Weingarten begins process for River Oaks demolition

Houstonist brings the latest update on the River Oaks Shopping Center redevelopment:

Weingarten Realty Investors, which owns all three properties, on Monday began the process to get approval to demolish the curved section of the River Oaks center on the north side of West Gray -- the portion of the center set to become the site of a new, two-story shopping strip. Weingarten's first step was to file for a certificate of appropriateness -- which is required because the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission began the landmark designation process for the structures last month -- and its next step will be to wait. The HAHC will consider the certificate at its May 23 meeting; if the commission denies Weingarten the certificate, the company will have to wait until Aug. 7, 90 days after it applied for the COA, to actually get demolition permits. (That 90-day waiting period is the best protection the city's preservation ordinance offers structures that aren't designated protected city landmarks -- and few of them are.)

There's more at the link, so click over. Anybody out there take up Lisa Gray's suggestion to spend a few bucks at the Alabama BookStop two weeks ago? This was the result of my trip there. It's Olivia's current favorite book - I think we've already read it fifty times. Leave a comment if you went trekking to the BookStop recently. I'm genuinely curious to know if there was a spike in business there as a result of her column, and if so if Weingarten and/or Barnes and Nobles noticed it.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on May 14, 2007 to Elsewhere in Houston