New Heights Fantasy 4-Pack: Welcome to the Neighborhood!

A reader stumbles across this oldish-fashioned gated compound of brand-new $650K-$800K townhomes in the northern part of the Heights and sends in a photo report:

Driving to my favorite taco stand this morning, I happened on this “gated community” within the Heights on E. 22nd just west of Gostic. Thank God they will be gated in. We in the Heights don’t like having to interact with such snooty riff raff.

The 4 homes at 621 E. 22nd St., labeled The Court at 22nd Street, were developed by the Frankel Building Group. How will they do in the court of public opinion?

***

The Swamplot reader comments:

If you don’t like neighbors, please, just don’t move to the Heights.

  • 621 E. 22nd St., Units A, B, C, and D [The Frankel Group]

Photos: Swamplot inbox

14 Comment

  • “Four luxury townhomes styled in the old-world charm of New Orleans”…if luxury townhomes in New Orleans were fronted by huge two car garages and parking lagoons. The LAST thing these monstrosities have is “charm”.

  • That gate will not stop falling bullets on the 4th of July and NYE. LOL!

  • Good one, groovehouse!
    I see the builders left those open gutters and no curbs. How… NoLa 9th ward of them.

  • How sad …

  • $800k and I get to live over the top of my garage with the other bedrooms in the “basement”. Someone has been smoking something surely. For that sort of money you could practically buy one of those Whitestone monsters down in the Heights proper.

  • I am pretty sure I once went to a pool party at the single house that used to be on this spot.

  • “If you don’t like neighbors, please, just don’t move to the Heights.” WORD.

    When will people get that? It’s the same thing that baffles me about newer homes in the Heights that are built without front porches or even front doors. Check out Alexander & 10th if you don’t believe me.

  • What is with the whole mini gated development at the moment anyway? Has anyone else seen this montrosity in Upper Kirby? http://www.bammelparkhomes.com/our_story/index.php nestled around “le jardin” on what is apparently one of the only cul-de-sacs inside the loop despite the fact that the heights alone is chock full of dead end streets. $2.5M and “some even have room for a cocktail pool” which presumably is realtor for no yard at all.

  • The Bammel Lane places also feature “a beautiful cabana that houses your mail,” meaning no one gets mail delivery to their unit, or even indoors. Just like a cheap apartment complex! Whee!

  • They actually paid money for that website? Italicized highlights that appear to be English, but aren’t. The use of “jardin” instead of garden. And, what the heck does “relish in the beauty” mean? To quote Bill the Cat, aaaaaack!.

  • @Jimbo, Dave, and Ross: Swamplot ran a short
    story on the Bammel Lane Park Homes
    in January.

  • I saw these the other day, and I was personally offended. I am not a fan of gated communities to begin with, although my favorite boss lives in one. Houston proper didn’t really have gated communities until former George H.W. Bush moved back to town. At least Pres. Bush’s made some sense.

  • Must have missed it Gus, sorry. I brought it up because Martha Turner put a full pager for the devlopment in her glossy magazine this month/quarter or however often it falls through my mailbox (in the side of my house rather than a cabana). A whole series of open houses, which are termed “guided tours” in the ad, are planned later this month.

  • Looking at these 4 homes and comparing them to my 1920 bungalow, I notice that each of them has a garage…like my home does…and their is a gate across the driveway…just as my house has. The difference appears to be that, while my garage is intended as shelter for my vehicle, and storage for my grill, these garages are intended to shield the occupants from dirty Heights neighbors. And, while the gate across my driveway is intended to provide a fenced space for my dogs to play, clearly the gate across this driveway is intended to protect the occupants from having to interact with Heights residents.

    Amazing how the very same features on my home are wonderful, but on new construction in the Heights they are ‘personally offensive’ to the neighbors, who the new homeowners are presumed not to want to meet.