Swamplot Archives by Tag: Redevelopment

Friday, November 6, 2009

First They’ll Need To Clear Out All That Vegetation That’s in the Way

November 6, 2009 – 1:44 pm
   

Nancy Sarnoff hears word that the owners of the 100-year-old Teas Nursery at 4400 Bellaire Blvd. near Newcastle are hoping to sell off the property for single-family homes: “The Bellaire business will be relocated, sold or liquidated, according to Tom Teas, president and manager of the landscaping division. Plans are for the nursery company to redevelop the five acres of land itself and then sell lots to builders. The project will start in January.” [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot]

1:44 pm | 12 Comments | Read more about Houston History, Land Sales, Neighborhoods: Bellaire, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Redevelopment
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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Replacing Richmont Square: The Low Cost, Bohemian Option

November 5, 2009 – 1:26 pm

Communications director Vance Muse tells the River Oaks Examiner’s Michael Reed that the foundation’s board won’t replace the bargain-rent Richmont Square Apartments in a way that’ll change the character of the Menil campus:

“It’s on our mind that we could, in a low-key Menil way, build a (residential) property along Richmond Avenue,” he said.

Apartments at Richmont Square range from $650 for one-bedroom, one-bath units of 575 square feet to $955 for two-bedroom, two-bath units of 1,064 square feet. Deposits are between $250 and $300.

Asked about the possibility of the Menil plan including dwellings that are priced similarly to what would be replaced, Muse said specifics have not been discussed yet.

“We’d like to keep it bohemian, if at all possible,” he said. “There has always been a commitment (by Menil) to offering a break.”

Photo of Richmont Square parking lot, 1400 Richmond Ave.: River Oaks Examiner

1:26 pm | 22 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Neighborhoods: Menil, Redevelopment, Renting
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Mixed Use for the New Uptown Corridor: A Better Perennial Portrait

November 4, 2009 – 2:54 pm

Here they are: More renderings of the Perennial, the mixed-use development the Redstone Companies is hoping to fit onto a block at 2200 Post Oak Blvd. just north of the Galleria — on the former site of the Compass Bank building, which was imploded in a small ceremony earlier this year. Does this thing look familiar? An earlier drawing of the project appeared on the SkyscraperPage forum and was featured on Swamplot in May. Now HAIF poster Urbannizer digs up a leasing brochure for the property from the development’s otherwise password-protected website.

What’s for lease? Two separate buildings: a 20-story office tower incorporating an 8-level parking garage as well as lots of retail space at the base; and a separate hotel tower to the north — combining just under 300 guest rooms and 100 residences. In all, the developers are counting just under 74,000 sq. ft. of retail space, including 3 levels meant to face the action on Post Oak.

Continue Reading This Story >

2:54 pm | 14 Comments | Read more about Mixed Use, Neighborhoods: Galleria, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Transportation
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Friday, October 30, 2009

Comment of the Day: Memorial Real Estate Imperatives

October 30, 2009 – 1:51 pm
   

“The house is old. The house must be torn down. The house will be replaced by one with separate rooms for every task imaginable. The house will have a six car garage - the new four car garage. A realtor will advertise the property with ‘old growth trees’. This must be done.” [tcpIV, commenting on Daily Demolition Report: Taking from Friar Tuck and Little John]

1:51 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Comments, Demolitions, Development Strategies, Neighborhoods: Sherwood Forest, New Construction: Residential, Quicklink, Redevelopment
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Thursday, October 29, 2009

East End Dreams: Living Hope in Action at the Corner of 75th and Lawndale

October 29, 2009 – 3:23 pm

East End blogger Dana Jennings was eager to see what the owners of what was once the Avalon Theater at the corner of Lawndale and 75th St. — just east of the Forest Park Cemetery — had in mind for the property. From last month:

It’s most recent use was as a church. Usually alot of traffic, both foot and vehicular, was seen on Sundays. They’ve moved to a more hopeful location about 2 years ago.

I always thought this would be remodeled into apartment homes. It’s right across the street from La Michocana Meat Market and Grocery, the 99 Cent store, CVS pharmacy, fast food and the Washateria. The bus line runs along Lawndale. It’s a lively corner, active, but again, and I know I’m repeating myself, it’s not threatening. In other obvious words, it would make a great place for new apartments.

The building, still labeled “Living Hope Church,” was demolished September 4th. So what’s the latest on the property?

Continue Reading This Story >

3:23 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Demolitions, Development Strategies, Land for Sale, Neighborhoods: Mason Park, Redevelopment
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Expanded Heights Kroger: Now Wider Than Wide Angle

October 28, 2009 – 1:00 pm

How big is the newly expanded mega-Kroger on 11th and Shepherd? So big that a Swamplot reader standing in the parking lot couldn’t fit the entire store in one photo. The best attempt, above, shows the place is “too big to do that now.” At 96,000 sq. ft., the Merchants Park Shopping Center Kroger at 1035 N. Shepherd is now apparently the largest grocery store inside Houston city limits.

The new section of the store opened last Friday, reports our reader,

to much rejoicing in the Heights. Both the new and the old section of the store is in use. I assume now that the new part is open they will begin renovations on the old part of the store.

The new part of the store has a Starbucks, large produce section & bakery, Mediterranean bar, hot food bar, and prepared foods section.

More reader-submitted pics from inside and out:

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1:00 pm | 9 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Redevelopment, Renovations, Retail, Shopping Centers
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Monday, October 26, 2009

The Westchase Spec Office Building That Ate Tinseltown

October 26, 2009 – 4:01 pm

Not a fan of the “ugly uninspired office parks” that line Beltway 8 on the west side of town, radio geek and computer answer guy Jay Lee finds he has a few nice things to say — and photograph — about the recently completed first phase of Westchase Park, a Simmons Vedder office development that’s replaced the Cinemark Tinseltown Westchase just north of Westpark:

There’s a water feature in the front of the building that sports a metallic sculpture which sort of reminds me of the contraption from the movie “Contact.” It’s by far the most interesting piece of architecture I have seen out here on the west beltway.

The building itself is glass and chrome and glints in the daylight. I was kind of hoping the sculpture was a corporate logo of some kind and that this was going to be to world headquarters of some up and coming conglomerate or something. Alas, it is simply a business park and will soon be selling office space to those looking to setup shop in the Westchase District.

On the plus side, it looks pretty cool at night:

Continue Reading This Story >

4:01 pm | 15 Comments | Read more about Houston Architects, Neighborhoods: Westchase, New Construction, Office Buildings, Redevelopment
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Dilick: How About We Throw Up Some Townhomes Where Wilshire Village Was?

October 26, 2009 – 1:42 pm

The purported owner of the Wilshire Village complex at the corner of West Alabama and Dunlavy, who managed to stay out of the media spotlight while the 69-year-old 8-acre complex was emptied and then torn down after a sequence of peculiar events earlier this year, appears at the end of Nancy Sarnoff’s phone line to make a few pronouncements about the property.

First, that big Commerce Equities sign on the property that says “Available”? Well, here’s what it really means:

“We would consider an outright sale if the appropriate user was identified,” owner Matt Dilick of Commerce Equities said.

That’s right: Dilick might wanna do a little creatin’ there himself!

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1:42 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Development Strategies, Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Lancaster Place, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Townhomes
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Friday, October 2, 2009

Chipperfield Sculpts the New Menil: Goodbye, Richmont Square

October 2, 2009 – 5:08 pm

The Richmont Square apartments on Richmond Ave. get knocked down in the new master plan for the Menil Collection campus. Speaking at a public forum last night, British architect David Chipperfield referred to the Menil’s big multifamily property as “this thing getting in our way.”

Cite magazine’s Raj Mankad describes more details of the Chipperfield plan:

The car park along Alabama would be strengthened with the new bookshop, cafe, and auditorium nearby. The key change would be to connect West Main across the site [to Yupon] through the area occupied by the northern end of Richmont Square. The complete street grid would surround a new green space that would also be made possible by the clearing of the north side of the apartments. It would connect, slightly off axis, with the current Menil park between the main building and the Rothko. The Drawing Institute and Study Center and Single Artist Studios would be sited around the new green space. And along Richmond itself, the plan calls for dense residential and commercial development.

Continue Reading This Story >

5:08 pm | 13 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Art, Institutional Buildings, Museums, Neighborhoods: Menil Collection, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment
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Monday, August 31, 2009

Comment of the Day: Cue the Wilshire Village Sale and Redevelopment Rumors

August 31, 2009 – 2:45 pm
   

“I heard (not joking) that KB homes (I think, or another home builder) was looking at this site for a new style of very small and relatively inexpensive 1,000 sf-ish single family hyomes on very small lots. The [target] pricepoint was about $150k I believe.” [Charlie, commenting on Boyd’s Wilshire Village Prayer, with Photos]

2:45 pm | 35 Comments | Read more about Comments, Home Design, Homebuilders, Neighborhoods: Lancaster Place, Quicklink, Redevelopment
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Boyd’s Wilshire Village Prayer, with Photos

August 26, 2009 – 1:25 pm

From Robert Boyd’s blog, Wha’ Happen?:

Wilshire Village is officially no more. . . .

I am interested in what happens next. Certainly something new will be built there, but in today’s economic environment, getting loans for development is hard. So it may sit for a while. But I will be watching and taking photos whenever I notice a change in status.

Here’s what I hope. I hope that the new development there, whatever it is, is a reasonably high density development, like the one it replaces. I hope that the new development preserves the beautiful trees on the site.

I hope the new development is people-oriented and community-oriented. I hope that it engages the street and is pedestrian-friendly. I hope that it is architecturally interesting. I hope it has no fake stucco, no faux-Tuscan features. I hope it has no turrets or oversized, penis-shaped entryways. I hope it doesn’t have big garages that face the streets.

Continue Reading This Story >

1:25 pm | 33 Comments | Read more about Demolitions, Neighborhoods: Lancaster Place, Redevelopment
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Redevelopment Brawl at the Sharpstown Mall

August 26, 2009 – 12:40 pm
   

Developer and former Sugar Land mayor David Wallace now says his firm’s $350 million proposal to redevelop the Sharpstown Mall — approved in early July by the Southwest Houston TIRZ over the objections of the mall’s owner and manager — isn’t likely to happen: “R.D. Tanner, a partner in the firm, resigned from the TIRZ board the day his company [Wallace Bajjali Development Partners] submitted its vision for the mall. The board voted to support his firm’s bid that same day. The board is tasked with overseeing the site’s redevelopment and distributing up to $20 million of public money to assist in that effort. The mall’s owner and manager — whose own redevelopment plan was rejected by the authority in May — filed suit last week, alleging that Tanner and the TIRZ board’s subsequent requests for information were “a subterfuge” to obtain “confidential, proprietary information” they could use to make their own bid. The allegations highlight a widespread problem in Houston: that developers on TIRZ boards are often able to make decisions about tax abatements — and the use of public dollars for economic development — that ultimately benefit themselves or their projects, according to Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, an advocacy organization that promotes openness and accountability in government.” [Houston Chronicle]

12:40 pm | 9 Comments | Read more about Financing, Malls, Neighborhoods: Sharpstown, Quicklink, Redevelopment
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Redeveloping Kennedy Place

August 18, 2009 – 11:37 am

Right on time for tonight’s public meeting, Swamplot’s “Bottom” of the Fifth Ward correspondent Vaughn Mueller sends in a bit of information about the proposed redevelopment of the Houston Housing Authority’s Kennedy Place apartments:

It is located in lower fifth ward, bounded by Bayou, Gillespie, Meadow and Baron streets. According to the HHA, it was built in 1982 but in its current condition, it looks reminiscent of a 1950-1960 1-story development. There is currently no central AC or heat in any of its 60 units.

In mid July a sign was put up out front describing the construction. Soon after, we received a notice of public meeting in the mail also describing the construction. The meeting is set for August 18th. The new development will contain 108 new apartments, 88 of which are going to be government assisted while 20 are going to be market rate.

The proposed site plan:

Continue Reading This Story >

11:37 am | 14 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Neighborhoods: Fifth Ward, Proposed Developments, Public Housing, Redevelopment
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Friday, August 14, 2009

Comment of the Day: Inner Loop To-Do List

August 14, 2009 – 3:46 pm
   

“’Improvment’ is a matter of one’s values and in Texas, nothing suceeds like excess. Plan for in-loop: remove all trees, build lot line to lot line, add patina of sophistication (re: cheese closets, gift wrapping rooms) sell and run. Goal? Push all those troublesome low to middle income people out into the suburbs.” [finness, commenting on Comment of the Day: Grading the Replacements]

3:46 pm | 1 Comment | Read more about Comments, Home Design, Quicklink, Real Estate Marketing, Trees
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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Comment of the Day: Grading the Replacements

August 13, 2009 – 7:33 pm
   

“I’d love to see any examples you can provide of [lovely architecture] being replaced by a poorly built McMansion. For every one you might find, I can show you a thousand where a tiny, usless, worn out, obsolete, shack was town down and replaced with one or more new, modern, luxurious, atractive homes. Are they all perfect? Certainly not. But I think the transformation that has occurred in the Inner Loop over the past 25 years is nothing short of amazing. I only hope [it] can continue for another 25 years. Better homes inside the Loop. Better apartments inside the Loop. More people inside the Loop. More money inside the Loop. More shopping inside the Loop. More restaurants inside the Loop. More jobs inside the Loop. More density. More energy. More everything.” [Bernard, commenting on Comment of the Day: What Happens To Those Small, Stylin’ Inner-Loop Homes?]

7:33 pm | 25 Comments | Read more about Comments, Houston History, Quicklink, Redevelopment
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