13 Comment

• WR March 24, 2017 at 9:29 am

  Re: Can ‘Stilts’ Make a Comeback in the Inner Loop?

  ““I am not aware of any that have been built in recent times.” says David Hightower, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer with Midway Companies.”

  There have been several new ‘stilt’ constructions along Richmond inside the Loop. You need to get out more, Mr. Hightower.
• Bowled Over March 24, 2017 at 11:17 am

  Re: Houston Home Values Up
  .
  Zillow may not get everything right but I see on HCAD that my 2017 market appraisal stayed the same – but the taxable amount was increased by the constitutional maximum of 10% (homestead exemption in place).
  .
  All of which results in a year-over-year tax increase of 11.36% from what I paid out last year, if all of the 2016 tax rates stay level. Will HISD performance and the City’s roads improve by 11.36% with the extra cash, too? (I’m not holding my breath.)
• toasty March 24, 2017 at 12:03 pm

  In my head, “Possible Crimescene” sounds like an awesome name for a club, but I think we’d have a problem getting people to come in the doors.
  .
  Now, with the right ambiance “Unlicensed Club” might actually get some traction.
• Al March 24, 2017 at 12:19 pm

  And we all might remember “Club No Minors” in West Houston – somewhere on Westheimer, I believe. Still there, or gone, gone, gone?
• Al March 24, 2017 at 12:21 pm

  And apparently still in business : http://elpatio.com/2013/club-no-minors/
• TheNiche March 24, 2017 at 1:15 pm

  @ Bowled Over: Think of it this way. You have received and are continuing to receive the benefits of a homestead exemption, just not as much as last year. An exemption is a government subsidy, a transfer payment from people that can’t tap into a homestead exemption — to people like you. This is a kind of welfare that flows toward the people that own their own homes, like you, from businesses and renter-occupied residences. It is inherently inequitable, and you are the beneficiary, and yet you complain mightily.
• Chris March 24, 2017 at 2:09 pm

  I’m surprised CommonSense hasn’t already been by to berate this sensible TheNiche comment
• Memebag March 24, 2017 at 2:38 pm

  Re “Stilts”: Not one mention of Le Corbusier in the article?
  .
  Re Club Life: Isn’t that the property our own Cody was going to turn into a bar some years ago?
  .
  Re new House of Pies: Pinch me! I thought the days of new House of Pies were long gone. Please build one in Westbury!
• Frank Rynd March 24, 2017 at 9:21 pm

  An exemption is not a subsidy unless you
  believe all property and all money really belongs first
  And foremost to the state ( the King ) and anything the peasants get to keep is a subsidy. If you believe that you should have lived in medieval Europe or in Mao’s China
• meh March 27, 2017 at 12:39 pm

  I’ll stop complaining about high taxes and the homestead exemption right after HCAD stops playing games with property values.
• Sapper March 31, 2017 at 3:53 pm

  @ meh, speaking of games HCAD is playing, they sent me a letter regarding a piece of personal property which they state is used for business purposes and now want to tax me on it as such. HOWEVER, the form they sent me only lists my name (the business name on the form is blank), the personal property has never been used for any business, and I have no “business” in operation. Are they just fishing? Is this the new method of increasing tax burden on the people? If someone has a desk (or computer, or phone, etc…) in their home, well it must be used for some kind of business, so should be taxable.
• GoogleMaster March 31, 2017 at 4:44 pm

  @Sapper, did you take the “home office” deduction on your tax return? Maybe HCAD’s getting tipped off by the IRS.
• Sapper March 31, 2017 at 8:12 pm

  @ GoogleMaster, HAHA, no, I have never taken the home office exemption because I have heard that it throws a flag for the IRS. The oddest part, this particular piece of personal property is actually sitting in Wolf Lake, Alaska. It’s not even in Texas!