Headlines

• Houston’s Apartment Rent Growth Increased by 1.7% in 2018, the Fourth-Slowest Growth Among Major US Cities [HBJ]
• Killen’s Tex-Mex Spinoff Debuts Over the Weekend in Pearland [Houstonia]
• Recovering from Oil Industry Downturn, Houston’s Office Tenants Expect More Amenities Than Ever [Houston Public Media]
• Mixed-Use District Metropark Square Near The Woodlands Slated To Open in March [HBJ]
• Sud Italia in Rice Village Shutters, Will Reopen Jan. 11 as Fast-Casual Pizzeria, Roma [Houston Food Finder]
• Vista Equities Group Acquires 6.9 Acres in Katy’s West Ten Business Park for Development [Realty News Report]
• Ikea Acquires 117.41 Acres in Generation Park off of Beltway 8 [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Original Frenchy’s To Stay Open Another Week, Demolition Scheduled for Jan. 7 [abc13; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Uptown: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• $47 Million of Wells Fargo’s $575 Million Improper Sales Practices Settlement Goes To Texas [HBJ]
• Katy Charter School Breaks Records with $346 Million Bond Deal [Community Impact]
• Dallas Seafood Chain Flying Fish Opens First Houston Location on 1815 N. Durham Dr. in The Heights [Eater]
• City Council Considers $13.5 Million PGA Renovations of Memorial Park Golf Course [HBJ]
• Brazoria County Helps Protect Coast by Recycling Christmas Trees To Restore Sand Dunes [Houston Public Media]
• Houston’s Transart Foundation for Art and Anthropology Awarded The Architect Newspaper’s 2018 Building of the Year [Glasstire; previously on Swamplot]
• Galveston’s Texas Tail Distillery Breaks Prohibition-Era Stigma by Redefining Moonshine [Houston Chronicle]
• Realty Companies Baker Katz and Braun Enterprises Bought Historic Space Above Julep on Washington for Coworking Venture Opening in Feb. [HBJ, ($)]
• Cane Rosso Montrose Location on Yoakum Served Its Last Pizza Yesterday [Eater; previously on Swamplot]
• San Antonio Build-Your-Own Pizza Chain Urban Bricks Opens By Phoenicia on Westheimer [HBJ]
• Texas Dry Counties Now Number Only Five Due to Economic Boost from Booze Sales [Houston Public Media]
• Texas State Reps Propose Law That Would Make Porch Package Theft a Felony with Harsher Penalties [Houston Chronicle]

Photo: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Home Appreciation Prices Slow for the Seventh Consecutive Month [Houston Chronicle]
• Census Data Shows Texas Population Increased by 379,000, Bringing Total Population to 28,701,845 [HBJ]
• BuffBurger Opens Third Location in Westchase [Eater]
• Avondale Promenade Park at 424 Westheimer Will Feature LGBTQ Memorial [Outsmart]
• New Name for Concept Taking Over Former Beaver’s Spot Opening Jan. 11: Decatur Bar & Pop-Up Factory [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Fluor Enterprises Sugar Land Campus Successfully Rezoned, Breaks Ground in March [HBJ]

Photo: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• TxDOT Begins Years-Long Construction to Address Safety and Congestion at 59 and 610 West [Houston Public Media]
• Elon Musk Tweets About SpaceX Starship Prototype He’s Building in Texas [Houston Chronicle]
• A Decade Without Single-Family Zoning, Grand Rapids Set Precedent for Minneapolis [Next City]
• HCC Buys 24 Acres for New Katy Campus Near I10 and Grand Pwky. Close to UH Katy Campus [HBJ]
• New Median Openings and Turn Lanes on Wilcrest Relieve Traffic Problems in Westchase District [Houston Public Media]
• A List of Drop-Off Locations to Recycle Christmas Trees in Houston [Culturemap]

Photo: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Arboretum Will Charge for Parking in 2019 [Houston Press]
• La Colombe d’Or and Its Restaurant Cinq Closing Dec. 31 for Year-Long Renovations [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Rice University To Host Data Privacy Symposium Jan. 28 [Glasstire]
• Shining a Light on Houston’s Booming Food Blogging Scene [Houston Press]

Photo of Yume restaurant, terminal E, George Bush Intercontinental: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Del Frisco’s Considering Selling Dining Concepts or Whole Company To Maximize Shareholder Value [HBJ]
• Emancipation Ave. Becomes First Major City Granted State’s ‘Texas Main St.’ Historic Revitalization Designation [Houston Public Media]
• East End’s Ruiz Tortilleria Y Taqueria on 6641 Canal St. Destroyed by Fire Saturday Morning [abc13]
• LGI Homes Opens 840-Home Freeman Ranch Community in Katy [Houston Chronicle]
• Unfinished Bluejack National Residential Community Surrounding Tiger Woods-Designed Golf Course North of Houston Ranks #8 Top Course in US [HBJ]
• HISD Hasn’t Yet Received $7.5M from Kinder Foundation for Naming Rights on the New HSPVA Opening in January [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• One Reason for Downtown Houston’s Lack of Crossing Buttons: Intersection Overhauls Could Reach $60 Million [Houston Chronicle]
• Winter Wonderland Christmas Village at Bayou Bend Open Until January 5 [abc13]
• Del Frisco’s, Himalaya, Quattro Among List of Houston Restaurants Open Christmas Day [Houston Chronicle]
• Prop B Judge Reprimands Lawyers After Firefighter Sends Her Personal Facebook Message About Ruling [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Christmas display at Westside Tennis & Fitness, 1200 Wilcrest Dr., Briarforest: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• UTHealth Houston Opens $15 Million School of Biomedical Informatics in Med Center [HBJ]
• Incoming Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Looking to Streamline Emergency Response System [Houston Public Media]
• Report Shows Houston Leads the Nation in Tech Hiring Plans for 2019 [HBJ]
• Minneapolis Sets Housing and Climate Example by Eliminating Single-Family Zoning, Required Parking  [LA Times]
• Fiesta Restaurant Group Updating Strategy, Closes 9 Taco Cabanas Across Texas [HBJ]
• Land Commissioner George P. Bush Urges Officials to Protect Private Property in Coastal Barrier Plans [Houston Chronicle]
• Life Time Athletic Opens New Fitness Facility Next to Baybrook Mall this Week [HBJ]
• The Post Oak Hotel in Uptown Opens New 20K Sq. Ft. Spa [HBJ]
• El Tiempo’s New Location off 290 Debuts Today [Houston Chronicle]
• Woodlands Developer Signorelli Tapped To Create New RV Resort [HBJ ($)]
• Killen’s Steakhouse in Pearland Named Most Expensive Restaurant in Texas [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Westside Tennis Club: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Layoffs Likely for City To Afford Firefighter Pay Parity [Houston Public Media]
• Houston-Based Encino Energy Leases Multiple Floors in San Felipe Plaza for New Headquarters [HBJ]
• Builder Confidence in the Market for New Single-Family Homes Hits 3-Year Low [Houston Chronicle]
• Mayor Turner Increases This Year’s Houston Arts Partners Scholarship Amount by More than Double [Houston Public Media]
• Kinder Institute: Third Ward, Fifth Ward, Denver Harbor, Gulfton Most Likely to Gentrify in Future [HBJ]
• Federal Judge Overturns Sessions-Enacted Policy on Asylum Seekers Fleeing Violence [Texas Tribune]
• HPD Cracking Down on Cargo Trucks After Several Giant-Spool Incidents on Freeways [Houston Public Media]
• Hank’s Cajun Crawfish Brings “Crabshack” Spinoff Near Fry Rd. in Katy [Eater]
• West Houston Medical Center Completes 12k Sq. Ft. Expansion at Richmond Facility [HBJ]
• 18 States Raise Minimum Wage in 2018 Alone as Texas Refuses to Budge [Texas Tribune]
• New York Coworking Co. Bond Collective Signs 2-Floor Lease at Pennzoil Place Downtown [Houston Chronicle]
• Sushi Hand Roll Bar Slated for Railway Heights Development [Eater; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Office of Chicago-Based Lawfirm Signs 15-Year Lease in Capitol Tower [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of 6100 Main St.: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Judge Orders City To Implement Firefighter Raises January 1 [Houston Public Media]
• Dearly Departed Long Sing Supermarket Reappears on Milam St. in Midtown [Eater; previously on Swamplot]
• McDermott International Consolidates Five Houston Locations, Leases All 18 Floors of Energy Center Five [HBJ]
• Despite Nationwide Decline, Houston Sees Uptick in Homicides This Year [Houston Public Media]
• Houston Developer Mini – B Inc. Planning 800-Acre Community Katy Lakes West [HBJ ($)]
• Kinder Institute Study Shows Houston’s East Side and Inner-Loop Susceptible to Gentrification [Houston Public Media]
• Katy Boardwalk District Announces Plans for Hotel, Entertainment Venue, Lofts, and More [HBJ]
• METRO Considering Lines to Hobby with Dedicated Downtown Bus Line to Bush Intercontinental [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Developer Moody National Planning Mixed-Use Project Near Memorial City [HBJ]
• Facebook’s Privacy Breaches Gave Special Privileges to Tech Giants Like Microsoft and Yahoo [New York Times]
• Weaknesses Exposed in City of Houston’s Internal Systems After At Least 2 Hacking Incidents [abc13]

Photo of new construction on Downtown Block 58: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Freddie Mac Survey Shows Mortgage Rates Dropped to Lowest Point in Three Months [Houston Chronicle]
• HAR Data Reveals Where Average Sales Prices for Single-Family Homes Rose the Most [HBJ ($)]
• Houston Makes Food and Wine, Travel + Leisure’s Lists for Best 2019 Travel Destinations [Culturemap]
• Hines Scraps Plans for 150-Acre Business Development off I10 and Igloo, Sells Land to Costco [Houston Chronicle]
• After 31 Years of Service, Hickory Hollow on Washington Ave. Sets Closing Date for Jan. 13th [abc13]
• Federal Government Raising Limits for Reverse Mortgages by 7% in 2019 [Houston Chronicle]
• Oil Downturn Has Houston’s Commercial Real Estate Market Struggling with Vacancies [Houston Public Media]
• Emancipation Park Conservancy Receives Historic Designation, Grants from Kinder Institute [Houston Chronicle]
• Beloved Pop-Up Blood Brothers BBQ Opens Brick and Mortar at 5425 Bellaire Blvd. on Dec. 20th [Eater]
• Houston Ranks Number 7 in Country for Holiday Package Theft [Houston Chronicle]
• Bombshells Opens Fifth Houston Area Location on I10 East [PR Newswire]

Photo of Arthur Storey Park: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Protecting Houston’s Coastal, Industrial Enterprises from Hurricanes Is a Multi-Billion Dollar Affair [Houston Public Media]
• The Pit Room Management Takes Over Lee’s Fried Chicken and Donuts with a Name and Menu Update [Houstonia]
• Roma, Texas Residents Face Conundrum: Either Help Border Patrol or Migrants [LA Times]
• Journalists Shadow Border Patrol in Smuggling Hotspot Texas Border Town [LA Times]
• Project Row Houses Celebrates 25 Years of Art-Driven Community Work [Houston Public Media]
• First Development in Katy’s 106.6-Acre Pederson Distribution Park To Break Ground in January [Houston Chronicle]
• Photos Show Late Renowned Heart Surgeon Denton Cooley’s Fort Bend Ranch, Now Selling for $7.3 Million [HBJ]
• El Niño Strikes Again this Winter with Heavy Rains, Possible Flooding Through February [Houston Chronicle]
• Montrose Staple La Mexicana Branches Out to Oak Forest [Houstonia]
• Judge Extends Prop B Restraining Order, Further Delaying Any Pay Changes [Houston Public Media]

Photo of Byrne St. at Florence St.: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Rebuilding Commission Reports Urgent Need To Prepare for Future Natural Disasters on Gulf Coast [Houston Public Media]
• Houston Developers Settle Fraud Case for Improper Use of Funds [Houston Chronicle]
• Homebuilder K. Hovnanian Considers 15-Acre Development in South Houston [HBJ ($)]
• Parents Cheer as HISD Trustees Vote 5-4 Against Charter School “Transfer” Proposal [abc13]
• Austin-Based Dine-In Movie Theatre Chain Joins New Woodlands Retail Development [HBJ]
• Floyd’s 99 Barbershop Joins Heights Waterworks Redevelopment on 19th [Houston Chronicle]
• Developers Cautiously Optimistic About Downtown Opportunity Zones, Consider Flipping Vacant Office Buildings into Apartments or Hotels [Bisnow]
• City Council Member Proposes Flat Monthly Garbage Collection Fee To Cover Firefighter Raises [Houston Public Media]
• Gensler Designs 2-Story, 130k Sq. Ft. River Oaks Surgical Center with Room for Retail Downstairs [HBJ ($); previously on Swamplot]

Photo of The Galleria Christmas Tree: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Texas Lawmakers Want To Give State More Authority over Houston-Dallas Bullet Train [Texas Tribune; previously on Swamplot]
• What Chevron’s Demo of Old Houston Press Building Says About Preservation in Houston [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Home Sales Down in November but Sales to Date Still Higher Than 2017 [Houston Chronicle]
• After Bitter Fight, City Council Agrees to Spend $3 Million Renewing Airport Music [Houston Public Media]
• Service Industry Veteran Opens Eclectic Cottage Grove Eatery Elliot’s Table [Culturemap]
• Nearly 20% of People Under 65 in Harris County are Uninsured—the Highest Rate in the Country [Houston Public Media]
• Popular Houston Tex-Mex Staple Molina’s Cantina Picks Fulshear for Third Location [Culturemap]
• Historic 1937 River Oaks Home Designed by John Staub Hits the Market for $7.4 Million [Houston Chronicle]
• Montgomery County Woman First West Nile Virus-Related Death Of 2018 [Houston Public Media]
• Study Shows Houston Has Second-Most Expensive Commute for Workers in the Country [abc13]
• TxDOT Announces List of Completed Sections of 290 Opening Dec. 17th [HBJ]
• Houston Matters Investigates Houston’s Peculiar Urban Grackle Infestation [Houston Public Media]

Photo of 909 Texas St.: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• City Files Legal Brief Arguing that Firefighter Pay Parity is Unconstitutional [Houston Chronicle]
• Nobie’s New Tiki Concept The Toasted Coconut Aims for Spring 2019 Opening in Former Texas Shrimp Shack Spot on Richmond Ave. [Houstonia]
• Mayor’s Educational Nonprofit To Manage 15 Underperforming HISD Schools [Houston Public Media]
• More Apartment Complexes Going Up near Shepherd and West Dallas in Montrose [HBJ ($)]
• Actress Allison Williams Partners with Houston Branding Strategy Company To Provide Resources for Underfunded Nonprofits [Culturemap]
• 290 Expansion Still Slowly but Surely Making Progress, Adding New Mainlanes and Opening Exits [Covering Katy]
• Sichuan Spot Xun Yu Si Kao Opens First Texas Location in Dun Huang Plaza on Bellaire Blvd. [Eater]
• Houston Location of Amazon Web Services in CityCentre Five Now Open and Hiring [HBJ ($)]
• Arts and Entertainment Company Houston First Says it will Take 5 Years To Recover Financially From Harvey Restorations [Houston Public Media]
• Randalls Shutters Seventh Houston Area Location, Sells Spot to El Rancho Supermercado [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Rothko Chapel To Close for Restoration Through Winter 2019 Ahead of 50th Anniversary [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• BYOB Eatery Just Dinner on Dunlavy To Close at the End of December [Eater]
• Interactive Map Highlights “Child Care Deserts” Across Texas [Child Care Deserts]

Photo of Milam at McKinney: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• AARP “Secret Shopper” Survey Finds Freestanding Emergency Rooms in Texas Misleading Patients [Houston Public Media]
• City Controller Hesitant to Spend More on More Bush Intercontinental Terminals [Houston Chronicle]
• River Oaks Baptist School Breaks Ground on $65 Million Expansion at 3900 Westheimer [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Nature Conservancy Using Part of BP Oil Spill Money to Address Steep Decline in Oyster Population [Houston Public Media]
• Temporary Issue Preventing Houstonians from Accessing Uber Monday Now Resolved [abc13]
• Spring ISD Board Votes Today on Multi-Million Dollar New Ninth Grade Centers [Houston Chronicle]
• MetroNational Paid City $5.8 Million for their 8-Story Midrise Residents to Have Surrounding Memorial City Road Access [HBJ ($)]
• Sweet Paris Crêperie & Cafe Opens New Highland Village Flagship in Former Kate Spade Spot [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Montrose Shake Shack in Former Burger King Location Set to Open in “Coming Days and Weeks” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Firefighters Accept Buzzbee’s Pro Bono Offer To Mediate Prop B Pay Parity Dispute with City [Houston Public Media]
• Marine Vet Couple Given Fully Furnished New Atascocita Home in The Groves Community via “Operation Finally Home” [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Main St. Square: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool