[Houston Heights] Tollway Considered Through Neighborhood

Guys, again: light rail does not equal commuter rail!

The piece of crap that runs down Main would do NOTHING to alleviate the congestion down 290. The damn thing runs slower than a car, and also stops at many lights. It is at street level, closes often when heavy thunderstorms hit, and is prone to hitting/getting hit by cars!

Commuter rail - meaning high speed, few stop (with attached stations and park & crides), extending out to Hempstead, Sugarland, Katy, Baytown, Woodlands, Kingwood, & Galveston/Clear Lake is the only thing that will help. Unfortunately, due to the corruption of one Tom DeLay AND the sheer stupidity and incompetence of Metro as a mass transit organization, this might never happen. The problem cuts both ways on political spectrum.

There are wayyyyy to many special interests involved on all sides - whether they be the concrete/construction contractors with the state legislators & DeLay in their pocket; or the "not-in-my-nice-neighborhood types, or the "light rail at all costs" nutjobs in Metro to EVER get a logical, efficient, and reasonable regional mass transit system in place.

This debacle is akin to the one involving the high speed train system that had been proposed to link Houston-Dallas-Austin-SA. The highway guys & SWA raised a stink b/c of $ they'd lose, as did the landowners who didn't want this train near them, as did the planners in not trying to compromise on the planning/route taken.

It's depressing.

 

Deckard,

I hope you don't think that what these "Urban Concepts" people, and their evil townhome developer brethren are doing is some sort of benevolent gentrification that will preserve these neighborhoods. They are tearing down the "historic" homes to build these $300k cookie cutter townhome monstrosities all over the place.

Look at the 3rd Ward. Look at The Heights & Montrose, look at the 4th Ward. Oops, I mean "Midtown" (a joke of a name, it's not between Dtown & Uptown so how can it be midtown - it's southern dtown!). Gentrification DOES NOT preserve existing neighborhoods! This crap goes up - along a CVS & Starbucks on every corner, the old homes are destroyed, prop taxes skyrocket, and the residents have to move. Your example of not being able to move into a nice neighborhood in Austin is not remotely analogous to people being driven out of existing neighborhoods due to politically connected & protected development. It sure as hell has nothing to do with a proposed tollway.

Again, how will this "destroy Houston's heritage?" It wouldn't. Do you protest against what's going on in the 3rd Ward & "Midtown" as vehemently? How are these Urban Loft things preserving our heritage?

Jeff says that there are significant regulatory/legal hurdles which this proposal probably would not meet. Okay, I dig that - if true move on, try and bring the evil DeLay/Metro conglomerate together to find something that works, & find another solution.

But don't lay this "historic preservation" crap down on me. The Heights trendiness/prop value attraction is great and all, but to raise a hue & cry about its preservation as other city neighborhoods you either don't live in, or are not attached to, get trashed with nary a word is pure hypocrisy.

 

Dude, if you were any more full of yourself, you would explode.

"But don't lay this "historic preservation" crap down on me. The Heights trendiness/prop value attraction is great and all, but to raise a hue & cry about its preservation as other city neighborhoods you either don't live in, or are not attached to, get trashed with nary a word is pure hypocrisy."
~ Rocket G

What planet are you broadcasting from? Do you always trot out these preconceived notions about people without knowing a damned thing about them? You should use more imagination. You have no idea where I have lived in Houston, and obviously could care less. I won't bother you with details. You wouldn't pay attention anyway.

Here's Houston's grand "historic preservation" ordinance, summed up:

The preservation ordinance went on the books in 1995, but not before city planners turned the law into a running joke by giving property owners two ways to dodge it. First, while the Houston Archeological & Historical Commission, the 12-member panel that administers the law, has the power to deny a demolition permit, the property owner can simply wait 90 days, then legally tear down the structure anyway. A more expedient way around the ordinance is to apply for a "certificate of non-designation" from the city planning department. The non-designation, which is routinely granted if the building hasn't already been given landmark status, allows the property owner to proceed with demolition without first appearing before the historical commission.

The inherent weakness of the ordinance has made it impossible to enforce. Not a single citation has ever been issued, not a nickel in fines has ever been levied. Meanwhile, a number of antiquated homes with distinguished-sounding names -- Allen-Paul, Ross Sterling, Brosius-Alexander, DeGeorge -- have been razed, to say nothing of how thoroughly Freedmen's Town, a 40-block neighborhood built and settled by former slaves, has been scraped clean.

From the moment the ordinance was passed, preservation advocates, including the historical commission itself, realized that it was powerless to save the city's architectural and cultural heritage. Three years ago they began revising the law, a process that will culminate later this spring, when City Council considers a series of amendments to the ordinance.

But as it stands now, the proposed new ordinance offers only a slight improvement over the existing one. For example, the 90-day demolition delay has been extended to a proposed 180 days. And the new ordinance still would allow property owners to avoid a hearing before the historical commission by securing a certificate of non-designation from city planners.

http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2001-05-03/news/feature_2.html

Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I bother.



Keep GARM Civil!!
And Hangout From Becoming Brain Dead!

 

Jeff, you mentioned several times that 3 lanes was the most that could be gleaned from this area.

Here's a thought. If it's to be a tollway primarily for commuters, why not make it an alternating one-way road, like the HOV lanes are right now? That way, in the mornings you have at least 3 lanes on inbound traffic, and in the evenings, 3 lanes of outbound traffic? It's the equivalent of a 6 lane highway, but maximizing the need.

And for what it's worth, I think I count as an unbiased opinion since I don't even live in Houston anymore. The only reason I see as not to build this thing is if the space available makes it physically impossible/impractical.

 

Historic Houston Home = Roach invested, cracked slab, no closet or bathroom space, energy wasting dump.

This has been a throw-em-up boomtown for it's entire life. It's not like you find many real planned neighboorhods or architectural statements around town. Add that to a total lack of any zoning or development plan and you have disposable housing. Tearing it down and mining the land values is the best way improve Houston.

 

I'm "full of myself?" How, b/c I point out the hypocrisy of people wailing about a possible toll road, while they clamor for a useless light rail system, stay silent when the same thing happens to less trendy neighborhoods, and fail to address HOW this would destroy ANYTHING historic?

My response was based on this comment you made:

"Some of you have a problem with gentrification? You think it is a Houston phenomenon? I can't afford to live in neighborhoods in Austin, that would otherwise be ideal for my family and I, because of it. If that is the price of preserving the historic inner city areas, in Houston or Austin, I'm not going to complain. At least those areas will be largely preserved for future generations, who won't have to google to find photos of what the city looked like before it destroyed part of itself, in order to "grow."

You are defending "gentrification" here for its perceived preserving qualities (and then by posting Houston's impotent preservation ordinance you seem to contradict yourself b/c you prove my point that it doesn't work in this city), and I was pointing out that it doesn't PRESERVE jack **** for future generations. Unless you think preservation equates to what this guy is doing: [http://www.urbanlofts.com/histframe.html#top]

What exactly is he "preserving" other than his fat bank account? Certainly not the existing neighborhood's dynamic. Maybe in Austin people move into "historic" areas/homes, fix them up & preserve them, but that just does not happen here. The same "progress" that is at work in the tollroad you oppose, is the driving force behind Houston's brand of gentrification.

You also just accused everyone who didn't agree with you of this:

"The attitude of many of you towards preserving what is left of our heritage is appalling. If you can get to work 10 or 15 minutes sooner, and not have to ride a bus, or car pool, then what the hell? Build that freeway, or that toll road, and who cares if a century of our history falls to the wrecking ball? You'll find an excuse, from somewhere, to justify the destruction, only you won't call it destruction. You'll call it "progress."

Again, how is this toll road destroying our heritage? No one is talking about cutting a beeline with a bulldozer straight through The Heights. It's along an abandoned freight rail corridor! They're not talking about trashing historic homes. Like I said many times before, there ARE valid reasons for opposing this, but historic preservation is not not one of them! Maybe it's a crap idea from a traffic engineering & a flood control standpoint, but nothing "historic" would be affected by it.

 

Gene,

You are making a big assumption that the house actually has a slab. The older homes are most likely sitting on concrete blocks or blocks made out of bricks.

Isn't every home in Houston roach infested if you don't have an exterminator frequent the place? I can still toss my shoe across a room and hit a roach with the sole face down. I impressed my St. Louis native wife the first time I did that. She asked why I didn't just walk up and whack it. That was about the point when the sucker took off in flight. I still remember her screaming, "They have wings!"

 

I understand where you are coming from, but the homes in the Heights, Third Ward/McGregor Park, and the homes across 45 from UofH are not of this mold. Three areas that I think should be preserved.

 

How do you know? I happen to live in a "historic" area, in a home that qualifies for a historic marker and I've spent countless thousands of dollars fixing up and preserving my home for myself, my family and the neighborhood.

 

Good for you! Those like you are a godsend to Houston, and cities like Austin as well. It would be so much easier to preserve those homes, and their neighborhoods, if Houston had zoning, or even a preservation ordinance with teeth, like Austin has. (as well as Austin's zoning laws) Austin has had problems with the granting of variances, but compared to Houston, it is on another level altogether in preserving it's historic areas, and the integrity of it's neighborhoods.




Keep GARM Civil!!

 

People in other cities have had to fight to preservce their cities history. Houston may not have much, but what is there is worth fighting for.

My in-laws helped spearhead the restoration of this St. Louis neighborhood back in the late 60's and 70's. They finally sold their large home after their kids moved out. They also fought and stopped a freeway from going through this neighborhood.

Lafayette Square Neighborhood, St. Louis, MO

If you care about something, then you fight for it. No shame in that.

 

I know, because I know many real estate investors, agents, and others in the business. People here are generally not into home preservation & restoration as a whole.

I commend you for what you're doing, especially since you're a rare bird here in Houston. I wish there were more like you who didn't cave in to the wave of stucco towers sweeping the inner city.

Unfortunately, you wouldn't believe the number of people who own or invest in real property in near/midtown who are either planning to, or are already in the process of, tearing down 70, 80 year old homes and entire lots to make way for mini blocks of few-unit 3 story townhomes. All in the hope of turning a quick buck.

They see others doing the same so they get greedy and think they can get in on the boom. Problem is that the market is already saturated with this kind of housing unit. Reality is that there are only so many people willing to drop 2-300k for a small yardless townhome in a neighborhood of questionable safety. Look at the area around Lankford Grocery off of Gray. Where there once was an eclectic neighborhood of various clubs, housing types, and different shops there now stands an assortment of vacant red brick clone condos...

 

The function of housing is to provide shelter and comfort to it's users. Housing is not a museum. The needs and standards of the end users of housing evolves over time and people have a right to expect the most utility for their money. If the most cost effective way to provide the highest and best use for a tract of land is to remodel an existing stucture then that is what the market will demand. But if the most efficient way to utilize land is to raze an old structure then I don't think nostalgia should get in the way.

Sure there are some examples of outstanding architecture that have an irreplaceable value and market forces generally recognize it and invest in their preservation, The Heights is an example of that. But why do you think their is such a demand for suburban sprawl? Because it is the most cost efficient way to give people what they want, single family homes, with yards, with modern convienences, with developed parks and greenspace, with convenient neighborhood shopping, with new schools, with freeway access.

If most people wanted high density housing in inner city locations that's what the market forces would provide. And to some extent that market segment is being met but no one would choose to live in a crowded old apartments with tiny bathrooms, no closet space and paper thin walls where everyone knows everyone elses business. That's why the old high density low cost housing experiments of the 60's are being torn down to make way for new single family develoments.

 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2930991

Heights toll-road rumors squashed

Old railroad right of way could be turned into a connector
By BILL MURPHY
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Heights-area residents can put away their worries about a toll road through their neighborhood, top county officials said Friday.

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"There are no plans to build a toll road there," said County Judge Robert Eckels.

Residents have voiced concern about reports that an abandoned Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad right of way, now owned by the Texas Department of Transportation, would be used for a toll road through the area.

That won't happen, but the county hasn't ruled out building a link along part of the right of way farther to the west between U.S. 290 and Interstate 10, said Art Storey, director of the county's public infrastructure department, which oversees the Harris County Toll Road Authority.

It was never the county's intention to build a toll road on the right of way, he added.

Commissioners Court in August authorized the Toll Road Authority to discuss buying the railroad line from the Texas Department of Transportation.

This led to neighbors' worries that the Toll Road Authority intended to build a toll road from Loop 610 to downtown, Storey said.

The authority is studying whether it would be useful to build a toll-road connector from U.S. 290 to I-10, but it would be located west of the Heights in an industrial-commercial area, Storey said.

That connector, he said, might be built along part of the MKT line before linking up with I-10, possibly around Washington Street.

That route also would require the purchase of land not included in the railroad property.

The connector would be built only if the Texas Department of Transportation decided to expand U.S. 290 and turn it into a toll road, Storey said.

The county and TxDOT agree that it makes no sense to expand U.S. 290 and increase traffic on it without adding a connector road toI-10 that would alleviate the bottleneck at U.S. 290 and the Loop.

That project would begin in three to five years, if it is done, Storey said.

If the county bought the old MKT right of way from the Loop to downtown, it could sell the eastern portion to the city for a hike-and-bike trail or to Metro for expansion of the light rail system, Storey said.

A transit authority spokesman said, however, that there are no existing plans for such a light rail route.

As to the worries about a toll road in the Heights, Mayor Bill White said, "I have not met an elected official who wants it built. I'm confident there will be no plans to build a toll road."

Commissioner El Franco Lee, whose Precinct 1 includes part of the Heights, said such a road won't become a reality "if it requires my vote."

Heights residents were relieved to hear the county would not be building a toll road in their community.

"It's important that (officials) listen to local residents from the area," said Esther Branda. "We have heard that this would be a hike-and-bike trail. Houston doesn't have enough green space. We think a trail would be great."

Chronicle reporter Ron Nissimov contributed to this story.

bill.murphy@chron.com

 

Great News!

 

have you ever ventured into the heights? my brothers home was built in 1920 and it is one of the best put together homes I have ever been inside. Makes these new homes the so called great builders in the suburbs put up look like crap.