fwki

IMO, that's why they selected Vita Nuova as the front man for this Project; remediation of complex sites is their speciality. Check it out. http://www.vitanuova.net/index.php

Maybe the perc contamination from the former dry cleaner is really bad. The site was listed in the top 5 priority of Texas contamination sites, and the remediation effort is underway. To quote cleantechnica.com " TCE and perc contamination is notoriously difficult to remediate. Unlike oil, which floats, TCE and perc are more dense than water. In an aquifer, they sink to the bottom. Further complicating the problem is their solubility, of which they have very little. Instead of diluting evenly through an area, they form plumes that contain a relatively small core of concentrated contaminants. The core is often difficult if not impossible to find, and it can continue to leach contaminants into the aquifer, polluting the fresh water that enters for an indefinite period of time. "

I see the similarities in the published profiles to "economically rehabilitate environmentally distraught land". The CT company looks like the parent which provides services to remediate, handle stakeholder engagement and market on behalf of owners of tainted properties. The plan here may be to remediate the dry cleaner contamination and handle the NIMBY's to a point where the property can be flipped for a profit or developed by the client.

I agree. Houston is just too young to really see examples of dense inner city development driven by transportation limitations. In Chicago the brownstones are examples of dense development before cheap transportation, and I'm guessing they replaced nice little vilages (or farms). Demographics before and after cheap oil could look similar.

Whatever ends up on that property will be aligned with market forces, and I cannot envision 6 or 4 story new construction for mixed use buried in the Heights at this time. Maybe the guy can sell ice to Eskimos or maybe he hates his own money, but I doubt it. I don't doubt that he has some leads and may be flashing a little cash, but that's a long way from a deal. Maybe Christian's tailgate, d'Amico's, Revival Market all took a hard look, but at the end of the day they all made business decisions to renovate, and we still don't have mixed use tower on White Oak. Had the market looked like 2006 instead of 2010 with all the speculation and flipping, the outcome there likely would be different. We're now in the midst of a CRE collpase and a commodities bubble. In the nearby Class C office building I work, the two newest tenants are right-sizing from Class A. So let's hope for the best but don't bet against the market, and definitiely don't feed the trolls (except on April Fools Day).

To me this looks like a developer on a fishing expedition.....he's got some property (or rights to it), he's got an idea, he gets some good-faith work from an architect with nothing else to do, pulls a few permits and then he starts selling. The most expensive thing is the rent-a-fence. Nothing "ground up" in the commercial sphere will happen on spec. It's a "new firm" probably some recent cast-offs from another under-water commercial developer. If he already has solid tenants to back financing, then he would be running in stealth mode. You'll know for sure when the big sign with the artist rendition appears before any real money is burned, kicking off the NIMBY parade. Mixed Use = We Have No Idea....and is one of the hardest to finance.

Who remembers the cell tower, er, clock tower Battle Royale between Sprint and WHCA? I sure hope the new building doesn't block my signal.

I was a little off on the scale (6 instead of 14 stories, but that could be driven by steel prices) but I'm hearing the "Mixed Use" is Exxon, Starbucks and BigUn's. Now all we need is one of those new Circle W Walmart QuikStop's on the ground floor to gett he NIMBY's mobilized.

Well, how about were there in fact any muggings near Studewood ? I live half-block off, walk the dog frequently along with most of my neighbors, and we haven't heard of any muggings nearby. And the dog-walking clique is half vigilante. About a week ago four police cruisers were "required" to arrest a drunken drifter riding a kid's bike aimlessly on Stude, but that's it, other than the post 2am DUI's.

What day is today?

From Nancy: Historic church gets a reprieve from demolition "Earlier reports today, based on a press release from two City Council members, that the building would become a Lutheran history museum were incorrect, a church leader told Turner. He said this idea was discussed informally but never officially presented to the board ...the board agreed to delay demolition until May to hear other proposals"

Red-tailed Hawk, and big one at that, so probably female. We see it often and even watched it take a squirrel from our oak and a pigeon from the neighbors driveway. If it's not threatened, the hawk remains still on the kill until asphixiation and you can get a good look at it.

Wife saw Archie himself hanging the "New" Ownership sign a week or so back.

Agree. I sat across the aisle from Sheila on a flight from National to IAH in 2004. She was a machine for 3 hours scribbling notes and stickies on articles from a sack full of mags and rags ....pure proffesional politico. ....pure proffesional politico.

I am going to look into this, but I think it's a Chevy Volt protoype. A nickle bag of anything wouldn't phase my witness, the flashbacks alone keep him kinda jumpy, but he says he knows this Prius owner wannabe and alleged shooter.

Well, I heard a completely different story....had something to do with this nut in his mother's electric wheelchair over-hears a domestic dispute next to Antidote and he intervenes with his gun. I would have laughed it off, but I've seen this guy before cruising towards Antidote in the middle of the street dog-cussing cars.....so take it for what it's worth.

The guy they arrested last night was on a bike, but he was on his way home from work and made the mistake of riding by the scene to see what all the fuss was about. This is second hand info from a mutual friend. So they are looking for a bike rider....very interesting....developer, teenager, biker...

Shiloh should be a done deal by Wednesday. I spoke with the new proprietor, and I don't expect much change, at least not right away. He's a regular, used to be more regular but as you age you tend to get less regular.

Our three kids went to St. Martin’s Episcopal Children’s Center on Sage/Woodway from 1996-2008, starting at 18 months up until K. Obviously not in the Heights but an excellent pre-k, 6 hours/day, 2-5 days per week. Last year we had to send our youngest to his elementary school for his final year of pre-k to ensure a spot in Kindergaten. Good private schools like the Vanguard Magnet HISD schools are getting very selective.

Bill Marks at All Texas Foundation Repair did my 3/2 four years ago....great job, fair price, on time.

Wow! I completely missed that stat. Dallas is almost as bad as Detroit with the bottom not yet in sight. I'm guessing the Heights will remain "quaint" for a while. That is unless half-done, abandoned real estate projects begin to pile up.

Thanks for the info skamper. For commercial real estate developers, 2009 is going to be a tough year...far tougher than any neighborhood association. See this commercial real estate outlook... http://www.realtor.org/wps/wcm/connect/cc9...3bab778e322d571 . Houston's been above the fray nationally, but the oil price chickens are coming home to roost. It may a good time for recent UT real estate grads to study up on the 1980's... http://www.wtrg.com/oil_graphs/oilprice1869.gif .

I have 3 boys at St. Anne. If you want to get a feel for the St. Anne community, head over the the school's annual Fiesta on Sunday 10/19 for a good dose of family fun. You'll also get a good look at the beautiful campus. My eighth grader graduates this year with a class of about 50 students, and I have a fifth grader and a first year student in PK3.

The sale of the Burroughs property I referred to above has closed, according to a friend who discussed the transaction with Alice Burroughs. I checked the County Clerk's Office and it looks like the transaction took place on July 28th under a warranty deed. The Grantee is an entity called "DC Heights LP". For more details and to determine the exact lots, one would have to visit the Clerk's office on Caroline St. or have access to an associated database.