The new owner of 3 adjacent 2-story apartment complexes at the western edge of Winlow Place in Montrose have politely asked all tenants to leave by the end of August. The fifties-and-sixties-era courtyard complexes, at 1920 W. Alabama St. (above), 2810 McDuffie, and 1924 Marshall, were sold by Prestige Holdings at the end of April to a company called City Centre at Midtown, which appears to be connected to apartment developer Dolce Living. The adjacent complexes together include 73 apartments; the 1.58 acres of land they sit on has frontage on West Alabama St. (between Hazard and Huldy, pictured above) and McDuffie St., which dead-ends into a parking lot shared by the McDuffie and Marshall St. properties. According to a tipster, a notice for the abandonment of that dead-end portion of McDuffie St. was posted in February. Admiral Linen’s 3-building complex (behind the Randalls grocery store) at 2030 Kipling St. is immediately adjacent to the properties.
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According to a notice sent to residents by the property manager, City Centre at Midtown plans to demolish the buildings in September and build new apartments on the site. The same notice informs residents that they must vacate their apartments no later than August 31st, and offers to prorate August rent accordingly. “Thank you for your residency,” the notice reads. “Many of you have made your home at City Centre for a long period of time.”
“Longtime residents aren’t finding any consolation in this offer,” a tipster tells Swamplot. “Especially with such short notice. The residents are a demographically diverse group with a wide range of occupations from students to retirees. It’s mostly quiet, peppered with moments of friends laughing it up outside and impromptu music concerts.” The actions of the seller and buyer in preparing for redevelopment “flew under the radar,” according to the tipster.
Photos of 1920 W. Alabama (top), 2810 McDuffie, and 1924 Marshall St. (bottom): Prestige Holdings
I was a tenant with prestige holdings for many years, so this is telling in light of an email notice: They and several other concerned parties took on the Montrose management district a while back but tenants never heard the outcome. I even spied one of the owners talking about the situation on a local news station one evening. I guess they lost because it coincides with raising everybody’s rent at 6 month-ish intervals. Residents that had been in the same apartment for over ten years suddenly couldn’t make sense of the increase and fled to places like Allen House. The churn generated by rent increase led to turning the apartments over more frequently. This in turn changed the the renter demographic from stable/long-term resident into my first apartment/party-time-central resident. Our property suffered from increased maintenance cost because of this decision- the grounds got trashed by kids discovering the wonderful world of adult living on mom and dad’s dime- I wish I was exaggerating. At least in my location, they increased the coin-op washers and dryers to add insult to injury. All the while, emails were issued blaming residents and telling us to stop using so much water. Lovely bit of fiction considering the sprinklers were programmed to run in the middle of the day. Guess they decided to unload these properties to lighten the tax burden?
How is it that residents have to give apartment complexes 60 day notices when they are moving out, but complexes can kick everyone out in much less time?
And……another one bites the dust. Although it’s not an all together bad thing that Montrose is becoming more gentrified, it is a shame that artists, young professionals (not making 100000) and the like are being completely priced out of the area. This is why many cities in the Northeast and on the West Coast implemented rent control, it certainly hasn’t been perfect, but it at least allowed neighborhoods to keep their character and it allowed people that had lived there for generations to remain in these areas. I’m all for cleaning up an area, reducing crime and redevelopment, but in the case of Montrose the entire character of the neighborhood is changing. The things that made it unique and desirable for so many are disappearing. I don’t so much mean the Gays, we’re not going anywhere, I know tons of couples who own homes in Montrose and they’re not leaving, but the cool bohemian Castro/Haight Ashbury is quickly disappearing in a haze of bland townhouse’s and rote apartment blocks. At this rate, Montrose will look like Rice Military in a month.
Why aren’t there any developers in Houston who do this?
http://www.powerproperties.com/AllListings.htm
Renovate unique, old properties into something modern and hip. . .
All of the affordable places in Montrose are getting smashed for places I can’t afford.
I’ve lived in a lot of apartments in Montrose over the past 15 years, and all but one has either been torn down or is on the chopping blocks.
I guess that means that instead of spending $1000 a month on rent, I can plop down $695,000 for one of the new townhouses replacing all of the old places… or I can move to another section of town.
Come be the new smiling face of the gentrification of Oak Forest; it’s still affordable. Half of Montrose is already here between us and the Heights. The new suburbia formerly known as Montrose is ground zero for douches anyway.
And THIS is why I am desperately trying to find a house on the east side. I have an amazing apartment with ridiculously low rent in Montrose. But it won’t last. It’s just a matter of time.
Message to the cool kids:
If you are really cool, move to a cheaper part of town. The squares who are pricing you out of Montrose will be punished by living exclusively among squares, and the cheaper part of town will be cool.
However, if you move and none of that happens then you probably weren’t that cool.
@ Shannon: Montrose has been getting to where it looks a lot like Rice Military for a long time, and I’d say arguably for a longer time than Rice Military has spent getting to look like itself. And just what is it supposed to look like anyway? What is any place at all supposed to look or feel like?
I’d really like to know why some people should be targeted for inclusion in a neighborhood if it means that other people are necessarily excluded as a direct consequence of a price control or the much more far-reaching indirect consequences of the market distortions. I’d like to know why somebody has a birthright to live in their neighborhood even if it has transformed into something over time that is other than their neighborhood. It’s quite absurd if you ask me. Cities are not static, and neither are people. Move on.
If you don’t find yourself where you were yesterday then you shall find yourself elsewhere; and if you do not like where you are today, then there’s always tomorrow; but you aren’t due your yesterdays, and you aren’t due anybody’s tomorrows.
There are many, many affordable places to rent in Third Ward. It’s getting more diverse by the day, and yes there are lots of bad-looking properties, but there are also some amazing finds and it’s an awesome location. Currently renting a 3bdrm duplex in good condition in a place we feel safe and can get to downtown, midtown, etc. in less than 15 mins.
Post of the day for TheNiche.
Amen to Montrose being the new home of the new douchebags.
I actually had a guy flip me off yesterday (with both hands) because as he was walking from his townhome midway across the street I slowed down to see if he was going to cross in front of me and I signaled him…waved to wait what he was doing…
I will be very happy to leave Montrose to the ugly tacky people who live in the ugly tacky townhomes. It was a cool neighborhood, one of the best kept secrets in the United States, and I was very fortunate to have lived in it for many years…but Montrose is gone for good.
There is simply no alternative in Houston for apartment dwellers. Everything is either over 1000 a month or it’s “ghetto”. I don’t know what people are supposed to do.
I’m sorry to see these apartments go, but everythign will be gone before too long and lost to they all live in ticky tacky and they all look just the same.
Time for the rest of us to move on. It belongs to them now.
Anyone living inside the loop, west of Downtown in a garden style apartment complex is officially on constructive notice that they could be getting an eviction notice for demolition at anytime. If you drive in any direction for over a mile, you will see at least one giant crane building a large apartment complex or tower or a backhoe tearing down an old garden style apartment complex. While it certainly stinks to lose out on living in a great part of town for a fraction of what everyone else is paying, complaining about it is starting to feel like complaining that you can only order something you want on the internet.
The Hispters’ natural habitat is being destroyed. They are a resourceful group though, I’m sure they will find new habitat over on the East side.
1) Those properties are not contiguous, or if they are, they meet only at a corner, so this will probably be several midrises.
2) Crap, that doesn’t bode well for my washateria. It’s awfully convenient for washing stuff that’s too big to fit in my top-loader, and for washing six loads at once.
The Texas Property Code clearly gives the Landlord this right, but it is not clear when they can effectively terminate the lease. A savvy tenant can bargain here.
Interesting link posted by Ted to properties in Dallas. I think the difference between those in Dallas and these on West Alabama is that Montrose has become ground zero for new construction that can support the high rents that will be charged. That same demographic in Dallas has piled into the area they have dubbed “Uptown” between downtown Dallas and Highland Park. Those reno’ed apartments are almost all over in old East Dallas, so less price pressure ( still an up and coming area though).
That said, Montrose was populated by the young and artistic types 30 years ago because it was the place that the strivers didn’t want to be, and therefore the rents were cheap. That crowd will just move into other areas of the city that have less appeal to the strivers, like Third Ward or Eastwood, until those areas become hip and the process starts itself all over again. Heck, maybe some will start moving into those apartments over by Sharpstown! ( I kid).
Forest for the trees.
Yes, these 73 apartments were maybe relatively low rent, which is what most likely makes them prime for redevelopment. On the other hand as long as the new development has more units (likely) then we would see an increase in the supply of housing units, leading to the overall market being more affordable than it otherwise would be. So when speaking about affordability we have a trade-off: 73 really cheap apartments, or slightly cheaper (ceteris paribus) apartments across the whole market. If we did not have densification the market as a whole would be much pricier and it would not take long for the cheap apartments (and others like them) to become expensive.
Although I am with a few other posters in not being happy about the short notice.
Ugh, dude, stop the rants, you make me look more measured than ZAW! Who the fuck said anything about a “birth right”.? I feel that the character of Montrose is unique, you may not like it, but I mean, so what? Montrose is different than Rice Military, so why is it suppose to morph into it? This just shows the narrow mindedness of Houston. Great American cities like New York, Boston, SF, San Antonio, Chicago protect the uniqueness of certain neighborhood’s, they understand what these neighborhoods mean to the character of the city. Even Dallas, LA, and Atlanta protect areas that are unique, Houston is the only city I can think of that does next to nothing. If the market dictates tearing down an area and destroying its character, so be it. As long as Houston gets the development dollars in their coffers they don’t care. Houston is an economic powerhouse at the moment, but so few love or even like the city and when you ask what areas they like many point to the uniqueness of Montrose and that’s dying away. Even friends in Dallas like Dallas, but all I ever hear here, is, I’m here for work, I’d rather live somewhere else. Not exactly what you want on a bumper sticker or Chamber of Commerce slogan for the city. All I’m saying is that Houston has so few truely unique areas, why not try to preserve these neighborhoods instead of trying so hard to make them all the same.
It happened exactly as you’ve described. My question is for the tenants that still have leases. City centre gave all tenants the same notice to vacate. I beleive the notice would apply to month to month renters but it shouldn’t apply to lease holders clear into 2015. What is city center’s obligation to lease holders? I sign leases so that I know where I’m living for that period of time. Can city centre treat lease holders this way?
if you’re commuting to the energy belt than neither Oak Forest or the Third Ward are acceptable replacements, you’re basically doubling your drive time with either of these locations. and that’s not even taking into account other primary issues such as schools and access to masss transportation, both of which will come in reduced quantities in these other areas. of course, that’s exactly why the central part of town has shot up in price in recent years. all of this has been on the horizon for years now though so now matter how much it stings we can’t say it was by surprise.
but moving onto more important things such as labeling and mass stereotyping, what part of town becomes the new cultural epicenter of Houston? i don’t think a bunch of old bars and museums are enough to anchor it all with income segregation rapidly increasing in the montrose. i guess that leaves the east side as the Heights was already old to start with, but have there really been that many advances on the east side of town yet?
@Olericulturalist
I understand your point, but I’m far from a hipster. I’m a middle-aged gay male who right now is working a lower paying job (try getting a higher paying one over 55 good luck).
I don’t want to move to 3rd Ward or East end (where are the apartments in Eastwood anyway???). I don’t want to move to Greenspoint.
There simply is no place to live for working class apartment dwellers.
It’s really not about people not being able to be hip, it’s about people not being able to find a place ot live.
Bravo to the poster who said it does not all have to be about economics and location. What is happening in Montrose would never fly in any other city in the US, even in some neighborhoods where it really wood be an improvement.
I drove the other day to McGregor area the old “Jewish Oaks” that became the African American River Oaks. There are houses that truly are tear-downs over there. The commute would not be much different. The neighborhood is beautiful, terrain wise some of the prettiest in Houston. Why aren’t they developing there? Why is it just Montrose and anything in Montrose?
We are going to have one neighborhood destroyed by too much attention and another ignored that could have been improved.
I know it’s Houston yadda yadda but at some point it does become counter-productive to have all the development only going in certain areas.
There are areas just begging for something like the Ashby, but these developers insist on it being in that little neighborhood.
It’s almost as if they truly are malevolent. It makes no sense to do something destructive when building somewhere else would better serve YOUR purpose and actually help the city at the same time.
I just don’t get it and I guess I never will, lol. I’m lucky to be out of here soon. Even DFW looks like paradise for someone like me compared to Houston.
PS sorry for the rant-typos, lol.
“I’m Here for Work”
Houston’s new slogan!
I’m with Shannon on this one. The Montrose I knew, loved and lived in for 10 years is dead and gone. Many of these small apartment complexes being torn down are well-maintained and fit well with their surroundings. I can understand the owner wanting to make a buck by selling to developers, but the zero lot line monstrosities that will undoubtedly take their place just ruin the character of the neighborhood. Why is it that every new apartment complex in Houston has to be 300+ units of “luxury living”? Why can’t they build on a smaller scale? I’m not buying the land price argument. Land is still a relative bargain in Houston, even now, and you don’t have to build huge yuppie tenement complexes to make a profit. It’s about greed, plain and simple.
Ah, gentrification. Ain’t it grand?
What Darogris said ^^. People like him who lived in Montrose for decades and were part of its character are being priced out, and it breaks my heart. I went to Common Bond on Westheimer one Saturday afternoon and it felt and looked like The Stepford Wives. RIP Montrose.
What I can’t figure out is what they plan on doing when the traffic issue really slams home. These apartments are on Alabama which is a 2.5 lane road, right across from that monstrosity they are building next to the HEB. That road already gets congested. Add 2k tenants, what then? Same goes for the rest of the area. There is a point at which the area will become so congested no one will want to live there, but why wouldn’t they want to live in such a cool area? It’s a catch 22. If it wasn’t for the fact that I will be losing my apartment in a year or so I would be really interested to see how it all plays out.
@ CurrentTenant: Texas state law provides landlords with the ability to evict any or all tenants within 30 days if they are closing a unit or the entire property for repair or demolition. Most apartment investors provide more notice or provide some move-out assistance, even if they are not required to by law. (I’m not an attorney. This is not legal advice.)
@ Shannon: You mentioned as a justification for rent controls that they allow people that have lived in a neighborhood for generations to continue living there. I paraphrased that as “birthright” and you went and got butthurt. I’m not sure why.
The character of Montrose is unique, but every neighborhood is unique. Should we keep the Third Ward poor and black? (Yeah that’s right, a birthright can cut both ways, can’t it? And I can think of some local politicians that very much like it that way.) And if you don’t let it gentrify, and you also protect Montrose, then where do the wealthy newcomers go? Where do you funnel the growth? Whose problem do they become? You can’t put them anywhere that isn’t already inhabited. I know that you think that Montrose is special, but you know, the people that live in Timbergrove Manor and Sharpstown and everywhere else no matter how obscure sure do think that they’re special, too. Aren’t they?
@Old School–I see, so if you’re not rich you should not be able to live within 5 miles of River Oaks or Southampton–that does seem “Old School”, as in old school segregation from the 50’s. We’ll just call it economic segregation, that’s so much more palatable. I live in a nice part of town and I like the garden apartments in the area (the few that are left) that’s where the younger people live, otherwise my entire area would look like a geritol ad. Houston sucks frankly, it earns the scorn it gets from those who live here and those that visit. It squanders all it’s uniqueness and natural beauty. If a city doesn’t give a shit about itself why should anyone else. I think the comment from the middle age gay man said it all. It’s sad to me to see city sell out like a two bit whore, but that’s Houston, she makes Dallas look like Sandra Dee.
@ Darogris: Eastwood has apartments, but you have to drive the neighborhood to find them. There are a number of duplexes up to fourplexes, often with garage apartments in the back. Most are not listed on HAR. There’s usually an especially large amount of turnover around May and December as students graduate from the nearby universities. Eastwood is not your only decent option in the East End, but you have to get out and drive. Generally you’ll want to stay south of the tracks that parallel Harrisburg. Some areas are good, some aren’t. Most are safe, though.
I hope similar imminent tear downs happen to these types of low rent apartments in the greater Heights (Shady Acres, et al.). While property taxes for homeowners have been going up at the maximum rate, you would think that would price these landlords out and they would be forced to sell. I think it’s logical that crime would go down as well with the low income renters being evicted.
In sum, I’m all for this.
roadchick, sorry but the comment about greed cuts both ways. the reason developers are building 300+ monstrosities is because they can fill them. is it not just as greedy to wish that Montrose would remain the sleepy little cool neghborhood part of town while thousands of hard working individuals are forced to the outer boroughs and have to deal with less than desirable living conditions? absolutely not becuase that’s a recipe for disaster in which the city trades off vast amounts of revenue due to unnecessarily inhibited growth and productivity . the reality is the folks that have been living in the montrose for the past 20 years have been some of the luckiest folks in this city, no doubt about it, and there’s vast areas of this town that truly and sincerely need every bit of growth and productivity this city can muster in order to have a better shot at the “montrose living” style. the reality is greed is always the other side of the coin and you can’t point fingers without turning one on yourself.
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and Darogris, as big as the medical center is, it’s still energy that’s running this town and proximity to I10 is directly related to the health and well-being of those workers. as nice as the third ward is becoming it’s still just not practical for where all the high growth in this city is ocurring. even then, growth in montrose is only now coming as katy and everything along I10 has quickly filled in and the commute times coming out of Katy are becoming truly miserable/horrendous for its residents.
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even as an old hipster myself i can’t help but feel we’re all being greedy here. sometimes i’m truly mystified at the numbers of people and families you’ll see out and about in the montrose area on the weekends these days. it’s a complete change and at the end of the day we should all be happy that the best part of Houston is now being used more to its fullest extent and it’s true potential is being captured, even if it’s for a completely different demographic and income range. the bayou usage alone just blows my mind. 10yrs ago you could run laps around that place after work and hardly see a soul.
Were these crime ridden? I wasn’t aware, it seemed like a bunch of retires, young professionals and college kids. I’m not sure you know that you’re takin about. If you’re taking a about apartment ghettos around Sharpstown, I’m all for it, but these old gardens apartments are mostly law abiding normal people. You need to get out more before you comment, Sir.
@Niche–totally on the mark about Eastwood.
@Niche–your comment to me is full of errors and so many things to refute, I don’t know where to begin, so I won’t.
“Current tenant” (2:29 pm):
There is a section of the Property Code that deals with the notice that a landlord needs to provide the tenants with if he is “closing the rental unit.” This includes closing, demolishing, etc. I don’t have the Property Code sitting in front of me, but I am sure that Chapter 92 says they can provide notice (certified mail, return receipt requested) at any time that it’s no longer going to be used for residential rental.
Normally, a landlord could get rid of all of his month-to-monthers for no reason at all just by giving 30 days’ notice.
A lease saves you from a bunch of bad stuff from a landlord, but I can’t think of how closing the premises would be one of those – barring some provision of a written lease that specifies otherwise.
Didn’t Montrose became “Montrose” because it was gritty part of town that no one wanted to move to. Just like everyone is complaining about Eastend and Third Ward.
@Shannon – I never said the apartments in Montrose were crime ridden. I’m referring to the ones in the greater Heights. If you’ve ever driven by any of these then I can assure you that they are not young professionals or waiters living there, Ma’am.
As a resident of this complex, in the span of 3 months this place went downhill. All washers and dryers broken, pool closed all summer. Then they opened the pool on the same day as the eviction notice. However, I wouldn’t swim in it. The algae is bad and untreated. There was also reports of rent checks getting lost in previous months. The “community manager” is a facade. We have to tell them by August 1 where we will be living in order to get the deposit returned. I’ve spent three straight days looking without success. And the cost to hire movers, change utilities, license and such is not in the budget. Yet, they want rent August 1.
Im a little nervous about what the outcome this could mean for me. I live in a similar spot in the upper kirby area and loved the affordable rent. I am seeing all the growth in the city with the huge mid-rise complexes popping up and that is wonderful, but I hope I don’t end up in the same situation.
pushed-out tenant of 1920 w alabama here … i’ve only been in houston a year, so i don’t have a lot of context to go off of, but i understand montrose’s potential for growth. houston’s infinite sprawl never ceases to amaze (and disgust?) me, so i’m kind of glad developers and the young/wealthy tenants they’re aiming for are willing to double-down on new spaces closer to the center of the city.
that being said, i am having an awful time finding a new place to live. the move-out deadline of aug. 31 is bad, but what’s worse is the fact that we’re expected to have a move-out plan ready for the city centre folks BY FRIDAY (8/1). they’re giving us a week to find a new place. the rental market in the loop is crazy; i don’t know what they were thinking by expecting us to have something nailed down in such a short time.
wish me luck, kids.
@Gary Deller Not all garden apartments in the Heights are cheap and occupied by potential criminals. I live in a small courtyard apartment in the Heights that has been renovated extensively. Everyone who lives in my building is young to middle age professionals. The rent has increased in the past few years as prices and property taxes rise in the neighborhood. I agree that there are some questionable apartments around the Heights, but there are still questionable homes. You can move block to block and it’s a mix of new or renovated homes and then bungalows that are in ill repair. Like the previous comments about Montrose, do you want to see the Heights lose it’s character and charm? There are huge apartments going up at White Oak and Yale. David Weekley has quite a few gated town home developments that are newly completed or just breaking ground. One on Dorothy near Shepherd is 70+ townhouses. Traffic is already terrible, the infrastructure is lacking, Yale will be that much more difficult to navigate with the apartments and townhouses going in. The growth is great, but it is concentrated inside the loop. I have total empathy for the people being kicked out of their apartments in Montrose. I think it is something anyone not living in a large, corporate owned complex fears.
I have lived in Montrose since the late 80’s. I’m currently in a very affordable ( cheap) apartment, a 4- plex actually. I will be the last person to live in the apartment I am in because, at some point in the nearish future, the building will be sold. Not a matter of if, but when. Meantime, the apartment is slowly deteriorating for lack of proper maintenance. I understand that.
Anyway, my point is that my next living space will most likely not be in the Montrose. I will miss it, I guess, or at least the Montrose that used to be. This ain’t it.
So, I am willing to go to the east side. And maybe even the Third Ward. Someone tell me where to look!
I lived at 1920 straight out of college and loved it. My father called it “transitional” but I loved our little place, our neighbors, and best of all “bedtime beers” at West Alabama
DONATE BUILDING MATERIALS/ APPLIANCES HERE!!! :) THANK YOU
What I tire of is how so many people complain about losing their version of Montrose, which means Montrose from 1975-2000. I’ve read about the Montrose of old with mansions, a trolley system, etc. I would have loved to see that. I would have loved to see Houston before freeways came along and destroyed neighborhoods, but I can’t. Those complaining about Montrose selling out are greedy and selfish in their own right.
@theniche @currenttenant Section 92.055 of the Texas Property Code says that the when the Landlord sends a notice to close the property the landlord can terminate the tenancy “as soon as legally possible”. I think most reasonable legal minds would interpret that to mean at the end of the term in the tenant’s lease. I think this gives a tenant who is being asked to move out earlier considerable leverage.
I am a lawyer but @currenttenant is not my client, and neither is anyone else at this property. I would encourage any interested tenant to contact an experienced real estate lawyer to discuss their rights and remedies. Squeaky wheels get the oil.
@dave morrell I will talk to a property lawyer tomorrow. My main concern is that city centre is taking advantage of the lower income renters. As i stated earlier i wanted to secure housing for myself, and thus other renters of the property, by signing a lease through early 2015 because I was passing new high rises every day and wanted to enjoy my awesome garden apartment and community as long as possible. While I admit the price of the complex did go up since 2000 and was a part on the Montrose early changes being described above, prestidge properties did make wonderful changes to the property while still keeping the integrity of its original design. I truly appreciated you PP. Thank you for not knocking it down immediately.
Correction…. Prestige holdings was my former landlord. I think we all know who is writing this!!
I have lived in the Montrose area since 1991 when it was really cheap to live here. My first apartment on Bomar was $280 a month. My husband and I bought an very old home in East Montrose 8 years ago. It would have been torn down if we did not buy it. A builder offered the seller 10k more but sold it to us because we were going to save the house. My problem is we want to build a two car garage but the city wants us to set the garage 15 feet from the sidewalk. They let all the awful new townhomes to be build right up to the property line. How is that fair?? We are on a corner lot and we want the garage doors to replace the existing gate, not an inch closer. So what’s up with the double standards?
@current tenant how much is a 1 bedroom apartment at 1920? How much are comparable properties charging if you can find one? @cupcakecakes have you looked in museum district or rice village area?
@dream I pay $950 for a one bedroom..awesome sunlight ..tall pink flower bush at base of the spiral staircase to my private balcony overlooking the crystal clean pool (up to 3 months ago), wood floors, granite counter tops, very small but pristine condition of kitchen and bathroom, central air, walk in closet and other double closet, 3 ceiling fans, crown moldings, 2 huge huge Montrose trees surrounding the pool, gated Parking, 550 square feet, easy access to trader joes, river oaks theater, midtown…..I mean this place is irreplaceable !!! I would have bought this place if they turned them into condos if I could afford the price. One bedrooms in this area at other duplexes run $1400 but no where near the charm which is what I appreciated the most . Not to mention all the people in the complex, such a diverse group. Some have been here for over 10 years. There is a 500 sq ft studio for $1100 off of westheimer. There is a place off of hazard for $1100 but it’s not updated Non updated units at my place were costing $750 but still had the pool and safety features of the complex. Units in the back must have been less but I’m not sure.
jeez, if anyone is really paying $1100 for a 500sqft studio or even $1400 for a 1bd in the montrose area then they honestly need to move ASAP unless they have some exasperating living condition. as good as it is, the montrose is nowhere close to being worth those kind of prices.
on that note, we need to tell gus/swamplot to start a renter’s poll once a year or so. a quick survey of what average tenants are paying in each part of town.
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for the montrose, i wouldn’t even think of paying more than $1500 for a 2bd with a sunroom in an old modestly kept duplex. anything more and i’d just be buying elsewhere to start building up more home equity.
Houston was given a small respite after the financial crisis of 2008, but the game is on now. Those of us with money to spend were able to get property cheap and redevelop it. I am a new homeowner in area that was once questionable. I spent 25 years living in the burbs and couldn’t wait to get inside the loop. I love the new developments! When traveling around the states it is apparent that Houston is behind on the new developments. San Diego is amazing, Seattle is New and Hip, The traffic is what drove us inside the loop…the thought of being a “hipster” never crossed my mind. What is a “hipster” anyway?
@currenttenant there are some duplexes and one bedrooms for lease in my neighborhood behind rice village right now. Most of those landlords put their own signs up and don’t list on har.com. Check these streets Dryden, Sheridan, Southgate. ,
“Didn’t Montrose became ‘Montrose’ because it was gritty part of town that no one wanted to move to. Just like everyone is complaining about Eastend and Third Ward.” — awp
Yes. I lived there in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There was a lot of crime, and it was way too gay for most Houstonians. Suburban kids used to drive in on the weekends to cruise Westheimer and see real live homosexuals. And sometimes beat them up.
The apartment complexes were full of drugs and prostitution. I lived in a fourplex on Westheimer. I remember waking up one morning to find a guy passed out in the stairwell, or coming home to find drunks defecating in our bushes. It was a charming place to be a bohemian, but fatiguing in the long run. So I moved to The Heights for a while, and then to Westbury so I could have a yard and a pool for my kid.
I’m at a 32-unit garden apartment 5 minutes north of here, paying about $1.1k for a 1/1. We were served with our eviction notice in mid-June (within days of signing our month-to-month lease), but thankfully were given until November 31 to move out. I’ll probably have to chase my price point all the way down to the Med Center; nothing left up here.
I keep having this fantasy that oil will go to $40/barrel. Now that would be a party!
@currenttenant, walk around a bit. There are a few small-plexes left between Richmond and W. Alabama. I think there’s one a couple blocks south of the Ice House with a “for lease” sign. Probably not for much longer, though, if the other Prestige tenants start looking around too.
Montrose has been changing for over half a century. I’m sure when these apartments were being built, there were scads of local residents complaining about how they were ugly, cheaply built, and not in keeping with the character of the neighborhood. Rinse. Repeat.
People want to live in Montrose because its a great neighborhood. More people will make it an even better neighborhood. I’ve been in the neighborhood since the 1980’s. I like the changes.
Hope Takara So bites the dust.
@joel, I suppose I am a bit greedy to mourn for the Montrose I remember. However, you say that not developing Montrose means “thousands of hard working individuals are forced to the outer boroughs and have to deal with less than desirable living conditions.” I would argue that it’s the longtime Montrose residents like Darogris who are suffering this fate much more than the newcomers. I understand the need for a denser neighborhood, but in many cases, it’s been at the cost of the very charm that drew people to the neighborhood in the first place. When all those huge complexes open up along Richmond, Westheimer, etc. the resulting mobility issues will make the area even less charming. I realize when it comes to gentrification, everyone has to concede something, but a neighborhood’s soul shouldn’t be one of them.
I haven’t had to play the hunt for a rental game for decade, when we bought our house, but I know friends / family who’ve found things on greatlandlords.com that are in town and from smaller, independant landlords so they’re generally not on har.com. Anyone caught up in the eviction mess may want to check the site. I just want to say to be super careful about looking on craigslist. Hopefully everyone has heard about the rental / sale scams that happen on there.
Wish we had more developers like Medussa. I’ve read about their properties and always thought if I have the chane I would totally get into saving and renovating the cute, vintage properties like these. But, I also have a thing for preserving history.. a very un-Houstonian trait.
Don’t be a passive aggressive douch, Gary. Everybody on here knows I’m a guy–As do you—Sir?
roadchick: I think you made a very interesting point not only about the displacement of long time residents, but also the future congestion issues that new larger developments are going to bring. East of Shepherd, only Richmond is a true 4 lane street. Alabama, Westheimer, Gray, and Dallas are all, at most, 3 lanes. North-South mobility isn’t much better.
When I think of other cities where close-in dense neighborhoods have built up and gentrified, most, if not all, have access to some type of rapid transit, that takes the burden off the surrounding streets. Due to political considerations, that’s just not going to happen anytime in the near future in Montrose.
Ahhhh…Houston in 1835…think of the character and charm. Why did we change anything?
@Shannon – some saying about the pot calling the kettle re the douche comment.
There are tons of cheap places close to Montrose. Just not IN Montrose. You just have to be willing to live ~2 miles away. We have small old studios that are maybe 500sf that rent for 800/month with a wait list while a mile to the east (third ward) we have 2bd units with centra air, for less money, that we struggle to keep full.
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We have 3 bed units a mile or two southeast for $750.
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No need to tell you a site as I don’t post this to advertise. Only to say they are out there if you cast a bit wider net.
Maybe someone in the real estate world can answer this for me. is it plausible that as the bulk of these new inner loop apartments come online-, other complexes which were considered “luxury” when the were built 8-15 years ago,( Bayou on the Bend or Jackson Hill or some of the Cityplace properties along Alabama come to mind) –will they drop rents in order to stay leased and assume a lower tier category in the marketplace? Meaning is rent stabilization foreseeable in the near future? Knowing how people gravitate towards the newest and shiniest, it seems these complexes will become less desirable and therefore need rent incentives etc…..to lease up.
Hell yeah, more rich northerners! Let’s get rid of all the locals and fill up Montrose with more rich white people!
*Prestige Holdings doling out new leases and renewals until late last year, then sending a “bye bye” email months later
*Receiving a notice thirty-seven days before the vacate date – yet the apartment was sold in April/May
* A demand from Dolce Living for rent and to sign a move out notice by August 1st – why not let us know in May, or even June
Now, we are scrambling to get it all together. The business practices are what bother us more than anything else. A little consideration would have gone a long way, for us at least.
Lived there from June 2013 thru June 2014.
City Centre at Midtown bought property in May 2014.
I knew right away what was going to happen.
I don’t know how anyone living there can be surprised.
Look around its happening all over.
Moved out the end of June to Galleria area.
Much nicer area.
Full of misinformation… especially on the comment section.
1. There are 96 apartments all total not 73
2. We did not lose our case against the Montrose Management District, the court still has not ruled on this yet.
3. We did not raise rents for over 3 years
@ JT: Its only plausible that Class B complexes will drop rents as more Class A units replace Class C units if the Class A units struggle with oversupply issues during their lease-up and stabilization effort. If that were to happen, then ‘A’ properties would offer concessions that lure people there that would otherwise live in a ‘B’ property, and the ‘B’ properties respond in kind to lure people from other neighborhoods or out of their parents’ house or out of a roommate situation. But the neighborhood is so desirable that if that were to happen, it’d be a very temporary phenomenon. Maybe a year or so at the very most.
The thing about affordable housing is that if the replacement cost precludes the possibility of new housing being affordable and the existing inventory of housing is a wasting asset, then once its gone its gone. Diminish the supply of housing that is offered at an affordable price point and most of the demand will still exist, but the price will go up. The workforce by and large absorbs the added cost as a reduction of discretionary income.
If you’re 20 something, a college grad, working for o/g and make $65K+ then you qualify to live in the area! This isn’t about gentrification; it’s about generation and the separation of wealth. Gen Y is the largest generation in recorded history and unlike the baby boomers that lost millions due to war the young adults are taking over. Everything is marketed to them and rightly so as they control and disperse those products and services. Their wealth will exceed any before it and very soon they will control the job market splitting the have and have nots. They are designed to be a team through utilizing social media as youths, to team adventures in college. For them team building in corporate America is simply showing up for work. When one group creates or joins a trend the rest immediately follow. Houston didn’t lose the Trose, Houston gained a new culture. They will in-turn happily support ever local merchant and tax initiative. The merchants are thrilled to have lines going out the door. That demographic has no problem waiting in lines as they did it for shows and other social events in college. The inner loop is one huge campus for them! After 40+ years I’ve seen the Trose leave a sleepy neighborhood where my great-grandparents thrived to an area not safe after dark. I’ve watched the city celebrate the arts from museums to street festivals. In the 30’s this area was ‘Katy’ and many famous people took full or part-time residency here. The ice house across the street from 1920 W. Alabama started her voyage in 1928. Our city has gone bust two other times in my life. We’ve always been a ‘boom town’ and this is no different. More young people and more diverse jobs will need more housing and people are now beginning to truly gravitate back downtown (or thereabouts). Our city will continue to go bust if we don’t embrace change. I wasn’t in a fraternity nor a sorority but most of these adults have and they will surely stay flocked as that’s all they know. One day a new generation will come in and the tide will change. Hell, maybe they’ll want to tear it all down and pay homage to days gone by. I will miss my home and hope my friends and family find a new place to call theirs. #andthistoshallpass
@Cody: Sure you can move a couple miles way from Montrose, but then you lose the main attraction of Montrose in the first place, which is being able to conveniently walk to things.
Well, it appears City Centre at Midtown LLC is now violating the law regarding deposit returns. Get it together Dolce Living or face treble damages, mechanic’s liens and a possible class action lawsuit.