General Meeting

The main speaker at the February 12 General Meeting will be Catherine Burst, TreeScape Coordinator. The TreeScape Program is a collaborative effort of Trees For Houston, The Park People, and Scenic Houston. According to Trees For Houston, “TreeScape’s role in the community is to help sustain Houston’s urban forest through preserving existing trees and encouraging the planting of new trees.”

Coming up in March, we are planning a program on adding to a historic home while preserving its historic character.

Spring Tour Committee

We want to thank the following talented individuals for serving on the Committee for the 2007 Historic Houston Heights Spring Home & Garden Tour.

• Kristi Synek - Chair
• Christine Spin - Chair-Elect & Kick-Off Party Chair
• Chris Silkwood and Kelly Simmons - Candlelight Dinner Chairs
• Sandra Crook and Cindy Hemenway Wingo - Auction Chairs
• John Blass - Auctioneer
• Karen Derr, Kathye Elledge, Peggy Gilbert, Kay Harnden Lockard, Pamela O’Brien, Stasi Ogier, Andrea Sharp, and Kay White - Auction Committee
• Angela DeWree / Design & Inspiration - Collateral Design & Venue Design
• Kristal Kirksey / Jubilee - Venue Design
• Kathy Russell and Kelly Simmons - Collateral Material
• Bill Dijak - Photography Chair
• Marta Montenegro - Floral Design Chair
• Denise Martin - Volunteer Chair
• Honi Knowles and Robin Franklin - Marketing
• Kay White - Ad Sales
• Bill Baldwin and Joe Gonzalez - Kick-Off Party Hosts
• Paula Collins, Karen Derr - Gala Program Designer
• Susan Love-Fitts - Public Relations
• Lauren Dunlap - Bus Shuttle Chair
• Paul and Mary Carr - Directors of Operation
• Cindy Wingo Hemenway - Signage Chair
• Jim Bennett - Boulevard Beautification
• Lauriel Hindman and Bob Pearson - Ticket Sales & Reservations
• John Palmer - Cover Artist

You Can Help, Too

The Spring Home & Garden Tour, April 13 to 15, is in need of volunteers to docent at homes, handle ticket/drink sales, or be shuttle docents. In exchange for working a 3-hour shift, each volunteer will receive a ticket to the tour.

Even if you have worked previous home tours, don’t assume that we will contact you; the contact information we have may be out of date. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Denise Martin at volunteer@houstonheights.org or 713-868-4119. Leave your name, telephone number, and email address (if you have one).

Silver Sponsors

The Houston Heights Association is proud to have the following Winter 2006-2007 Silver Sponsors:

Restoration

The next Heights Restoration/Historical Committee meeting will be February 22 from 7:30 to 9:30 PM at 916 Cortlandt Street. This home is a 2-bedroom, 2-bath bungalow home built as a “$3,000 kit home” in 1920 and being restored by Jerry Frazier.

This is the same home where we met in January. Due to the really bad weather, this home couldn’t be finished by the January meeting, so we had to look at it in the “Before” state. The property owner has invited us back to see the final product in February, and the former owner hopes to be able to join us.

This Restoration/Historical Meeting program will include a tour and discussion of some of the renovation details for those considering renovation, restoration, or new construction in the Heights.

Please contact Committee Chairman Dean Swanson if you have a restoration project, a historical structure, or historical information pertaining to the Houston Heights that can be shared at future meetings. General historical knowledge of the Heights neighborhood, historic memories, or photos are also welcome to be shared with other Heights residents and may by forwarded by e-mail to restoration@houstonheights.org or discussed by telephone at (713) 880-2832 or by bringing them to any meeting.

New Members

Please welcome the following new or returning members to the Houston heights Association.

• Arise Acupuncture, Samuel Leong
• Nicole Ball
• Tom & Lockie Baugh
• Jack & Karrin Beuttell
• Jonathan Bowman
• Janice Carle
• Kelli Considine, Realtor
• Michael Jungnickel
• Julie Kenyon
• Jennifer Lam
• Lillian M. Rivera
• Christian & Sharon Sheridan

2007 Officers

The officers below were elected at the Organizational Meeting of the Board in January.

• Jim Potter, President
• Mark Williamson, President-Elect
• Janet Buchheit, Secretary
• Jim DePitts, Treasurer

Watch future newsletters for a list of the various Vice Presidents.

Bronze Sponsors

The Houston Heights Association is proud to have the following Winter 2006-2007 Bronze Sponsors:

History for Sale

Below is a sampling of historic houses currently for sale in the Houston Heights area. This is part of the overall effort to deter demolition and relocation of our existing housing stock and to raise public awareness of the marketability of our historic Craftsman, Victorian, and Queen Anne architecture.

Many of the homes have been completely renovated and expanded to include additional square footage and all of the modern conveniences of the 21st Century. Others need some tender loving care. All of the houses are 51 years of age or older and all are listed for less than $500,000. If you have friends who are shopping for a home conveniently located inside Loop 610, please pass this list on to them.

• 915 Allston 1930
• 539 Arlington 1920
• 833 Arlington 1920
• 916 Arlington 1920
• 1244 Arlington 1900
• 2043 Arlington 1940
• 2239 Arlington 1938
• 605 Columbia 1945
• 1651 Columbia 1901
• 1218 Cortlandt 1920
• 1534 Cortlandt 1920
• 1213 Harvard 1904
• 1021 Herkimer 1920
• 1313 Herkimer 1940
• 1407 Oxford 1920
• 1511 Rutland 1920
• 1525 Tulane 1953
• 1333 Yale 1920
• 1540 Waverly 1910
• 710 E 10th St 1930
• 757 E 16th St 1927
• 314 W 21st St 1920
• 602 W 28th St 1920

Prevailing Lot Size Ordinance Under Debate

The Board of Directors of the Houston Heights Association, by unanimous vote, has joined other neighborhood groups in sending Mayor White and Houston City Council resolutions regarding proposed changes to the city’s lot size ordinance. Overall, the changes are an improvement over existing ordinances because they will allow more blocks to qualify, but there is a difference of opinion between neighborhood groups and the Greater Houston Builders Association over the level of protection that should be offered by the new ordinance.

The current ordinance establishes a prevailing lot size by measuring the lots on a block, finding the average lot size, and determining that a majority of the lots do not vary from the average by more than 10 percent. Because they were not platted with standard lot sizes or have already experienced some subdivisions, many inner city blocks have too much variance in lot sizes to qualify under the existing ordinance.

The new ordinance will allow for establishment of a minimum lot size and every block will be able to qualify. The size of the minimum lot size will depend on how many subdivisions a block has experienced. Working from the largest to the smallest, the square footage of each individual lot will be added together until a figure amounting to either 60 percent or 75 percent of a block’s square footage is reached. The square footage of the last lot added in to reach the specified percentage would become the minimum lot size for the block.

GHBA favors the 75 percent calculation. The resolution adopted by unanimous vote of the HHA Board of Directors asks Houston City council to choose the 60 percent calculation. This position was arrived at after determining that the 75 percent threshold would tip the scales in favor of new development on smaller lots sooner than the 60 percent calculation, increasing the possibility that more Heights blocks will fall victim to subdivision and increased density. This is the same position reached by other neighborhood groups and the majority of the neighborhood representatives who served on the Planning Commission subcommittee that drafted the new ordinance.

The following is a comparison of the impact of the 60 percent and the 75 percent calculations on a standard Houston Heights block originally platted with 24 lots of 6600 square feet each.

* If 60 percent is approved: At least 15 of the 24 original lots must remain at the time the application is submitted for the block to still qualify for a minimum lot size of 6600 square feet. If there have been several subdivisions and fewer than 15 of the original lots are left, the minimum lot size will be smaller than 6600 square feet. We face the possibility of 48 town homes if more than nine, or just 40% of the original lots, have been subdivided.

* If 75 percent is approved: At least 18 of the original lots must remain at the time the application is submitted for the block to still qualify for a minimum lot size of 6600 square feet. If there have been several subdivisions and fewer than 18 of the original lots are left, the minimum lot size will be smaller than 6600 square feet. At 75 percent, the possibility of 48 town homes occurs much sooner, or when more than six lots, just a little more than 25% of the original lots, have been subdivided.

The danger with a 75 percent threshold is that the square footage of more of the smaller lots on a block may have to be added in to reach the higher percentage, increasing the possibility the new minimum lot size will be smaller than the majority of the block’s lots. HHA believes it is shortsighted to place an entire block at risk of redevelopment on smaller lots when a majority of its total area is still covered by larger lots.

Copyright and Submissions

The Heights is published monthly by the Houston Heights Association. Its purpose is to acknowledge achievements and to inform HHA members of events.

Copyright 2007, the Houston Heights Association and/or the authors unless otherwise noted.

Newsletter inquiries, suggestions, or submissions should be directed to:

Editor, The Heights, P.O. Box 70735, Houston, TX 77270-0735;

email editor@houstonheights.org; or leave a message on 713-861-4002.

Staff and Contributors

Editor: Mark R. Williamson

Assistant Editor: Kathleen S. Williamson

February contributors:

Janet Buchheit, Janice Evans-Davis, Lauriel Hindman, George Hixson (photo), John Palmer (art), Kelly Simmons, Anne Sloan, Dean Swanson.