Headlines

• Walmart Opening Its Second Inner Loop Store, at Wayside and I-45 South, This Month [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• D’Agostino Cos. Building 3-Story Tilt-Wall Energy Corridor Spec Office Building at Greenhouse and Park Row Blvd. [Prime Property]
• Crews Now Clearing Site for 17-Story Hines Office Tower on San Felipe [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• 1700 West Loop South Office Building Now Labeled with Burns & McDonnell Signs Following Expansion Deal [Prime Property]
• Houston Ranks Among Top 5 U.S., Global Cities in Real Estate for Foreign Investors in Survey [Prime Property]
• Number of Houstonians Buying Million-Dollar Homes Went Up Nearly 50 Percent Last Year, Finds Report [Houston Business Journal]

Photo of construction at 9807 and 9811 Katy Fwy.: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Randalls Will Have 30 Stores in Houston After Westchase Location Closes; Down 40 Percent Since 2005 [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• More Than 3 Months After Departure of Namesake Chef Philippe Schmit, Galleria Restaurant Philippe Is Ready To Change Its Name [Culturemap]
• Most-Viewed Houston Neighborhood on Trulia.com Last Year: ‘The Greater Heights’ [Prime Property]
• 100-year-old Sycamore from Oxford and 23rd Downed by Developers Transformed into Handcrafted Furniture [Culturemap]
• Metro Still Working to Reclaim $740K in Unpaid Tolls [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Critical Mass Riders Say They Would Continue with or Without Police Escorts [Houston Chronicle]
• Galveston Historical Foundation Launches App Featuring Maps, Photos, Info on Island [AP]
• Cantinas Come and Go, But Magnolia Grove Pay Phone Remains [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of East Downtown: David Elizondo via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Medical Center Undergoing $2.6M in Landscaping, Pedestrian Improvements [KUHF]
• Libertarian Foundation Study Finds That Roads, Not Transit, Have Helped Reduce Houston Congestion [The Highwayman]
• Houston Police May Start Charging Critical Mass Riders for Escort, Safety Services [Houston Chronicle]
• Astros Looking at Ways to Have More Games with the Roof Open [MLB]
• Construction Update on the Nordstrom Coming to The Woodlands Mall [Isiah Carey’s ‘Insite’]
• A Guide to the 10 Greatest Houses in Houston [Houstonia]

Photo: David Elizondo via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Aldi’s 15th Area Store Will Open in Humble, Distribution Center in Rosenberg This Year [Prime Property]
• Mayor Parker Thinks Astrodome Would Make a Great Place for an Amusement Park or Casino [Culturemap]
• In Praise of the Shotgun House [Houstonia]
• Galveston’s Seawall Parking Program Has Lost the City $300K so Far [Houston Chronicle]
• A Look Back at the Light Rail’s First Decade [The Highwayman]
• Reliant Stadium, Astrodome, Minute Maid Park, IAH, Chevron HQ Among Most Popular Places To Take Photos in Houston, According to Sightsmap [Houston Chronicle]
• Weekly Architecture Center Houston and AIA Houston Walking Tours Kick Off Season with Rice U. This Saturday [Houston Chronicle]
• Revisiting the Pages of the 1920s-Era Houston Gargoyle, Houston’s First City Magazine [Houstonia]
• Slideshow: Houston’s 5 Best Residential Architects [Houstonia]
• 1942 ‘Time Capsule’ Apartment Discovered in Paris [Bello Blog]
• Skyscraper Candles Let You Melt the World’s Tallest Buildings at Home [The Atlantic Cities]

Photo of US 59 at 610: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Public Arts Organization Museum of Cultural Arts Houston Shutting Down, Effective Today [Glasstire]
• Midtown Arts Center Will Include Coffee Shop, Wine Bar, Large Video Screen in Open-Air Lobby; Aims To Break Ground in First Quarter of 2014 [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Metro Expanding HOV-Only Hours, Raising Tolls by as Much as $2.25 During Peak Hours Starting January 6 [MyFoxHouston]
• Pedestrian Improvements in the Works Near Airline Drive Flea Markets [KUHF]
• Unlike Other Recent Openings on 300 Block, Main St.’s Bar Materia Won’t Be Connected to OKRA; Will It Be a ‘Breastaurant’? [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Metro Could Better Communicate How the ‘Extension’ Part of the North Line Past Burnett Station Actually Works [Off the Kuff]
• Bike-Sharing Service B-Cycle Expanding to Travel-Challenged Spots [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Texas Has Seen Greatest Growth of Any State Over Last 10 years, Finds Census [Hair Balls]
• Texas Tops Allied Van Lines’ List of States with Most New Relocations for Ninth Straight Year [Prime Property]
• Only 30% of Users of Closing West U Recycling Center Lived in West U [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Unusual Items from the Houston’s Public Library’s Houston Metropolitan Research Center [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of Houston Food Park, 1504 St. Emanuel St.: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• H-E-B Planning Fifth Grocery Store in Cy-Fair Area; Opening Slated for Fall 2014 [Houston Business Journal]
• New Bar in Kirby Whole Foods Market Is Chain’s 95th [Beer, TX]
• New Construction Driving Up Rents in The Heights, Oak Forest Areas in Past 6 Months [The Leader]
• New HBJ Real Estate Reporter Has Trouble Finding a Home in Houston [Houston Business Journal]
• Seawall Parking Fee Generates Nearly $180K Since July Launch [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Slideshow: Artifacts Salvaged from 150-Year-Old Civil War Ship Found at the Bottom of the Houston Ship Channel [Houston Chronicle]
• Opinion: Public Works or Private Mandate Needed To Ensure a Fully Functioning Pedestrian Network of Sidewalks [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of BLVD Place construction: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• A Roundup of Explanations for the Heights’ Strange Alcohol Boundaries [Off the Kuff]
• Bike Trail and Sidewalk Improvements That Would Help the Coming Grocers Supply Redevelopment [Off the Kuff; previously on Swamplot]
• Partially-Demoed Astrodome Included on List of ‘Important Buildings We Lost in 2013’ [Atlantic Cities]
• Milken Institute Ranks Houston Among Top 10 ‘Performing’ Cities in the Country, Behind Austin, Dallas [Culturemap]
• Added Security Cameras Can Also Beef Up Houston’s Traffic Monitoring [The Highwayman]
• George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park Trying To Raise $80K for Repairs [KUHF]

Photo of downtown: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Linbeck Group Selected To Oversee Construction of Sugar Land’s $83.6M Performing Arts Center [Community Impact Newspaper; previously on Swamplot]
• Galveston’s Waterfront Harbor House Hotel and Marina Closing Until February for Renovations [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Owners of River Oaks Plant House at Westheimer and Buffalo Speedway Still Looking for New Location, Shutting Down by December 31 [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• City Adding 180 Surveillance Cameras Downtown; Total Near 1,000 [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Texas’s Craft Beer Industry Added $2.3B to State’s Economy in 2012, Claims Brewers Association [Houston Business Journal]

Photo of I-10 near Bunker Hill Rd.: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• ‘Ugly Houses’ Company Ranks Houston Market No. 5 in the U.S. for Investing in Single-Family Homes, Behind Fort Worth, Dallas [Houston Business Journal]
• Nalco Champion Building New Headquarters in Sugar Land Next to Current Sugar Land Operations [Prime Property]
• 2014 Set To Be Another Big Year for Houston-Area Freeway, Tollway Projects [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Lawsuit Reveals Details of Construction Death During Texas A&M Stadium Renovations [Culturemap]
• Garden Oaks’ 34th St. Is Next in Line for Quiet Zone, but Funding May Not Be Available Until 2015 [The Leader]
• How to Use the New Red Line Extension To Try New Restaurants [Food Chronicles]
• Mysterious Orange Dust That Covered Cars, Lawns Over the Weekend Blew in from Central Mexico [Houston Chronicle]

Photo of the Southwest Freeway near Montrose Blvd.: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Finger Apartments Now Going Up on Site of Former Ben Milam Hotel Will Mimic Style of Astros Stadium, Be ‘Virtually Noise Free‘ [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Watermark Planning Similar Apartment Complexes Near New ExxonMobil and Noble Energy Campuses, League City [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Many of Galveston’s Surviving 46 Cast-Iron Buildings Are Rapidly Succumbing to Rust [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Minor Car Crash at Fulton Near Patton Mars New Light Rail Extension’s Opening Day [AP]
• No Toll Tags Needed on New Segment of Grand Pkwy. between I-10 and US-290 Until February [The Highwayman]
• Houston Lost 15.2% of the City’s Total Water Supply To Leaks Last Fiscal Year [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Memorial Park Conservancy Seeking Public Input on Its Long-Term Master Plan [The Leader]
• Security Cams Catch NJ Realtor Couple Using Client’s Bedroom for Sex [NorthJersey.com]

Photo of Memorial City Mall entrance: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Bellaire Mayor Doesn’t Like TxDOT Plans To Rebuild 610-59 Interchange, Add Fournace Flyover; Wants More Details [Memorial Examiner]
• Buckhead Investment Partners Will Challenge Ashby Highrise Damages Ruling, Potential Construction Injunction [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Group Acquires 1,350 Acres of Undeveloped Bolivar Peninsula Beach Front That’s a Bird Habitat [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Midtown Bar The Good Life Is Closed for Renovations, Not for Good, Says Eater [Houston Business Journal]
• Gulf Coast Rail District Looking Into Implementing 9 Commuter Rail Lines To Connect Suburban Areas to Downtown [The Leader]
• Metro Considering Re-Routing Buses To Avoid Peak Holiday Traffic [The Highwayman]

Photo of Blacksmith, 1018 Westheimer: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Flood Control District Finishes Clearing Out Dirt from Drainage Channels [West U Examiner]
• Duke Realty Planning 2-Building Business Park at Huffmeister and 290 [Cypress Creek Mirror]
• Killen’s Barbecue Opening in Mid-January in Pearland [Eater Houston]
• Verdict in Ashby Highrise Trial Likely To Serve as Model for Other Activists, Developers [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• 5 Reasons It Might Be Time To Leave the Heights [Houston Press]
• Free Light Rail Rides Saturday To Kick Off Metro’s New North Line Extension [KUHF]
• Paul Carr’s Handmade 5-Car Wooden Train Sets Up in the Heights’ Donovan Park [The Leader]

Photo of Rice University from Rice Stadium: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Morgan Group To Start Work on New Pearl Woodlake Apartments in Westchase Next Year [Houston Business Journal]
• A House-by-House Breakdown of the $1,661,993.62 Damages Awarded in the Ashby Highrise Verdict [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Judge Emmett Directing Astrodome Reuse Proposals to Sports and Convention Corp. if They Don’t Have Money Attached [KUHF; previously on Swamplot]
• Ninja Ramen Opening in former Dubliner, Lava Rock Space on Washington Ave Next Year [Culturemap]
• Photos: Inside Rep. Steve Stockman’s Webster Campaign Office Shut Down for Safety Violations Last Month [TPM Muckraker]
• Bellaire Group Behind ‘Evelyn’s Park’ Meets $500K Fundraising Deadline for Former Teas Nursery [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Concerned Storm Could Spread Dioxins, Riverfront Residents Demand More Thorough Cleanup of Polluted San Jacinto River [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Residents of Scenic Wood Plaza Believe Dead Trees on Developer Land Pose Hazard to Power Lines [abc13]

Photo of 2929 Weslayan construction: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Clumsy Butcher’s The Nightingale Room To Join Bars on 300 Block of Main in March 2014 [Culturemap]
• Real Estate Professionals Super Excited About New Segment of Grand Parkway [Houston Business Journal]
• HAR Data for November Will Show Single Family Homes at Lowest Inventory Since 2000, Sales Increase for 30th Straight Month [TomPlant.com]
• Attorneys Present Closing Arguments in Ashby Highrise Suit [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Residents Complain Proposed Stoplights Along TC Jester North of FM 1960 Would Hurt ‘Neighborhood Aesthetics,’ Increase Traffic [Cypress Creek Mirror]
• Slideshow: The Highlights of AIA Houston’s Gingerbread Build-Off, Including a Foley’s Demo-Inspired Piece [Houston Business Journal]

Photo of BNSF North Casey Yards: David Elizondo via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Hines’s 811 Main, Heights Animal Shelter, New Soccer Stadium Among Finalists in Local Urban Land Institute Awards [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• The Burger Guys Has Now Closed Its Westheimer Location Too [Eating Our Words; previously on Swamplot]
• Grand Pkwy. Segment E, Light Rail North Line Extension Both Set To Open This Saturday [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• City Breaks Ground on Park at Former Site of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in the Fourth Ward [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• Separate Asphalt Trail for Runners and Walkers Being Added To Buffalo Bayou Park [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Since 2008, City’s 311 Line Has Received Nearly 25K Phone Calls Complaining About Dumped Garbage [Houston Chronicle ($); map]

Photo near W. Gray and Stanford St.: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool