Tag: Redevelopment

09/20/16 1:15pm

SEARCH Homeless Services Locates Additional Tiny Treasures Around Edges of Third Ward Park

Third Ward

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SEARCH House of Tiny Treasures, 2323 Francis St., Third Ward, Houston, 7700

Yesterday was opening day for SEARCH’s second House of Tiny Treasures,Â the organization’s child-education-slash-daycare operation. The new structure at the corner of Francis St. and currently-being-Emancipated Dowling forms a Francis-facingÂ U around the land last employed as aÂ playgroundÂ following decades of vacancy. On the back side of the block is theÂ crumbling formerÂ salon building which was brieflyÂ turned into a pre-integration time capsule living roomÂ as part of that 2013Â Beauty Box art installation;Â east on Stuart St. isÂ the spot where theÂ ZeRow solar rowhouse landedÂ after it went to Washington:

Dowling Filling In

77004, Emancipation Park, Homelessness, New Construction, Openings and Closings, Parks, Redevelopment, Schools, Third Ward

Adaptive Reuse

09/15/16 12:30pm

Fifth Ward CRC Trying To Resuscitate 70-Year-Old Detox Hospital Building, Might Save Convent Too

Fifth Ward

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St. Elizabeth Hospital RFP, 4514 Lyons Ave., Fifth Ward, Houston, 77020

St. Elizabeth Hospital RFP, 4514 Lyons Ave., Fifth Ward, Houston, 77020 The cross still standing above the entrance of the formerÂ St. Elizabeth Hospital building can just barely be seen peeking out over the top of the structure in the color photo up top, included with some black-and-white historical shots inÂ the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation’s recent call for ideas on what to do with theÂ place. The hospital at 4514 Lyons Ave. opened in 1947 and later giggedÂ as a detox center, substance abuse treatment facility and halfway house before being bought by Riverside General in 1995. TheÂ structure wasÂ renamedÂ the Barbara Jordan Healthcare Facility until itÂ was shut down in 2014Â when Riverside wasn’t able to make ends meet (financially or building-code-wise).Â The Fifth Ward redevelopment folks bought the property in April.

A site plan drawn up by Gensler shows the current layout of the property, including the original 3-story E-for-Elizabeth main building. Some now-doomed subsections and add-ons are shaded in red, and the convent building, which looks like it might stay in the picture if somebody makes a good case, gets just a warning coat of pink:

Rehab on Lyons

77020, Adaptive Reuse, Fifth Ward, Historic Preservation, Redevelopment

09/14/16 10:45am

Former Used Car Dealership To Pass Out Daiquiris to Drivers in Club Tequila Parking Lot

Magnolia Grove, Redevelopment, Rice Military

Retail, Sharpstown

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The 1980’sÂ kiosk formerly used to run MJ Motorcars out of the expansive parking lot of the Southwest Plaza Shopping Center, a reader notes, isÂ nowÂ being turned into a drive-thru daiquiri shop.Â Houston has been slowly picking up on theÂ tape-over-the-strawhole skirting of open container laws overÂ the last few years; the new Prime Daiquiri location in front of 8150 Beechnut St.Â will provide an alternative for those with noÂ time to hit up Club TequilaÂ in one the retail center’sÂ anchor spots (between noodle shop Tau Bay, the freshlyÂ opened Planet Fitness branch, and Harbor Freight Tools).

AÂ site planÂ included in Investar Real Estate Services’s leasing flier for the property shows the to-go bar in place in the kiosk, as well asÂ a few new pad sites drawn into place near by:
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Prime Daiquiri Location in Sharpstown

77036, Adaptive Reuse, Bars, Drive-Thrus, Redevelopment, Sharpstown

Demolitions

08/04/16 10:30am

With the Toppling of Kicks, the Era of Indoor Soccer on Shepherd Has Come to a Crashing End

by Swamplot

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Demolition of Kicks Indoor Soccer, 611 Shepherd Dr., Rice Military, Houston

Here’s a view ofÂ the scene this morning atÂ 611 Shepherd Dr., which until late last year was the home of Kicks Indoor Soccer. The metalÂ structure that housed the indoor artificial-turf field and bar is being kicked to the curb in anticipation ofÂ a new apartment complex planned byÂ Mill Creek Residential, which is now in control ofÂ the full blockÂ bounded by Shepherd, Floyd, Blossom, and Durham, lodged between Rice Military and Magnolia Grove.

Photo: Mosaic Clinic

Kicks Out

77007, Demolitions, Magnolia Grove, Redevelopment, Rice Military

08/01/16 4:30pm

Once Bashful Heights Post Office Replacement Retail Now Willing To Step Up to the Street, Learn To Like Sidewalks

by Swamplot

Houston Heights, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Retail

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Revised Plans for Heights Central Station, Heights Blvd. at 11th St., Houston Heights

Fresh from the architects (Kirksey), here are revised plans (above) for Heights Central Station, the retail-and-office center MFT Interests is planning for the site at the corner of Heights Blvd. and 11th St. (and Yale) in the Heights where the former main post office for the Heights still sits, awaiting its fate. And whaddya know, the strip-mall-style parking that in the previous plan for the new development was shown fronting Yale and 11th St. has now been stripped away, allowing twinÂ 10,000-ish-sq.-ft. 2-story buildings to front 11th St., right on up to the sidewalk:

Openings and Closings, Redevelopment, Restaurants, Wilchester

Heights Station

77008, Houston Heights, Mixed Use, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Retail

Demolitions

08/01/16 1:00pm

Gasoline-and-Burgers Mashup at Wilcrest and I-10 To Be Replaced By Innovative Fuel-and-Fast-Food Combo

by Swamplot

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Exxon Gas Station with McDonald's, 11035 Katy Fwy., Wilchester, Houston

Do not mourn the Exxon station with the McDonald’s inside on the eastbound feeder road of the Katy Fwy. Yes, there’s a new fence around the property, and it’s about to be demolished. But the replacement is well worth waiting for: It’ll be a brand new Exxon station — with a brand new McDonald’s! Ah, but the more things stay the same, the more they change: A reader who contacted the burger chain’s regional office reports the new McDonald’s willÂ sport McDonald’sÂ “next generation” design, and will feature free wifi when it opens — around ~~mid-October~~ Election Day.

Photos: Swamplot inbox

Exxon and McDonald’s, Together Again

77079, Demolitions, Fast Food, Gas Stations, Openings and Closings, Redevelopment, Wilcrest

Quicklink

07/25/16 5:15pm

Free Press Houston To Ship Day for Night to the Former Downtown Post Office

FREE PRESS HOUSTON TO SHIP DAY FOR NIGHT TO THE FORMER DOWNTOWN POST OFFICE Barbara Jordan Post Office, 401 Franklin St., Downtown Houston The former Barbara Jordan Post Office at 401 Franklin St. will be the newÂ host of Free Press Houston’s Day for Night music festival, Matthew Ramirez reports today. The 16-acre campus (including anything left ofÂ itsÂ train station ruins)Â sits on the north bank of Buffalo Bayou (across from Sesquicentennial Park and east of the University of Houston Downtown). The property was bought last year by an entity connected toÂ Lovett Commercial; by mid-December the site will have to be ready to hold 3 music stages andÂ the festival’s associated experimental art installations.Â [PaperCity; previously on Swamplot] Photo of former post office at 401 Franklin: CRBE

77002, Adaptive Reuse, Buffalo Bayou, Downtown, Music venues, Redevelopment

07/18/16 1:15pm

Snooze Now Distributing Hair of the Dog from Former Interfaith Ministries Building on Montrose Blvd.

WAMM

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3217 Montrose Blvd., WAMM, Houston, 77006

3217 Montrose Blvd., WAMM, Houston, 77006 Colorado breakfast restaurant and cocktail purveyor Snooze says its Houston grand opening is set for this Thursday at 6:30 AM in the redeveloped office building at 3217 Montrose Blvd. (which hosted Interfaith Ministries before the organizationÂ converted aÂ Midtown bank in 2013). TheÂ locationÂ is already quietly serving some ofÂ Montrose’s early risers (or late ragers) from itsÂ spot next to resale-by-mail used-clothing chain Crossroads.

The ground-floor space in the 2-story building is the first Houston outpost of Snooze, which has a few Austin spots already up and running. Corinthian Real Estate bought the property in 2014 after a bit of redevelopment work by Braun (as shown above) and moved into an upstairs office. Here’s what the space looked like before the pin-striped canopies and painted murals came down:

Dawning on Montrose

77006, Bars, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Redevelopment, Restaurants, Retail, WAMM

07/12/16 4:15pm

Newly Sold McGowen Cleaners Building Getting Liquored Up on Fairview St.

Vermont Commons

1931 Fairview St., Vermont Commons, Houston, 77019

TABC Notice at 1931 Fairview, July 2016 A different kind ofÂ sign hasÂ popped up at the corner of Fairview Ave. and Morse St., notes a reader — the 1961 building that formerly housed McGowen Cleaners (shown above earlier this year decked out in NewQuest Properties sales banners) now sports a notice that the new owners have applied for a handful of food, beverage, and mixed drink permits from the TABC. The sign names Vibrant Living LLC as the applicant for the licenses; an entity by the same name (headquartered in the address of office and retailÂ developer Barnhart Interests)Â purchased the 3 adjacent lots at the corner from former Cleaners owner and operator George Groschke in May.

What’s Cooking in Montrose

77019, Adaptive Reuse, Alcohol Licenses, Dry Cleaners, Redevelopment, Restaurants, Retail, TABC, Vermont Commons

Bars and Clubs

07/08/16 3:15pm

Drag Show Jumps Out of the Way of Bicycle-Themed Parking Garage as Meteor Lounge Shuts Down

East Montrose, Fairview, Openings and Closings

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Fairview + Mason renderings

Meteor, 2306 Genesee St, Montrose, Houston So You Think You Can DragÂ hit the stage at Â South BeachÂ last night — a permanent move for the event in the wake of Â Wednesday‘s permanent closure of Meteor Lounge at 2306 Genesee St. The bar and semi-aquatic drag and dance venueÂ had been renting its spaceÂ back temporarily while developer Fred Sharifi worked on designs and permits for the redevelopment of the East Montrose neighborhood around Fairview Ave. and Mason St.; Adolfo Pesquera noted in early AprilÂ that the project (under the nameÂ Fairview + Mason) had been granted a variance request.

TheÂ application for thatÂ request included the drawing above of the 6-story parking garage that’s planned to replaceÂ Meteor; the exterior, perhaps followingÂ Rice University’s lead on parking garage modesty coverings, appears to be artfully encrusted with bicycles, with the words MONT and ROSE emblazoned beneath.

The variance request asked the city for permission to cross some building setback lines and to add some canopies along 2 different blocks on Fairview — the site plan below points them out, catty-cornered betweenÂ the block holding the Mason St. electrical substation and the block holding Max’s Wine Dive, Cuchara, and Flow:

Farewell on Fairview

77006, Bars, Openings and Closings, Parking-Garages, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment

Condos

07/07/16 1:00pm

Giorgetti-Themed Condo Midrise Planned For Vacated Kirby Court Apartments Land

Proposed Developments, Upper Kirby

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Giorgetti Houston, 2710 Steel St., Upper Kirby, Houston, 77098

Signage up on Steel St. near the corner with Virginia is now advertising a planned 7-story condo midrise called Giorgetti Houston. The notice is standing on the northwestern section of the land vacated in 2015 by the Kirby Court Apartments; the project’s 2710 Steel St. address isÂ immediately west ofÂ the land previously tagged for a planned restaurant-footed apartment highrise complex from Hanover (a project which spentÂ most of 2015Â in investmentÂ limbo).

The would-be-nextdoor condo midrise, which is touting interiors furnished by Italian designer Giorgetti to match the name, appears to beÂ backed by Stolz Partners (which last MayÂ announced aÂ differentÂ 7-storyÂ condo project called The Sophie at Bayou Bend).Â Here’s a clearer look at the rendering, direct from the project’s fledgling sales website:

Styling Steel St.

77030, Condos, Midrises, Proposed Developments, Redevelopment, Upper Kirby

07/06/16 11:30am

Reshaped Guadalupe Plaza Park Preps To Reopen in Second Ward

Second Ward

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Guadalupe Park Plaza Redo, 2311 Runnels St., Second Ward, Houston, 77003

The forest of columns behind the newly planted trees above are most of what’s left of the original central plaza structure in Second Ward’s Guadalupe Plaza Park, which the Greater East End Management District saysÂ will reopen on July 30th as several years ofÂ de- and re-construction work are wrapped up. The 1980s park now caps theÂ western end of the previously redoneÂ Navigation Blvd. esplanade, and a landscaped sidewalk now connects the park to Buffalo Bayou at the crossing ofÂ Jensen Rd. (right across from the 136-acre KBR campus recently purchased by mixed-use developer Midway).

Here’s the view looking south along the walkwayÂ toward the main square from alongside cultural center Talento Bilingue, which the management district says won’t be knocked down until funding is in place to rebuild it:Â

Plaza Placement

77003, Adaptive Reuse, Buffalo Bayou, Construction, Demolitions, Guadalupe Plaza Park, Parks, Redevelopment, Second Ward

06/13/16 12:45pm

Could Pandora’s Former Box Be Filled With Gus’s Fried Chicken on Washington Ave?

Restaurants, Retail, Washington Ave, Washington Corridor

Proposed rendering of 1815 Washington Ave., Memorial Heights, Houston, 77007

The spot Braun Enterprises has been sprucing upÂ at 1815 Washington AveÂ appears to haveÂ been leased out last week to the folks behind the Texas expansion of Tennessee’sÂ Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. Documents filed with the county show that an entity called Texas All Fry (registered to the address of the Gus’s locationÂ in Austin) signed for the space onÂ Wednesday.Â Pandora and Throne Ultra LoungeÂ are among the latest in the succession of night clubs and barsÂ to have recentlyÂ occupied the late-1940s structure, which sits across the street from B&B Butchers.

The above rendering (from the same leasing flier that accidentally leaked word of H-E-B’s negotiations for the Archstone Apartments spot at the corner of Washington and Heights Blvd.) showsÂ the front facade with a newÂ patio and a few more windows.Â A careful look at the building’sÂ past listing photos show that some of the apparentÂ reshaping may actually involve the un-brickingÂ of someÂ former doorways:Â

Coming to Roost

77007, Adaptive Reuse, Leasing, Redevelopment, Restaurants, Retail, Rice Military, Washington Ave.

05/02/16 4:45pm

Oil Changer Changeout Almost Complete at N. Shepherd and 19th

Houston Heights

1818 N Shepherd Dr, Houston Heights, Houston, TX 77008

A reader sends the latest from the corner of 19th St. and N. Shepherd Dr., where the facade of the former Mr. Pro Lube and Tune-Up Plus building is now fully swapped out with freshÂ Take 5 Oil ChangeÂ logos andÂ exterior branding.Â The shop is across the street from almost-ready-to-open Dallas pizza import Cane Rosso, and catty-corner to Fat Cat Creamery and its strip-center companions.

Below is a snapshot ofÂ what the corner looked like back in 2013Â before the trade-out beganÂ —Â and beforeÂ the space on the corner north across 19th st. changed over fromÂ Art & Showcase FlooringÂ toÂ Heights Retreat Salon & Spa: