- 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
well played, hisd.
What was the invalidated 1st winning bid? Something around 45 mil right?
That’s a nice little pay bump if I do say so myself.
The phasing out of subsidies in Galveston, if it’s done today or a few years down the road, will result in pre-FIRM homes being unmarketable for traditional mortgages and uninsurable for flood insurance due to the prohibitive cost. These homes will only be able to be “self-insured” for flood. So, we are looking at owner-financed or straight cash deals. I would argue that with this on the horizon, anyone who enters into a traditional mortgage prior to this shakeout for a pre-FIRM home would be making a disastrous financial decision. I think that these homes that are on the market now in Jamaica Beach, Sea Isle, etc. are probably only worth half of what they are listed for currently.
“An 8.5-mile stretch of FM 1093 will be widened next year and a proposed $40 million Fulshear Parkway project would create a direct connection from FM 1093 to I-10… Regional planners are looking at building that roadway linking U.S. 290 and the Westpark corridor west of Katy…”
The UberLoop rears its ugly head again.
Sale of the high school was a win-win. Glad to see St. Thomas be able to expand and happy for HISD to get about $125 per square foot for that 11-acre tract. The extra cash-in-hand compared to the first round of bids is better for the district than any perceived tax incentives down the road.
Glad they some good bank out of the deal, but St T. means no taxes long term.
I support the Fort Bend Mobility plan BUTit’s upsetting that there are ZERO transit projects included. This would be a great time to introduce funding for a transit rail line running along US-90 (south Red Line extension).
There will be some good cash deals in Galveston pretty soon. I’d buy the best piece of land and build an ICF or CinderBlock house and ignore the insurance.
Houston loops, 2113:
1.) 610
2.) Beltway 8
3.) 1960/Highway 6
4.) Grand Parkway
5.) Uber loop: Angelton to Rosenberg to Fulshear to katy/Brookshire to Waller to Magnolia to Conroe to Cleveland to Liberty
6.) Mega loop: Freeport to Bay City to El Campo / Wharton to Columbus to Brenham to Navasota to Huntsville to Liberty to Beaumont
7.) GIGA LOOP: Port Lavaca to Victoria to Schulenberg to La Grange to Giddings to College Station to Madisonville to Crockett to Lufkin to Jasper to Orange
8.) I 35
I agree, Adam. It is disappointing that none of the Fort Bend bond projects include transit. But I can see why. First, lots of people wrongly link transit and crime. Second, transit in the southwest portion of Harris County leaves much to be desired. The 90-A rail corridor project notwithstanding, it’s all based on buses. There’s really nothing for transit out in fort Bend County to link up to.
.
Bottom line, I suspect that, if they had included transit, the Fort Bend Mobility Bond would be doomed to fail. If it’s just roads, it’ll probably pass.
Why am I not surprised that commonsense wants to build a bunker?
Well, firstly to keep the hurricanes and resulting flying debris out, but I suppose it could also double as protection from peasants with pitchforks and torches, if that’s what you’re getting at.
Backfire! haha Love it
The Uber loop seems downright plausible, but it should go to Anahuac as well.
And add on Rosharon, Hitchcock, and a terminus in La Marque to the other end.
Though at that point you might as well take it through Galveston, add a sweet bridge over Bolivar Roads so that it really would be a loop.
Revised Uber Loop:
Galveston
Hitchcock
Rosharon
Angleton
Brookshire
Waller
Magnolia
Conroe
Cleveland
Liberty
Anahuac
High Island
Port Bolivar
Well let’s hope one of the future loops goes out to poor Beaumont, it’s hard to belief the Texas Oil Rush started there, it long ago lost all its prestige to Houston, it would be nice to see Houston help it’s poor older brother to some prosperity, the Golden Triangle is like the only part of the state that hasn’t prospered in the last 30 years, too bad it actually has some beautiful old architecture and grand old neighborhoods.