Why Mayor John Whitmire still fumes about this Houston crosswalk
Welcome to Real Estate Roundup, where we look at some of the biggest real estate and business stories in Houston that happened this week!
?? Mayor Whitmire says the city's "bureaucracy" in getting street projects down is what pushed him to run for mayor.
In his eight months in office, Mayor John Whitmire has been making his mark on Houston's transportation policy, famously ordering a pause on projects that narrow traffic lanes or add bike lanes. His traffic plans have mostly favored Houston's car-centric lifestyle, removing or pausing many pedestrian and bike safety improvements. But the crossing at Blossom and Westcott, near his Crestwood neighborhood, is still an obvious sticking point for him.?
The project, three blocks south of Washington Circle, is a popular crossing for cyclists and runners headed to Memorial Park. The changes, made in 2023 as part of a larger reconstruction project, made it safer for pedestrians crossing one direction of Westcott, than waiting in the median for oncoming traffic to clear.
This week at city council, Whitmire went on a rant about the crossing during public comment on Tuesday in response to a resident’s complaint about how long it was taking to fix a sidewalk in Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabaz’s district.?Whitmire pointed out his frustration at the city's bureaucracy – which was part of the reason why he ran for mayor, he said.
He criticized "city bureaucracy" as the reason behind how slow Houston Public Works was on the uptake on getting the Blossom and Westcott crossing done.?
Story by Janet Miranda .
?? Houston sees population growth in the suburbs. In the city? Not so much.
Population growth in the Houston area predominantly occurs in suburban counties, while the city is experiencing a relatively stable growth rate, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.
The city of Houston's population remained flat in the last two years, with an increase of 7,000 residents, resulting in an increase of 0.31 percent, according to the Houston Chronicle. This is slightly lower than 0.76 percent, the city's growth rate between 2021 and 2022.?
Suburban areas gained 170,000 residents from 2022 to 2023. These regions encompass the 10 counties around Houston.
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Story by Janet Miranda.
?? Last single stainless-steel halo street sign to be removed from Galleria
It's the end of an era for the?iconic solid stainless steel street signs that labeled several intersections near the Galleria, with last weekend's removal of the Richmond and Sage gateway.
The last remaining stainless steel sign on Westheimer and Sage, originally hung in 1995, is finally coming down.?A spokesperson from the Uptown District confirmed to Chron that the Richmond and Sage sign was replaced with an updated ring design and that the Sage and Westheimer solid ring will be removed and updated next weekend.?
The 40-foot halos were inspired by the state's many oil pipelines, polished to look like "urban jewelry." The signs matched stainless steel details in the area including street lights, bus benches, archways, and even trash cans.?
1920s-era warehouse near downtown Houston gets revamp, new renters
A Houston real estate firm has renovated a historic 70,000-square-foot warehouse near the University of Houston Downtown.?
Scarlet Capital , a firm specializing in adaptive reuse—reusing and repurposing existing buildings—turned a 1926 warehouse called The Docks into a growing creative community.?
The massive red-bricked warehouse was once utilized by merchants such as Ford Motor Co. and the freight transportation company Central Forwarding, who took advantage of its proximity to railroad lines. Now, the old warehouse will get a second chance at life and brand-new tenants,
Scarlet?Capital acquired the property in 2023, renovating the structure by adding storefronts, new lighting, handrails, and restoring windows.?
That's all for this week! Read more at Chron.com. Like this newsletter? Share it with a friend!