Nine houses and three buildings leave Houston. Our list of the newly departed begins after the jump.
Read more about: 77004, 77007, 77011, 77020, 77027, 77032, 77034, 77048, 77055, 77063, Daily Demolition Report, Demolitions
An all-residential edition of the demo report begins after the jump.
Read more about: 77007, 77008, 77012, 77025, 77027, 77055, 77057, Daily Demolition Report, Demolitions
Nine houses fail to please. Read today’s list of unappreciated structures—after the jump.
Read more about: 77007, 77019, 77025, 77027, 77032, Daily Demolition Report, Demolitions
Three items from the world of Houston shopping-center development:
Retail developer Bobby Orr says the suburbs are overridden with unanchored strip centers, so his company is developing projects closer to the center of town . . .
Orr believes there are “only so many nail salons and dry cleaners” that can fill up suburban centers and that there’s pent-up demand in urban areas where housing density is increasing.
Staples officials are tight-lipped about the company’s plans for Houston, but local retail sources say they’ve seen Staples stores on as many as 11 different site plans for future retail developments ranging from Katy, to League City to Spring, as well as a close-in site at Post Oak and San Felipe.
Staples has already signed a lease for a new store at I-45 South and Almeda Genoa.
Read more about: 77022, 77027, 77034, Chain-Stores, Fast Food, Franchises, Shopping Centers
A Heights institution falls. That and more in our daily list of demolition permits—after the jump.
Read more about: 77004, 77007, 77008, 77018, 77027, 77030, 77056, Daily Demolition Report, Demolitions, Houston Heights
For a flat, flood-prone, and low-lying town, Houston sure has given itself a lot of highfalutin placenames. Latest exhibit: Highland Tower, a luxury resort-style building Pelican Builders is planning to tuck between the Target on San Felipe and the Highland Village shopping center (oh, that’s where they got the name) on Westheimer. The sales center isn’t quite open yet, but the website is.
The site says it’ll be fifteen stories, with 99 residences. It was designed by Ziegler Cooper Architects, who also did the Briarglen next door: brick, with slick metal panels on the de rigueur semi-curved front, which’ll face west. Maybe they’re hoping that’ll give a blinding reflection to highrise Galleria workers in the late afternoon.
It’d be a good bet the Highlands name is also meant to refer to the green (and also blue, if they chlorinate the pool) roof on the parking garage. It’s the highrise’s fifth-floor Terrace level, which will feature
- an infinity edge pool with Galleria area views
- a covered outdoor pool-side pavilion
- tranquil green space with fountains and paved courtyards
- state of the art fitness center overlooking pool
- dining room with catering kitchen
- private party lounge for entertaining friends and family
- private massage therapy room
After the jump, views of the Highland Tower’s never-gonna-flood party deck.
Read more about: 77027, High-Rise-Condos, Highland Village, Proposed Developments, Westheimer
A teensy item appears in the middle of a long list of projects on the revised agenda of an obscure public agency. The list is voted on, and presto! Nine months years later The Westpark Tollway gets extended all the way to Kirby Drive!
Christof Spieler spots this exciting news—sure to make a lot of West U-area residents take notice—and complains:
Once a project is on a list that gets approved by the TPC, it’s a lot closer to happening. Months or years from now, a neighborhood might object. And they’ll be shown the list and told, “it’s in the plan. It got approved. There’s nothing you can do.” Pieces of paper can have a lot of power.
And this piece of paper came out of nowhere. There was no public announcement, let alone hearings. It was a last minute addition to the agenda. David Crossley of the Gulf Coast institute spotted it only because he was looking through the TPC web site. [emphasis added]
Photo: Flickr user Danburg Murmur
Read more about: 77005, 77027, 77081, 77098, Freeways, kirby, Toll-Roads, West University, Westpark Tollway
