Headlines

• Williamsburg Enterprises Acquires Retail Center the Renaissance Center Near the Medical Center [Realty News Report]
• Levy Park Reopens After $15M Reconstruction [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Trampoline Company Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park Leases Pearland Space [HBJ]
• Irma’s Southwest Grill Opening New Location Across the Street from Original on Ground Floor of Catalyst Houston [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Dairy Queen Planning 15 More Houston Locations over the Next 5 Years [Houston Chronicle]
• River Oaks Restaurant Cafe Ginger Relocating Nearby, Opening Second in the Galleria Area [Culturemap]
• Ed Emmett Responds to Calls for Nonspecific NRG Stadium Renovations [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]
• Texas Builders Watch for Fallout of Immigration Crackdown on Building Workforce [Houston Chronicle]
• Ranking Houston’s Services, Quality of Life [The Urban Edge]
• Kinder Institute Enlisting Volunteers Who Regularly Bike, Walk, or Use Transit for Study on Near-Miss Incidents [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Levy Park: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Inside the Completed Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Photos: Sneak Peek Marquette’s Catalyst Luxury Apartments Under Construction Downtown [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Houstonians Need To Work 62.8 Hours Each Month to Afford Median Rent, Finds SmartAsset [Culturemap]
• Austin Bar Handlebar Planning Houston Location in Former GlassDoor Space on Wash Ave [Eater Houston]
• The Shoppes at Cinco Ranch Lands 3 New Tenants [Houston Chronicle]
• Austin-Based Twin Liquors Increasing Houston Presence with Planned Kingwood Location [HBJ]
• Old Bike Trail Along Sims Bayou Getting Refurbished [Houston Public Media]
• City Signs Another Contract To Start Getting Solar Power from West Texas Solaire Holman Plant, This Time in April [Houston Chronicle]
• Dickinson Bayou Still Has Unhealthy Levels of Bacteria [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Selfie-Stick Wielding YouTubers Sneak into Market Square Tower’s Cantilevered Rooftop Pool [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Shortcuts for Getting to the Galleria, Downtown, Hobby Airport, and Medical Center [abc13]
• Remembering Playland Park and Other Old Houston and Texas Theme Parks [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of a highrise near Hermann Park: Jan Buchholtz via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Sudhoff Cos. To Restart Partially Built Condo Project Morningside Mansion Flats, Now Dubbed The Moderne Rice Village [HBJ]
• Ikea Distribution Center Near Port of Houston Changes Hands [HBJ]
• Indigo, M5 Midstream Expand Footprint in Downtown’s JPMorgan Chase Tower [HBJ]
• Houston Office Leasing Market More Diversified in 2016 as Energy Accounted for Only 18% of Leasing Activity [Realty News Report]
• Nassau Bay seeing Surge in New Homes, Businesses [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Katy-Southwest Saw the Most Home Sales in the Houston Area Last Year, According to HAR [HBJ]
• And Another Poke Restaurant, Poké Bar, Coming to Houston [Eater Houston]
• Burger Joint Balls Out Burger Planning to Open in Former Gas Station/Car Wash on N. Durham Drive [Houston Chronicle]
• Flying Fish Catfish Restaurant Isn’t Actually Seeking Permit To Fish in Buffalo Bayou [HBJ]
• Houston To Get Double Serving of Chicken Sandwich Concept Krisp Bird & Batter This Year [HBJ]
• Luv Me Tenders Chicken Food Truck Has Shuttered Brick-and-Mortar Location on Yale in ‘Unproven Location’ [Houston Press]
• Houston Considers Building a Campground for the Homeless [Houston Public Media]
• Harvard Grad Students Float Projects for Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector [Houston Chronicle]

Photo: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Weingarten Plans To Redevelop 2 Buildings Next to Its River Oaks Shopping Center [Houston Chronicle]
• Midtown Office Building at 1500 McGowen St. Sold to Davis Holdings [HBJ]
• Houston Single-Family Home Sales Fell 2.1% Year-Over-Year in January, Finds Re/Max [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Apartment Industry Braces for Another Slow Year [Houston Public Media]
• Crescent Communities Sells Master-Planned Community The Groves in Humble [Houston Chronicle]
• Canadian Home Builder Empire Communities Planning Woodforest Project in Montgomery County [Realty News Report]
• The Story Behind the Joseph Finger-Designed Mansion in Old Braeswood, on the Market for $2.5M [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston-Dallas Bullet Train Targeted by State Lawmakers’ New Bills [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Post-Super Bowl, Uber Says It Has Made No Plans to Leave Houston [KHOU; previously on Swamplot]
• The 12 Strangest Things To Happen on Houston’s Freeways, in Cartoon Form [Houstonia]

Photo: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Owner of Greenway Plaza, Phoenix Tower Selling Nearly Half of its Interest in the Properties for $512.1M [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Office Tenants Seeking Close Proximity to Shops, Restaurants, Gyms [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• La Marque Saw the Greatest Growth in Average Sales Price, Transactions Last Month, Finds HAR [Houston Chronicle]
• Single Women Can Not Afford To Buy a Home in Houston, Finds RentCafe and PropertyShark Study [Culturemap]
• Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, Signs Lease at La Centerra at Cinco Ranch, Will Open Later This Year [Houston Chronicle]
• Grilled Chicken Chain El Pollo Loco Expands to Webster [Houston Chronicle]
• Texas Catfish Restaurant Flying Fish To Debut Later This Year in the Former Houston Tire Shop in the Heights [Houston Chronicle]
• German Grocer Lidl Planning Pearland Location in Addition to League City [HBJ]
• Work Underway for Potential June Opening on Galveston County Amusement Park Called Adventure Pointe with Year-Round Outdoor Ice Rink [Houston Chronicle]
• Slideshow: Inside Downtown Private School Incarnate Word’s $15M Expansion [HBJ]
• Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire Slated to Open on April 22 [HBJ]
• Houston Drivers Wasted an Average of 51.6 Hours in Traffic Last Year, Finds Study [Click2Houston]
• Houston Falls in TomTom’s Latest Congestion Rankings as Job Losses Helped Ease Traffic [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Why Houston Remains Segregated [Texas Housers]
• How One Houston Homeowner Made Her Townhouse Flexible for Short- or Long-Term Paying Guests [Marketplace]
• Traffic Signal at Westcott and Memorial Misspells Street’s Name as ‘Westscott’ [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Bellaire: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Drops on Marcus & Millichap’s National Ranking of Top Apartment Investments [Houston Chronicle]
• Davis Holdings Buys 2-Story Midtown Office Building at 1500 McGowen [Houston Chronicle]
• Sam Houston Crossing II Office Building Sold to Newport Beach, California-Based Buchanan Street Partners [Realty News Report]
• RigNet Leases New Energy Corridor Headquarters in Park Ten Plaza [Houston Chronicle]
• Shuttered Outback Steakhouse Near Meyerland Plaza Could Be Torn Down To Make Way for Retail Center [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Among U.S. Cities That Account for Growth of New Business Post-Recession [The Urban Edge]
• The 10 Houston Communities That Saw the Most New Home Starts in 2016, According to Metrostudy [HBJ]
• Astrodome Conservancy’s Ideas for Short-Term Dome Use Include Mock Stargazing, Art Shows, Festivals, Sporting Events [HBJ]
• New Valley Ranch Town Center Big-Box Tenants Include TJ Maxx, Burlington, PetSmart [HBJ]
• Suit Filed To Overturn Texas Statute That Protects Landlord Discrimination Against Section 8 Voucher Holders [Texas Housers]
• Montrose Management District Class Action Lawsuit Now in Federal Court [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Austin’s Ramen Tatsu-Ya To Open Houston Location Feb. 20 in Montrose [Eater Houston]
• Austin’s Kerbey Lane Cafe Planning to Expand to Houston [Culturemap]
• Austin Eateries Are Crowding Into the Houston’s Restaurant Scene [Eater Houston]
• Where Houston Felt the Effects of ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ [Houston Public Media]
• Riding Shotgun with an Uber Driver in Houston 2 Nights Before the Super Bowl [The MMQB]
• What Lead To Houston’s Great Snow of 1895 [Space City Weather]

Photo of the Astrodome: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• More Details on the 1.5-acre Swimming Pool Planned for Balmoral Subdivision in Humble [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Sales in Cross Creek Ranch Rose 13% in 2016 [Houston Chronicle]
• Canada-Based Empire Communities To Build Homes in Woodforest in North Houston [Houston Chronicle]
• City Council Votes To Support Nearly a Dozen Affordable Housing Projects in Houston After HUD Rebuke [The Urban Edge; previously on Swamplot]
• Signorelli Starts Construction on Second Phase of Valley Ranch Town Center [Houston Chronicle]
• How Trump’s Economic, Immigration Policies Could Impact Houston’s Apartment Industry [HBJ]
• Local Lawmakers Want Taxpayers To Vote on Astrodome Renovations [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Tilman Fertitta’s New Galleria-Area Steakhouse Mastro’s Starts Construction [HBJ]
• Why Your Property Taxes Are So High in Texas [Texas Monthly]
• Houston Bracing for ‘A Day Without Immigrants’ [KHOU]
• Report: I-45 Bridge Heading South over Rayford and Sawdust ‘Structurally Deficient’ [abc13]
• Revamped, Tal’s Hill-less Minute Maid Park Starting to Take Shape [Fansided; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Bellaire: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Amegy Bank Vacating 175K SF at Five Post Oak Park [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston the Nation’s Fifth-Best Market for Home Buyers, Finds Zillow [Houston Chronicle]
• Ten-X Lists Houston as the Country’s No. 1 ‘Sell’ Market for Office Real Estate [Houston Chronicle]
• Senator John Whitmire’s Astrodome Bill To Be Introduced Today [Click2Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Pelican Builders Opens Model Unit Inside the New Luxury Condo Tower The Wilshire Going Up Near the Galleria [HBJ]
• T.J. Maxx, Homegoods Coming to Brazos Mall’s Redeveloped Sears Space [HBJ]
• Dallas-Based Emler Swim School Entering Houston Market with Leases at Meyer Park and Clear Lake Marketplace [Houston Chronicle]
• Morningside Plaza Slated To Open Next Month in Front of New Rice Village Hopdoddy Burger Bar [Houston Chronicle]
• City Officials Question Funding as Houston’s Bike Plan Moves Closer to a Vote [Houston Public Media]
• Pew Study: More Than 1 Million Undocumented People Live in Houston and Dallas Combined [Texas Monthly]
• Galveston Declares Itself a ‘Welcoming City’ for Immigrants [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Gets Its Own Version of the ‘I Love You So Much’ Mural with a Taco Twist at El Big Bad [Culturemap]

Photo of Deer Park: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Luxury Condo The Sophie To Break Ground Near Memorial Park This Spring [HBJ]
• Caydon Property Group Securing Financing, Planning To Break Ground on Midtown Apartment Highrise Later This Year [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• A Preview of United’s New Terminal C North at IAH [Houston Chronicle]
• $25M Renovation Planned for Brazos Mall in Lake Jackson [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston ISD Opens $35.2M Delmar Fieldhouse [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Austin Chef Paul Qui Hints at Involvement with Pointy Restaurant Under Construction at 520 Westheimer [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Hughie’s Tavern & Vietnamese Grille Moving into Former Foreign Correspondents and Canard Space [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]
• Field & Tides Opens in Former Zelko Bistro Space in the Heights [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• UH, South Texas College of Law Houston Head to Mediation This Month over Name Dispute [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of East Downtown: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Randall Davis Scraps Plans for Third Chateau Ten Luxury Condo Project in Houston [HBJ ($)]
• West U Home with Rock Climbing Gym Hits the Market for $3.1M [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Whiskey Bar Bosscat Kitchen & Libations Set To Open Near the River Oaks District Feb. 22 [HBJ]
• The Lost Cajun To Open First Houston Location in Humble in Mid-March [HBJ]
• Report: Customer Traffic into Quick-Service Restaurants in the Houston Area Will Grow by 8% through 2021 [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Now Has 2 Cactus-Themed Taco Joints with Opening of Sonora Cactus on Richmond Ave [Houston Streetwise; previously on Swamplot]
• Pizza Franchise Your Pie Guesstimates More Than 20 Locations Eventually in Greater Houston Area [Houston Chronicle]
• Downtown Houston Hotel Operators Offering Services That Will Cater to Area Residents [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• I-45 Southbound Lanes Will Be Closed from Scarsdale to NASA Bypass This Weekend [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Castle Court: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Single-Family Home Sales Went Up Slightly Year-over-Year in January, Found HAR [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Apartment Market Facing a Sluggish Year as Demand Struggles To Keep Up with Supply [Houston Chronicle]
• Camden Property Trust Gives Declining Outlook for Houston Apartment Market in 2017 [HBJ]
• Atlanta-Based Law Firm Fisher Phillips in Negotiations To Lease Space in One Shell Plaza [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Stone Mountain Properties Has Acquired Beltway 8 Office Flex Center in Southwest Houston [HBJ]
• 1000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza Slated To Open Third Houston-Area Location Today in Katy [HBJ]
• Houston Texans Grille in CityCentre Has Closed for Some Reason [HBJ]
• Mayor: The Super Bowl Left Houston with a $350M Gain, and Good PR [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Memorial Villages Police Considering Installing ‘Virtual Gate’ of License Plate Reader Cameras [KHOU]
• Repairs Begin on Texas City’s Hurricane Levee [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• UH Exhibition Pays Tribute To Late Architecture Professor John Zemanek [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of the former Houston Chronicle building: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Morgan Starts Construction on Whole Foods-Footed Mixed-Use Project Pearl Midtown [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Camden Property Trust Rents, Occupancy Down Year-over-Year in the Fourth Quarter [Houston Chronicle]
• Duke Realty Has Sold Sam Houston Crossing II to Buchanan Street Partners [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston-Based Neighbors Health Relocates Headquarters to Richmond Park Westchase [Realty News Report]
• CBRE: Houston’s Office Leasing Slowdown Reminiscent of Post-Enron Years [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Dallas-Fort Worth-Area Chef Tim Love Opening Woodshed in Levy Park [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Carlo’s Bakery of TV’s ‘Cake Boss’ Fame To Open New Kiosk Bakery in The Woodlands Mall Feb. 18 [Culturemap]
• Ryan Hildebrand’s 5-Year-Old Triniti Restaurant and Sanctuari Bar on S. Shepherd Has Closed [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin Ranked Among Best Cities To Live In by U.S. News & World Report [abc13]
• Houston Restaurants Saw a 31.5% Increase in Sales During Super Bowl Weekend, Finds Upserve [Thrillist]

Photo: o texano via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Bellaire H-E-B To Close March 13 To Make Way for 2-Story Replacement [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Has the Most New Home Communities in the Country [HBJ]
• Houston Homebuilder Plantation Homes Debuts $160,000 Home Inside Beltway 8 [HBJ]
• Houston-to-Dallas Bullet Train Start Date Pushed Back a Year to 2023 [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]
• Restaurant and Drag Venue Chain Hamburger Mary’s To Debut in Montrose Feb. 24 [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]
• Metro Had a One-Day Rail Record of 109,500 Trips on Saturday [Houston Chronicle]
• Roughly 140K Out-of-Towners Visited Houston for Super Bowl Week [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Podcast: What’s the Next Big Thing for Transit in Houston? [The Urban Edge]

Photo: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Ellipse-Footed Residential Tower Kirby Collection Tops Out [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Downtown’s Sam Houston Hotel Debuts New Restaurant and Bar [Houston Chronicle]
• Burger Chains, Upscale Barber Shops, and Movie Theaters Flock to Houston [HBJ]
• Soul Food Restaurant Sweet Times Now Open at 6356 Richmond Ave. [HBJ]
• Potente Opening Near Minute Maid Park This Week, Followed by Sister Outpost Osso & Kristalla Later This Month [Houston Chronicle]
• Wine-Record Store Vino & Vinyl Opening Second Houston Location in Sugar Land’s Town Square Next Month [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Top Golf’s Swing Suite in the Four Season Hotel’s Bayou & Bottle Bar Debuts [Houstonia]
• How ESPN Turned an Old Warehouse Near the Washington Avenue Corridor into a Super Bowl Party Space [Culturemap]
• Scenes from Across Houston on Super Bowl Game Day [Houston Chronicle]
• Super Bowl Shines Spotlight on Discovery Green’s Success Story [AP]
• Inside Lady Gaga’s $10,000 a Night Super Bowl Crash Pad, Courtesy of Airbnb [TMZ]
• ‘Be Someone’ Bridge Graffiti Changed, Then Restored, Yet Again [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• What Houstonians Think of Their Neighborhoods, According to American Housing Survey Data [The Urban Edge]

Photo of NRG Stadium and surrounding area: NASA