Headlines

• SmartAsset Names Houston Among the Top Cities for First-Time Homebuyers [Houston Chronicle]
• 11-Story Anadarko Tower in The Woodlands Imploded on Sunday [abc13]
• America’s Retailers Are Closing Stores Faster Than Ever [Bloomberg]
• Industry Experts Predict Houston Restaurant Closures Will Continue Throughout the Year [Houston Chronicle]
• Red Ox Bar & Grill Near Northside Closing April 15 After 3 Years [Culturemap]
• TCISD To Demolish Remaining Vacant La Marque Schools [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Recommended Guidelines for Building in the Heights Historic Districts Unveiled [The Leader]
• Houston BCycle To Expand to 104 Stations with More Than 900 Bikes by the End of Next Year [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• Video: The View from Market Square Tower’s 40-Story-High Swimming Pool [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Tour the Houston Ship Channel Without All the Toxic Details [OffCite Blog; previously on Swamplot]
• Hacking Blamed for All 156 of Dallas’s Emergency Sirens Going Off Early Saturday [Dallas News; more here]

Photo: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Kemah City Council Commits $1.1M to Downtown Renovation [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• $10M Renovation to Galleria-Area Building 5718 Westheimer To Include 2-Acre Green Space [Realty News Report]
• Kroger Marketplace Has Opened in the Valley Ranch Town Center [HBJ]
• 7-Eleven Coming Back to Houston Through $3.3B Deal with Sunoco [HBJ]
• Millennials Fare Financially Better in Texas Than Most Americans, Finds JLL Report [Culturemap]
• A Sort-Of Fond Farewell to the Old Houston Chronicle Building, Now Gone for Good [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Part of U.S. 290 HOV Lane Will Close Starting Friday for Construction [Houston Public Media]
• In Defense of the Urban Freeway [Urban Edge]

Photo of the San Jacinto Monument: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Stonelake Capital Partners Developing Luxury Retail Center in Uptown [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Saw a 3.6% Annual Drop in Rents in the Fourth Quarter, Finds John Burns Real Estate Consulting [Houston Chronicle]
• Capitol Tower Could Be Finished with ‘Core and Shell’ Construction in 18 Months [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• First Tenant Sets Move-In Date for Downtown’s 609 Main [HBJ ($)]
• More Dense Development Could Be in the Works for Chevron Campus in Bellaire [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• Bills Targeting Houston-Dallas Bullet Train Pass Texas Senate Committee [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• 14 Houston-Area Stores Closing as Part of Payless Shoesource’s Bankruptcy Process [HBJ]
• Theory Opening Second Houston Location in May at the River Oaks District [HBJ]
• Downtown Subterranean Food Hall and Beer Garden Conservatory Getting New Vendors [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Lubbock-Based Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant First Houston-Area Restaurant Lands in Katy Next Month [Eater Houston]
• Salata Opening 29th and 30th Houston-Area Locations This Week [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston’s Solar Use Lags Behind San Antonio, Austin, Finds Environment Texas Report [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Lynn Park: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Office Space Vacancy Rose for 9th Consecutive Quarter, to 20.9%, Finds JLL [Houston Public Media]
• CenterPoint Plans To Boost Transmission Infrastructure, Petrochem Industry, To Meet Growing Power Demands in Freeport [HBJ]
• Former Venterra Realty President Launches Houston-Based Hilltop Residential [HBJ]
• Austin’s Tacodeli Opening April 11 at 1902 Washington [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• King’s Biergarten To Debut Second Houston-Area Location on T.C. Jester This Month [The Leader; previously on Swamplot]
• Architect Group ByDesign Shares Ideas for Houston, from Hyperloop Lines to Empty Surface Lot Uses [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Thai Cottage Bellaire: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Dallas-Based Performance Properties Makes First Houston Apartment Acquisition [Houston Chronicle]
• Transwestern Tapped To Lease Energy Corridor Office Building One Park 10 [Houston Chronicle]
• Fashion Retailer Bebe To Close All 4 Houston-Area Stores [Houston Chronicle]
• Upscale Uptown Park Tex-Mex Restaurant Anejo Has Closed After 2 Years [Culturemap]
• A Third Halal Guys Planned for Houston with Westchase District Location [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Dallas and Austin Restaurants, Confirmed or Rumored, Coming to Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• Project To Turn Gravel Lot by Avondale into Park Awarded $1M Grant [Houston Public Media]
• Texas Senator Announces Plan for Managing the Maintenance and Operations of the Ike Dike [Galveston County Daily News ($); previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Uptown: Jan Buchholtz via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Prologis Picks Up 4 Distribution Warehouses Totaling 809,196 SF in West by Northwest Industrial Park [Houston Chronicle]
• Where Houston’s Rising Retail Market Is Gaining the Most Traction [HBJ]
• Why Are Grocers Gobbling Up Houston Real Estate? [Food Dive]
• The Sportsy Features Designed To Highlight the 500 Crawford Apartments’ Proximity to Minute Maid Park [Realty News Report]
• More on Bethany United Methodist Church’s Proposal To Build a Senior Apartment Complex in Its Parking Lot [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Co-Working Space TechSpace Opening New Westchase Location This Month [Commercial Property Executive]
• BHGRE Gary Greene Inks Lease in River Oaks Collection [Houston Chronicle]
• Opinion: Plans for Proposed UT Houston Data Science Center Should Be Reconsidered [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• The Attempt To Bring Super Neighborhood 15, Covering Greater Heights, Back to Life [The Leader]
• How Texas Ranks Among the Most Innovative States, According to WalletHub [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Spire Houston: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Hines Buys Underwood Distribution Center in LaPort, Rebrands It Independence Logistics Park [Houston Chronicle]
• Downtown’s Nearly Empty 500 Jefferson Office Building Trades Hands [HBJ ($)]
• Value of Houston Construction Starts Rose 17% Year-Over-Year in February, Finds Dodge Data & Analytics [Houston Chronicle]
• Castex Energy Leases Office Space at Downtown’s Three Allen Center [CoStar]
• You Can Rent That Alexan Heights House Where a Skeleton Was Found for $1,600 a Month [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• What Could Houston Roads, Parks, And Buildings Look Like in the Future? [Houston Public Media]
• Safety of Drinking Water in Alief a Growing Concern [Click2Houston]

Photo of Miller Outdoor Theater: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Amazon Announces Plans To Open 1M-SF Distribution Center in Katy [HBJ]
• Woodbine Development Corp. Breaks Ground on Marriott CityPlace in Springwoods Village [Houston Chronicle]
• Median Monthly Rent for 1-Bedroom Houston Home in the First Quarter was $1,210, Finds Zumper [Houston Chronicle]
• Galveston Hotels Raked in Nearly $8M During Spring Break [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Michelin-Starred Teahouse Yauatcha Lands in the Galleria [Eater Houston]
• Austin-Based Gelato Shop Dolce Neve Opening First Houston Location Today in the Heights [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]
• UT’s Abandoned Houston Land Deal Might Have Housed Data Science Center [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Astros Host Grand Opening of Minute Maid Park’s Renovated Center Field [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• TxDOT To Start Tearing Down the Elysian Viaduct Next Week [Houston Public Media]
• City Extends Civility Ordinance to South Post Oak Neighborhood [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Kirby Grove: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Hopdoddy Burger Bar Opening Third Houston Store, Located at Vintage Park Shopping Center, on April 25 [Houston Chronicle]
• Midtown’s Cali Sandwich To Close Today, Move Across the Street to Former Crave Sushi Space [Houston Press]
• Ike Dike Gets Support of Texas Senate [Houston Chronicle]
• League City To Pitch in $1M to Build Hike-and-Bike Trails [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Energy Corridor Office Building Energy Crossing II Goes Platinum on Efficiency [Houston Chronicle]
• Slideshow: What Some of Houston’s Landmarks Looked Like While Under Construction [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston the Second-Most Unhappy City in Texas, According to WalletHub Study [HBJ]

Photo of Levy Park: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston’s Construction Industry Tackles Labor Shortage [Houston Public Media]
• Sawyer St. Area Emerges as “Creative Hub” for Houston [Click2Houston]
• Houston Music Landmark in the Fifth Ward That Recently Housed the Charity Baptist Church Razed [Houston Chronicle]
• Greystar Starts Preleasing “Active Adult” Apartment Community Overture Tanglewood [HBJ]
• These Amenities Don’t Bring in Higher Apartment Rents in Houston [HBJ ($)]
• BHGRE Gary Greene Houston Top Sales Office Nationwide for Franchise [Houston Chronicle]
• Braun Enterprises to Lease Out 18th Street Pizza Hut To New Restaurant [Houston Chronicle]
• Fire at Big Daddy’s BBQ in State Highway 6 Strip Mall Caused by ‘G’ in Marquee Sign [Houston Chronicle]
• Sneak Peek at Next Month’s Heights Association 2017 Spring Home & Garden Tour [HBJ]
• Half-Hour Documentary on YouTube Takes a Look Back at AstroWorld Through Historical Footage, Pictures [Houston Press]

Photo of Lynn Park: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Developers Delivered 1,555 New Apartment Units Downtown in 2016, Finds Central Houston Report [HBJ]
• Inside the Renovation of the 107-Year-Old Star Bottling Works, AKA Warrant Building, in the Warehouse District [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• 8-Acre Public Garden with Restaurant, Event Space To Break Ground Next Month in Cypress [HBJ]
• East Downtown Restaurant Nancy’s Hustle Opening This Fall at 2704 Polk [HBJ]
• Houston’s Noisiest Areas, as Mapped by the Department of Transportation [Houston Chronicle]
• The Latest on the Artist Drawing Heights-Area Houses [The Leader; previously on Swamplot]
• Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar in the Heights Reopens Under New Ownership [The Leader]

Photo of shuttered Macy’s at Northwest Mall: Brent Oldbury via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Zillow: Houston Home Values Up 4.5% Year-Over-Year in February to $175,200 [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Rent Growth Hottest in Jacinto City, Cloverleaf, Channelview, Pearland, Inwood [Bisnow]
• Houston Had Record Number of Visitors in 2016 with 20.5M People [Houston Public Media]
• Senior Living Facility Houston Heights Tower Has Completed $12M Renovation [Realty News Report]
• Can ‘Stilts’ Make a Comeback in the Inner Loop? [Realty News Report]
• Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital To Open This Month [HBJ]
• Five Houston Post Offices Off Chopping Block, Energy Corridor Facility Still Under Review [Houston Chronicle]
• Unlicensed Club and  Possible Crimescene Club Life in Midtown Shuttered by Harris County [Houston Press]
• House of Pies Opening a Third Houston Location on the South Side [Houston Chronicle]
• Downtown Food Hall Conservatory Replaces Ramen Shop Samurai Noodle with Poke Concept Moku Bar [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Metro’s $13M Dispute with Light Rail Train Builder Continues [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Local Artists Depict Pearland’s Historic Landmarks in New Mural [abc13]

Photo: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Chase To Keep Some of Its Property near Heights Waterworks for New Branch Building [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Targa Resources Signs Major Lease Across 4 Floors at 811 Louisiana Downtown [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• Johnson Downie To Move from BG Group Place to 609 Main [HBJ]
• Photos: Cranes Over Houston, March 2017 Edition [Houston Streetwise]
• Slideshow: Tour Hines’ Luxury Apartment Tower The Southmore in the Museum District [HBJ]
• Sushi Burrito Restaurant U’Maki Opening at Vintage Market Plaza Next Month [Houston Chronicle]
• City Council Passes New Bike Plan [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Galveston Officials Lay Out Plans for Trolley-Like Buses [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Houston Named a Top City for Millennial Homebuyers by Realtor.com [Culturemap]
• 3 Off-the-Radar Things To Do in Houston [Houstonia]

Photo of Spring Branch: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Single-Family Home Permits in Houston Totaled $387M in February, Down 17% from Year Earlier [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Rent Growth Down 3.3% in February, Finds Axiometrics [Houston Chronicle]
• Baker Katz Acquires 2 Acres Near Baybrook Mall to Develop 2 New Restaurants [Houston Chronicle]
• 67-Year-Old Bellaire Town Center To Be Redeveloped, Expanded [Realty News Report]
• More on That Experimental-Target-Anchored Retail Center Next to the Grand Parkway in Aliana [HBJ]
• The Benefits of Class B and C Office Buildings [Bisnow]
• Texas City Amusement Park Adventure Pointe Moves Forward with Construction Plans [HBJ]
• Nanobrewery 160ft Beerworks Opening Downtown on April 1 [HBJ]
• The Ivy & James Set To Open May 1 in Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire [Houston Chronicle]
• Neighbors of White Oak Music Hall Ask City for List of Investors in the Venue [Click2Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• How Much Houston Families Save By Living in the Suburbs [Culturemap]

Photo: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Crane Pops Up at Construction Site of Skansa’s Delayed Capitol Tower Downtown [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Housing Authority Breaks Ground on Mixed-Income Complex in Independence Heights [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Topped Nation in Housing Permits Authorized Between 2010 and 2016, Based on Census Bureau Data [Forbes]
• Houston Apartment Market Ranked the Riskiest Nationally for Multifamily Investors by MPF Research [HBJ]
• New Target Store Prototype To Debut near Richmond in October [Houston Chronicle]
• King’s BierHaus To Open in the Heights Next Month [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Report: Houston Has Lowest Number of Farmer’s Markets Per Capita Compared to Austin, Dallas, San Antonio [HBJ]
• How Drones Are Used in Houston’s Oil and Gas Industry [Click2Houston]
• In a City Where Bigger Is Better, Can Houston Build a Startup Scene? [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Hotel Boom in Dallas, Houston, and Austin Driven by Corporate Relocation, Population Growth [New York Times ($)]

Photo of Bellaire: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool