Future residents of Greystar’s Elan Heights: Do not fear high water. Sure, the Skylane Central on the same White Oak Bayou-fronting site regularly had floodwaters up to its second floor after rain events like this. But Woodland Heights renters at the Elan will be perched much higher than that, and not just for the Downtown views. Floodwaters will have to rise through 4 levels of concrete-framed parking garage to get to the 7 floors of steel-stud-framed apartments above. And the concrete structure’s bottom level doesn’t even count as parking.
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The pics above were all taken from the Watson St. bridge. The photo below, taken before last night’s flood, shows the first level of apartments being constructed on the massive base at 2222 White Oak Dr.:
- Previously on Swamplot: How the Apartments Along White Oak Bayou in Woodland Heights Have Grown;Â Tenants Out, Variance Hearing Signs Up at Woodland Heights Skylane Apartments;Â This OK? Greystar Checks in with Woodland Heights Neighbors About Skylane Replacement;Â The Skylane Is Falling in Woodland Heights
Photos: Andrea Greer (flooding); Marc Longoria (construction)
Do they fight it out to determine who parks on the top floor?
The garbage chute and standing water make it look like a really dodgy water park with a really high liability premium.
Toby, you’re right! It’s like the Cannonball Loop at the infamous Action Park in New Jersey (Google the place; it’s a trip).
they better install some good pumps and lay off the landscaping mulch.
toby, totally!
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the red scaffolding reminds me of the attraction at the fame city water park, I don’t even remember the name (Spider Web maybe), but it had multiple levels and you would squeeze through rubber webbing from one level to drop down onto the next. Urban legends provide conflicting stories ranging from a kid died on it, to someone was paralyzed, to just lots of neck injuries.
Flooding looks much worse after last night’s rain. I definitely would not pay rents that high for a building built on a flood plain. Yes, your apartment may not be flooded, but you will be trapped a couple times a year with Houston’s seemingly common rain events –let alone the threat of tropical storms or hurricanes. Not to mention having your car flooded if you don’t get the top parking spots.
Every solid thing built in a floodplain displaces the water to the surrounding areas and to downstream.
Houston just keeps screwing its southeast neighbors!
Still can’t believe this was approved and permitted by the city. Ridiculous.