AN ASPHALT FAULT ON THE 59 OVERPASS ABOVE LITTLE YORK RD. 
Over the weekend, TxDOT made temporary repairs to a stretch of the Eastex Fwy. that crosses over Little York Rd. by pouring a “hot mix” of asphalt over a portion the roadway, Meagan Flynn reports. Crews planned to return to the site for more permanent repair work tonight, but got an early call this morning after the concrete beneath the road’s surface collapsed overnight, opening up a hole straight through southbound side of the overpass. ABC13’s Courtney Fischer snapped this photo of emergency workers looking down through the hole after multiple accidents took place this morning during rush hour. Portions of the freeway are now closed for repairs. [Houston Chronicle] Photo: Courtney Fischer
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YES, THE HARP ON RICHMOND AVE IS CLOSING DOWN 
There’s a reason why Braun Enterprises has been trying to find a new tenant to replace the Harp at 1625 Richmond: it turns out that the bar’s founder, Declan Plunkett, is retiring, Craig Hlavaty reports. The Ireland transplant plans to close the 18-year-old bar when the lease expires at the end of February, meaning there won’t be a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the Harp next year: “Plunkett is planning a weeklong bash to see the bar off. ‘We might sell some of the stuff off the walls for people who have been such dedicated patrons,’ Plunkett says.” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Braun Enterprises
- Texas Medical Center’s TMC3 Campus Could Have Multibillion-Dollar Impact on Houston [HBJ ($)]
- Chris Shepherd Opening 2 New Montrose Restaurants Next Year in Underbelly Space, Former Jimmy Chew’s [Eater Houston]
- The Latest Timeline for Some of the Openings at Valley Ranch Town Center [HBJ]
- Auction Winners Start Clearing Out What’s Salvageable of Downtown’s Spaghetti Warehouse [Houston Chronicle]
- Rice Houston Engagement and Recovery Effort Awards Funding for 9 Harvey-Related Projects [Rice News]
- Turner: More Than 500 Houston Homeless Were Given Permanent Housing During 6-Month Period [Click2Houston]
- The Story Behind That Anonymous Spring House with a Christmas Lights Display Set to Houston Rap [Houston Chronicle]
Photo of Cambridge Office Building at Rice University: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
Every man is guilty of all the demolishing he did not do.
COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE PITS 
“Up until the 1930s, most oil taken from the ground was quite simply stored in earthen pits. Oil penetrated the soil to about 30 feet vertically and 100 feet horizontally. Humble by itself had 6,000,000 barrels of earthen pit storage. Note that the world’s largest documented land-based oilspills (not related to the Gulf War) were the Lakeview Gusher in Kern County, California (9 million bbl) and Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan (2 million bbl). Deepwater Horizon was the worst maritime spill (4.1-4.9 million bbl). These pits are not considered spills, but the land around them is far more impacted than a spill site. Back then, when pits failed from flooding or erosion, that was often unreported.” [TheNiche, commenting on An Update on the Leaky Oil Well in Missouri City] Image: Lulu
The only planned stop between Houston and Dallas on the proposed high-speed rail line shows up 27 miles east of College Station in a new report from the Federal Rail Road Administration. The map at top shows a rough outline of the Brazos Valley Station along Highway 30, as well as its surroundings in Roans Prairie, the small town that would host it.
Roans Prairie’s main drag is further east, off the map at the junction of highways 30 and 90. The town is currently home to a Valero gas station, Family Dollar store, U-Haul dealer, and Mobile Homes for Less.
- Draft Environmental Impact Statement [Federal Railroad Administration via Christof Spieler]
- Previously on Swamplot:Â The 3 Finalists for Houston’s High-Speed Rail Station: Northwest Mall, Northwest Transit Center, Hempstead Rd. Industrial;Â The Ride to the Bullet Train at Northwest Mall;Â Houston-to-Dallas Bullet Train Putting the Brakes on All Those Lawsuits
Image: Federal Railroad Administration
Railroad Town
One of these 3 spots revealed in a report from the Federal Railroad Administration will be the planned site for the Houston-Dallas high-speed rail line’s Houston terminal. All 3 are near the intersection of the 610 Loop and the BNSF rail tracks that run parallel to Hempstead Rd. just south of 290.
In the map at top, the station takes the land directly north of the Northwest Transit Center, where an industrial complex home to Icon Electric, Engineering Consulting Services, and others exists now. Hempstead Rd. is shown fronting Northwest Mall at the top of the plan.
Another proposal puts the station in the spot where the mall is now:
Bullet Train Station
Our thanks today go to TechSpace Houston, the new modern flexible workspace in Westchase — Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day.
TechSpace Houston is celebrating Christmas early: Swamplot readers are personally invited to come try the space for FREE all this week!
From today through Friday, December 22, 2017, from 8 am to 5 pm, come try the space as a VIP guest — an early Christmas gift from TechSpace Houston.
To join, just fill out this form so you can be added to TechSpace Houston’s VIP list — and receive some important information about the facility.
Can’t make it this week? Claim your FREE day pass with a tour — on the day of your choice!
Separately, TechSpace Houston is also offering Swamplot readers 2 holiday-special discounts for the end of the year. Here are those deals:
- Sign a FlexSpace membership agreement for 6 months and receive 5 free conference room hours.
- Sign an agreement for a minimum of 6 months for a private office and receive 20 percent off plus 5 additional free conference room hours.
(To be eligible, agreements must be signed by close of business on Friday, December 29, 2017.) Please contact TechSpace Houston to take advantage of these specials!
Spread more holiday cheer. Become a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day!
Sponsor of the Day
- Dallas-Based Westmount Realty Capital Adds Copper Mill Apartments to Houston Portfolio [Houston Chronicle]
- LGI Homes Opens Affordable Community Villa North for Sale in North Houston [Builder Magazine]
- Inside Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale’s Former Northgate Forest Home Next to Hakeem Olajuwon’s Former Home [Houston Chronicle]
- Grand Texas Breaks Ground on Big Rivers Waterpark in New Caney [Community Impact Newspaper]
- HPD Unveils $20M Police Substation in Southwest Houston [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- New Coworking Office Coming to Houston, The Woodlands [HBJ ($)]
- Bobcat Teddy’s Icehouse Opens in Former Jimmy’s Ice House Space in the Heights [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
- Katie’s Seafood Market Eyes Joe’s Crab Shack Space at Pier 19 [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
- Board Game Cafe Tea + Victory Opening Early Next Year at 20th and TC Jester [Eater Houston; previously on Swamplot]
- Urban Institute Mapping Tool Shows Project Population Growth of Houston [The Urban Edge]
- Soon You’ll Be Able To Bike from One End of Downtown to the Other with Lamar Street Bike Lane Extension [Houston Public Media]
- How Decades of Official Inaction and Procrastination Played a Role in Harvey Flooding [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- After 3 Floods, One Houston Family Debates Leaving Meyerland [Houston Public Media]
- Hurricane Harvey Costs Texas Prison System More Than $8M [Houston Chronicle]
- Contrary to Reports, Houston Has the Right Approach to Urban Development [City Journal]
- Video: People Are Making Big Money Kicking Detroit Residents Out of Their Homes [Vice News]
- Architect Paolo Soleri’s Daughter Recounts Childhood Abuse in Open Letter [Curbed]
Photo of downtown Houston from White Oak Bayou Greenway trail: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the demolition of houses.
- 5903 E. Post Oak Ln. [HAR]
AN UPDATE ON THE LEAKY OIL WELL IN MISSOURI CITY 
All liquids that spewed from the oil well on McHard Rd. just west of the Fort Bend Tollway after its blow-out accident last Wednesday have been removed from the ground surrounding the facility, the Missouri City Office of Emergency Management now reports. But that’s just the wet stuff. Workers from Haz Mat Special Services have so far dug up 1,200 of an expected 5,200–7,200 yards of possibly contaminated dirt from the immediate vicinity, to be replaced with soil from somewhere else. What else can they do? “Crews have also sprayed the area to reduce the odor. Air monitoring is still on going. Crews are also trying to prep the area for the predicted rain fall the region may receive.†[Missouri City Emergency Preparedness; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Fort Bend County OEM
Keeping with its tradition of opening restaurants in clusters, Goode Co. Kitchen and Cantina will open Monday just west of an existing Goode Co. Barbeque. Just Clifford Rd. and 3 structures — a 3-story office, Saltgrass Steak House, and Carter’s Country gun store — separate the new Goode Co. location from the existing one at 8911 Katy Fwy. The new restaurant will open in the former Mason Jar Restaurant & Cafe pictured above at 9005 Katy Fwy., a 6,500-sq.-ft. building that’s been closed since the lease ran out last year.
Goode Co. opened its first Kitchen and Cantina restaurant 3 months ago in the same building as an existing Goode Co. Barbeque in Shenandoah. In Upper Kirby, the 40-year-old chain’s original barbecue spot sits within 2 blocks of 3 other Goode Co. restaurants.
The 9005 Katy Fwy. restaurant will be the brand’s 9th store total.
- New Goode Co. concept to open in former Mason Jar location [HBJ]
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Former Mason Jar Now Bulking Up for Goode, with Fajitas on the Way;Â Goode Company To Send Barbecue and Liquor up I-45
Photos: Barry B. (Mason Jar), Goode Co. (Kitchen and Cantina)
Kitchen and Cantina
Hooray for Houston’s own Central Bank — Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day! We sure appreciate the continuing support.
Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.
Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.
To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376; Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Carlos Alvarez, at 832.485.2372; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.
Support your locals. Become a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day.Â
Sponsor of the Day
A flyer put out by Braun Enterprises indicates that the Harp Irish Pub’s spot at 1625 Richmond Ave is available for lease. A partnership controlled by Braun bought the decked-out bar along with its 3 eastern neighbors (at that time Orange Bar, Maria Selma Mexican Restaurant, and Lucky Burger) in 2011. Since then, Lucky Burger was replaced by Oui Banh Mi on the corner of Richmond and Mandel St., Orange Bar ceded its space to Revelry on Richmond, and Maria Selma reopened — then closed — as Texas Shrimp Shack.
Texas Shrimp Shack’s vacant lot at 1617 Richmond, right next to the Harp, is also up for lease.
Castle Court
