- 4813 Palmetto St. [HAR]
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FRESHLY SOLD HANS’ BIER HAUS SHUTTING DOWN IN 4 WEEKS 
The little beer garden and bocce court at 2523 Quenby St. announced its planned July 15th closure this afternoon, following 21 years of fond but fuzzy memories (give or take a few neighborly physical and legal altercations with inhabitants and employees of the nextdoor condo tower at 2520 Robinhood). The news also follows this week’s sale of the property by a legal entity connected to Hans’ partner Paul Kellogg, conveying the spot to one JSS Texas Holdings. Hans’ announcement says that plans to celebrate the bar’s last month in action will be announced soon. [Previously on Swamplot] Photo of Hans’s Bier Haus:  Swamplot inbox
COMMENT OF THE DAY: GARDEN OAKS QUESTION MARKS RAISE QUESTION MARKS CITYWIDE 
“One of the Chronicle articles also mentioned the judge’s concern that GOMO and its bylaws were not ‘properly formed.’ Does anyone know the procedure for ‘properly forming’ a homeowners association and writing bylaws? I’m wondering about the HOA where I live.” [Gisgo, commenting on A Judge’s Answer To Some of Those Tiny Garden Oaks Question Marks]
Capital-R Realtor Jessica Arnett brought a price-reduced 4-bedroom house in Spring into the national spotlight this week by dressing up in a panda suit throughout the property’s listing photos. While there’s more than one way to panda to potential buyers, this particular tactic has been tried before: Arnett reportedly says the idea came from a British home listing from last month, in which the seller did roughly the same thing.
Arnett has already received calls from other real estate agents asking where to obtain a panda suit. But the stunt itself may be endangered — the British seller has already reversed course on bearing it all, and the photos in his listing have been replaced with more standard fare. And Arnett readily admits that this kind of marketing likely doesn’t have much room to grow and multiply — while the Houston Chronicle reported earlier this week that she was open to the possibility of using the suit a sparing once or twice a year, her tone had changed by the time she spoke to Realtor.com’s Judy Dutton:
Endangered Salespitch in Spring
Today’s sponsor of this site is Houston’s own Central Bank. Swamplot appreciates the continued 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 toknow 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; Gary Noble, at 832.485.2366; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.
Thinking about become a Swamplot sponsor? Here’s some basic information about the program.Â
Sponsor of the Day
A Stand-alone Starbucks is now open at West Rd. and N. Eldridge Pkwy. in the parking lot of the Raceway gas station on the southwest corner. The new building appears to be the first Starbucks to encroach into the area bounded by 290, Beltway 8, Hwy. 6, and I-10 — though it still skirts the perimeter of the area. (Roughly half of that region is occupied by the Addicks Reservoir). The coffee shop joins Hot Donuts in the salon-rich strip center across West Rd.; nearby probable non-competitors include the ITEX Piping International and Berlin Packaging facilities.
Images:Â Randolph Wile (photo), Starbucks (map of area locations)
Still Not Saturated
- MetroNational Office Building in Memorial City Tops Out, Slated To Open in Early 2017 [HBJ]
- How Houston’s Vast Jurisdiction Leaves Its Fringe Suburbs in Limbo [Houston Chronicle]
- Houston May Be on the Brink of Recession, According to Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Report [UPI]
- Heights Restaurant Zelko Bistro Has Permanently Closed Following Appearance of Lease Sign [Culturemap; previously on Swamplot]
- What Does the YIMBY Movement Want, Exactly? [The Urban Edge]
- What Houston Looked Like Before and After Densification Reforms Were Adopted in 1999 [City Observatory]
- Houston Homeowners Take 1 Year, 5 Months on Average To Break Even on Their Purchase, Finds Zillow [HBJ]
- Slideshow: The Winners of the Houston Apartment Association Honors Awards [Houston Chronicle]
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.
Even the oldest and tallest trees can’t discourage destiny.
- 222 Starlight Pl. [HAR]
TRUMP’S LAST-MINUTE VENUE SCRAMBLE ENDS AT WOODLANDS MARRIOTT, GILLEY’S BAR 
Yesterday morning presumptive GOP presidential nominee and figurehead of an alleged real estate education scam Donald Trump briefly appeared to have cancelled public rallies scheduled for Dallas tonight and Houston tomorrow, in both cases for lack of a venue. Multiple major Dallas-Forth Worth-area convention centers, citing unusually short notice and security concerns, reportedly refused to host the event. The campaign announced hours later that it would be holding tonight’s rally at a Gilley’s-branded nightclub in Dallas; tomorrow’s Houston event landed a convention room in the Woodlands Waterway Marriott immediately next door to Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. During the interrim, the Houston Press tried to help Trump out, checking on availability at venues ranging from NRG Stadium to the Sam Houston Race Park, as well as some concert spots; a Warehouse Live employee told reporter Diana Wray that the venue was otherwise engaged for Friday, but that the hypothetical pairing of a Trump rally with tomorrow night’s planned BET-sponsored Trap Karaoke night would be “something to see.” [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Houston Press] Photo of Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center at 1601 Lake Robbins Dr.: Marriott International
COMMENT OF THE DAY: HOW TO PRESERVE BOTH THE DOME AND THE DOME PRESERVERS ON THE CHEAP 
“What we really need to work on is the future Astrodome museum ideas. After it’s eventually torn down, we could have a little building (double-wide trailer, perhaps?) that would house 2 exhibits – one for photos/models of the dome from planning stages to the day it was imploded/ dismantled/ whatever, and another to showcase the hundreds (thousands?) of ideas to save it. I’d be there opening day!” [Native Houstonian, commenting on How To Turn the Astrodome into a Vertigo-Inducing 3D Outdoor Park] Image of proposed Astrodome redevelopment project: A-Dome Park
Today Swamplot comes to you with the support of our latest sponsor: the home at 5043 Lymbar Dr. in Meyerland. We sure appreciate it!
Walls have been removed to open up the interior (see top photo) of this 3-bedroom, 2-bath corner home on a 9,442-sq.-ft. lot in Meyerland. Also added during renovations: new bamboo flooring, new windows, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a pergola on the back patio (above). French doors from the master bedroom open onto that now-shaded space, which now sports a slate-tile floor. Picture windows in the family room and breakfast room also look onto it and the back yard beyond, which incorporates a playset and a vegetable garden.
Another change is more recent: last week’s price reduction. The seller reports that this home has never flooded. The property is zoned to Kolter Elementary, Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School (formerly Johnston Middle School), and Bellaire High School.
5043 Lymbar Dr. is listed for sale by New Leaf Real Estate, which offers unique savings programs for both sellers and buyers. You can see more photos and get more details about this home on the property website.
Swamplot Sponsor of the Day spots are a great way to feature standout properties. Read this page to learn how to get a home featured here.
Sponsor of the Day
HOUSTON’S ELECTRIFYING INSULT ART HAS ITS CRITICS 
A roving Houston graffiti connoisseur issued a short but scathing review this week of the latest addition to the utility box at the corner of Alabama St. and Almeda Rd. via the automatic city complaint-filing app SeeClickFix. The user calls the scrawled proclamation ‘bad art’; the Midtown Management District says it’s on the case. The display, directly across Almeda from hammock-rich beer garden Axelrad, does not appear to be one of the coming-up-on-100 mini murals being placed on electrical utility boxes around the city by Up Art Studios. [Previously on Swamplot] Photo of electrical utility box at 1601 Alabama St.: SeeClickFix
Lovett Commercial’s latest markup of the warehouse-turning-strip-mall at the corner of Edwards and Sawyer streets includes the B&B Butchers logo, which has wandered about a third of a mile from the carve-it-themselves steakhouse’s year-old spot 6 blocks away on Washington Ave. All of the other logos included on the Shops at Sawyer Yards flier seem to check out: Hair salon Satori and tooth salon Bayou City Smiles are already up and running in the space, while nail salon Polish Parker & Roe, stop-calling-us-Crossfit gym chain Orange Theory Fitness, and Vietnamese noodle shop Local Pho all appear to have at least a few of their permits in place.
Both the updated rendering of the site (up top, facing southeast) and the labeled plan show a restaurant space at the end of the development with a patio facing Sawyer; the flier also labels the slot as a brasserie (as opposed to a steakhouse). The shaded aerial view below shows the development (labeled as just Sawyer YARDS) in place amid a few of the nearby artsy redevelopment projects (marked in green), new townhomes (marked in purple), and the Lovett office:
First Ward
- Buc-ee’s Closes on 15 Acres for Katy Location at I-10 and Cane Island Pkwy. [HBJ]
- Skanska’s Downtown Capitol Tower Won’t Break Ground Until Market Improves [Realty News Report; previously on Swamplot]
- So Far About Half of the 520 Homes in First Phase of 4,000-Home Lago Mar Community in Texas City Have Been Built [HBJ]
- New Owner to Renovate Historic Houston Bar Center at 723 Main into Upscale Hotel [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
- Single-Family Home Sales in Houston Up 10% Year-Over-Year in May, According to HAR [Realty News Report]
- Average Price of 1-Bedroom in Houston Decreased $1,482 to $1,398 from May to June, Finds Abodo [Culturemap]
- Latest Liberty Kitchen Location Now Open in Garden Oaks [HBJ]
- Houston Had Its Wettest 60-Day Period on Record from April 14-June 12 [Space City Weather]
- Lessons from How Pensacola, Florida, Reacted After Its 200-Year Flood in 2014 [Houston Public Media]
Photo of San Luis Pass: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
