- 3505 Sage Rd. #410 [HAR]
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The long-vacant lot above, near the northeast corner of I-10 and the Grand Parkway, is now being cleared and flattened to make room for the Houston area’s third Super H Mart, according to leasing materials a larger retail development being marketed as Katy Asian Town. Plans for the 16-acre site look to including a pair of smaller strip-style buildings and 2 pad sites, in addition to a long string of retail spots flanking the grocery store:
Latest Grand Plans
The duo of 1970s midrises and their parking garage companion on the I-10 block edged by Town and Country Way, Ln. and Blvd. has gotten the ol’ chain-link wraparound in the last few weeks, a reader notes. Midway bought the office park a few years ago to assimilate it into the northern side of the CityCentre complex; since the purchase, 15-story office highrise CityCentre Five has been completed, across Town and Country to the south (and visible on the left above).
Plans for the freshly barricaded block appear to include those 2 planned office towers Midway started trying to lease out last year; previous renderings of the spot also include a residential highrise:
Pushing North to I-10
COMMENT OF THE DAY: HOLDING OUT FOR THAT YOUNGER, SEXIER MASS TRANSIT OPTION WE HAVEN’T MET YET 
“Great. As I spend the next few years in grinding traffic, I can take comfort in knowing that no new mass commuting options will be initiated in our region, because we are waiting on futuristic autonomous cars to solve all of our problems. People will give up the comfort of their own private transportation for the luxury of riding in a glorified Uber (but without a driver to keep it clean or compensate for navigation errors). From an urban planning perspective, that’s like meeting a beautiful woman with a great personality but never asking her out because you are just certain that if you ever meet Kate Upton, she will find you infinitely attractive and satisfy you forever.” [Shmoo, commenting on Comment of the Day: Wait, So ‘Keep Adding Freeways’ Was the Long-Term Fix?] Illustration: Lulu
HUMAN SKELETON DISCOVERED IN THAT HEIGHTS HOUSE THAT WOULDN’T SELL TO TRAMMELL CROW 
A skeleton and some tattered cloth were discovered this weekend in an attic crawlspace in that house on Allston St. now neighbored on 3 sides by the 5-story Alexan Heights apartment complex, which occupies most of the Yale St. block between 6th St. and the Heights hike & bike trail. The home’s then-owner, Mary Cerruti, was reported missing in September of 2015, having been last seen for sure in the spring. ABC13 reports that investigators reportedly searched the house when Cerruti disappeared, but found only the bodies of several dead cats. Police are now trying to figure out whether or not the skeleton is Cerruti’s; it’s also not yet clear whether the skeleton came to land in the crawl space with assistance, or by its own doing. [ABC13; previously on Swamplot] Photo of 610 Allston St.: HAR
- Housto Cost of Living Below U.S. Average, But Catching Up as Housing Becomes More Expensive [Houston Public Media]
- Housing Cost Burden for Extremely Low-Income Families in Texas Among the Worst Nationwide, Finds Report [Texas Housers]
- Caldwell Cos. Launches New Homebuilding Division Geared Toward Baby Boomer Buyers [HBJ]
- Sneak Peek at Museum of Natural Science’s Expanded Energy Hall [Houston Chronicle]
- Montrose Honky-Tonk Goodnight Charlie’s Eyeing Fall Opening [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
- ‘Champagne-Fueled’ Restaurant a’Bouzy Opening at 2300 Westheimer [Eater Houston]
- House Property-Tax Measure Seeks To Curb Rising Rates [Houston Chronicle]
- Environmental Groups Sue Pasadena Refining System over Repeated Clean Air Act Violations [Houston Press; previously on Swamplot]
- Brays Bayou Floodplain To Shrink After Channel and Detention Pond Projects, Officials Say [Houston Chronicle ($)]
- Lead Levels in Water at Some but Not All HISD Schools Now Down Below EPA Public Utilities Thresholds [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
- U of H and South Texas College of Law Reach Agreement in Naming Dispute [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
Photo: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
If it can be destroyed by the excavator, it deserves to be destroyed by the excavator.
- 1815 Columbia St. [HAR]
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WAY LESS DAMAGE IN A LIBRARY PILEUP 
“Freeways: the only type of infrastructure project that is considered unsuccessful when used by lots and lots of people.” [Angostura, commenting on Comment of the Day: Wait, So ‘Keep Adding Freeways’ Was the Long-Term Fix?] Illustration: Lulu
A contemplative moment for the end of the week: the large excavator above was spotted bowing its head at the corner of Durhill St. and Buffalo Spdwy. as cement poured down from the sky next to the 1st Stop Food Mart, currently undergoing what appears to be Valero conversion. The portraitist notes that new glass and some signage structures have gone up at the site since the Saturday visit during which the scene above was captured; workers also appeared to have made progress on flattening out the new pavement on the Durhill side of the property, which was first crunched up late last fall:
Tank Now In Hiding
YOU TOO CAN BE THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OBSCURE HOUSTON HISTORY YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD 
Got questions about early Texas drinking culture? Looking for info on Houston’s most prominent Bulgarian philosophers? Need to know who took the photos sketched in around that famous map of 1869 Downtown? All this and more is now archived for your online perusal in the Houston History Alliance’s new Handbook of Houston, which went live yesterday. The HHA (which the handbook says was established after then-mayor Bill White started looking for ways to make Houstonians care about the city’s history) says it had been tossing around the encyclopedia idea since 2008, but finally got a grant from the Houston Endowment to work on it with the state’s historical alliance in 2015. The initial launch includes about 1,300 articles; you can browse them all here, or help write more of them yourself. [Houston Historical Association via Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot] Photo of new-ish street tiles styled after Houston’s historic ones: James Glassman
Today’s sponsor, Nan and Company Properties, has a big announcement to make. (Thanks for supporting Swamplot!)
After a 3-year search, Christie’s International Real Estate has selected its exclusive Houston affiliate: Nan and Company Properties!
When Sotheby’s International Realty Inc. purchased Martha Turner Properties in 2014, the acquisition left Christie’s looking for a new Houston affiliate — for the first time in almost 2 decades. As fans of the city’s business-friendly economy and distinguished art scene, Christie’s waited years to make sure its next affiliate would align perfectly with its brand.
Led by CEO and President Nancy Almodovar, Nan and Company Properties has become an industry leader in serving the luxury market as well as foreign national clientele. As an economic powerhouse, Houston has more Fortune 500 company headquarters than any other U.S. city (other than New York City, that is). A technology driven luxury market leader, Nan and Company Properties will represent the Christie’s brand in Greater Houston and Galveston, Texas.
Nan and Company Properties will be able to advertise its assortment of luxury listings on Christie’s international platform, magazine, and website, and in leading periodicals like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The brokerage will also be able to join Christie’s in conferences and training alongside the company’s 135 other global affiliates.
“Our affiliation with Christie’s will further extend our reach globally and locally to best serve the Houston market,” Almodovar says. “Words cannot accurately express how excited I am for this new venture. My team and I have worked incredibly hard to get here.”
For a quick tour of the unique Tanglewood property pictured above, watch the video above or follow the link here. More information about it is available on the property website. If you’re interested in this home, contact Nan and Company Properties at 713.714.6454 — or info@nanproperties.com.
To stay updated on the latest listings and announcements from Nan and Company, check out the company’s website — or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
It’s your turn to become a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day. Here’s how to sign up.Â
Sponsor of the Day
Among the flurry of in-the-works policies Mayor Turner announced yesterday related to reducing the number of homeless folks in Houston: some staffed bare-bones shelters consisting of at least a fence, a roof and a bathroom, either under overpasses or on private land. Just where would those be set up? The city says they’ll be looking for suggestions from city council members and communities of spots in their own districts where shelters and services might be a good fit.  Per Rebecca Elliott’s report, Turner told the Chronicle this week that he thinks it’s “important for people who are saying ‘we don’t want them here’ to join in with us in helping to identify acceptable locations.”
Here’s a list of other plans floated yesterday, none of which yet come with an expected price tag:
Scrounging for Change
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Texas City Trades Hands [Houston Chronicle]
- Inside the Penthouses at The Carter in the Museum District, Which Start at $10,000 Per Month [HBJ]
- Ramen Chain Agu Plans To Open 3 Houston Locations by April [HBJ]
- Hopdoddy Burger Bar Officially Opens Rice Village Location to the Public on Monday [Culturemap]
- 288-Acre Farm Loam Agronomics Launches in Richmond [Houston Chronicle]
- The Winning Redesigns for Various East Downtown Streetscapes, from the Rice Design Alliance Charrette [OffCite Blog]
- Downtown I-45 Connector Ramp Closing Friday for 7 Months of Work [Houston Chronicle]
- Houston Trying To Improve Its Standing as an Innovation Hub [Houston Public Media]
- Brookings Institute Ranks Houston the Second Fastest-Growing Economy in the U.S. [HBJ]
Photo of River Oaks Golf Course: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
If everything seems under control, you’re not demolishing fast enough.
