- Fidelis Realty Partners Acquires 112 Acres of Former Camp Strake Property in Conroe for ‘Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment Destination’Â [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]
- Skanska Buys 14 Acres on Springwoods Village Pkwy. Across I-45 from ExxonMobil Campus for Office Development [Prime Property]
- Hines Planning New Residential Community Called Laurel Park North on 130 Acres Near New ExxonMobil Campus [Houston Business Journal]
- Houston Construction Permits Increase 64.6% Over Same Time Last Year, Reaching a Record $696M in August [Houston Business Journal]
- Unincorporated Parts of Mission Bend, Sienna Plantation, The Woodlands Struggle To Fix Roads, Manage Growth [Houston Chronicle]
- More People Moved into New Homes in Houston Than in Any Other U.S. City in Second Quarter of 2014, Finds Metrostudy [Houston Business Journal]
- Museum District, Fourth Ward Top List of 10 Most Expensive Houston Neighborhoods for 1-Bedroom Apartments, According to SF Website Zumper [Houston Business Journal]
- Slideshow: A Progress Report on the $3M Renovation of the Historic 1001 McKinney Building [Prime Property]
- Southern Goods Opening This January in Former Table 19 Space at 632 W. 19th [Eater Houston]
- Metro Board Approves ‘Reimagined’ Bus Route Plan, but Will Allow Public Comment, Changes for 60 More Days [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
- Light Rail System Will Shut Down Friday Night, All Day Saturday for Rail Expansion Work [Click2Houston]
- 6 Iconic Houston Restaurants and Bars That Closed After 2 or More Decades [Culturemap]
- $43M ‘Chateau Carnarvon’ in Sherwood Forest is the Priciest Home Ever Listed in Houston, Says Martha Turner [Wall Street Journal]
- Bistro Menil, Set To Open October 1 in Reconstructed Bungalow, Won’t Have Any Art on Its Walls [Food Chronicles; previously on Swamplot]
Photo of Gibbs Boats at 1110 West Gray St.: Andrew Steffler [license]
Headlines
“9:53 pm and I can hear the hollow, electronic train horn from my study window, the sad woot of the empty car. Despite the fact that I cannot ride the Metro train, it runs. Past me on my morning commute, it runs. Stopping traffic for 10 minutes on my way home. Always, it runs.” [
Here’s a freshly baked city-development paradigm that’s a pretty good, but imperfect match for Houston, writes Christopher Andrews: “Houston’s inner core, at least that area within the I-610 loop, predominantly west of I-45, makes up most of the ‘new donut’ downtown area, even though Houston’s currently gentrifying and historically vibrant neighborhoods lie just outside of its downtown district. Our ‘Inner Suburbs and Inner Core’ portion of Houston (think Alief, Sharpstown, Southwest and Southeast Houston, Northside, Acres Homes) is continuing to age, and is evidenced when we look at home sale prices. Naturally, then the newer homes in the ‘Collar Counties’ (think Sugarland, Cinco Ranch, The Woodlands, Kingwood) attract families and professionals looking for new housing. That comprises Houston’s ‘new donut’ paradigm.” Why stop there? There are scone and English muffin models to consider too. But which breakfast item best describes the shape of the city? “While I love donuts, I like bagels too,” Andrews writes. “
As Swamplot reader Tawnya 
No, the new light-rail lines won’t be ready to carry passengers anytime this year — if you’re looking for a ride, check again in 2015. But over the next couple of weeks, you may see a Southeast Line train or 2 skirting the western and southern borders of the University of Houston. Starting today, Metro will be shuttling vehicles along the path shown in red on the Purple Line map at left, from the corner of Elgin and Scott Streets through MacGregor Park to the vehicle storage facility just past the Palm Center Transit Center — for safety testing. Map: Metro
