16 August 2008

Grand Parkway F-2 segment FEIS ready

The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Grand Parkway's F-2 segment (the section that runs from SH-249 to I-45) is complete and comments are now being accepted.

Scroll down for the links on this page of the Grand Parkway's website.

PREVIOUSLY: Grand Parkway archives

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/16/08 07:21 PM |

CNN's Houston "bureau"

Laurence Simon and Mike McGuff note that CNN is opening up a Houston bureau:

Each city will get one person who can provide "grassroots level" coverage of breaking news and other local stories, said Nancy Lane, senior vice president of newsgathering for CNN/U.S.

The mix of traditional general assignment reporters and "all-platform journalists" may be based at affiliate stations, colleges or even at home, Lane said, with the best available technology to file film and photo reports via laptop computers and PDAs.

Some of the new jobs may be filled by correspondents now with CNN's daytime and prime-time programs, the network said.

Besides Philadelphia and Seattle, the journalists will be located in Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Houston; Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; the Raleigh, N.C., area; and Minneapolis, Minn., where the approach was tested and is in operation.

Er, not exactly a bureau. As Mike McGuff puts it, "Houston to get CNN reporter." How exciting!

RELATED: Houston to get new CNN news bureau (Houston Business Journal)

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/16/08 07:14 PM |

14 August 2008

Houston blog talk linkpost: 08/14/08

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/14/08 10:27 PM |

Mincberg: I may not have a grasp of this county thing, but I've got business acumen!

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and his opponent David Mincberg squared off in a debate yesterday that appeared to showcase Mincberg's unfamiliarity with Harris County operations. The Chron's Liz Peterson has details:

In his first debate against Republican County Judge Ed Emmett, developer David Mincberg said Wednesday his experience in the boardroom and in the community has given him the business acumen and managerial skills needed to lead the nation's third-largest county.

But he stumbled somewhat over questions about the county's day-to-day operations as he sought to paint Emmett as an unethical politician who lacks big business experience.

Asked how he would speed construction of the Grand Parkway so it can be completed as quickly as the Katy Freeway was rebuilt, Mincberg accused the county of awarding contracts for road-building projects to favored campaign contributors without accepting bids.

Mincberg said the county should follow the state's lead when it comes to competitive bidding.

"Unlike the way the I-10 piece was put together, the county's process is not only likely to not go faster, it's likely to go slower," he said.

However, state law bars counties and other governmental entities from accepting bids for professional services contracts with architects, engineers and land surveyors, a fact Emmett quickly pointed out.

[snip]

Mincberg said he would have to review the contracting law, but he believed there was room for more transparency.

The Democrat also decried soaring property assessments and said he would look into the Harris County Appraisal District's appraisal rates while also searching for efficiencies in county government.

But the county has no authority over the appraisal district, other than appointing a member of its six-person board of directors. Also, HCAD is facing pressure from the state to increase commercial property values even further.

After the debate, held by the Houston Realty Breakfast Club political action committee, Emmett said Mincberg's unfamiliarity with county operations makes him an unsuitable candidate to become its chief executive.

We already know Mincberg won't tolerate any questions about his business dealings -- gutter politics!! -- and we know Mincberg wasn't focused on his job as the city's multi-family housing czar because of an old memo Mayor White wrote which the Chron's Matt Stiles obtained:

In this letter, the mayor writes to Houston attorney Tim Horan, asking him to replace David Mincberg, who stopped working on apartments policy last July "because of other time commitments and pursuits." Mincberg is now running for Harris County judge as a Democrat.

If past experience is the best indicator of future results, we already have a hint of how Mincberg will be as county judge.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/14/08 04:07 AM |

13 August 2008

E&P: Chron, Express-News discuss "generic" features

Hairballs points us to an Editor and Publisher story that indicates that the Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News may be sharing some content in their features sections:

The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News are in talks to share some feature-section production and design efforts, according to Chronicle Publisher Jack Sweeney -- who said the move could include using similar generic stories.

However, he stressed that the changes are in the planning stage and would not dilute local stories from either newspaper. "There would still be local content," Sweeney told E&P. "It would be more of a layout and production thing."

The Chronicle and Express-News are both owned by Hearst Newspapers. The potential joint effort comes as both papers are seeing more niche products and feature efforts.

Perhaps MeMo will enlighten us on her diary about these possible changes.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/13/08 10:52 PM |

11 August 2008

Houston blog talk linkpost: 08/11/08

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/11/08 10:59 PM |

18 police agencies got NYC CompStat proponents; Houston got Hurtt

In the latest issue of City Journal, Heather MacDonald pens a fine article on the spread of CompStat, the innovative approach to policing developed in New York City, across the county:

Since the late 1990s, more than 18 police commanders have left the New York City police department to run their own agencies elsewhere. This unprecedented migration has spread the Compstat revolution—the data-driven transformation of policing begun under New York police commissioner William Bratton in 1994—across the nation. Some of the transplants are well-known: Bratton himself now heads the Los Angeles Police Department; and his former first deputy, John Timoney, has led both the Miami and the Philadelphia forces. But the diaspora also includes lesser-known young Turks who rose quickly through the NYPD’s ranks during the paradigm-shattering 1990s. Now, as chiefs in their own right, they’re proving the efficacy of analytic, accountable policing in agencies wholly dissimilar from New York’s—in one case, achieving success beyond anything seen in Gotham or elsewhere.

The entire story is well worth reading. We wish we could say that one of those 18 police commanders wound up in Houston, and that CompStat was showing similar success here. Unfortunately, Mayor White plucked Harold Hurtt out of Phoenix when he might have hired a CompStat proponent.

Oh well. We encourage the candidates for the next mayoral election to give MacDonald's story a careful read.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/11/08 10:53 PM |

10 August 2008

Chron offers underrepresented view on METRO service; METRO complains

Several days ago, the Chronicle ran a surprising article by Leslie Casimir on the challenges faced by some named commuters who do not have cars, and who must rely upon METRO to get to/from various points that do not always include downtown or the Medical Center.

Various complaints raised by real METRO customers in the story include:

* Slow commute times (10 minute drives by private car can take 2 hours using METRO)

* Lack of service outside the loop

* Multiple transfers

* "Service improvements" that mean discontinuation of bus routes crucial to some customers

None of these complaints will be new to blogHOUSTON readers, as we have regularly questioned METRO's increasing focus on expensive light rail in our spread-out, low-density city, as well as its focus on inner-loop real-estate development -- and whether there are enough resources to build the sorts of world-class trinkets favored by comparatively affluent activists/bloggers and people in the industry while still serving the transportation needs of less affluent people spread all over the city who rely on transit to get to work and the doctor and the grocery store and elsewhere, and can't just hop in the minivan to pick up some veggies from the Discovery Green farmer's market when the whim strikes on any given Saturday.

Generally, however, that perspective is NOT one that we see in Rad Sallee's stories, or that we generally have seen from many of his colleagues at the Chronicle, who have generally been cheerleaders for expensive light rail that may not be in the best interests of many people who rely upon METRO. So the Chronicle deserves credit for finally presenting the perspective of real users of METRO that have long been underrepresented in Chron transit stories.

Interestingly, METRO media relations official Raequel Roberts is not at all pleased at this underrepresented perspective getting the play it did this one time in the newspaper. Her letter to the editor is reproduced below the [Read More] link (since it may disappear). If the Chronicle hadn't been a METRO cheerleader for so long, Roberts' concerns about balance might resonate more. However, given the frequency with which the Chronicle uncritically reports on METRO -- almost sounding as if Ms. Roberts is providing the copy -- and the fact that one rarely hears from everyday users of METRO and their problems with the service -- it's harder to take Ms. Roberts complaints about balance seriously. In a sense, Casimir's story is some needed, and overdue, balance.

Around the local blogosphere, Cory Crow has posted some sensible thoughts on METRO's core mission failures, Tory Gattis questions whether Houston has its transit priorities in order, and Neal Meyer suggests that jitneys could be one solution to some of our transit woes (if they were not so heavily regulated -- good luck getting Yellow Cab, er, Council to ease up on that). Please feel free to add your thoughts to the discussion.

[Read More]

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/08 10:22 PM |

City envisions a Houston "teeming" with pedestrians

The city's planning department has wasted two years developing a plan for central Houston that aims for urban planning utopia (via the Chron's Mike Snyder):

A vision of central Houston transformed by wide, tree-shaded sidewalks teeming with people walking from homes to jobs and entertainment lies at the heart of proposed new city policies.

Hahahahaha! "Teeming with people walking from homes to jobs and entertainment." Is Mayor White going to demand that Houston's weather model San Diego's? It's really hard to envision central Houston teeming with pedestrians when it's 90 degrees outside with high humidity. And frankly, I wouldn't want to be around people who've been out walking from home to job to entertainment. They'll stink.

After two years of work, Houston's Department of Planning and Development has released recommendations that cover pedestrian zones, building styles, driveway spacing and other elements of development in corridors served by Metro's light rail lines.

The goal is to produce urban environments where transit riders could walk to various destinations, reducing the need for driving.

Proponents of stronger local planning said the new policies would help the city accommodate population growth in its core without disrupting established neighborhoods or increasing traffic congestion.

"It's real progress," said David Crossley, president of the nonprofit Gulf Coast Institute. He serves on an advisory panel working on the proposals.

No, it's not real progress. It's many steps away from progress. Cars give us freedom to run errands, make appointments, get to jobs, all within a much faster timeframe than walking. We are much more productive with our personal transportation. Let's just imagine folks forced to walk from homes to jobs to entertainment. How does a mom do that with her kids while needing to stop off at the grocery store, the bank, and the cleaners on her way home?

Some real estate professionals and organizations, however, said the policies could increase costs and create more problems than they solve.

"It would be a mistake to use mandatory building requirements as a means to force Houstonians out of their cars and onto hot sidewalks," said Kendall Miller, president of Houstonians for Responsible Growth, a nonprofit group that seeks to limit new restrictions on real estate development.

It's amazing that some people can't see that.

The proposals encompass the existing Main Street rail corridor and the planned north, southeast, East End and Uptown corridors. Proposals for the University corridor, for which Metro only recently chose a final alignment, will be developed later, city officials said.

In all the corridors, the city would require a 15-foot pedestrian zone from the curb to the front of the building. Sidewalks would be on the 5 feet closest to the building, with the other 10 feet set aside for landscaping.

Also in every corridor, the city would enforce restrictions on the spacing of driveways so pedestrians would have to stop less often for cars pulling in and out of businesses. City officials haven't determined how far apart the driveways would have to be.

An area including downtown, east downtown and Midtown would be designated as the "core pedestrian zone," where the city's requirements would extend to design features such as bringing buildings close to the sidewalk and devoting a large share of the building facade to doors, windows or other features to avoid long stretches of blank walls.

Such requirements will deter projects through increased regulation and cost. If that's what the city wants, then just come out and say it. All these urban planning-types are yearning for a dream city that just won't happen in Houston. They can force developers to create according to this vision, but it doesn't mean people are going to start walking everywhere! It's too warm and sticky much of the year. As it is now, many of us have little interest in visiting central or downtown Houston, except when we have to. It's an unfriendly, uninviting place, what with mind-boggling parking rules, red light cameras, the Danger Train, homeless thugs, etc. Creating 15-foot pedestrian zones is not going to help drivers who are coming into the city for dinner or a show. It'll just be another deterrent.

The next step in the process is to draft an ordinance, said Suzy Hartgrove, a spokeswoman for the planning department. After review by the city Planning Commission and a series of public hearings, the plan would go to the City Council.

Which means it'll pass as long as it has Mayor White's blessing.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/10/08 05:59 AM |

08 August 2008

Debris Game-worthy

From yesterday morning's traffic report:

A truck lost its load of adult diapers and turned over on the ramp leading from the southbound lanes of the West Loop to the eastbound lanes of the Katy Freeway shortly before 6:30 a.m. today.

The diaper spill was cleared at 11:28 a.m., according to TranStar.

The truck had been blocking one lane of the ramp and caused a lengthy backup during rush hour. Crews moved the truck and cleaned up its cargo of Depends diapers.

No injuries were reported.

We miss Chris Baker.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/08/08 06:10 AM |

06 August 2008

Houston blog talk linkpost: 08/06/08

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/06/08 11:01 PM |

Chron's Murphy ever the optimist on Astrodome Hotel boondoggle

Last weekend, both KHOU-11 and KRIV-26's Isiah Carey reported on the latest obstacles facing the Astrodome Hotel Boondoggle developers. Here's KHOU's characterization:

The battle over the future of the Astrodome entered a new round this week. On Friday, 11 News received a copy of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's response to a group's proposal to convert the 8th Wonder of the World into a themed-hotel and conference center.

In a tersely-worded, 14-page letter to the Harris County attorney, the rodeo complained that the proposal would cut into event parking and interfere with rodeo events.

The livestock show bosses also said that they have “clearly defined” rights in its lease agreement with the county for the use of Reliant Park. It also claims the proposed development could interfere with the rodeo's ability to conduct its operations.

And here's Carey's characterization:

There could be a major stumbling block in the redevelopment of Reliant Astrodome. This comes as the Houston Livestock and Rodeo gets involved. The once eighth wonder of the world is almost like a stepchild now.

Long gone are the glory days, and the future may not be so bright. Leroy Shafer with the Houston Livestock and Rodeo says he has concerns with the Astrodome Redevelopment Corporation.

It's the company that won approval from the county to redevelop the dome into a convention style hotel. Rodeo officials had a chance to review the preliminary lease the county has drafted with arc to redevelop the Astrodome.

In a letter obtained through open records, the rodeo points out several issues where their rights as a tenant in Reliant Park would be infringed upon by the developer.

Construction of a skybridge, a walkway and primary access improvements would impact the rodeo, Shafer said. A proposed parking garage and 4 years of construction would also have an effect on the annual scholarship drive.

"There are a lot of issues that are there," he said. "Are they insurmountable? I don't think so at all."

There's also an issue over naming rights of the dome. Shafer says Reliant still reserves that right even if a developer steps in.

Leave it to the Chronicle's resident cheerleader for the project, Bill Murphy, to put a much happier spin on the current state of affairs (although it apparently took a few days):

Despite their previous staunch opposition to the project, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Texans signaled that they may be able to coexist with a convention hotel that would be built in the Astrodome.

Their more conciliatory attitude toward the 1,300-room project was evident in recently submitted reviews of the proposed convention hotel lease.

"We will be pleased to work with the (Harris County Sports and Convention Corp., Astrodome Redevelopment Co. and the rodeo) in an effort to finalize agreements that protect the rights of all parties and allow for the successful redevelopment of the Reliant Astrodome," wrote Texans president Jamey Rootes in an Aug. 1 letter to the county attorney's office.

That's framed quite a bit differently than the TV news reports. The boondoggle developers ought to consider adding Murphy to their PR staff.

BLOGVERSATION: Houston's Clear Thinkers, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/06/08 10:41 PM |

05 August 2008

Shay: City's pols really really like Jason Yoo

Miya Shay's latest editorial for the West University Examiner provides some interesting insight into the city's network of movers and shakers:

On a steamy Thursday evening, half a dozen former, current and future elected officials were among a hundred or so people gathered in the Museum of Fine Arts. No, they weren’t looking at the latest postmodern exhibition. Rather, everyone showed up to honor Diane Yoo, the newly crowned Miss Asia USA.

Now, we all know politicians never celebrate random beauty queens. Miss Yoo is stunning, to be sure, but she just happens to be the daughter of Jason Yoo, the man holding a very lucrative contract for airport concessions at Bush Intercontinental.

He’s also a very prolific political donor, writing checks ranging from $250-5,000 to many on City Council. As a result, they like him — really, really like him.

There was former Mayor Lee Brown gushing with praise; City Council members Toni Lawrence, Jarvis Johnson and Jolanda Jones all clapping at the appropriate times. Even former Council Member Gordon Quan showed up for support.

The pretty Miss Yoo also worked under Quan and Johnson, but she now works for her dad and has become a pretty prolific political donor herself (these things run in the family.)

I’m not going to spend a whole column talking about campaign donations, as currying favor with money is nothing new in the political arena, and the Yoos are simply following the footsteps of so many before them.

True enough, but we rarely see this sort of interesting background reporting when, say, Mayor White is bending over backwards to reward Jason Yoo for substandard performance as the concessionaire in Terminal C (which is more of a dump than one would expect from the main terminal of the hometown airline).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/05/08 11:10 PM |

East End Chamber of Commerce Committee touts CompStat

An East End Chamber of Commerce committee is urging HPD to adopt CompStat (an approach to crimefighting that has been discussed here regularly):

The Crime Awareness Committee of the Greater East End Chamber of Commerce is endorsing and hoping to persuade the Houston Police Department to implement CompStat.

The crime-mapping system identifies and tracks established and emerging trends and enables law enforcement to share information in a more timely manner.

Committee members said they think the organizational management tool may help the police to better identify and combat pockets of crime throughout the city.

Committee chairman Larry Lipton hosted a recent meeting to detail the program. City Councilman Peter Brown gave a presentation about CompStat, which has been used in places such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York City.

“This program takes data and gives it to police so that they can dispatch their forces efficiently,” said Lipton. “Our committee wants HPD to adopt this program.”

blogHOUSTON also wants HPD to adopt this program.

Unfortunately, CompStat proponents are going to have to work to convince the next mayor, because MayorWhiteChiefHurtt haven't shown much interest in the proven crimefighting approach.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/05/08 10:54 PM |

04 August 2008

Pre-Edouard

Tropical Storm Edouard kind of snuck up on us. Personally, I didn't even know there was a storm until yesterday. Now, people are scrambling at the last minute to gas up their cars and buy provisions. While the forecasts predict it will strengthen to a low-grade category 1 hurricane, the local news media decided to show footage of Hurricane Rita and the clogged freeways. This causes many people to panic thinking they need to find Noah and his Ark. I drove around the Katy area and shot these pictures.

[Read More]

Posted by Jason @ 08/04/08 11:56 PM |

Galveston County Daily News mocks media storm hysteria

Here's an excerpt from a fun post on the Galveston County Daily News blog:

You know how they used to tell you in elementary school that no question is a stupid question? That's not true.

At this morning's press conference, dominated by Houston television stations, one cameraman asked Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas how high the tides had to get before the city closed the Causeway. She really was momentarily speechless. Charlie Kelley, the city's emergency management coordinator, broke the silence by laughing.

If the tides get that high, the city has a lot more to worry about than closing the Causeway.

Nicely done!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/04/08 11:18 PM |

03 August 2008

Houston, meet Edouard

Tropical Storm Edouard (which looks more like a typo than a storm name) has popped up, seemingly out of nowhere.

Here's hoping it doesn't grow into anything all that threatening, and we all get to have a good laugh at the Heller Hysterics that are sure to come.

It's best to be prepared, though, just in case.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/03/08 08:33 PM |

Houston blog talk linkpost: 08/03/08

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/03/08 08:20 PM |

Local pols should get behind UH flagship status

In an aggre-post on 27 July, we noted a San Antonio Express-news story on the possibility of our fine state adding a flagship university to the UT and A&M mix -- and urged Houston-area leaders to abandon the traditional Aggie/Longhorn parochialism to get behind pushing UH flagship status.

Several days later, Lisa Falkenberg elaborated on the same theme, urging "business leaders, foundations, alumni and other individuals" to get behind the move.

She left out another important set of leaders: area pols. For example, Mayor White and State Sen. Patrick can be pretty vocal on their pet issues (for better or worse). Why can't they get vocal about UH flagship status (in a truly bipartisan fashion)? Ditto other local pols.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/03/08 01:01 PM |

01 August 2008

City: recycle or else (just throw it away)

Houston may be tops in buying renewable energy, but some city neighborhoods are not doing their part when it comes to recycling:

After enduring years of lagging participation, city solid waste officials are making good on a promise to kick some neighborhoods' recycling service from the curb.

Harry Hayes, the city's solid waste director, recently sent letters to residents in 43 Houston neighborhoods, threatening to stop collecting their recyclables.

The roughly 23,000 households were told that they must improve their participation rates to prove that servicing their neighborhoods is worth the cost, particularly in light of high diesel fuel prices.

Participation in those neighborhoods, city officials say, has fallen below 10 percent, with some as low as 2 percent. Other areas see as high as 70 percent participation, according to a 2006 survey.

"In too many cases, the department's trucks must drive through entire neighborhoods to collect only a few bins," Hayes wrote in the letter to residents. "Those neighborhoods that do not improve their set-out rates will be dropped from the program at the end of this calendar year."

How much gas is wasted and pollution created to have those recycling trucks drive around picking up almost nothing?

People have to want to recycle, or they have to be "encouraged" (forced) to recycle. Some Northern California cities do the latter by providing one small-sized trash can, several containers for recyclables, and a poster-sized diagram of what goes where. Since landfill space is at a premium in California, there is little alternative.

Thankfully, this is Texas where we still have the freedom to choose whether or not to recycle.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 08/01/08 06:01 AM |

[Previous 20 Entries] [Next 20 Entries]

 SITE MENU

+Home
+About
+Archives
+BH Commentary (RSS)
+Bloggers
+Blogroll
+Contact Us
+Forum
+Local News Headlines
+Syndication
+Twitter