Headlines

• Colliers: Houston Office Vacancy Rate Hits 18.5% in the First Quarter, Up from 15.3% Last Year [Realty News Report]
• Duke Realty Corp. Selling 6.6M-SF Medical Office Building Portfolio in Katy for $2.8B [Houston Chronicle]
• Greystar Opens Active-Adult Community Overture Sugar Land [HBJ]
• Kirby Collection Apartment Amenities To Include Bicycle Valet [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Fire-Damaged Cleburne Cafeteria To Reopen Later This Summer [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• 14K-SF Restaurant Smoke’n Honey House Slated To Open in Northeast Houston This Month [HBJ]
• Kindred Hospital Town and Country in West Houston To Close This Summer [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Freedmen’s Town Brick Reinstallation Suspended After Wrong Bricks Placed [Click2Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Kinder Houston Area Survey: Residents’ Preference for ‘Walkable Urbanism’ More Prevalent Than Ever [The Urban Edge]
• Kinder Houston Area Survey: Most Houstonians Would Stay in the City If Offered Chance To Leave [The Urban Edge]

Photo: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Whole Foods 365 Store in Garden Oaks Pushes Back Opening to 2018 [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• WeWork Signs Lease for About 86,000 SF of Co-Working Space at The Jones on Main Downtown [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Re/Max Inner Loop Opening a Location in the Heights [Houston Chronicle]
• Hundreds Attend Third Ward Event Aimed at Increasing African-American Home Ownership [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel’s Better Luck Tomorrow Quietly Opens in the Heights [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• City Reinstalls Damaged Freedmen’s Town Bricks in the Fourth Ward [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• The Future of Houston Traffic: How TxDOT’s I-45 Project Will Change Commuting Downtown [abc13; previously on Swamplot]

Photo: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Had Net Absorption Gain of 4,916 Apartments During First 3 Months of 2017, More Than 2016 Total, Finds Berkadia [Realty News Report]
• Two-Thirds of Houston-Area Neighborhoods Saw Sales Price Gains in 2016, Finds HAR Data [Houston Chronicle]
• Land Tejas Breaks Ground on Wedgewood Forest Community in Conroe [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Slowly, Confidence Is Returning to Houston’s Office Market [Realty News Report]
• JLL: 76 Branch Banks Closed in Houston from 2010 to 2016 [Realty News Report]
• Contested West End Property To Stay Residential, Galveston Council Decides [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Dish Society Opening Fourth Houston-Area Location in Heights Central Station [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Post Yauatcha, Hakkasan Group Eyes Future Growth in Houston [HBJ ($); previously on Swamplot]
• California Chain Black Bear Diner Opening First Texas Location Next Year in Katy [Houston Chronicle]
• ExxonMobil Ordered To Pay $20M for Air Pollution at Baytown Complex [The Texas Tribune; previously on Swamplot]
• The Worst Roads in Houston, Based on Factors Like Cracking and Roughness [KHOU]
• New Project To Add Mosaics to Houston Bridges Connecting Downtown and Midtown with EaDo and the Third Ward [Click2Houston]

Photo of I-10: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Growth Slowing in Houston’s Industrial Real Estate Market, Shows Latest Colliers Report [Houston Chronicle]
• New Houston Homes on the Market an Average of 134.7 Days in March, Finds HomesUSA.com New Homes Sales Index [Houston Chronicle]
• Coventry Homes Introduces Houses with Showers for Both Humans and Pets in Veranda Community [Houston Chronicle]
• Inside Shipping Container Apartment Complex Cube Square in Huntsville [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• UT Football Coach Tom Herman’s Bellaire Home on the Market for $2M [abc13]
• What Homebuyers Are Looking for in Houston, According to Bank of America Survey [HBJ ($)]
• H-E-B Grocery Store Opens Along Grand Pkwy. Near Tomball [HBJ]
• Outback Steakhouse Opening New Locations in Katy and Pasadena Next Spring [Houston Chronicle]
• Long-Delayed Retrospect Coffee Bar Opening in City Historic Landmark Gas Station in Midtown Next Month [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Housing Authority To Rescind 900 Vouchers, Stop Issuing New Ones To Close Projected Federal Budget Gap [Houston Chronicle]
• Texas House Bill Would Crack Down on Employers Who Provide Inadequate or Unlicensed Housing to Farmworkers [The Texas Observer]

Photo of Meyerland: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Parkway Sold Off 49% Stake in Its Greenway Office Portfolio for $512M [Realty News Report]
• Site Work Begins on Amazon Distribution Center in Katy [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• Penthouse at The Houstonian Estates on the Market for $3.9M [HBJ]
• David Weekley Homes Plans New Homes for First-Time and Active-Adult Buyers in Houston [HBJ ($)]
• Discount Retailer Dirt Cheap Enters Houston Market [Houston Chronicle]
• New Orleans-Based Dat Dog Planning To Open up to 25 Locations in Houston [Culturemap]
• Seaside Poké To Open First Location in East Village Development Next Month, Second Location in the Works [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• 4 Ways Houston Can Become Less Economically Segregated [The Urban Edge]
• It’s Now Close to Impossible to Be Homeless in Houston Without Breaking the Law [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of The Station Museum: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Texas Leads Nation in Development of Warehouse, Flex, and Retail Space, Finds NAIOP [Realty News Report]
• Blighted Crestmont Village Apartments in South Acres Community Torn Down [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• NYC-Based Pokéworks Opening in Former WhichWich Space on Heights Blvd. [Culturemap]
• Greenway Plaza Food Court’s Kuma Burgers Now Known as burger-chan [Culturemap]
• Report: 20% of Galveston County Jobs Come from Maritime Industry [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Houston-Galveston Area Crashes Increased 62% from 2011-2015, Finds Regional Safety Report [abc13]
• Crane Tips Over During Removal of Circular Street Sign Hanging at Post Oak and Westheimer [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Public Values Gulf Oil Spill Damage at $17.2B, Finds 7th Anniversary Commemorative Study [Bloomberg News; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of the West Loop: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• SLS Properties  Picks Up Bellaire Atrium I and II Buildings [Houston Chronicle]
• Amid Store Closures, Investors Eyeing Houston’s Hurting Malls [HBJ ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Houston-Based Bel Furniture To Open New Showroom, Distribution Center in Transwestern’s West Ten Distribution Center [HBJ]
• Today’s Apartment Renters Want Smart Appliances, Package Dropoff Services, Find UH Researchers [Houston Chronicle]
• 5-Acre Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire Opening Tomorrow on Former Tea’s Nursery Site [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• TxDOT’s  Katy Fwy. Pavement Project To Provide Spring Valley Village Residents Some Noise Relief [Houston Public Media]

Photo of the University of St. Thomas: BOldbury via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• CBRE: Houston Commercial Real Estate Market ‘Slower But Not Sluggish’ [Houston Public Media]
• Warehouses the Hottest Niche in Houston’s Recovering Real Estate Market [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Whitestone REIT Plans To Buy Uptown-Area Mixed-Use Development Blvd Place, Build Additional Phase [Realty News Report]
• PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans To Add 9 Locations to Houston Area [HBJ]
• Agu Ramen Coming to Sugar Land Town Square in Next Few Months [Houston Chronicle]
• Katz’s Deli and Bar To Replace Katz’s Express in The Woodlands [Eater Houston]
• Metro Looks at How To Provide Buses Outside Its Service Area [Houston Public Media]
• The Woodlands the 6th Best City To Live in America in 2017, According to Data Site Niche [Houston Chronicle]
• American Lung Association Ranks Houston Among the Most Polluted Cities in the United States [Click2Houston]
• Residents Frustrated with Illegal Dumping in Northeast Houston Neighborhood [KHOU]
• Why Mosquito-Borne Illness Is Becoming More Common in Texas [New York Times; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of the Post Oak: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• 2 Buildings in Pineway Business Park in Northwest Houston Sold [Realty News Report]
• Austin-Based PPA Group Buys Citation North Apartment Homes in North Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Rate of New-Home Sales On Par with the National Average, Finds Meyers Research [Houston Chronicle]
• Sneak Peek Inside StreetLights Residential’s 17-Story Apartment Project The Ivy [HBJ]
• How Much You Need To Make To Live Comfortably in Houston [Culturemap]
• The Creek Group Opens Fifth Concept, Piggy’s Kitchen & Bar, in River Oaks Area [HBJ]
• Cherry Pie Hospitality To Debut New Seafood Restaurant Star Fish Any Day Now in the Heights [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Just How Much Money Do Bernadine’s and Hunky Dory Owe? [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]
• State Senate Approves Bill To Prohibit Bans on Short-Term Rentals in Texas Cities [Texas Tribune; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Jerry’s Artarama: Ruben S. via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Grand Central Park at Former Camp Strake Site in Conroe To Hold Grand Opening April 22 [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Where Houston Has East Coast Levels of Density [The Urban Edge]
• Service Industry Workers Getting Priced Out of Downtown Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Sugar Land Retail Center First Colony Commons Trades Hands [Realty News Report]
• Florida Investors Buy Humblewood Center Near Deerbrook Mall from Weingarten Realty [Houston Chronicle]
• Tradition Senior Living Planned on Buffalo Spdwy. To Feature 316 Units, Open in Late 2018 [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• H-E-B-Anchored Junction at Deer Park Adds New Retail Tenants [HBJ]
• Title Boxing Club Franchise To Add 7 to 10 Locations in Houston over the Next 3 Years [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston’s First Cat Cafe, El Gato Coffeehouse, To Debut at Some Point Next Month [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• New Orleans Steakhouse Doris Metropolitan To Take Over Former Triniti Space on S. Shepherd [Houston Chronicle]
• Scottsdale-Based Restaurant SumoMaya Opening in River Oaks This Summer [Eater Houston]
• How White Oak Music Hall Hit a Series of Flat Notes with Its Northside Neighbors [Houstonia]
• New 4-Lane Extension on Park Row Connects Energy Corridor Drivers to the Katy Freeway Managed Lanes [Houston Public Media]
• Video: How CoStar Surveys Houston to Update Its Database of Local Office Buildings, Shopping Centers, and Warehouses [Houston Chronicle]
• The Most Popular Landscaping Trends for 2017, According to Houzz [Culturemap]
• The Story Behind Beaver’s David Adickes-Designed Big Brown Beaver [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• At Rummy’s Beach Club, a Private 1-Acre Dog Park and Pool in Spring [Houstonia]
• East Montrose Home Tour and Art Walk This Saturday [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Confessions of a Houston Ghost Tour Guide [PaperCity Magazine]
• A Comic Book Character for Houston [Houstonia]
• Deal Over Trump-Branded Dallas Hotel is Dead [Dallas News]

Photo of the Sabine Street Bridge: BOldbury via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Home Foreclosure Rate 52% Below the Average Pre-Recession Rate, Finds ATTOM Data Solutions [Houston Chronicle]
• Concerns Rise About Downtown Houston’s Affordability During Urban Land Institute Conference [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• BHGRE Gary Greene To Move River Oaks Office To Larger Location 2 Blocks Away [Houston Chronicle]
• Red Wing Shoe Co. Has Relocated To Larger Building in Southwest Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Briargrove Staple La Vista Relocating to Former Pizza Hut in Lazybrook/Timbergrove [Culturemap]
• Florida-Based Ice Cream Chain Twistee Treat Aiming To Open 40 to 50 Houston Spots in the Next 5 Years [HBJ]
• Video: What It Was Like To Ride Astroworld’s Roller Coaster Greezed Lightnin’ [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Critical Mass March: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Skanska’s Capitol Tower Now Going Up, with Bank of America Confirmed as  Anchor [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Home Sales Up 11.7% Year-Over-Year in March, Finds HAR [Houston Chronicle]
• The Profile of an Average Texas Homebuyer, According to Texas Association of Realtors [HBJ ($)]
• Airbnb To Collect the 6% State Hotel Occupancy Tax Starting May 1 [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Buc-ee’s Building What Its Hails as the Largest Car Wash in the World in Katy [HBJ]
• Houston City Council Bans Panhandling, Public Encampments for the Homeless [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Jerry’s Artarama: Ruben S. via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Real Estate Folks See ‘Missed Opportunity’ in Cancelled UT Data Science Plan [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Influx Of Money Reshaping East Houston [Bisnow]
• Lennar Joins Lineup of Homebuilders in Humble Community The Groves [Houston Chronicle]
• Torchy’s Tacos To Open in Westchase Next Month [HBJ; previously on Swmaplot]
• Louie Mueller Barbecue Shifts from EaDo to Energy Corridor for Potential Houston Outpost [Culturemap]
• Houston Economy Continues Modest Growth with Latest Purchasing Managers Index Above Neutral [Houston Public Media]
• Houston Among the Top 10 Cities in the U.S. for Attracting Millennials, Finds Mover Mayflower [HBJ]
• Houston Still in the Dark on Chemical Stockpiles [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• More on the Texas Bill That Could Make It Easier To Demolish Historic Buildings [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Galveston Proposing Bus Service Cuts To Keep Island Transit Afloat [Houston Public Media]
• Former KHOU Anchor Lily Jang Going into Real Estate with Turner Mangum [HBJ]

Photo: Ruben S. via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• CBRE: Houston Office Market Vacancy Hits 22-Year High [Realty News Report]
• Helen in the Heights Opening Today in Recently Shuttered Arthur Ave Italian American [Houston Press]
• Dollar Express To Close All Nationwide Stores, Including 6 in Houston Area [HBJ]
• How Southwest Houston Apartment Complexes Are Accommodating Refugees [The Urban Edge]
• Why ‘Informal Housing’ Could Be on the Rise [The Urban Edge]
• Downtown District’s Art Blocks Public Art Program Extended To Remain on View at Main Street Square Through December [Houstonia; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Levy Park: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool