Headlines

• There Are 36 Office Buildings Under Construction in Houston Right Now, Tied With New York, According to CBRE [Realty News Report]
• Real Estate Prices for East Side Industrial Properties Have Risen By 25% or More Over the Last 2 Years [Houston Public Media]
• Convention Center’s $175M Upgrades Include Plaza, Restaurants, Canopy, New Office Building and Parking Garage [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston and Rice University Join MetroLab Network Research Project To Address Challenges To Infrastructure, City Services, Civic Engagement [Houston Public Media]
• Part of Camp Strake To Live On in Grand Central Park Monument [Prime Property]
• Lovett Commercial Planning H-E-B-Anchored Shopping Center in Kingwood [Prime Property]
• Sneak Peek Inside the Alley Theatre’s Recently Completed $46.5M Renovation [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Dunkin’ Donuts Opening 2 New Houston Stores in October in Spring, Clear Lake [Prime Property]
• Simone on Sunset Owner To Open The Barking Pig in Former Lillo & Ella Space at 2307 Ella [Culturemap]
• KIPP School Opens in Former Sunbelt Spas Warehouse Facility Near Sugar Land, Second School To Break Ground on Campus Next Month [HBJ]
• Dallas-To-Houston Bullet Train Opponents Call for More Transparency on Funding [KERA News]
• Houston Selected To Host Next City’s Vanguard 2016 Conference for Its Booming Growth and Increasing Urbanism [Next City]

Photo of Main Street light rail: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Midway Pours Foundation for Hotel Alessandra at GreenStreet in Downtown; Construction Expected To Be Completed by Late 2016 [HBJ]
• The Top 5 Properties in Houston That Saw the Highest Increases in Appraised Value from 2009-2015 [HBJ]
• The Most Expensive Home for Rent in Houston is a Mediterranean-Style Manor in River Oaks for $20,000 a Month [Culturemap]
• Sims Luxury Builders Building Lakefront Townhome Community Laguna on 1-Acre Plot in Sugar Land [HBJ]
• City To Use $1.5M in Federal Disaster Recovery Funding To Demolish Up To 120 Ike-Damaged Homes [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Real Estate Investor Steve Moore Thinking About Buying the Plagued Crestmont Village Apartment Complex [abc13]
• Architects Pay Tribute to Hines at Hobby Center Forum [Houston Chronicle]
• H-E-B Coming to Mont Belvieu by 2018 After Economic Development Agreement Approved [BaytownSun.com]
• Rico’s Morning + Noon + Night Opening Tuesday at Bagby Park in Midtown [Culturemap]
• Landlord of Historic Property at 3015 Bagby Has Permit, Liquor License, Just Looking for Right Tenant to Open a Bar or Restaurant [Culturemap]
• Houston Should Require Detention Under All Commercial Developments and Redevelopments To Prevent Flooding [Houston Under Water]
• Some of the Ways Houstonians Reimagined Parking Spaces on Parking(ing) Day [The Urban Edge]
• Park(ing) Day Scenes From Coast to Coast [Streetsblog USA]

Photo of InTown Homes townhome site, Kansas St. at Eureka, Cottage Grove: John Roberts

• 10-Year-Old Downtown Retail Incentive Program Will Not Be Renewed Next Year [Houston Chronicle]
• Fort Bend and Montgomery Counties Among Top 10 Fastest-Growing Counties in the U.S., Finds U.S. Census Bureau [HBJ]
• Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Planning an ‘Educational Village’ in Bridgeland with 3 Schools [Prime Property]
• New Math and Science Center at the John Cooper School in The Woodlands To Top Out on Sept. 24 [HBJ]
• Krispy Kreme To Open 2 Houston Locations Next Month on Westheimer, Highway 6 with 2 More To Follow This Year [HBJ]
• Upscale Gulf Coast Cajun Restaurant Durham To Open in Former Woodrow Heights Location [Eater Houston]
• Main Street Theater Reopens Rice Village Space Following Renovation on Oct. 17 [Your Houston News]
• City Waiting To Arrest Out-of-State Owner of Run-Down Crestmont Apartments on the Southside of [Houston Chronicle]
• Metered Parking Spaces To Be Temporarily Transformed into Public Parks Today for World PARK(ing) Day [Glasstire]

Photo of Chase Tower: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Texas Medical Center Plans To Put Out Request for Proposals Soon for 30-Acre Development Featuring Convention Center, Hotel, Retail, Residential Space [HBJ]
• Lionstone Investments Joins with Midway To Develop Downtown’s GreenStreet Mixed-Use Development [Realty News Report]
• Houston-Area Inflation Flat for 12 Months Ending in August, According to Consumer Price Index [Houston Public Media]
• Nos Caves Vin Building Wine Cellars in 4 Luxury Homes from West University to Katy That Can Hold Between 2,000 and 5,000 Bottles [HBJ]
• The Breakfast Klub Opens Signature Kafe in Former Julia’s Bistro’s Location Directly Behind the Breakfast Klub [Houston Chronicle]
• Lillo & Ella Restaurant Now Closed in Former El Gran Malo Space [Houston Press]

Photo of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston’s Biggest Challenges Are Transportation, Inequality, and Affordability, According to Zillow’s Chief Economist [Houston Chronicle]
• H-E-B Picks Up Nearly 28 Acres of Land in Cross Creek Ranch Master-Planned Community in Fulshear for New Store [HBJ]
• New H-E-B Store Nearly Double the Size of Texas City’s Former H-E-B Opens Today [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• $15M Senior Living Center in Cypress Called Avanti Senior Living at Towne Lake Opening Sept. 19 [HBJ]
• Construction Starts on Hilton Home2 Suites Hotel in West Houston, Expected To Open by August 2016 [Prime Property]
• Predicting the Future of Houston’s Food and Drink Scene 5 Years Down the Line [Eater Houston]
• What Maps Reveal About Houston’s Various Health Problems [The Urban Edge]

Photo of the Texas Medical Center: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• NewQuest Properties Planning $75M Kroger-Anchored Retail Center Stableside at Falcon Landing in Katy [Houston Chronicle]
• Midway Begins Pre-Leasing Speculative Office Project One Parkside Next to First Baptist Church at I-10 and the 610 Loop [Realty News Report]
• First Residents Move into Finger’s Luxury Galleria-Area Apartment Complex 1900 Yorktown [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Former Stanford Financial Building at 5050 Westheimer No Longer a Dark, Outdated Cave [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• New Smartphone App 10MinRealty Aims To Be the Uber or Postmates of Real Estate [HBJ]
• Houston Ranks No. 5 on WalletHub’s List of 150 U.S. Cities That Have Recovered from the Recession the Best [HBJ]
• Houston Could Lose $31.66B Over the Next 10 Years from Threats Like Flooding, Stock Market Crash, Oil Market, Says Lloyd’s of London [HBJ]
• How Houston Can Harness the Power of Big Data [The Urban Edge]
• El Tiempo Cantina 290 To Open in Former Cafe Red Onion Location in Oak Forest/Garden Oaks Area at 12440 Northwest Fwy. [HBJ]
• Buffalo Bayou Park’s Grand Re-Opening Following $58M Renovation Set for Oct. 3 [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• Friday’s PARK(ing) Day To Explore New Uses for Parking Spots in Front of Downtown’s Chase Tower [Houston Public Media]
• Is Houston Really About To Be Bigger Than Chicago in the Coming Decade? [Texas Leftist]
• Oak Forest Residents Concerned After ReBuild Houston Storm Water Drainage Improvement Project Halts [The Leader]
• Bellaire Is Being Overrun By Stray Dogs, Residents Say [abc13]

Photo of Confucius statue in Centennial Park: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• New Urban Texas Embodied by Houston, One of the Fastest-Growing U.S. Cities [Reuters]
• Houston Fourth in U.S. for Percentage of Square Feet of LEED Certified Buildings in 2015 Green Building Adoption Index [Culturemap]
• Lake Houston Area Saw 71% Growth Rate from 2000-2014 [Your Houston News]
• High-Rise Condo Arabella To Break Ground on Site of Former Westcreek at River Oaks Apartments in Mid-October [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Transwestern To Lease Midtown Office Building Central Square Plaza Currently Undergoing a Major Redevelopment [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• Rebuilding Projects Still Linger in Galveston County 7 Years After Hurricane Ike [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• New Houston Downtown Management District Program Could Provide Relief To Businesses Hurt By Construction [Houston Chronicle]
• Tarakaan Restaurant and Lounge Set To Open Sept. 16 in Midtown at 2301 Main [Houston Chronicle]
• Zelko Concepts Selected To Operate Restaurant Under Construction in Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire [Houston Chronicle]
• Mattress Firm Holding Corp. Rebranding All Mattress Pro Stores Under the Mattress Firm Brand [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• EZ TAG Tollway Rate Increases By 5 Cents [Click2Houston]
• ‘No Surprises’ So Far as Army Corps Of Engineers’ Prepares To Dismantle Radioactive Barge in Galveston [Houston Public Media]
• Memorial Park’s $200M Renovation To Begin This Fall at Eastern Glades Picnic Area [HBJ]

Photo: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Campaign Aims to Brand Houston the ‘Culinary and Cultural Capital of the South,’ Boost Tourism by 35% Over Next 3 Years [Houston Chronicle]
• Crumbling Roads, Increased Traffic, Peak-Capacity Water Lines, Outdated Drainage Systems Could Halt Development, Economic Growth in Houston [HBJ]
• Some $18M in Infrastructure and Roadway Improvements Will Target Stretch of Texas 288 Considered a Food Desert [Houston Chronicle]
• Around the Corner Opening in a Restored Historic Home in the Warehouse District Today [Eater Houston]
• Free Press Houston Putting on New Festival in December at Silver Street Studios and Surrounding Area [Houston Chronicle]
• Ridership on New Light Rail Lines Increased in August, Buoyed By Free Rides [The Highwayman]
• What Middle-Class Residents in Northside Think of Gentrification in the Area [The Urban Edge]
• Memorial City Residents Meet to Plan Lawsuit Against City Over ‘Unnecessary Flooding’ [Houston Press]
• Sierra Club Report Finds NRG’s W.A. Parish Power Plant in Fort Bend County is Emitting Sulfur Dioxide Above Government Standards [Houston Public Media]
• No End in Sight for Dozens of Spring Branch Residents Whose Driveways Have Been Dug Up as Part of City Project [abc13]

Photo of CityCentre construction: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Single-Family Home Sales Were Flat in August, Finds HAR [Houston Chronicle]
• Class B Apartments Have an Occupancy Rate of Nearly 95% in Major Metro Areas of Texas, Finds CBRE Research [Realty News Report]
• Christopher Hawthorne: Menil Drawing Institute and Master Plan is Radically Understated [OffCite Blog]
• Christian’s Tailgate Now Open Downtown in Historical Pillot Building [Houston Chronicle]
• Dallas-Based Fogo de Chao Opening on Restaurant Row at Hughes Landing in The Woodlands Later This Year [HBJ]
• Metro Issues New, Lower Rider Projections for Uptown’s Dedicated Bus Lane Along Post Oak Blvd. [HBJ]
• Hot Spots for Red-Light Crashes in Houston [Click2Houston]
• Midtown Houston Seeking Feedback on Possible Bus Circulator System Serving Midtown [Not of it]
• The Case Against Urban Highways [The Urban Edge]
• Life-Sized Sculptures of Houston’s Founding Brothers To Be Installed at City Hall [Houston Public Media]

Photo of defunct property in the Humble/Atascocita area: telwink via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Largest Tilt-Wall Building in the World Going Up at Daikin Industries HVAC Manufacturing Plant in Northwest Houston [Realty News Report]
• Equus Capital Partners Has Acquired the One Sugar Creek Center – Comerica Bank Building for $31.4M [Realty News Report]
• Downtown Officials Narrow Down List of Developers To Redo Former Sakowitz Building and Adjacent Property to 3 [Prime Property]
• Behind Oxberry Group’s Search To Build the Mondrian in the Museum District [HBJ]
• Houston the 21st Most Expensive Rental City in the Country, According to Zumper’s National Rent Report for September [Houston Chronicle]
• H&M Opening Pearland Town Center Store on Sept. 24, 2 Weeks After Opening in CityCentre [HBJ]
• Grand Pkwy. Construction at Rayford Road and Riley Fuzzell Brings Gridlock to Montgomery County [abc13]
• North Woodlands Hills Subdivision Residents Say Trash Filling Up Driveway of Vacant House [abc13]
• Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ World Tour Is Taking Over Minute Maid Park [Houston Press]
• Archaeologists Fail To Find Sign of Sunken Texas Navy Warship Zavala in Galveston’s Harbor [Galveston County Daily News ($)]

Photo of Houston from I-10: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• How Houston Actually, Sort of Really Does Have Zoning Through Land-Use Regulations [The Urban Edge]
• Houston-to-Dallas Bullet Train Moving Forward Despite Obstacles [The Texas Tribune]
• Rail Crossings Still Pose Problems for Commuters, Emergency Response Times [The Highwayman]
• By 2020 Houston Will Have a Population of 7,413,214 with 40.9% Hispanic Residents, According to Lawnstarter [Culturemap]

Photo of the Police Officer Memorial in Buffalo Bayou Park: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• NorthStar Midstream Relocates Minneapolis HQ to The Woodlands After Leasing 7,500 SF on Top Floor of Parkwood I Building [Prime Property]
• Sims, Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects Reveal More Details About Uptown Luxury Condo Aurora [HBJ]
• Early End To Special Taxing Zone Could Suspend Falcon Group’s Luxury High-Rise on East Beach [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Hubcap Grill’s Ricky Craig, The Modular’s Josh Martinez Opening Galveston Restaurant in Historic Strand Building [Houston Chronicle]
• Harris County Attracted the Most Newcomers from 2012-2013 Behind Travis County, Finds Headlight Report [HBJ]
• SureSpot Testing Its Smartphone App That Lets You Prepay and Reserve Parking Spots at NRG Park [HBJ]

Photo of Ciity Centre 15: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Sales of New Homes Down 11%, Closings Down 13% Through July Over Same Period Last Year, Finds Metrostudy [Houston Chronicle]
• Duplex Made From Retired Shipping Containers For Sale in South Union, Builder Wants To Develop More in Neighborhood [Houston Chronicle]
• How Low-Impact Development Can Decrease the Likelihood of Flooding Around Houston [HBJ]
• What Using Metro’s New Bus Network is Like in a Low-Income Community [Houston Press]
• Texas Railroad Commission Refutes Peer-Reviewed Study Linking Earthquakes to Oil and Gas Activity [Houston Public Media]
• Competing Models for Flood Warnings Emerge from Federal Government, University of Oklahoma [The Urban Edge]
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases First Gouts of Sand To Add New Galveston Beach [Galveston County Daily News ($)]

Photo: telwink via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Equus Capital Partners Affiliate Buys Comerica Bank Building in Sugar Land, Planning Major Upgrades [Prime Property]
• Residential Lofts in Former Heights Telephone Museum to Have New Orleans Flair [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Has Second-Highest Number of Apartment Units Permitted Among Major US. Metros, Finds Axiometrics [Prime Property]
• Are Houston’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones Good or Bad for the City? [Houston Public Media]
• Texas A&M University Starts Construction on Park West, the Largest Student Housing Project in the Nation [Realty News Report]
• Killen’s Steakhouse’s New Pearland Home at 6425 Broadway Could Feature a Private Dining Room Just for J.J. Watt [Houston Chronicle]
• Constructions Crews Are Working on Castle-Like Riverside Terrace House [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Bayou Greenways 2020 Hike and Bike Trails Initiative Advances as City Council Approves $19M for Next Phase of North Houston Trails, Land Purchase for Others [Houston Chronicle]
• Artist Boat Plans To Buy Another 99 Acres of Coastal Galveston Habitat for Preservation [Galveston County Daily News ($); previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Krispy Kreme under construction on Westheimer Rd. at Lazy Hollow: Bayan Raji

• Hines Expected To Buy Houston Chronicle Building Downtown and Demolish It [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
• Rents Rose by 0.6% Across the Greater Houston Region in August to $1,310 a Month for a 2-Bedroom [Houston Public Media]
• International Homebuyers in Texas Becoming More Diverse, Finds Texas Association of Realtors [Prime Property]
• First Phase of Southwest’s New International Terminal and Concourse Opens at Hobby [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Peli Peli Kitchen Slated To Open in Gateway at Spring Valley Along the Katy Fwy. Next Year [HBJ]
• Ãœberrito, Previously Known as Mission Burritos, Closes at 2245 W. Alabama [Houston Streetwise]
• During Peak Lunch Rush There Are at Least 1,000 Empty But Inaccessible Parking Spaces in the Rice Village Area [The Urban Edge]
• Roving Graffiti and Street Art Museum of Texas Established in Houston [Glasstire]
• What Will Become of Kenny Goss’ Giant Bronze Gorilla Now That His Dallas House Is On the Market? [Glasstire]

Photo of Centennial Park: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool