Headlines

• CenterPoint Properties Buys 27 Industrial Buildings in Houston Business Parks [Realty News Report]
• Baytown Seafood at I-10 East and Haden Rd. To Be Demolished, Replaced by Retail Center [Houston Chronicle]
• Asian Real Estate Association of America Launches Houston Chapter [HBJ]
• Homeownership Can Help Close Wealth Gap Between Racial Groups, According to Brandeis University Study [Houston Public Media]
• Cullen’s American Grille Owners Replacing Big Shots with ’Merica Beer Bar at 11500 Space Center Blvd. [Food Chronicles]
• TxDOT Proposes Adding Third Lane on Both Sides of I-10 To Accommodate Future Traffic Increases [San Antonio Express-News]
• Sebastien ‘Mr. D’ Boileau Painting Large Mural of Ed-U-Gator Mascot on Storage Facility at UH-Downtown [Houston Chronicle]
• Texas Water Development Board’s New Water Plan for Region H Reports Jumps in Population Projections [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Heights Association’s 2015 Spring Home & Garden Tour Taking Place April 11, 12 [HBJ]
• The Astrodome’s 50 Most Memorable Moments Since Opening on April 9, 1965 [Houston Chronicle]
• A Sampling of Astrodome Memorabilia [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of mural at St. Emanuel and Leeland, East Downtown: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Astrodome To Open to the Public for Indoor Selfies, Monster Trucks, Dome Dogs on April 9 in Honor of Its 50th Birthday [HBJ; details]
• Tiger Woods’ North Houston Golf Course Bluejack National Will Feature Residential Development of 234 ‘Estate’ Lots, 5 ‘Homestead’ Lots, 23 ‘Sunday Homes,’ 96 ‘Cottage Homes,’ 28 Condos [HBJ]
• Asking Price for Steel Heights House Designed by Cameron Armstrong with Fake Grass Now Down to $1.225 Million [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Whole Foods Opening at 1407 South Voss in Former Flagship Randall’s Spot Wednesday [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Pier 1 Imports, Cadence Bank, Starbucks Headed to Hughes Landing [Houston Chronicle]
• Closed Since December Over Landlord Dispute, Simone on Sunset To Reopen in Rice Village Space in May [Culturemap]
• Houston Has the Fastest-Growing Multi-Millionaire Population in the Country, According to New World Wealth [Houston Chronicle]
• Frontage Roads Open Ahead of Grand Pkwy. at I-45 Interchange [Houston Public Media]
• White Oak Bayou Bridge One of the Busiest At-Risk Crossings in the Country, According to Report [Houston Chronicle]
• Galveston Will Be Spared from Large Landings of Sargassum This Year, According to Forecasts [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Galveston Researchers Using Seaweed To Build Dunes That Support Plant Life, Protect the Seawall [Houston Public Media]
• Origins of Houston Neighborhood Names [Mental Floss]
• How a Houston-Based Reconditioned Diesel Transit Bus That Sleeps 6 Is Helping a Little Known Field of Art Practice Spread Around the Country [OffCite]

Photo of demolition of John West Wellness Center, 2247 San Felipe St.: Swamplot inbox

• German Investment Firm Finalizes Purchase of 1000 Main Office Tower from Invesco for $440M [Realty News Report]
• San Antonio-Based Commerce Capital Partners Buys Cityside Crossing Apartments On Griggs Rd. Near South Loop [Realty News Report]
• City Council Approves $300M Memorial Park Master Plan Unanimously [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Homeowners Seeing Less Payoff from Home Remodeling Projects, Says Realtor Group [HBJ]
• Do You Really Want to Live in a Historic District? [Houstonia]
• Charting About 150 Houston Neighborhoods by the Numbers [Houstonia]
• Museum Park Cafe Closing April 10; Will Be Replaced by New Barnaby’s Cafe April 13 [Culturemap]
• Construction on Foreign Correspondents Begins at 4721 N. Main Shopping Center; Expected To Open in Late Spring [Eater Houston]
• Sharpstown Civic Association President Not Happy About How Council Member Laster’s  ‘Crashed’ a Recent Meeting [Sharpstown Civic Association]
• Construction To Start on League City Cabela’s Any Day Now [Galveston County Daily News ($); previously on Swamplot]
• How the Astrodome Helped Birth an Entire Entertainment Industry [Houstonia]
• What a Texas-Themed Bar Looks Like in Tokyo [The Texican]
• Los Angeles Agrees To Spend $1.3B Over Next 3 Years To Fix Sidewalks in Landmark Americans With Disabilities Act Lawsuit Settlement [LA Times]

Photo of McGovern Centennial Gardens, Hermann Park: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Dallas-Basedta PlainsCapital Bank Planning Houston Headquarters in Kirby Grove [HBJ]
• Rise Communities To Break Ground on Brazoria County Master-Planned Community Meridiana on April 10 [HBJ]
• Asset Plus Cos. Holding Off on Building New Multifamily Projects in Houston for Now  [HBJ]
• With Influx of New Residential Towers, Is Downtown Finally On Its Way Up? [Houstonia]
• The Pros and Cons of Living in a Historic District [Houstonia]
• Taqueria Arandas Opening Its 28th Restaurant Today at 8111 S. Gessner [Food Chronicles]
• Caffé Bene Coming to Downtown’s GreenStreet Later This Summer [Culturemap]
• Midtown Maps Out Vision To Promote Arts, Culture Over Next Decade [Houston Chronicle]
• 55 Landfills Are Leaking in Texas, Including 5 in Houston, Says Texas Commission on Environmental Quality [Houston Public Media]

Photo of Marriott Marquis Convention Center Hotel: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Added 96,700 Jobs in the 12-Month Period Ending February 28, Despite Oil Decline [Realty News Report]
• Downtown Redevelopment Authority Seeking Developer for Mixed-Used Project on Site of Old Sakowitz Building at Main and Dallas [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• SEDCO Capital of Saudi Arabia’s New Shariah-Compliant Program To Acquire Portfolio of Senior Housing in U.S. Kicks Off with Woodlands Purchase [Realty News Report]
• Austin Private Equity Firm Casoro Capital Plans To Raise $8M To Acquire Class B and C Apartments in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio [HBJ]
• ‘Unwelcome Event’ Kills Swift Energy’s Plans To Move To Five Chasewood Near Vintage Park; HQ Relocating To Five Greenspoint Instead [HBJ]
• Gracepoint Homes Going Up in 188-Acre Stillwater Neighborhood in Conroe Near I-45 and FM 1488 [Prime Property]
• Some Predictions for the Houston Real Estate Market [Houstonia]
• H&M Planning To Open 20K-SF Location at Pearland Town Center This Fall [HBJ]
• Longstanding Midtown Nightclub Building at 2401 San Jacinto Once Home To Rich’s, Currently Home to Limelight, Trades Hands [Prime Property]
• Peli Peli Now Open in Former Gigi’s Asian Bistro Space in the Galleria [Food Chronicles]
• Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine in Montrose Closed Until Wednesday After Weekend Fire [Culturemap]
• Mayor Parker and City Council To Vote on Memorial Park Master Plan Today [Houston Chronicle]
• Competitors Sparring Over Lease of Galveston Bay’s 23K-Acre Oyster Reef [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• HPD: East Crosstimbers Little Caesars Targeted in Strip Center Drive-In Smash-and-Grab [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Traffic Worsening as Average Trips Took 25% Longer in 2014, Up from 21% in 2013, According to TomTom Report [Houston Chronicle]
• OverFlow Church ‘Strip for Jesus’ Billboards Are Back Up in Pearland [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Greenway Plaza: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Mission Cos. Acquires Energy Corridor Office Buildings Ashford Place II and III; Won’t Redevelop for a Few Years [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Methodist Expanding in the Spring Area with the Building of New Primary Care Facility [Houston Chronicle]
• Slideshow: Inside the New Petroleum Club on the Top Floor of Total Plaza [Prime Property]
• Spring Branch Home Shows Off Micro-Trigeneration Technology with Mini Power Plant for Power, Heat, and Cooling [HBJ]
• Unnamed Major Supermarket from Japanese Chain Hidejiro Matsu To Open in Ashford Village Shopping Center This Fall [HBJ]
• Common Ground To Build Development Housing Several Restaurants, Club on Main between Mcllhenny and Hadley [Eater Houston]
• Scaled-Down Version of Liberty Kitchen Coming to Former Ruggles Cafe Space in Rice Village [Culturemap]
• Restaurant Component of Asia Market Now Closed, Will Reopen 2 Miles East at 4822 Fulton St. in Late June [Culturemap]
• Part of Historic Wunsche Bros. Cafe & Saloon in Spring Gutted by Early Sunday Morning Fire [Houston Chronicle]
• Dog-Friendly Winston’s on Washington at 5111 Washington Ave. Has Closed [Houstonia]
• City, Business Owners, Historians Look To Develop Historic District Plan for League City’s Downtown [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• City’s First Protected 2-Way Cycle Track Now Open, Linking Sam Houston Park to Discovery Green [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Appraisal Values of almost 90% of Harris County Homes Up This Year by About 15% [Click2Houston]
• The Signs of a Rental Property Scam [abc13]
• One Bin Recycling Program Bidding Process Taking Longer Than Expected as Proposals Raise Questions About Technology, Cost [Houston Chronicle]
• The Church of Scientology’s High Profile Real Estate Plan: Local Legitimacy Through Historic Preservation [Gizmodo]

Photo of Guitar Center opening, 195 Yale St., March 26: Swamplot inbox

• Former Sign Magnate Al Ross Developing 6-Story Monroe at Bayou Park Midrise on Rochow Between W. Dallas and W. Clay [Houston Chronicle]
• David Weekley Homes Building 18 Townhomes Near Braeswood Place [Prime Property]
• Houston’s Annual Effective Rent Growth Dropped from 5.7% in March 2014 to 4.7% in February, Finds Axiometrics [HBJ]
• Topshop and Topman Opens in Combined, 2-Story, 17K-SF Space in the Galleria [Houstonia]
• Sweetest Strip Center on N. Shepherd Dr. Will Gain Some Carbs with Arrival of Dallas Pizza Chain Cane Rosso Later This Year [The Leader; previously on Swamplot]
• Pho Binh Opening in Former Sale-Sucre space on White Oak Dr. in the Heights [Eater Houston]
• Pearland’s Pena’s Donut Heaven & Grill Looking for Next Location in Houston and Sugar Land [Eater Houston]
• Montrose Rock Dive Mango’s Still Up and Running 4 Months After ‘For Lease’ Sign Went Up on Side of Building [Rocks Off]
• Metro Has Spent More Than $264M on Studies Related to Light Rail Development That Had Limited Results [Houston Chronicle]
• Why the Houston-to-Dallas High-Speed Rail Proposal Isn’t All That [Houston Chronicle]
• A Bottom-Up, Unofficial Guide to the Westheimer Cigna Sunday Streets This Sunday [OffCite]
• Houston Branch of Chicago Newspaper Repeats Findings of Some Company That’s Declared ‘Astrodome’ To Be Primary Neighborhood Where Houston’s Hipsters Live [Houston Sun Times]

Photo of Texas Medical Center: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Swift Energy Will Take Over 120K-SF of Former ExxonMobil Space at Two Greenspoint Place [HBJ]
• New Permits Filed for Greater Houston Partnership 11-Story Office Building Going Up Across from GRB [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• Architect Planning ‘Pocket Neighborhood’ on 2-Acre Plot in Semi-Rural Acres Homes, 10 Miles Northwest of Downtown [Houston Chronicle]
• First Residents Moving into Marvy Finger’s Susanne Midrise on Site of Former Montrose Fiesta on April 1, Before Construction Is Complete [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• HomeVestors Ranks Houston as Best City for Residential Real Estate Investment [Prime Property]
• Menil Collection To Break Ground on Drawing Institute on March 27 [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• New, Bigger Texas City H-E-B Slated To Open by August 7; Old Texas City H-E-B Will Close [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Jackson Street BBQ Planning Opening Party on April 6, in Time for Houston Astros Home Opener [Food Chronicles]
• Cyclone Anaya’s Mexican Kitchen, Nick’s Fish Dive & Oyster Bar Opening in The Woodlands Waterway Square [Prime Property]
• Local Pour’s New Woodlands Restaurant Set To Open April 1 [Food Chronicles]
• Seven River Oaks Opening Friday in Former Azteca’s Margarita Bar & Grill Space at 2207 Richmond Ave. [Eater Houston]
• Census Finds Houston Metro Area Gained More Than 156,300 New Residents from 2013 to 2014, the Most in the Country [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Marathon Oil Tower, 5555 San Felipe: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Midway Cites Neighbors’ Outcry in Announcement That It’s Nixing Apartments from Plans for Memorial Dr. Site Near CityCentre [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Arizona-Based ActiveRx Plans To Open 25 Senior Wellness Centers in Greater Houston Area Over Next 5 Years [HBJ]
• LyondellBasell’s Pasadena Plant Will Be One of the Largest U.S. Sites Making Tri-Ethylene Glycol by Late 2016, Once It More Than Doubles Production Capacity [Fuel Fix]
• Urban Land Institute’s $243M Astrodome Renovation Plan Is a Hodgepodge of Recycled Ideas [Houston Press]
• Associated General Contractors of America Names Treehouse Memorial City One of 2014’s Best Construction Projects [Houston Chronicle]
• $1.7M Exploration Park Set To Open in Cinco Ranch Within Next 2 Months [HBJ]
• Ellington Airport Likely To Obtain Spaceport License from FAA by Early This Summer [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• 311 Got Nearly 450 Complaints in 2014 About Crosswalk Timing Issues and Malfunctions [Click2Houston]
• Town Hall Tonight To Discuss How the City’s Investments Can Affect Houston’s Arts and Cultural Landscape [Houston Public Media]

Photo of Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion, Hermann Park: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Finalized ULI Advisory Report Labels Astrodome in Park Plan a ‘Multiuse Facility’; Includes Parking in Lower Levels, Outdoor Public Spaces, 10-Year Timeline [Houston Chronicle; report here]
• Houston-Area Apartment Occupancy Went from 93.9% in January to 94.2% in February, According to Axiometrics [Prime Property]
• Tricked-Out Kid’s Room in The Lakes of Shadow Creek Model Home Features Rock Wall Bunk Bed, Built-In Gaming Console [HBJ]
• Is Rice Village Wine Bar Simone on Sunset Coming Back from the Dead? [Eater Houston]
• Ranking the Best Houston Neighborhoods for Families and Millennials, by the Numbers [NerdWallet]
• Immigrant Community, Diverse Economy Will Help Houston Airports Expand Despite Oil Slump, Says Airports Chief [Houston Chronicle]
• Boosters Hope ‘Halo Effect’ Will Help Houston Host More Mega-Events [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston Lost About 22 Billion Gallons of Water in 2013 Because of Leaks and Breaks [Houston Chronicle]
• World Animal Awareness Society Using Drones To Track Stray Dogs in Houston [USA Today]
• Houston Had No Cowboys and ‘Wild West’ Past; It Came from Real Estate [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of Rice University: El Kento via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• 8 New Downtown Hotels, Convention District Improvements Rushing To Finish Before Super Bowl 2017 [HBJ]
• 17 Downtown Apartment Buildings Qualified for the Now-Closed Downtown Living Initiative, but Only 1 Has Opened So Far [HBJ]
• KM Realty Advisors Under Contract To Purchase 4.4 Acres at West Bellfort and FM 1464 in Richmond To Build The Shops at Aliana [Houston Chronicle]
• First Look at Heavily Publicized Anejo, Opening in Former Arturo’s Uptown Italiano Space in Uptown Park on March 24 After 3-Week Renovation [Food Chronicles]
• After Delay, Hugs & Donuts To Open This Week on N. Shepherd in the Heights ‘For Sure’ [Eater Houston]
• Galveston Park Board Approves $41M Worth of Improvements to Stewart Beach and East Beach Parks [Houston Chronicle]
• Touring a $100M Dallas Mansion, the Most Expensive House for Sale in Texas [Culturemap]
• Alligator Captured in Front Yard of Sienna Plantation Home in Fort Bend County [Click2Houston]

Photo of Wall at Biscuit Home, 1435 Westheimer Rd.: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Scenic Houston Working To Raise $7.5M To Upgrade ‘Tired’ 2-Mile Strip of Broadway Between Hobby Airport and I-45 with Greenery, Benches, LED Lights [Houston Chronicle]
• The City Has Been Working with Private Firm Bureau Veritas To Deal with Surge of Requests for Building Permits [Houston Chronicle]
• Remembering the Astrodome As It Marks the 50th Anniversary of Its Opening Next Month [Smithsonian Magazine]
• Public Art Has Become an Integral Part of Master-Planned Communities’ Landscaping [HBJ]
• Texas Has the Second-Highest Property Taxes in the Nation, Behind New York, According RealtyTrac [Realty News Report]
• Christian’s Tailgate Opening New Location in Pillot Building Downtown That Last Housed a Burger King [Food Chronicles]
• Monitoring the Varying Speed Limit Signage Along Montrose and Studewood [Purple City]
• Proposed Bill Would Help Residents of Unincorporated Castlewood, Which Lacks Reliable Clean Water [Texas Tribune]
• Meter Reader Discovers Water Moccasin in Greatwood Water Meter Box [Click2Houston]
• Where AstroWorld’s Roller Coasters Are Now [Art Attack]
• The 10 Best Pet Cemeteries and Crematoriums in Houston [Art Attack]

Photo of Walker St. at San Jacinto, Downtown: El Kento via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• New 500K-SF Industrial Park off Hwy. 288 Dubbed ‘Lower Kirby District’ Will Break Ground This Summer [HBJ]
• Value of Houston Office Buildings Could Plummet by as Much as 15% This Year, According to PricewaterhouseCoopers Report [Prime Property]
• Houston Apartment Rental Rate Growth Hit Record High of 8.1% Last Year, According to CBRE Research and Apartment Data Services [HBJ]
• New Townhome-Style Apartments Unveiled at Energy Corridor Community Arrabella [HBJ]
• A Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Main Street Theater’s $3.5M Renovation [Houston Public Media; previously on Swamplot]
• Developer Jerome Karam Faces Costly Environmental Cleanup at Long-Vacant Falstaff Brewery Site [Galveston County Daily News ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Armed with Warrant, Police Raid 3 Condos at 2520 Robinhood at Kirby for Evidence of Robert Durst Murders [Houston Chronicle; warrant here]
• Visiting Robert Durst’s Rice Village Haunts, Including Croissant Brioche, Starbucks, and the CVS Where He Urinated on a Candy Display [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of 610 at Bellaire: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Incarnate Word Academy To Raze 110-Year-Old Downtown Building Despite Protests, To Make Way for New $8.5M School [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Plans for Downtown Site Earmarked for Shelved Nau Center for Texas Cultural Heritage Now Up in the Air; Donors’ Money Being Returned [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
• ‘Futureproof’ Your New Home with Flex Pipe [HBJ]
• Ula’s Mexican Restaurant Confirms Rumored Location at 5555 Washington Ave [Eater Houston]
• Richmond, Rosenberg To Get New Fixed-Route Bus Service Starting in July, in Response to Increased Demand [Houston Public Media]
• Phase I of Study Looking at Ways Texas Coastal Communities Can Reduce Future Storm Damage Released Nearly 7 Years After Ike [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Energy Corridor District Master Plan Envisions ‘Version of Central Park’ Along Langham Creek [Culturemap]

Photo of Incarnate Word Academy, Downtown: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Sullivan Brothers Builders Planning 25 Brick-Front Townhomes Across from Arne’s Warehouse and Party Store off Studemont St. [Prime Property]
• City of Galveston Looking To Buy Del Papa Building for $4.5M for New Public Works Department Location [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Abandoned Commercial Strip Center on West Belfort Ave. Demolished in Effort To Spark Economic Development [Houston Public Media]
• Real Estate Magnate and HBO True Crime Star Robert Durst Owns 3 Separate Units in 2520 Robinhood at Kirby Condo Tower [Prime Property]
• Preview Modern Seafood Has Closed in Sugar Land After 10 Months, Plans To Be ‘Reincarnated’ as ‘Tides’ in Midtown [Houston Chronicle]
• Has Ruggles Cafe Bakery in Rice Village Closed for Good, or Just for Renovations? [Culturemap]
• Local Pour To Open Next Month at Hughes Landing in The Woodlands [Food Chronicles; previously on Swamplot
• Big Pieces of AstroWorld for Sale on eBay, Including Texas Tornado Sign, Gondolas from the Alpine AstroWay [Houston Press]
• Man Found Dead in His Car in Deer Park Walmart Parking Lot Had Been There for More Than a Week [Houston Chronicle]

Photo: Jackson Myers via Swamplot Flickr Pool