Headlines

• Houston Home Sales Up 13.5% Over Last Year, Pushing Housing Inventory Down to 3.1 Months, According to HAR Report [HAR]
• Houston-Area Economy Expected To Grow 5.4%, Jobs 3.6% Next Year [Houston Business Journal]
• Judge Rules To Exclude Testimony from Linbeck in Ashby Trial To Avoid Going Down a ‘Rabbit Hole’ [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• New ‘Micro-Units,’ Defined Here as Anything Under 500 SF, Will Come to Houston as Cost of Rent Increases [Houston Business Journal]
• First of 18 Houston Mama Fu’s Opens in W. Gray Shopping Center [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Pluckers Wing Bar Opening in Former Maggie Rita’s Space on Shepherd This Monday [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Signs Starting To Pop Up with James Coney Island’s New ‘Modern’ Name, JCI Grill [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• BP Looking To Resolve Thousands of Emissions Lawsuits from Texas City Event [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Deadline This Monday for Menil Cafe Naming Contest [Glasstire]

Photo of West Loop at San Felipe: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Cameron International Planning Million-SF Corporate Campus on Former Dow Site in Westchase [Culturemap]
• Vista Equities Group Breaks Ground on LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch Expansion That Includes Trader Joe’s [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Brick & Spoon Now Open in Former Bocados Space in Montrose [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
• Deceased Former Hand Surgeon Michael Brown’s 2,800-Acre Ranch Sells for $8.5M, $3M Below Asking Price [Click2Houston]
• Lack of Zoning Part of Houston’s ‘Can-Do Spirit,’ Says City’s Outgoing Planning Director [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy.: Curt Littlejohn via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• SHB Development Beginning Single-Story Drive-Up Office Condo Project off Grand Parkway South of I-10 [Prime Property]
• Jury Trial Set To Begin This Week in Ashby Highrise Battle [Houston Chronicle ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Partners in Building Bringing ‘Modern Hill Country’ Designs from Cinco Ranch to Shady Acres Development [Culturemap]
• City Council Awards Landmark Status to 3 Houston Homes [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
• Cottonwood Owner Doesn’t Care Much for the Austin Comparisons [Eater Houston]
• City Cancels Discovery Green New Year’s Eve Party Due to Lack of Sponsors [Culturemap]
• Petition Calls To End Plan To Remove Bayou-Side Trees from Terry Hershey Park for Detention Basins [Houston Chronicle]
• Scofflaw Marfa Playboy Sculpture To Be Displayed at Dallas Contemporary This Spring [Culturemap]

Photo of Three Post Oak Central: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Cameron International Buys Former Dow Chemical Site in Westchase District, Last Appraised at $14.4M [Houston Business Journal]
• HISD Accepts St. Thomas High School’s $60M Bid for 11-Acre Law Enforcement Campus [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Crescent Resources To Break Ground on Humble-Area Master Planned Community ‘The Groves‘ [Houston Business Journal]
• Construction Begins on $70M Brazos Towers Expansion of Bayou Manor Senior Living Facility near Stella Link [Prime Property]
• The Organic Farm in Montrose Leased by the University of St. Thomas for $1 [Culturemap]
• Texas Getting $8.8M To Restore Damage to Gulf from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill [Your Houston News]
• Via Colori Street Painting Festival Coming to Hermann Square November 23-24 [Houston Chronicle]
• Hair-Raising Photos of Malls Across America from the Summer of 1989 [Gizmodo]

Photo of Downtown: Curt Littlejohn via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• After Eight-Year Stall, Preliminary Work Begins on First Phase of Lago Mar Development [Galveston County Daily News ($); previously on Swamplot]
• Pipeline Realty Building Up To 5 Office Warehouses on 12 Acres Next to Church at Beltway 8, Cottingham [Prime Property]
• Houston-Area Office Rental Rates Slowed in First 3 Quarters of 2013 [Houston Business Journal]
• Down the Road, Phoenicia Would Like To Expand to ‘Outer Houston, Like The Woodlands or Sugar Land’ [Eater Houston]
• Developer Group Submits Brief Arguing Court Should Stop Residents’ Attempt to Stop Ashby Highrise [Prime Property]
• Appraising the Contents of Former Hand Surgeon Michael Brown’s Memorial Dr. Home [Houston Chronicle]
• State Budget Writers Reject $250M Plan To Repair Roads in Energy-Boom Areas [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of Mecom Fountain at Hermann Park: Curt Littlejohn via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Dunkin’ Donuts to open 12th Houston-area store in Deer Park on November 23 [Houston Business Journal]
• The View from the Houston Club’s New Digs on the 49th Floor of One Shell Plaza [Culturemap]
• Lack of Discussion of Astrodome’s Style Shows the Public Accepts Modernism [Next City]
• Architecture Firm Envisions Retail Under US-59 Overpass Near Downtown [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• TxDOT Seeking More Input on Plans for I-45 North in Public Meetings This Week and Next [KUHF]
• Metro Strategy Change Would Increase Frequency of Popular Bus Routes, Remove Less Popular Ones [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Last Week’s House of Pies Fire Ruled Accidental, Sparked by ‘Electrical Issue’ [KHOU]
• Contemporary Plaza Residents Say Neighboring School Sports Field Has Turned Their Homes into ‘Skyboxes’ [KHOU]
• Illegal Animal Dumping Down 80 Percent Along Highway 90 in Crosby After Barriers, Signs Installed [abc13]
• 1 World Trade Center Ruled Tallest Building in the US over Chicago’s Willis Tower, Thanks to ‘Critical and Permanent’ Spire [New York Times]

Photo of the Chevron building at 1400 Smith: Bill Barfield via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Houston Historical Commission Votes To Consider Landmark Status for Astrodome [Houston Chronicle]
• Astrodome Not the ‘Top Priority’ in Judge Emmett’s Life; Commissioner Radack Hears of Plan To Turn Dome into Organic Fertilizer Factory [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Rosenberg Officials Hope New Aldi Distribution Center, Business Park Means More Growth [Prime Property]
• Pondicheri Rumored To Be Adding Cafe, Bakery Above West Ave. Restaurant [Culturemap]
• Painted Cow Sculpture Stolen from Heights-Area Business Recovered [abc13]
• Bakery Boss Turns Third Ward’s Not Jus Donuts Purple [Houstonia]

Photo of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Curt Littlejohn via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Slowing Local Job Growth Weighs on Commercial Real Estate Market [KUHF]
• Map: Residents Who Lived Farther from the Astrodome Were More Likely to Vote It Down [Houston Politics; story ($)]
• Owners of House of Pies on Kirby Still Hoping To Reopen Before Thanksgiving, with an ‘Updated Look’ [KHOU]
• Houston Commuters Spend on Average 52 Hours Stuck in Traffic Per Year, Finds Texas A&M Report [Culturemap]
• New Fiesta Mart Opens Today on Conroe’s East Side [Courier of Montgomery County]
• In the Van for the Art Guys’ ‘Utterly Pointless’ Loop 610 Spin [The Great God Pan Is Dead; previously on Swamplot]
• Number of Houston Visitors Increased 5 Percent Between 2010 and 2012, Finds TNS [Houston Business Journal]
• Painted Cow Sculpture Stolen from Heights-Area Business OurBlok [abc13]

Photo of Downtown from Westheimer at 610: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Folks Behind Proposed Grand Texas Theme Park in Montgomery County Say It’ll Open by Summer 2015, Now with Roller Coasters [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
• Heights General Store in Former Harold’s Now Open for Restaurant Service; Market Debuts This Weekend [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Montrose’s Lowbrow Bar a Love Letter to Houston [Houstonia Magazine; previously on Swamplot]
• Longtime Director of Houston Planning Dept. Marlene Gafrick Leaving Her Post To Work for Secretive MetroNational [Houston Planning]
• Neighbors of Willow Waterhole Meet with Flood Control District To Discuss Tree-Cutting Concerns [West University Examiner; previously on Swamplot]
• Could New Trees and a Promenade Help a ‘Blighted’ Area in East Downtown? [Prime Property]

Photo of lit-up Astrodome: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• House of Pies on Kirby Closed Until Thanksgiving at Least After Fire Damages Roof and Exterior [KHOU]
• Lots More Highrise Rentals Coming on Board in Galleria Area [Houston Business Journal]
• Woodlands Development Co. Confirms Details, but not Prices, of Mitchell Island Private Home Project [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Astrodome, Katy Stadium Bonds Failed Only Because of Antipathy to Tax Increases, Say Political Observers [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• ‘Usonian Home’ Designed by Frank Floyd Wright in 1939 Finally Built — on Florida College Campus [Dezeen Magazine]
• Slideshow: Those Promotional Photos of Drilling Rigs and Refineries are Works of Art [Fuel Fix]

Photo of House of Pies fire: KHOU

• County Officials Float Idea That Failure of $217M Bond Plan Was Actually a Vote To Demolish Astrodome, Quickly [AP; previously on Swamplot]
• Katy Voters Reject Bond Issue That Included $69M HS Football Stadium [Click2Houston]
• Texas Voters OK Spending $2B on Future Water Projects [abc13]
• Mayor Parker Wins Bid for Third, Final Term [abc13]
• Westchase District 12-Story Office Tower Tops Out, Slated for Completion by April [Houston Business Journal]
• Mac Haik Realty Secures First Tenant for Energy Tower IV [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Median Price in Texas for Single-Family Home Increases 10 Percent to $177,100, Finds Report [Prime Property]
• Residents Against Plans for 850-Unit Beacon Island Development in League City [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Capital Grille To Open in CityCentre on Nov. 14 [Eater Houston]
• Pasadena’s Bayport Cruise Terminal Welcomes First Cruise Ship, Finally [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• The Stories Behind the River Oaks Rienzi House [Culturemap]

Photo of Greenway Plaza: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• Texas Spent $4.34B on Commercial Real Estate Projects Last Year, Finds Report [Prime Property]
• Webster’s $160M Bay Area Regional Medical Center To Open in June [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Dunkin’ Donuts Planning First Galveston County Store in League City [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
• Fans Bought More Than $810,000 Worth of Memorabilia at Astrodome Auction [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Astrodome Turf, Stadium Seats Now Being Sold on eBay for a Nice Profit [Click2Houston]
• Astrodome, Katy ISD Stadium the Big Real Estate Decisions on Today’s Ballot [Houston Business Journal]
• $16.5M Memorial Dr. Improvement Project Met With Opposition from Businesses [abc13]
• Free Press Summer Fest Wants To Extend Hours, Add Another Day [Rocks Off]
• Colder Temperatures, Rain Causing Ant ‘Invasion’ [abc13]
• More Than a Fifth of the State’s 1,028 Historical Markers Are Deteriorating [Houston Chronicle ($)]

Photo of Discovery Green: Jesus Jimenez via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• More Than 6,000 People Show Up for 1,000 Astrodome Seats, AstroTurf Squares [abc13; previously on Swamplot]
• St. Thomas Offers Top Bid of $60M for Law Enforcement HS [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
• Hunington Residential Breaks Ground on New Vargos on the Lake, Unveils New Rendering [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]
• Jonathan’s the Rub Relocating a Few Blocks Away to a Bigger Spot in Memorial Next Year [Culturemap]
• ‘Overlooked’ Glenbrook Valley Now Attracting Attention, Rising Sales Prices [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Sprawl in Store for ‘Gentrified Countyside’ of Fulshear if Mobility Bond Passes [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Today’s Luxury Home Likely To Have Marble Baths, Lots of Windows, Wine Room, Finds Report [Prime Property]
• Looming Flood Insurance Rate Hikes Worry Galveston Residents [AP]
• Houston History Book Fair & Symposium Hits Ideson Library Downtown This Saturday [Memorial Examiner]

Photo of the Astrodome auction: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

• East End Incentive Program in the Works to Drive Retail, Economic Development in the Area [Houston Business Journal]
• Brennan Investment Group To Construct 3 Warehouse Buildings on 10-Acre Site at I-45 and FM 1960, Near New ExxonMobil Campus [Houston Business Journal]
• Fourteen to 20 Percent of Voters Still Undecided About Astrodome Redevelopment Proposal on Tuesday’s Ballot [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Details for Saturday’s Take-Home-a-Piece-of-the-Astrodome Yard Sale [Reliant Center; previously on Swamplot]
• State Seeking Partner To Design, Build, Operate 288 Toll Lanes [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Will Investment Rule Changes Make Crowdfunding the Next Big Thing for Real Estate? [Real Estate Bisnow]

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

• Voters Will Decide Question of the $69M Katy ISD Football Stadium — Priciest HS Venue in Texas — on Tuesday [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• Far West, West Belt Submarkets Emerge as Houston Grows West [Houston Business Journal]
• Katy Prairie One of Best Growth Areas in Houston, Says Land Expert [Prime Property]
• Historic Heights 1920s Schoolhouse on N. Shepherd Might Face Demolition [Houston Chronicle ($)]
• $1.4B Texas 288 Toll Project Up for State Board Approval Today [The Highwayman]
• Reshaped Memorial Park To Have Less ‘European’ Feel Than Hermann Park [Culturemap]

Photo of Downtown: Jesus Jimenez via Swamplot Flickr Pool