Swamplot Archives by Tag: Washington Corridor

Monday, February 9, 2009

Araiyakushimae Station, the Washington Corridor, and Those Narrow Private Drives

February 9, 2009 – 12:07 pm
   

“So why does an aerial photo of Rice Military look just like Tokyo? A few things set Houston apart from most other American cities here. For one, American cities have long had a prejudice towards public streets. Development regulations stipulating that ‘every lot must have X amount of frontage on a public street’ date to the 1800s in most American cities, well before the age of zoning. Interior lots reached through shared access easements are a common feature of rural and exurban development, but Houston is relatively uncommon in allowing such arrangements in a high-density setting. This results in narrow alleyways more characteristic of cities in Japan and, on a larger scale, Great Britain.” [Keep Houston Houston]

12:07 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Development Regulations, Land Development, Neighborhoods: Rice Military, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Quicklink, Streets
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Monday, January 19, 2009

Openings and Closings: Daily Grind, On the Border, Frock

January 19, 2009 – 11:01 am

Nothing new this time; Swamplot’s latest Openings and Closings report is just a list of old places going away:

  • Going: There’s nobody home at Washington Ave. coffeehouse The Daily Grind, reports Jason Bargas at Houstonist:

    A peek through a window facing the parking lot yielded a dining area devoid of tables. The cash register was no longer on the corner of the bar yet a ceiling fan twirled overhead. An industrial looking extension cord hung from the rafters perhaps indicating an intention to use power tools. But, no signs or bulletins indicated a remodel in progress nor a closing of the business.

    Signs or no, the restaurant’s most recent spate of online publicity renders a closing less than surprising. One comment on the Houstonist post notes a rumor that the coffeehouse will be reopening “next to Rudyard’s.”

  • Going: A poster on HAIF notes that the On the Border restaurant on the feeder road of the Northwest Freeway in Cypress appears to be toast: “Lights out, nobody home.”
  • Gone: And there will be no more Frock shopping: The Frock Boutique on Greenbriar near Westheimer closed late last year, but owner Marianne Mayeux says she will come to you.

Got the scoop on other retail openings or closings in your area? Send your tips to Swamplot!

Photo of The Daily Grind: Katharine Shilcutt Gleave

11:01 am | 7 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Cypress, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail
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Monday, December 29, 2008

Heights Village: It Was All Just a Good Old Fashioned Dream

December 29, 2008 – 12:02 pm

Here’s something we can all feel tingly and nostalgic about: Developer Bobby Orr’s Heights-ish fantasy — of brand-new old-timey storefronts facing long streetside parking lots off Yale St. and Heights Blvd. just south of I-10 — is dead. The Chronicle’s Nancy Sarnoff drops news of the demise of the Heights Village dream as an aside to her update on the stalled-out High Street development.

The entire 4.9-acre property, across Heights Blvd. from the ArtCar Museum, is back on the market, at $75 a square foot.

Sadly, Cushman & Wakefield’s listing for the property doesn’t include any misty watercolors to memorialize what might have been. But Swamplot remembers! Here’s a brief trip down invented-memory lane . . . in 3 quick images:

Continue Reading This Story >

12:02 pm | 20 Comments | Read more about Commercial Real Estate, Development Strategy, Mixed Use, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Parking, Proposed Developments, Retail, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Coming Soon: Late Night Rice Military Action

November 26, 2008 – 12:44 pm
   

Some Rice Military residents are feeling a little antsy about the “4 to 5″ new bars scheduled to open on the 4 blocks of Washington Ave. between Roy and Detering. The list includes The Pub on Washington coming to 5102 Washington and Tap’s House of Beers coming to 5120 — plus 3 more rumored newcomers at 5110, 5129, and 5317 Washington. A message making the rounds in the neighborhood reports that each has applied for late-hour permits, which would allow alcohol to be served until 2 a.m. [Swamplot inbox]

12:44 pm | 53 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Rice Military, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Quicklink
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Friday, September 5, 2008

Lounging Around: A Thicker Idea for Center and Washington

September 5, 2008 – 11:41 am

Section of Proposal for Center St. between Sawyer and Sabine by Taizo Horikawa

Landscape students attack the Washington Ave. Corridor! A modest proposal for widening Washington and Center St. between Sawyer and Sabine — from LSU student and SWA summer intern Taizo Horikawa:

During Week 3 I focused on the area along Washington Avenue between Sawyer Street and Sabine Street, pushing the idea of Colors of Ribbons forward. The underused area between Washington Avenue and Center Street is developed as a human-scale, vibrant commercial area with two-story commercial buildings. The north-side sidewalk of Washington Avenue is widened to be 30 feet with a row of shade trees. It works as linear plaza where people spill out from the commercial buildings and lounge around.

After the jump: one-way streets!

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11:41 am | 1 Comment | Read more about Development Strategy, Landscape, Neighborhoods: First Ward, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Redevelopment, Streets
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Monday, August 25, 2008

A Tour of Washington Ave. Eateries

August 25, 2008 – 5:47 pm
   

Wabash Antiques & Feed, the Daily Grind, El Rey Taqueria, that big new Benjy’s, and more: Katharine Shilcutt Gleave’s hungry person’s guide to Washington Ave., illustrated: “. . . the first thing you’ll notice is the abundance of new construction. Not only homes, but restaurants, banks, strip malls — a mad jumble of conflicting styles and materials that assaults the eyes. But if you look past the ubiquitous boxes of townhomes and the spaghetti-like telephone wires that crazily line the street, you’ll catch glimpses of old Houston in the tiny row houses, old brick storefronts and 1930s-era tile street signs along the curbs: Houston in a nutshell.” [Houstonist]

5:47 pm | 8 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Quicklink, Restaurants, Retail
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Washington Ave.: Extending The Core?

August 25, 2008 – 7:47 am

The Core Apartments, 3990 Washington Ave., Houston

A West End resident writes in with a question about plans for the former Trinity Steel plant off Koehler St. between Yale and Bonner:

They have recently begun demolishing the huge industrial warehouses that made up the Trinity Industries complex. Our Civic Club President seems to think they are building an extension of the The Core apartment complex that just went up at 3990 Washington Avenue (www.thecoreapts.com). That would be a disaster since the Trinity Industry property parcel is HUGE and if they are going to be ALL apartments, our narrow neighborhood streets will be clogged constantly with all that extra traffic.

I can’t find anything about who developed The Core to see if they have any updates on their website about future extension plans. Do you have any leads on what is going on and going up there?

The Core Apartments were developed by the Morgan Group. Any Swamplot readers have the scoop on future plans for the site?

Bonus question after the jump:

Continue Reading This Story >

7:47 am | 18 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Demolitions, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Neighborhoods: West End, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments
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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Washington Ave. Insanity!

August 5, 2008 – 1:12 pm
   

Here’s a question: “Do y’all know what’s going up on Washington in the block between Candelari’s and El Tiempo? Looks massive, possibly shaped like a music venue. No info on HAIF. Driving…me…mad.” Readers? [Swamplot Inbox]

1:12 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, New Construction, Quicklink
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Friday, July 11, 2008

Boutique Hotels Coming to Washington Ave. and Lower Westheimer?

July 11, 2008 – 10:27 am
   

They’re not saying much, but two separate potential developers have targeted Inner Loop sites. No “immediate plans,” of course: “Liz Lambert, the businesswoman behind the hip Hotel San José in Austin, has a site on lower Westheimer earmarked for a possible hotel. . . . Sergio Ortiz, owner of Houston-based Orion Hotels Inc., is working on the development of a boutique hotel on Washington Avenue, one of the hottest emerging strips in the Bayou City.” [Houston Business Journal]

10:27 am | 2 Comments | Read more about Hotels, Neighborhoods: Montrose, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Proposed Developments, Quicklink
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Monday, March 17, 2008

News from the Artist Front

March 17, 2008 – 11:58 am

View Inside Afront, 2205 Washington Ave., Houston

Razorblade and wheatpaste artist Give Up gives up this photo preview of the Artist Front (AFront for short) boutique and skate shop, opening March 21st on Washington:

anthony correa and matt fuller have decided to take their combined years of experience in pretty much every facet of the skateboard industry and turn it into something a little more physical. offering up a new skate/boutique/gallery space under the name A-FRONT. located at 2205 washington next door to the darkhorse tavern, A-FRONT is like houston’s answer to supreme or huf or ftc. with an even stronger emphasis on art. a fully functional gallery space, the shop’s grand opening will also be the opening of their first show.

Another inside photo of Afront — from the front — after the jump.

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11:58 am | Add a Comment | Read more about Neighborhoods: Old Sixth Ward, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Openings and Closings, Retail
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Redeveloping the Memorial Heights Apartments: The Inside Story

March 17, 2008 – 8:06 am

Aerial View of Archstone Memorial Heights Apartments Showing First Area to be Redeveloped

Armed with only a camera and a healthy sense of curiosity, Swamplot reader and longtime Memorial Heights Apartments resident Michael W. Jones pokes around his apartment complex and unearths evidence of Archstone-Smith’s redevelopment plans. His conclusions:

  • Buildings 7, 8, and 9, in the southwest quadrant of the complex facing S. Heights Blvd, will be the first to come down. All tenants have been out of these buildings since March 1. The first of six new four-story apartment buildings will be built here.
  • The dingbat-Modern-style office building at 225 S. Heights Blvd. outside the complex will likely be torn down:

    The fact that the building is not on the tax roll leads me to believe that 225 is actually owned by Archstone-Smith, and will be brought down as part of the redevelopment. The current state does give sign that there may have been some interior demolition already done, and it’s waiting for the wrecking crew to come in to finish the job.

  • Though tenants have been hit with some large rent increases in the last two years, Archstone-Smith isn’t going out of its way to let them know what’s happening to their homes:

    To date, other than the tennants in the buildings affected by the pending demolition, the rest of the complex has not been made aware of the pending changes. It is only through research and infomation from other sources have I been able to piece the information you see here together.

After the jump, photos — and a few more details — from Jones’s report.

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8:06 am | Add a Comment | Read more about Apartments, Demolitions, Mixed Use, Neighborhoods: Memorial Heights, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Proposed Developments
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Monday, February 25, 2008

Memorial Heights Apartments: Washington Fences Will Stay

February 25, 2008 – 7:36 am

Memorial Heights Apartments, 201 S. Heights Blvd., Houston

Archstone still isn’t saying much about its plans to redevelop the Memorial Heights Apartments at Studemont and Washington, but the Houston Business Journal’s Allison Wollam digs up a little more detail:

While members of SuperNeighborhood 22 support the redevelopment, they are concerned that the project’s suburban design — which calls for the back of the residential components to face Washington Avenue — is hurting efforts to transform the avenue into a walkable, pedestrian-friendly destination.

7:36 am | Read more about Apartments, Mixed Use, Neighborhoods: Memorial Heights, Proposed Developments
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Memorial Heights Apartments: How Long Is Your Lease?

February 12, 2008 – 9:40 pm

Memorial Heights Apartments, 201 S. Heights Blvd., Houston

Archstone is planning to redevelop the 28-acre Memorial Heights Apartments complex fronting Studemont, Washington Ave., and Heights Blvd.:

The current plan to be realized over a 5-year period features mid-rise mixed-use at the Washington/Studemont corner, and a series of six mid-rise residential nodes with incorporated garages on a new internal central Paseo that will parallel Washington Avenue mid-way through the complex. Archstone suggests visiting their nearly completed Esplanade project on Hermann Drive west of Almeda for a representation of product quality.

Hey, that’s a pretty short life for the apartments. They were built in 1996.

9:40 pm | Read more about Apartments, Mixed Use, Neighborhoods: Memorial Heights, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, Proposed Developments
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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Heights Village: Parking Lots Are the New Main Street!

December 13, 2007 – 3:01 pm

Heights Village Parking Lot on Yale St., Houston Heights

Looks like a lot of pedestrian action going on in these marketing drawings for Orr Commercial’s new Heights Village, a five-acre restaurant, retail, office, and “upscale housing” development slated for the current site of the Sons of Hermann hall just south of I-10, between Heights Blvd. and Yale St. and an adjacent parcel abutting railroad tracks to the south.

Why, with all those people in the drawings walking to and fro, it looks like this development will have all the charm of a small old-town Main Street . . . or at the very least all the charm of an old small town that decided to build a multi-level parking garage, but still turned its Main Street into a parking lot anyway, just to hedge its bets.

After the jump: more parking-lot pedestrians!

Continue Reading This Story >

3:01 pm | Read more about Apartments, Commercial Real Estate, Development Strategy, Mixed Use, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Neighborhoods: Washington Corridor, New Construction, Parking, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers
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