Tag Archives: Heights

Help a brick out

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: AN INDIEGOGO PAGE has just been launched to crowdfund the removal and reuse of an unexpectedly large group of well-preserved 1930s bricks from thenow-under-deconstruction Yale St. bridge over White Oak Bayou. The group calling itself Friends of Houston’s Yale Bridge Bricks says the funds will be used … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Help a brick out

Meet the toucan light

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The first of its kind in Houston, though maybe not the last. The new traffic signal suspended above Appel at Yale and Seventh is a first for Texas, but also an adjustment for residents – some of whom are unsure … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yale Street Bridge to be closed for construction

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Three words: Find alternate routes. There’s about to be a lot of yelling about Yale Street, as the historic span makes way for a modern replacement. Crews will close the bridge carrying the road over White Oak bayou on April … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Yale Street Bridge to be closed for construction

We Heart Houston…someplace else

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A popular piece of public art is looking for a new location. It’s difficult not to smile while driving east on I-10 when passing the “We Heart Houston” sculpture near the Patterson St. exit in the Heights. Since 2013, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on We Heart Houston…someplace else

Fiesta down

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Durham/North Shepherd strip, from about 11th Street up, has largely been immune to the implacable Heights-area gentrification machine. That may be about to change. One of the oldest Fiesta stores is closing at the end of this month, leaving … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fiesta down

UberEats expands

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for those of you who like having food delivered. A larger section of metro Houston now can use Uber’s meal delivery service seven days a week and with more dining options through a new app. A new UberEats … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on UberEats expands

The draft bike plan is out

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is, in all its glory. I encourage you to look at the draft plan and play with the interactive map. Then, when you start to feel overwhelmed and wish someone would explain it all to you, go read … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The draft bike plan is out

What’s coming to the Yale Street post office location

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Some more news from my neighborhood. A Houston developer plans to replace a shuttered U.S. Postal Service building in the Heights with a two-story mixed-use development with space for offices, shops and restaurants. MFT Interests last month scooped up the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

B-Cycle expansion coming

Posted on September 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston area officials are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into widening Interstate 45, and they could be paying much more for even larger upcoming projects along the corridor. But a comparatively-paltry sum is about to boost bike sharing … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on B-Cycle expansion coming

A brewpub comes back to Houston

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In my ‘hood, no less. A new brewpub will open in the Heights with an accomplished veteran of the Texas craft-beer scene at the helm. Delicious Concepts Restaurant Group, which owns Lola, Shepherd Park Draught House, Witchcraft Tavern and seven … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A brewpub comes back to Houston

More on the proposed I-45 changes

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite reads the documents and provides some bullet points. 1. I-45 Would Rival I-10 in Width The plan would dramatically widen I-45 to more than 30 lanes in certain sections. North of 610, I-45 would rival the Katy Freeway in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

You can still ask Metro to make changes to their new bus routes

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Chris Andrews highlights a little Metro-related activism going on in my neighborhood. Residents in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston have initiated a petition to modify the proposed 30 bus route. Currently, the neighborhood is serviced by the 40 Pecore … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

De-industrialization update

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The transformation of the Montrose/Heights border area will soon be complete. After 100 years on Washington Avenue, the Detering Co. has sold all of its prime near-downtown property and relocated to north Houston. The Houston-based building materials supply company had … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on De-industrialization update

Economic segregation in cities

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Wonkblog: Concentrated poverty is one of the biggest problems facing cities today, as more of the urban poor become isolated in neighborhoods where the people around them are poor, too. Growing economic segregation across cities, though, is also shaped … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From industrial to residential

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

More changes coming to my neck of the woods. Some of the old warehouses lining a stretch of Sawyer Street across Interstate 10 from the Heights are being primed for new development, as this First Ward area continues to morph … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on From industrial to residential

Heights-Northside mobility study

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly of interest for folks in my area, here’s the city’s report on mobility for neighborhoods in the upper left quadrant of the Inner Loop. Final Report: Heights-Northside Sub-regional Mobility Study The Planning and Development Department, in partnership with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Heights-Northside mobility study

Say goodbye to the Yale Street post office

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Heights real estate boom continues apace. The next hot property to hit the market in the Heights is nearly 1 acre in size, boasts a large shade tree and fronts two busy commercial streets. The current owner is motivated … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Say goodbye to the Yale Street post office

Heights bike trail connection update

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good news from Swamplot: OVER THANKSGIVING weekend city workers opened a portion of the proposed hike-and-hike trail that will one day link downtown and Acres Homes. Work began last October on this new section, one that heads west from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Heights bike trail connection update

Revising the historic preservation ordinance

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Gird your loins. Houston officials are preparing to revise the city’s historic preservation ordinance, a signature issue for Mayor Annise Parker that spurred a prolonged and divisive fight over property rights in her first term. That contentiousness has never fully … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Revising the historic preservation ordinance

Moving out of Fitzgerald’s

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Big music news in Houston. The successful concert promotion group behind Houston’s Free Press Summer Festival has secured land just north of downtown Houston to build a three-stage music venue complex with two indoor stages and an outdoor stage. Pegstar … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Moving out of Fitzgerald’s

Yale Street Bridge replacement set to begin

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And inevitably there’s an issue. Time is running out for the historic Yale Street bridge over White Oak Bayou as its condition deteriorates and surrounding development places increasing demands on it. Some in the Heights- area community believe more should … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yale Street Bridge replacement set to begin

Studemont Junction

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot has an update and some pictures from the to-be-redeveloped Grocer’s Supply truck lot near Studemont and I-10, basically on the north doorstep of my neighborhood. SIGNS ARE UP at the soon-to-be-former Grocers Supply distribution center across Studemont from Kroger … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Studemont Junction

Meet your first parklet

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s in the Heights, because of course it is. A parking space converted into Houston’s first parklet brought a mini-media frenzy — and fun street party — to 19th Street in the Heights, where New Living artisans, city officials and … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Meet your first parklet

Another expansion of single stream recycling

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Annise Parker and Harry J. Hayes, Director of the Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD), are pleased to announce the addition of 62,000 to the City’s popular automated curbside recycling program. As part of the expansion, residents … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Enabling bike parking at restaurants

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see this effort is making progress. It has taken some time, but a community effort to add bike racks in the Heights is seeing results. Heights resident Mitch Cohen has placed two racks along 19th Street this year … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Enabling bike parking at restaurants

First Sunday Streets seemed like a success

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The weather was kinda lousy but there were plenty of people out on White Oak Street on Sunday. The city of Houston closed a 2.5 mile stretch of Quitman and White Oak to motor vehicles for four hours on Sunday, … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Street closings ahead

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Three busy Houston streets will shut down to vehicular traffic on selected Sunday afternoons in an effort to see if car-bound residents will walk, bike and explore each block rather than simply drive through. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Street closings ahead

HISD gets more diverse

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Which in this case means it’s getting a little whiter. After decades of free fall, Houston ISD’s white enrollment is inching upward, suggesting that more families with the resources to choose are selecting Houston public schools. Enrollment of non-Hispanic white … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Center Street recycling facility is closed

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

So says Swamplot. Multiple emails to a couple of Heights neighorhood mailing lists sounded the alarm as well. This has been a long time coming. Originally, it was supposed to have been closed at the end of 2012, but I … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How to make the warehouse transition something to look forward to

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. Houston developers plan to build a mixed-use project, including upscale apartments and retail, on a 15-acre tract close to downtown, replacing a large produce warehouse that’s occupied the space for decades. Capcor … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The dry Heights

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What’s a guy got to do to get a drink around here? Eighty years after the repeal of Prohibition – the anniversary of which came and went with hardly a toast last week – there is a sliver of Houston … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Not pissing off your neighbors is generally a good thing

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the message I get from this story about one developer who is trying to not piss off the people who live near his proposed development. Oak trees along the sidewalks? Check. A push to build a dog park? Check. … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Heights-area bike trails to be linked

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. Houston’s expanding trail system will soon gain a new leg in the greater Heights area. The addition will be part of Bayou Greenways 2020, a $215 million project aimed at creating a continuous network of hike-and-bike trails and … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City reaches settlement with developer over Woodland Park damage

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Mayor Annise Parker, the City of Houston Legal Department and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) announced the City has recovered $300,000 to restore recent damage to Woodland Park by a private developer. Woodland Park, located at … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on City reaches settlement with developer over Woodland Park damage