Headlines

• $10M Plan To Revitalize Upper Kirby’s Levy Park, Next To New Mixed-Use Midway Development ‘Kirby Grove’ [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Both Atwood Oceanics, American Electric Technologies Relocating Headquarters to New Energy Corridor Spots [Prime Property]
• River Oaks Spot Local Pour Expanding to the Woodlands, Joining 12-Unit ‘Restaurant Row’ at Hughes Landing [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Sources Say Cinemark Has Pulled Out of Texas City Deal [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• FEMA OKs $7.6M in Disaster Recovery Grants for Construction of Flight Museum at Ellington Field [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Houston Saw a 3.4 Percent Increase in Bus Ridership Last Year, Finds Transit Study [KHOU]
• Lack of Firearms Regulations, Homeowner Associations Make It Tough for Waller County Residents To Fight New Gun Range Being Built Near Their Homes [abc13]

Photo of Downtown: Jackson Myers via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Citing ExxonMobil Campus Demand, Gracepoint Homes To Begin Construction on 136-Home ‘The Forest’ in Conroe Next Month [Houston Business Journal]
• First Building at Northgate Office Complex on Hardy Toll Road Near I-45 To Be Joined By Northgate Two, More Than Double the Size [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• UH Stadium Construction on Pace for August Opening [KUHF; previously on Swamplot]
• Grand Opening of Michael’s Cookie Jar in the Downtown Tunnels This Friday [Eater Houston]
• Nearly 37K Houston-Area Homeowners Owe More on Mortgages Than Homes Are Worth, Finds Study [Prime Property]
• 90K Tree Saplings Planted Last Week at Memorial Park To Help With Reforestation Efforts [KUHF]
• Why Thousands of Birds Roost During the Winter at the Intersection of 61st St. and Stewart Rd. [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• $4M Study To Explore Potential of Ike Dike, ‘Centennial Gate’ in Protecting Houston from Future Hurricanes [Houston Chronicle ($) previously on Swamplot]
• Imagining What It Would Have Been Like To Find Yourself in Houston in the Late 1830s [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of 3300 Main St.: David Elizondo via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Randalls Parent Company Safeway Merging with Albertsons in Deal Valued at $9.2B [Houston Business Journal; more info]
• Parking Variance Approved for Proposed Entertainment Venue at Old Balinese Room Site on the Seawall [Houston Chronicle]
• Opening of Ogdens’ Heights Restaurant Bradley’s Fine Diner Indefinitely Delayed Due to Water Line Bust [Food Chronicles; previously on Swamplot]
• Local Businesses Say They’ve Lost Customers Because of US-290 Construction [The Leader]
• 806-Acre ‘Hidden Creek’ Subdivision in Bridgeland Receives Wetlands Permit, Will Bring 1,000 New Homes to Area [Houston Chronicle]
• Builder Expects To Deliver Last Train to Metro 5 Months Late; Southeast and East End Lines May Open with Borrowed Red Line Trains, Limited Service [The Highwayman]
• The Temporary Executive Offices Forged out of Hilton Americas Hotel Rooms for CERAWeek Energy Conference [FuelFix]
• Can You Identify the Art in this Woodland Heights Home? [The Great God Pan Is Dead; previously on Swamplot]

Photo of Boardwalk Bullet, Kemah Boardwalk: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Hines Starts Construction on 48-Story Tower at 609 Main Downtown; Will Take 36 Months To Complete [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Crews Starting To Pour Foundation for 23-Story Hilcorp Building at Old Downtown Macy’s Site [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Trinity Episcopal School Will Use Vacated Bank of America Site on 23rd St. in Galveston for Playing Fields [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• First Dunkin’ Donuts in Katy Area Having Soft Opening on March 11 [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• City Council Approves New $52M Parking Garage at Hobby Airport as Part of Expansion [Click2Houston]
• Henderson Elementary, Port Houston Elementary and Fleming Middle School Spared from Closure for Now; 2 Other HISD Schools Still in Limbo [KHOU]
• City To Shut Down Parts of White Oak, Washington, Westheimer To Cars Over Next 3 Months as Part of Bike, Pedestrian Pilot Program [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of converted phone booth outside Black Hole Coffee House, 4504 Graustark St.: Molly Block via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• ‘Valley Ranch’ Mixed-Use Medical District Planned for Kingwood at Grand Parkway, US-59 [Houston Business Journal]
• Slideshow: A Progress Report on ExxonMobil’s 385-Acre Spring Campus [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Sylvia Casares Opening Third Sylvia’s, Minus the ‘Enchilada Kitchen,’ in Former Sharky’s Space in Energy Corridor, This May [Culturemap]
• Tiff’s Treats Opening Fourth Houston-Area Store on March 8, at Beltway 8 and Briar Forest [Houston Business Journal]
• Median List Price Per Square Foot in Houston Increased 22.4% to $93 in Past Year [Movoto]
• 4 Rare, Centuries-Old Trees To Be Cut Down To Make Way for a Bypass Around Snook [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• The Forces Behind Gentrification in Houston [Not of It]
• Public Input Sought on Proposed Memorial Park Improvements [Houston Politics; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Arts Alliance Coordinating $86K Budget for Art at New BARC Adoption and Animal Shelter Facility [Culturemap]
• The Costs of Houston’s Growth on Public Health [OffCite Blog]
• Rice Study Looks To Help HISD Prevent Asthma Attacks [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• ‘Eclectic’ Houston Heights Association Home & Garden Tour Happening April 5-6 [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of the River Oaks District: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Sugar Land Officials Looking into Building a Tier 2 Convention Center [Houston Business Journal]
• U.S. Postal Service Now Evaluating Multiple Bids It Received for Downtown Post Office [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Texas City Buc-ee’s Aiming for Late April, Early May Opening, Earlier Than Projected [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Rice U. Faculty ‘Outraged’ Over Hasty Plans To Tear Down Menil Art Barn [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Rendering of Olive Garden at Taylor Street Shopping Center Has Some Saying Area is Too ‘Suburban‘ [Prime Property]
• Luxury Condo Tower ‘Belfiore’ Breaks Ground in Uptown, Already 60 Percent Sold [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• New Home Sales Accounted for 30 Percent of All Texas Homes Purchased Last Year [Prime Property]
• Drifting Dust from Africa Blamed in Part for Houston’s Poor Air Quality [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• City of Houston Sends Cease and Desist to Uber Over Email Campaign [Hair Balls]
• Police Issued 10 Citations at Friday’s Critical Mass [The Highwayman]
• If You Think Montrose Ain’t What It Used To Be, You’re Not Alone [Houstonia]
• The Most Expensive Eviction in New York City History [New York Post]

Photo of Mason Park: Leonid Notax via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Commerce Street Studios East of Downtown To Be Restored as Art Spaces [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Slideshow: At Least 8 Real Estate Projects Planned for Downtown Houston [Prime Property]
• Finger Furniture Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Begins Liquidating Assets [Houston Business Journal; more info]
• Three Brothers Bakery Opens Third Houston Location, on Washington Ave, Today at 10 am [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Pondicheri Confirms It Will Add an Upstairs Bakery, To-Go Space at West Ave Restaurant This Summer [Culturemap]
• How Panamax, Coal Expert Terminals, the Keystone Pipeline, and Petrochemical Plant Expansions Could Compromise Houston Air Quality [OffCite]
• Metro Selling Off Land To Allow Westpark Tollway To Extend to Fulshear [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Discussing Bike Infrastructure Possibilities for Houston, Including a ‘Bike Freeway’ Through Midtown [Pedestrian Pete]
• Officials at Odds Over a Potential Return of Galveston Trolleys [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Illegal ‘No Parking’ Signs Going Up in Some Houston Neighborhoods [Click2Houston]
• Texans Asked To Conserve Electricity as Cold Wave Moves Through the State [Fuel Fix]

Photo of Fifth Ward house: David Elizondo via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Frank Liu Planning Possible Scattered-Site Affordable Housing, Development of Many Diversified Interests Superfund Site in the Fifth Ward [Houston Business Journal]
• Tomball Grand Pkwy. Area Master-Planned Community Willowcreek Ranch Making More Sites Available Sooner To Meet Demand [Prime Property]
• Construction of Galveston Public Housing Delayed Indefinitely by Lawsuit [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Hubbell & Hudson May Close Market Sooner Than March 12 [Culturemap]
• New Galveston Cruise Terminal Could Feature ‘Out of the Box’ Design [Houston Business Journal]
• A Collection of Disparaging Things People Have Said About Houston Over the Last 200 Years [Houstonia]
• Houston Ranked Among Best Cities for Frugal Living by CreditDonkey.com [Houston Chronicle]
• A Few Tips To Help Drivers Protect Horses, Riders During Houston Rodeo Trail Rides [Click2Houston]

Photo of Allen’s Landing, Buffalo and White Oak Bayous: Jackson Myers via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Developer Frank Liu Buys Finger Furniture Parcel off Gulf Freeway, for ‘Retail or Residential’ [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Newland Communities Selling 90 Acres of Commercial Property on Former Sugar Land Prison Site at US-59 and University Blvd. [Houston Business Journal]
• Torchy’s Tacos Opening in Katy This Summer — in La Centerra at Cinco Ranch Shopping Center [Houston Business Journal]
• Sneak Peek Inside Lei Low, the Sunset Heights Tiki Bar Opening This Friday [Eater Houston]
• TOMS Owner Wants To Know the Ideal Location for a Houston Store [Culturemap]
• Fifth Ward ‘Poised for a Resurgence’ [abc13]
• Lazybrook, Timbergrove Residents Say They’ve Had Water Pressure Problems Since Construction on Ella Blvd. Water Line Last Summer [The Leader]
• Video: Inside a $19M Woodlands Mansion That Has 12 Bedrooms, 18 Bathrooms, 12 Fireplaces, 9 Kitchens and 42 Chandeliers [abc13]
• Click 4 Times To See a List of 20 Houston Streets that Change Names [Hair Balls]
• Delayed Vote on Proposed Freight Corridor That Cuts Across the Katy Prairie Will Take Place This Friday [The Highwayman]

Photo of the Fred Hartman Bridge: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• EarthQuest Theme Park ‘Not Dead,’ Claim Developers; Supposedly Have New East Montgomery County Location in the Works [The Humble Observer; previously on Swamplot]
• Kroger May Be Interested in Buying Randalls Parent Company Safeway [Houston Business Journal]
• Nearly-Vacant Shopping Center at Post Oak and San Felipe Up for Sale, Likely To Be Torn Down [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Morgan Group Developing ‘Pearl at the Mix’ Apartments Down the Street from Pearl Midtown [Houston Business Journal, previously on Swamplot]
• Houston Building Permits Issued for Year Ending in January Hit Record $6.2B [KUHF]
• Put the ‘Astro’ Back into the Astrodome [Gizmodo]
• Port of Galveston To Invest in Design for New, Third Cruise Terminal [Houston Chronicle]
• Environmental Groups Urge City To Trash ‘Flawed’ Single Bin Recycling Plan [Houston Chronicle]
• Curious Sights Encountered on Bike Rides Across Houston [Houstonia]

Photo of yesterday’s demolition of Westcreek Apartments, 2021 Westcreek Ln.: Jack Miller

• 12 Years After Deregulation, Texas Isn’t Producing Enough Electricity To Meet Demand [Texas Monthly]
• 2014 Good Brick Winners Include Victorian House, Log Cabin, John Staub-Designed Mansion, Bethel Park [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Austin-Based Restaurant Chain Verts Plans To Open 13 4 Locations in Houston Area This Year [Prime Property]
• Postal Service Announces Intent To Move Southmore Station from Site of Houston’s First Sit-In Demonstration [Houston Advocate]
• Washington Ave. Parking Revenue Less Than Expected, Potentially Delaying Street Improvements [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Mission Burrito Will Change Its Name after Losing Trademark Lawsuit [Houston Chronicle]
• A Compendium Of Houston-Area Neighborhood Nicknames [Houstonia]

Photo of 5511 Griggs Rd.: Cody Lutsch

• Neighbors File Suit Against Developers of 2229 San Felipe, Claiming Office Tower Would Be ‘Abnormal and Out of Place’ [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Houston First, Buffalo Bayou Partnership Hope Sunset Coffee Building Project Will Revive a Neglected Part of Downtown [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Two Years After Announcement, Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill Now Open in West Oaks Mall [Culturemap]
• El Gran Malo Out on Ella, Restaurant from Roost Owner Kevin Naderi On Its Way In [Houstonia]
• Permits for New Homes in La Marque Increased Nearly 90% from 2012 to 2013 [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Johnson Development Corp. Holding 500-Home Tour of Its Master-Planned Communities This April [Houston Chronicle]
• Exploring BBP’s Abandoned Gravel Silos on Buffalo Bayou [OffCite]

Photo of Kemah Boardwalk marina: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Halberdier Real Estate Developing Woodlands Mixed-Use, Industrial Project Because of Grand Parkway, ExxonMobil Campus [Real Estate Bisnow]
• John Varvatos Men’s Store To Make Texas Debut in the Galleria this Spring or Fall [Prime Property]
• LA Crawfish Expands Inner-Loop Empire with Newest Location on Richmond [Eating Our Words]
• Ridesharing Service Uber Jumps into Houston Market with UberX, Paralleling Lyft [Houston Chronicle]
• Castle Court’s Mandell Park Hosts Groundbreaking for Renovations [Houston Chronicle]
• Houston, Dallas, Austin Named ‘Super Cities’ To Watch in 2014 by Moving Site SpareFoot [Houston Chronicle]
• Map Shows Fire Stations Affected by Budget Cuts [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of I-45: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Owner of Albertsons and Shaw’s Supermarkets in Talks To Buy Randalls Parent Safeway [LA Times]
• Longtime Garden Oaks Watering Hole Red’s Bar Up for Sale [The Leader]
• Three New Hotels Planned for Springwoods Village To Accommodate Exxon Effect [Houston Business Journal]
• Baytown City Council Votes To Widen John Martin Rd. for New Baytown Buc-ee’s, Opening in November [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• U.S. Postal Service Decides To Move 5 Houston Post Offices, Postpone Southmore Station Decision [Houston Advocate]
• Katy Residents Try To Get Nottingham Country MUD To Deny Water and Sewer Service to New Apartment Complex They Oppose [Covering Katy]
• Mayor Parker Praises PM Realty Group For Saving 4 Oak Trees at 3737 Buffalo Speedway [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Galveston County Transit District Proposes To Connect Island, Houston Bus Routes [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• App-Based Ridesharing Service Lyft Launching in Houston This Friday; May Violate City Laws If It Accepts Payments [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Houston’s 10 Most Treacherous Freeway Entrance Ramps [Hair Balls]

Photo of City Hall: Steve Oprea via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Vera Bradley, Topshop-Topman Latest Stores Headed to the Galleria [Houston Business Journal]
• Sales of $500K+ Homes Were Up 45% Over Last Year [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Rebuilding of Ike-Damaged Galveston Public Housing Delayed by Texas Attorney General’s Refusal To Approve Construction Bonds [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Houston Ranks No. 9 Among Major Metro Areas for Lowest Salary Needed To Buy a Median-Priced Home, Finds Mortgage Website [Prime Property]
• Rice University Taking Over Village Arcade Shopping Center from Weingarten [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Dozens of Bats Discovered Inside Splendora High School [Click2Houston]
• Project Shows Gentrification of New York City in GIFs [Justin Blinder via Gizmodo]

Photo of San Felipe: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool