Tag: Condos

07/02/10 10:28pm

The Party Will Go on at Hans’ Bier Haus

Lawsuits, Neighborhood Disputes, Nightlife, Quicklink, Rice Village

15 Comments

THE PARTY WILL GO ON AT HANS’ BIER HAUS The little bar in the long shadow of the 2520 Robinhood at Kirby Condominiums can keep its alcohol license, a TABC hearing judge ruled today. Residents of the Rice Village condo building contested the license renewal of Hans’ Bier Haus after earlier efforts to silence nosy patrons — with beer cans, lasers, water hoses, and video surveillance — failed. “In his decision, Donovan noted that although police had been called to the bar more than 20 times for noise, they never were cited. . . . The feud continues to be litigated in civil court.” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]

77005, Bars, Condos, Lawsuits, Neighborhood Disputes, Nightlife, Rice-Village

06/16/10 9:03am

Bar Fight in the Village: Hans’ Bier Haus Fights for Its License

Lawsuits, Neighborhood Disputes, Nightlife, Rice Village

26 Comments

Thought Judge Hancock’s January restraining order had quieted the ongoing feud between residents of the 2520 Robinhood at Kirby condo tower and the little Rice Village bar next door, Hans’ Bier Haus? Well, maybe a little. But both sides pulled out their best complaints for yesterday’s hearing at commissioners’ court, where Robinhood residents are protesting the renewal of the partly open-air bar’s beer and wine license. While January’s court order appears to have quelled the beer-can throwing, the band-dousing, and the collar-grabbing, lawyers for the bar claim that condo residents have been intimidating bar patrons by putting them under surveillance: “They installed high tech videotape and audiotape recording and surveillance microphones and cameras and filmed virtually everything that occurred on the premises of Hans Bier Haus,” bar piano player and attorney Ken Ward complained to the court. Sure, but how else are they gonna have highlights to show in court? The hearing will continue on Thursday.

Video: Jason Witmer, Houston Chronicle

77005, Bars, Condos, Lawsuits, Neighborhood Disputes, Nightlife, Rice-Village

Cancellations and Delays

05/25/10 11:15am

A Condo Owners Fan Site for Shaya Boymelgreen

Charnwood, Condos, Construction Problems, Development Strategies, Highrises, Proposed Developments, Quicklink

3 Comments

A CONDO OWNERS FAN SITE FOR SHAYA BOYMELGREEN Still waiting for the developer of the twin-tower condo development proposed for San Felipe near the end of Woodway to provide an update on the project? Some New Yorkers would like a word with him too. The residents of the Newswalk Condominium in Brooklyn have created a website called Shame on Shaya, documenting in Russian, Hebrew, and English the “extraordinary number of construction defects” in developer Shaya Boymelgreen’s first high-profile development, constructed in 2002: “The building is now undergoing a two-year, $7 million construction remediation project. Newswalk residents are currently in legal action against Boymelgreen with a suit seeking no less than $10 million in damages.” Spokesman Michael Rogers explains: “Many of us got to know Shaya in the early days of Newswalk, and found him friendly and likeable. He may not fully understand what the residents of Newswalk are suffering, and this campaign is a way to bring him up-to-date.â€ [Previously on Swamplot]

77063, Cancellations and Delays, Charnwood, Condos, Construction Problems, Development Strategies, Highrises, Luxury Highrises, Proposed Developments

Apartments

05/19/10 12:53pm

Fraud Arrests for Sham Condo Sales at the Kirby Lofts

Buying and Selling, Condos, Crime, Downtown, Fraud, Lofts

5 Comments

Converted from an office building to apartments in 2004 by NBC Holdings’ Tracy Suttles and The Randall Davis Company, the Kirby Lofts at 917 Main Downtown went condo a little later. How did that ball get rolling? The federal government’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force suggests one answer: a few “sham sales” from January to October 2006. Indictments charging Veronica Frazier, Robert Veazie, and Felton Greer with several counts of conspiracy and wire fraud were unsealed Friday.

Frazier, 42, of Pearland, allegedly recruited buyers with good credit in 2006 to act as straw borrowers and use false information to apply for home loans, according to the U.S. attorneyâ€™s office. She and other unnamed co-conspirators then allegedly used the loan proceeds for themselves and to pay kickbacks to the fake borrowers.

77002, Apartments, Condos, Crime, Downtown, Fraud, Kirby Lofts, Lofts

04/30/10 11:09am

Woodway Penthouse in the Almost-Round: A Late Sakowitz Sale

Condos for Sale, Houston History, Riverway

13 Comments

For many years until her passing this January, this Woodway penthouse was the home of Ann Sakowitz, known locally as a patron of the arts and matriarch of the last link of a once-famous retail chain. Under the leadership of her son, Robert, the Sakowitz department stores drowned in debt in the late eighties. But Ann Sakowitz gained national attention in the early nineties as the poised but distraught mother on the witness stand, taking her son’s side in a nationally publicized courtroom feud with the family of her own daughter, sparkling international socialite Lynn Wyatt.

Ah, but can’t we put all that rancor behind us now? Let’s just enjoy the wine, the views, and the early . . . uh, tusk’n interior:

77056, Condos, Condos for Sale, Houston History, Penthouses, Retail, Riverway

Apartments

04/12/10 3:35pm

Ashby Highrise Developers Drop Names, Move To District Court

Boulevard Oaks, Condos, Development Regulations, Development Strategies, Highrises, Lawsuits, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Southampton

61 Comments

ASHBY HIGHRISE DEVELOPERS DROP NAMES, MOVE TO DISTRICT COURT What do the Fairmont Museum District, La Maison on Revere, Millennium Greenway, and 2121 Mid Lane apartments, the Medical Clinic of Houston, and the trigger-happy Sonoma development in the Rice Village have in common? They all make cameo appearances in the latest version of Buckhead Investment Partners’ lawsuit against the city of Houston. The claim: that none of those projects were subjected to the same traffic restrictions as Buckhead’s proposed 23-story tower on the corner of Bissonnet and Ashby, next to Southampton: “The Ashby high-rise developers re-filed their lawsuit April 7 in state district court, where it will focus more heavily on claims the project was denied permits for its original design because it was subjected to ‘capricious and unreasonable’ standards. Court documents submitted by attorneys for the Buckhead Development Partners, show the suit against Houston continues to center on the cityâ€™s application of the driveway ordinance as a basis to refuse a final building permit. The city has said it is correct in its application of the ordinance and the inclusion of ‘trip-count’ standards to guarantee safety and ensure streets in the neighborhood remain passable.” [River Oaks Examiner; previously on Swamplot] Rendering: Buckhead Investment Partners

77005, Apartments, Ashby Highrise, Boulevard-Oaks, Condos, Development Regulations, Development Strategies, Highrises, Lawsuits, Neighborhood Disputes, Proposed Developments, Retail, Southampton

Uncategorized

04/07/10 12:46pm

Memorial City Parking Garage Tree Multiplier

28 Comments

Robert Boyd snaps this photo of the new mural on the side of the parking garage for the Fountains at Memorial City condos. The 13-story building is under construction at Gaylord and Bunker Hill, next to the new Cemex headquarters building just east of Memorial City Mall. Writes Boyd:

The mural . . . is nothing especially clever or innovative, but it looks nice and it’s a lot more than most builders do for their parking garages. And it works well with the real trees in front of it.

Beautiful Parking Garages [The Great God Pan Is Dead]
Location [Memorial City Living]

Photo: Robert Boyd

77024, Art, Condos, Memorial City, Murals, New Construction, Parking-Garages, Trees

Cancellations and Delays

04/05/10 2:02pm

Comment of the Day: Still Waiting for Park 8 To Arrive in the Land of Oz

Chinatown, Comments, Condos, Highrises, Mixed Use, Parks, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Retail, Strip Centers

3 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: STILL WAITING FOR PARK 8 TO ARRIVE IN THE LAND OF OZ “Do you have any update on this project? Iâ€™m very curious to find out more about the status and what the projected outcome will be for the many buyers of this condo that is 3 years behind schedule.” [Caroling, commenting on Park 8 Chinatown Condo Project: Parked?] Rendering: Marketing Park8

77072, Canceled Projects, Cancellations and Delays, Chinatown, Comments, Commercial Real Estate, Condos, Highrises, Mixed Use, Parks, Proposed Developments, Retail, Strip Centers

04/05/10 8:37am

Is 2520 Robinhood at Kirby Ready for Another Neighborhood Bar?

Neighborhood Disputes, Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Rice Village

10 Comments

Remember that fun feud between a few residents of the 2520 Robinhood at Kirby condominiums and the tiny bar directly to its west? Well, now it looks like there’s a brand new bar getting ready to open directly to the tower’s east!

When last we left the 16-story Rice Village condo tower, residents had been placed under a court order prohibiting them from “running or pouring water or any other liquid” and “throwing any object whatsoever” onto Hans’ Bier Haus — after the bar’s owners complained to district court judge Patricia Hancock about an ongoing liquid and projectile campaign mounted against their partly open-air establishment by its eastern neighbors. (For good measure, the judge similarly prohibited the proprietors of the courtyard bar from trespassing on or “interfering with [residents’] peaceable use and enjoyment” of the condo building next door.)

But just as the legal and dousing action on the tower’s west side appears to have subsided comes the prospect for more neighborly interaction on the tower’s east: From Swamplot’s tip line we find these photos of another small building directly adjacent to the tower. What’s that new sign posted on the front window?

77005, Bars, Condos, Lawsuits, Neighborhood Disputes, Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Rice-Village

03/15/10 10:15am

A 2727 Kirby Occupancy Update

Condos for Sale, Highrises, Upper Kirby

10 Comments

If our math holds, 10 or 11 condos have sold or otherwise gained occupants over the last 5 months at 2727 Kirby. Last October, the developers of the new 30-story highrise near Westheimer reported that 20 units in the tower were occupied.

Now the Chronicle‘s Nancy Sarnoff reports that the building’s owners have turned over management of the building to a separate agency:

The group has hired Houston-based Association Management to take over now that the building has more residents, said Sherri Atlas, who owns the unsold units in the high-rise with another investor. Fortress is the lender on the project.

Atlas said occupancy is at about 40 percent in the building, which has 77 high-end units.

Hiring out the managing [Houston Chronicle]
2727 Kirby coverage [Swamplot]

Photo: Ziegler Cooper Architects

2727 Kirby, 77098, Condos, Condos for Sale, Highrises, Upper Kirby

Cancellations and Delays

03/02/10 11:43am

Corner Site with Great Access: A Remnant of Houston Heights History

Condos, Houston Heights, Houston History, Real Estate Marketing

3 Comments

A commenter named Jamie fills in the details on this “Stairway To Nowhere” — which also appears to include a ramp — found on the corner of 18th and Ashland streets in the Heights. Blogger Viula of The Heights Life, who snapped the photo, is curious about where the stairs came from:

“They really struck me as part of a time gone by in the Heights,” she writes.

And what a time it was! Reports Jamie:

77008, Cancellations and Delays, Condos, Houston Heights, Houston History, Real Estate Marketing

Apartments

02/18/10 12:16pm

The Numbers on Commerce Towers

Condos, Condos for Sale, Downtown, Highrises, Lofts

7 Comments

How has that condo conversion of the former Commerce Building at the corner of Main St. and Walker Downtown been working out?

The building has 122 finished units and a two-story-tall penthouse that has not been built out yet.

A total of 69 units have been sold, and another 25 have been leased. [Commerce Towers sales and leasing agent Susan] Speck said some of the renters are interested in buying.

Prominent Houstonian Jesse Jones built the first part of the structure in 1928, and added onto it in the 1930s, Speck said.

An entity named Premier Towers bought the building in 1999. It was redeveloped by New York-based Whitney Jordan Group with Tarantino Properties Inc. of Houston.

The first condo units were finished and people starting moving in during 2002.

Commerce Towers goes back to sales push [Houston Business Journal]
Previously on Swamplot: Eye-Opening Parking Garage Design

Photo of Commerce Towers, 914 Main St.: Sandra Gunn Properties

77002, Apartments, Commerce Towers, Condo Conversions, Condos, Condos for Sale, Downtown, Highrises, Lofts

Museum District

02/01/10 12:42pm

Your Brief Guide to Allen Stanford’s Houston Landing Pads

Tanglewood

2 Comments

Having trouble keeping track of all the homes, condos, and apartments financier, philanthropist, and accused Ponzi schemer Robert Allen Stanford had set up for his relations in Houston? With all the recent news reports, following it all can get confusing.

We hadn’t encountered a comprehensive account from local media coverage. But we hadn’t checked the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, either. It turns out that reporter Patsy R. Brumfield — who is currently in the throes of withdrawal from a 6-year-long Nexium habit — had put together this quick survey of the sites of Stanford’s Houston-area comings and goings for the Tupelo, Mississippi, paper last August:

[Stanford] and his wife, Susan, now estranged, lived in the upscale Tanglewood area at 5476 Holly Springs Drive. The Spanish-style home, with red-tile roof and white stucco exterior, looks comfortable but not particularly impressive among a neighborhood of near-mansions.

His fiancÃ©eâ€™, Andrea Stoelker, and Stanford maintained a home in the multi-storied Museum Tower at 4899 Montrose Blvd. Stoelker still lives in No. 1304 while a federal court document says Stanfordâ€™s son and daughter, Ross and Allena Stanford, and their mother, Louise Sage, who moved to Houston from Dallas, are living in the same apartment building in No. 1905.

Another reason for Stanford to ride those Museum Tower elevators:

77006, 77056, Allen Stanford, Apartments, Condos, Museum District, Tanglewood

02/01/10 10:03am

2520 Robinhood Alerts Its Residents: Watch Out for the Owners of That Bar We’ve Been Attacking

Homeowners' Associations, Neighborhood Disputes, Nightlife, Rice Village

22 Comments

A loyal Swamplot tipster alerts us to a copy of a letter that appeared on a neighborhood email list late last week. The letter is signed by Mark Thuesen, president of the condominium association at the 2520 Robinhood at Kirby condos. Loyal Swamplot readers, of course, will recognize that name — Thuesen is one of 3 condo residents named in a lawsuit by the owners of Hans’ Bier Haus, the little outdoorish bar that’s next door to the 16-story Rice Village residential tower. The lawsuit claims that Theusen and 2 others attacked patrons at the bar several times, throwing beer cans, bottles, and eggs at them from above, as well as spraying performing musicians with water.

Unsurprisingly, Thuesen does not specifically mention those allegations in his letter, which we presume is meant for fellow condo residents. But he is kind enough to include a copy of the temporary injunction handed down by Judge Patricia Hancock last week, which specifically prohibits Theusen [sic], 2 codefendants, and all residents of 2520 Robinhood from “throwing any sort of object whatsoever” or “intentionally running or pouring water or any other liquid upon” Hans’ Bier Haus.

Thuesen does, however, draw attention to the now-famous incident on December 13th of last year, in which Hans’ Bier Haus co-owner Bill Cave stormed into the condo lobby and dragged the concierge by his tie into an elevator — on a quest to turn off the water that was spraying onto bar patrons and musicians from a hose connected to the patio of an upper-story condo resident: