painted [KUHF News]
• Texas Parks Department Now Accepting Applications for Gator Hunters [Hair Balls]
• Fulshear Creek Crossing Bottles First Vintage from Community Vineyard [Prime Property]
• Dozen Bronze Animals Heads Coming to Hermann Park [Woodlands Online]
• Deer Invade Adjacent Homes in Atascocita Forest [Humble Observer]
• Houston Modern Market Preview [Culturemap]

Photo of Salt Grass Trail riders on Groschke Rd., Katy: Alan Warren/Sugar Land Sun

• City Council Votes To Use $3.5 Million in Affordable Housing Funds To Demolish Hundreds of Homes [abc13]
• West U Postpones Town Center Rezoning ‘Indefinitely’ [West University Examiner]
• Three New Home-Based Bakeries in Houston [Eating Our Words]
• Sherry’s Busy Bee Cafe in Santa Fe Closes after 77 Years [Galveston County Daily News]
• Harris County Official Snared by CityCentre Parking Trap, Accused of Assaulting Tow Lot Employee [abc13]
• Employees Have No Idea Why Fuzzy’s Taco Shop in Jersey Village Closed [Cypress Today]
• Resale Shop Finds in an Isabella Court Living Room [Culturemap]
• Houston One of the Youngest Cities in the Country [Houston Business Journal]

Photo taken near St. Charles St.: Christopher Newsom [license] via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Preview of Victorian-Style Home and Brewpub off Eastex Fwy. [Eating Our Words; previously on Swamplot]
• No Preservation Plan for Historic Chicano Mural in Planned Renovation of UH University Center [Art Attack]
• Rosenberg Fire Dept. To Discontinue Service for Residents Outside of City [abc13]
• City Hall Farmers Market Returns Today [Eating Our Words]
• HAR Monthly Numbers Look Good [Prime Property]
• ‘Complete Streets’ Advocate Conducts ‘Walkability Audit’ of Navigation Blvd. [KHOU]
• HCAD Projects 2.26 Percent Increase in Tax Rolls This Year [River Oaks Examiner}
• Survey Ranks Houston Sixth-Favorite City of the Ultra-Wealthy [TM Daily Post]

Photo of Sam Houston Tollway overpass: Andres Lombana [license]

• Don’t Walk Over the Line: Towing War Between CityCentre and Town and Country Village Shopping Centers [abc13]
• Photo Shows Construction Progress on Fertitta’s Galveston Pleasure Pier [Hair Balls; previously on Swamplot]
• Molzan Closes Original Ruggles Grill [Prime Property]
• Plensa Sculpture Installed at Rice [Art Attack; time-lapse video]
• Video Shows Memorial City Mall Shoppers Walking by in Background as Burglars Smash Up Jewelry Store [Click2Houston]
• Houston Audubon Refilling High Island Pond with 18.5M Gallons of Water To Attract Migratory Birds [Houston Chronicle]
• More Texas Cities Consider Bans on Plastic Grocery Bags [Eating Our Words]
• Karolyis’ 2,000-Acre Gymnastics Compound in Huntsville [USA Today]
• TransCanada’s Controversial Use of Land Condemnation Powers To Secure Texas Land for Keystone Pipeline [Texas Tribune]

Photo of IAH Terminalink: Alan Cordova

• Westheimer Bistro Is Latest Houston Eatery To Derugglefy [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Chronicling Modern Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Gulf Fwy. Passenger-or-Pay Lanes Begin Collecting Tolls [Houston Chronicle]
• Remade as National Guard and Reserve HQ, Ellington Field May Survive Pentagon Cuts [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Will Be Drinking Dallas Toilet Water for Years To Come [KHOU 11 News]
• Relatives of Victim Sue Texas City Senior Living Apartments After Fatal Fire [Galveston County Daily News]
• After Six Years, the Last FEMA Trailer Rolls Out of Louisiana [Curbed]

Photo of Main St. Downtown: Candace Garcia

• On Getting Towed in Montrose and the Houston Parking ‘Crisis’ [Eating Our Words]
• Heights Kids Group Petitions Mayor for Traffic-Calming Measures for Safer Walking, Biking [Home in the Heights]
• Downtown Katy Freeway-I-45 Ramp Reopens Ahead of Schedule [abc13]
• Bats Found Near Fort Bend County Elementary School [abc13]
• Noodle House Award-Winning Instagram Photos of Houston [Culturemap]
• Mitchell Historic Properties To Buy and Renovate Produce Wholesaler Building on Galveston’s Strand [Galveston County Daily News]
• City of Seabrook Slowly Phases In New Sailboat Logo [Bay Area Citizen]
• Can a Font Help a City Make a Comeback? [Good]
• Building Taller in Austin [Atlantic Cities]

Photo of the Houston Ship Channel: Louis Vest [license]

• Developer of Disney-Like EarthQuest Theme Park in New Caney Files for Chapter 11; County Improvement District Buys Plans for $7.5M [Houston Chronicle]
• State Farm Drops 11,000 Homeowners in 5 Coastal East Texas Counties [Houston Chronicle]
• Price Too High, League City Council Votes To Use Eminent Domain To Acquire Century-Old Compton Oak [Galveston County Daily News]
• Lawsuit by Former Owners of Memorial Dr. Otto’s Bar B Que Now Names Finger, 9 Withheld Offers [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• CenterPoint Energy Breaks Ground on New East End Facility [Houston Business Journal]
• Third Houston-Area Main Event Complex Opening Near Katy Mills Mall [Houston Business Journal]
• Park Board Renews Interest in RV Park on Pelican Island [Galveston County Daily News]
• FEMA Awards Nearly $1M to Repair Galveston Library Damaged in Ike [Houston Business Journal]
• Study Finds Texas Drought Likely Killed More Than 5.6 Million Urban Trees [State Impact]
• 1.35 Mile Loop Connecting Buffalo, Brays Trail Systems Breaks Ground [Memorial Examiner]
• Houston Modern Market Founder Designs Weaponry Gear, Clothing, Teaches Self Defense [Culturemap]
• Rec Rooms, Fewer Cubicles in New Houston Workspaces [Houston Chronicle]
• Atlanta Huts-for-the-Homeless Program Promoted by Houston Councilmember Eschews Permitting, Building Codes [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]

Baybrook Mall water tower: Mike Fisher [license]

• Dallas Developer Wants $14M from Houston To Turn Texaco Building at Rusk and Fannin into High-End Apartments [Prime Property]
• Miami Firm Buys 2200 West Loop South Office Building [Houston Business Journal]
• Private Equity Firm Purchases DoubleTree Suites in Galleria [Houston Business Journal]
• City Council May Vote on Auto Repair Shop Ordinance Today [abc13]
• League City Residents Put Red-Light Camera Decision on November Ballot [Galveston County Daily News]
• Dead Trees Remain a Threat to Power Lines [Cleveland Advocate]
• Galveston Group Selling Commemorative Hurricane Ike High-Water Markers for $125 [Galveston County Daily News]
• Movies Return to Downtown’s Majestic Metro [Culturemap]
• Next Meeting To Discuss 13-County Regional Plan Thursday in Dayton [Cleveland Advocate]

Photo of North Line construction: Transit Nerds [license]

• After 4 Months, Mayor Closes Tranquility Park, All City Property to Occupy Houston Protestors [Houston Chronicle]
• City, County To Negotiate Reliant Park $353K Drainage Fee [Houston Politics]
• Montrose ‘Doggie Door’ Burglary Suspect Pleads Guilty, Gets 6 Years [KHOU; previously on Swamplot]
• Dominique Sachse Tours Spences’ 18-Bath, 9-Kitchen Woodlands Home, on Sale for Just $19M [Click2Houston]
• $120M in High-End, Gated Homes Planned In and Around the Loop [Houston Business Journal via Houston Agent Magazine]
• Zillow ‘Zestimates’ Way Off for Houston Housing Market [Prime Property]
• Houston Ranks Low Nationally, High in Texas on Use of Public Transit [Houston Business Journal]
• First Drought, Now Southern Pine Beetles Killing Memorial Park Trees [Click2Houston]
• Pearland Officials, Developers Excited About New Sam’s Club, Health Care HQ [CoStar Group]
• Some Judges Want Historic, ‘Insensitive’ Murals Removed from Federal Courthouse [Hair Balls via The Great God Pan Is Dead]
• Walkthrough Tour of Taniguchi-Designed Asia Society Texas Center [Architangent; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Asia Society Texas Center north gallery: Architangent

• Metro’s First Toll HOV Lanes Open Today on Gulf Freeway Between Dixie Farm and Dowling [Houston Chronicle]
• Developer Seeking City Approvals To Build 20-Story Apartment Building in Galveston’s East End [Galveston County Daily News]
• 59 Artificial Oyster Reef Domes Placed in Galveston Bay [Bay Area Citizen]
• Comcast Debuting New ‘Apple-Like’ Xfinity Store in Katy [Culturemap]
• Student Competition Offering $50K Prize for Design That Preserves 1962 Downtown Post Office [Houston Chronicle]
• Heat, Commuting Blamed as Houston Once Again Named Fattest City by Men’s Fitness [mySA.com via Newswatch]
• Synchronized, Corporate-Approved Flash Mobs Break Out Across Houston H-E-B Stores [Click2Houston]
• State Report: Drought May Prove Devastating to Texas Economy [Bay Area Citizen]
• A History of Hobby Airport’s $270M Renovations [Airport World]

Photo of Museum District and Med Center: Candace Garcia

• Half of Harris County Now Only In ‘Moderate’ Drought [Houston Chronicle]
• Texas Homeowners To Get $287M Share of Landmark $26B Foreclosure Settlement [Houston Business Journal]
• Conserve, or Expect More Power Outages This Summer in Texas [San Antonio Express-News]
• Group of Oak Park Trails Residents Protesting Proposed Katy Aldi Store [Prime Property]
• $18M Midtown Project To Include 192 Units of Housing, Support Services for Homeless Vets [Hair Balls]
• Council Member’s River Oaks Home Gets Historic Landmark Status, Could Qualify for Tax Break [Houston Politics]
• Average Clear Lake Water Bill Now 44 Percent Higher [KHOU]
• City Wants Your Input on Urban Zone Expansion Proposal at Upcoming Townhalls [KUHF; previously on Swamplot]
• Bill To Rename Gulf of Mexico ‘Gulf of America’ Was Meant as Joke, Mississippi Lawmaker Says [Click2Houston]
• Black Lace Teddy Photo Brings Pittsburgh Condo Listing National Attention [Curbed]

Photo of police memorial, Buffalo Bayou Park: Thomas Hawk [license]

• Downtown Skyscraper 1000 Main Sold for $340M [Prime Property]
• TxDOT Accelerates 3 More Segments of Grand Parkway, Plans To Break Ground Early Next Year [TxDOT]
• HCAD Appraiser: Commercial Property Values Rose Last Year, Residential Values Mostly Flat [KUHF]
• Erosion Response Plan, Prohibiting Construction in Designated Dune Conservation Areas, Moves to Galveston City Council for Vote [Galveston County Daily News]
• Downtown Katy Freeway-I-45 Ramp To Be Closed for 10 Days Starting Friday [Houston Chronicle]
• Bat Colony Takes Up Residence at Humble High School [Click2Houston]
• League City Taking Bids To Move 51-inch Compton Oak [Galveston County Daily News]
• New Marker Marks 50th Anniversary of Texas Historical Marker Program [Cleveland Advocate]

Photo of Late Nite Pie after yesterday’s fire: Candace Garcia

• Energy Industry Boom Helps Boost Houston’s Commercial Real Estate Market [New York Times]
• Aldi Grocery Store Coming to Mason Road at Oak Park Trails [Prime Property]
• Montrose Blvd. Campanile Office Buildings Sold [Houston Business Journal]
• Fashion Designer Billy Reid Leaving Galleria for Bungalow Next to Chuy’s [Culturemap]
• Memorial City Mall To Get South Texas’s First American Girl Store [Culturemap]
• System Glitch Gives Texas City Resident $637K Water Bill [Houston Chronicle]
• Fire Damages Late Nite Pie on Tuam at Baldwin in Midtown [Houston Chronicle]
• Image of Virgin Mary in Garden Oaks Resident’s Tree Becomes Spiritual Attraction [Click2Houston]
• City of Houston Remains Top Purchaser of Green Energy Nationwide [KUHF]
• Slide Show of Greater Houston Preservation Alliance Good Brick Award Winners [Culturemap]
• U.S. Closer Than Ever to Achieving Energy Self-Sufficiency [Fuel Fix]

Photo: MyFox Houston