- Houston Home Prices at All-Time Highs, Finds Latest HAR Report [HBJ]
- Far North Area Fastest-Growing Market for Houston Home Starts, According to Metrostudy [HBJ]
- 514-Acre Master-Planned Community Baytown Crossings Planned for Baytown [HBJ]
- Wedge Properties Management Acquires 6-Story Office Building Three Sugar Creek in Sugar Land [Realty News Report]
- New Restaurant UB Preserv Opens on Westheimer Across from Hugo’s [Food & Wine]
- Old-School Tex-Mex Restaurant Fiesta Loma Linda Has Closed After More Than 60 Years in the East End [Houston Chronicle]
- Maps Offer New Insight into Level of Hurricane Harvey’s Destruction to Houston Area [Houston Chronicle]
- Texas Sends State Action Plan for Harvey Recovery to HUD Where It Now Awaits Federal Approval [Houston Public Media]
- New Video Rendering Offers a Virtual Bird’s Eye View of the New Houston Botanic Garden [Houston Chronicle]
Photo of the Marriott Marquis: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
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I had the depressing realization yesterday when I walked past UB Preserv that the reason Shepherd chose that location instead of one of the vastly-more-attractive vacant spots farther down Westheimer (such as American Apparel’s now-empty former location, or that empty Sojourn storefront) is likely due to off-street parking requirements.
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The depressing reality is that those vacant storefronts may never find a lasting tenant in today’s difficult retail shopping market. Their best use is restaurants, cafes, or bars, but the totally-insane parking requirements prevent that from happening. The eventual fate of some of these buildings, which are historic and well-designed, may be demolition in favor of surface parking.
Also the space was already a restaurant so – quick turn around. I think Montrose is able to skirt some of the parking requirements by drawing upon street parking on the streets north and south of Westheimer?