Afton Oak Post

Af t on Oak s Post The Of f icial Newsm agazine of t he Af t on Oaks Civic Club, I nc.

Febr uar y 2017

RI V ER OA K S DI STRI CT One Year A f ter Openi ng: Th e I mpact on A f ton Oak s

Con ten ts 3

Fr om t he Pr esident

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AOWC Plans 2017 Event s

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River Oaks Dist r ict - One Year I n

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I s METRO r et ur ning t o Richm ond?

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AO Moves Trash Cont ract t o VF

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Cr im e St at s f or 2016

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Builder Liaison Keeping Eyes Out

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Tr ees in AO Get Pr ot ect ion

Afton Oaks Post is published by the Afton Oaks Civic Club, Inc., P.O. Box 22402, Houston, Texas 77227-2402. www.aftonoaks.org To reach us, email newsletter@aftonoaks.org.

For advertising information, email advertising@aftonoaks.org.

Fr om th e Pr esiden t

Mark E. Worscheh, 2017 President

W

elcome to a new day for Afton Oaks, the relaunch of the Afton Oaks Post. Last year, we were hoping our outsourced newsletter venture with the ?In the Oaks? publisher would take off, but alas never did.

An Afton Oaks resident, Jan Novick, inspired us to recreate our own publication. If we could generate the content, she said she?d help pull it together and sell the display ads we needed to fund it ? and so, here?s issue #1 and off we go with an all-color, quarterly publication. We thank our advertising launch partners for helping us get started.

We hope this hybrid of a newsletter and a magazine gives you both a better sense of what ?s going on in your Civic Club, and also reports more fully on trends that impact your home and your enjoyment of Afton Oaks. This month, we report on the River Oaks District, and in coming issues will look in more depth at METRO, real estate trends, construction trends, nearby developments and more. Plus, we'll have AO residents comment on wine, restaurants and other topics. It ?s one more way we can communicate with you.

The other ways to stay in the Afton Oaks information loop are by being sure you?re signed up for our email updates (go to www.aftonoaks.org to sign up), coming to a quarterly meeting, or firing off a question or comment to president@aftonoaks.org. On page 15 of this issue, you can also see how to contact the Board member in charge of any particular service area, if you have a question or comment.

Thanks for reading our inaugural issue, and let us know what you think at newsletter@aftonoaks.org.

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A f ton Oak s Women's Cl ub Pl ans Ful l Sl ate of 2017 Ev ents

The Wildlife Center of Texas's Randolph Watson tells about how the group rescues animals and returns them to the wild (above), while a little one enjoys an ice cream at Kettering Park (below).

The AOWC gathers for the annual Halloween festival. From L to R: Vicki Crum, Devonee Powell-Hays, Dr. Lida Dahm, Susan Lynn and Catherine Herring.

What makes a neighborhood great? It can be many things: traditions, people, public spaces, architecture, trees, birds and sense of community, to name a few.

With the constant influx of neighbors moving into Afton Oaks and the increasing commercial activity growing around us it seemed like having a group for neighbors to meet and talk could enhance life here.

In 2013, after some discussion with our Afton Oaks Board, the Afton Oaks Women?s Club (AOWC) was born.

Our purpose is to enjoy each other 's company, inspire each other, network and welcome new neighbors!

In the past three years, the AOWC has had happy hours, coffees, caroling in Triangle Park, an Easter treasure hunt, a presentation/demonstration by the American Heart Association, a live presentation by the Texas Wildlife Center with owls, ducklings, and possums, and a Ukrainian egg decorating presentation by an artist. We brought lunch to HPD at downtown and Richmond precinct offices. We have had valuable discussions, made new friends and lent a helping hand to one neighbor who Page 4 -

was ill.

This year at all our events we plan to collect toiletries to be given to the women at Star of Hope women's shelter. If you would like to join us, suggest an event, or have an event at your house please contact us at aftonoakswomen@gmail.com.

Our motto is: "The golden age is before us not behind us.? - William Shakespeare Why don?t you join us in 2017 at some of these events: -

Thur sday, Mar ch 9, 9:00 -10:30am Coffee in Triangle Park, all are welcome to join us (in case of rain, meet at 4737 Banning)

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Wednesday, Apr il 19, 6:00 - 7:30pm Happy Hour at Rebecca McDonald's home, 3122 Kettering

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Wednesday, May 10, 3:30 - 5:30pm Ice Cream Social at Triangle Park . . . bring the whole family and make a sundae!

River Oak s Dist r ict Finishes Year One Afton Oaks residents seem to love the nearby restaurants and amenities -- plus the traffic's not so bad. Is Phase II on the way?

by Mark Worscheh

Lunch at Le Colonial

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hen

San Diegobased developer Oliver McMillan announced grandiose plans for a $600 million ?River Oaks District ? back in 2007, there was a collective groan within the Afton Oaks neighborhood at thoughts of steady streams of traffic, workers and guests to the massive complex, which was to include hotels, an office complex and more.

Fortunately for AO, the Great Recession put a dampener on those plans, but by 2011 the more scaleddown $400+ million version that is in place now began to take shape.

And it ?s still impressive. The tony streets, glittering lights and chic ambience has lured many of the world?s best brands to town in a current edition of what the Galleria did for the Houston retail scene more than forty years ago. The developer calls it the ?Rodeo Drive? of Houston. "We aim to deliver the ultimate shopping, dining and residential experience in Houston," says River Oaks District General Manager Erick Klafter.

Hermès, Dior, Cartier and Harry Winston lead the luxury purveyors, while the restaurant landscape covers a wider range of territory, from Austin?s cool- vibe burger bar HopDoddy to mid-price Le Colonial and Taverna, to Steak 48, which tests one's expense account limits.

On top of all that, there's the new age iPic theater, which combines moviewatching with airline firstclass pod seating amenities, comfort and food.

So, has it been good for Afton Oaks? Opinions are varied, but it seems the answer for most is yes.

Residents seem to like having the restaurants and movie theater nearby, even walkable ? even if they don?t hit the shops that much. ?I think River Oaks District is great for Afton Oaks, creating more value for our neighborhood," said Jeff Elliott, whose home is adjacent to Kettering. "The traffic?s picked

up, though. I?d say it ?s up maybe 30%, with more cars speeding, and the City?s got to lengthen the left turn light timing to get onto Westheimer from Kettering.?

The looming fear from AO residents back in 2012 was the traffic impact, and Afton Oaks Civic Club officers lobbied hard for the City to support the neighborhood in its efforts to find ways to mitigate anticipated cut- through traffic. The developer begrudgingly went along with investigating alternatives, perhaps realizing it had to be responsive after accepting as much as $19 million in City sales tax rebates to reimburse it for infrastructure improvements.

AOCC retained a traffic engineering firm and worked with City of Houston Public Works staff to generate possibilities and alternatives. Early on, it became clear there would be no way to close the intersection ? it was too vital for all users, and physical barriers such as curbs in the middle of Westheimer were deemed too dangerous.

In the end, the best solution was indeed an imperfect one ? the prohibition of northbound AOexiting traffic from heading straight into River Oaks District, and the same restriction on District- exiting traffic from coming south into Afton Oaks, indicated by lights and signage. AO Board members and residents lobbied City Council to approve the design, reversing an earlier denial.

The blinking yellow and green arrow signaling is confusing for some, but it seems to have had some impact, in particular on preventing exiting River Oaks District patrons from heading south. But it hasn?t been a negative. ?Our patrons haven?t said a word about the signal, not at all, and we?re drawing customers from all over the city,? said Jennifer Rivera, Marketing Director for River Oaks District. ?They?re effective at diverting traffic trying to cut through,? said Rhonda Terracini, AO Board Presi-

dent from 2013- 2014, ?but many residents of Afton Oaks are themselves ignoring the signals and cutting through the intersection, making it dangerous for all. It ?s not hard to turn right to use the garage entrance to the east, which is both faster and safer.?

So, what does the future hold for River Oaks District? The property is more than 85% leased now, with only a couple of key spots available. The prime corner at the northeast corner of Kettering and Westheimer is a highly attractive restaurant site, while a big retail

"I t's gr eat for Afton Oa ks, cr eating mor e va lue for the neighbor hood.

But the tr a ffic's picked up."

- Jeff Elliott

space between Steak 48 and Taverna remains unleased. ?We?re quite selective about who we want in the development, and we?ve already got a pretty good idea about who?s going in the remaining spaces,? said Rivera. ?We want to invite everyone in the community to experience it. Yes, it has the high end, but we have other retailers everyone can shop with, and also enjoy the food, lights and storefronts. We?re all about delivering the experience.?

What will happen to the west across Westcreek Lane remains the biggest question for the development. In June 2016, Oliver McMillan and its hedge fund equity backer Baupost Group sold a 97.5% stake continued on page 12

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Rumbl i ngs at M ETRO Suggest " Rai l on Ri ch mond" M ay Reappear on I ts Publ i c A genda

by Chris Seger

F

or 26 years, the Afton Oaks CIvic Club has joined other neighborhoods and businesses up and down Richmond Avenue in fierce opposition to building light rail on Richmond Avenue. This rail will split our neighborhood in half? north to south.

METRO has persisted in its attempts to have rail on Richmond Avenue, and we have learned that the agency is mounting another attack in February.

failed when it was built.

In 2003 a city-wide referendum was held to get bonding authority from the citizens of Houston to expand light rail beyond the existing Main Street line. The ballot for the November 2003 referendum contained the following abbreviated description of the proposed transit route: "Westpark ? Wheeler Station to Hillcroft Transit Center ". There was no mention of Richmond Avenue.

METRO is trying to hide the fact that they nullified our vote by changing the name of this route to the ?University Line,? thinking that after 14 years Houstonians will forget they voted to have it on Westpark in the first place.

destroy mature and magnificent oak trees all up and down Richmond, such as we have in our Richmond Avenue esplanade. A count was made in 2004 that showed 86 enormous Live Oak trees that would be cut down if rail were built.

Well, we in Afton Oaks have not forgotten, and here are some facts behind AOCC's position.

Building rail on Richmond Avenue will:

reduce vehicular traffic and general mobility along Richmond. Trains will have precedence at intersections and the smooth-running boulevard that is Richmond Avenue will no longer exist. increase risk to travelers on Richmond from the 66? high pressure water line that lies very near the surface of Richmond Avenue from Wheeler to Drexel.

Westpark remains the most desirable route because: METRO already owns the Westpark right-of-way!

They paid $74,000,000 for this right-of-way and it can be used without much difficulty today. there is great potential to increase property values along Westpark. there will be no loss of vehicular traffic lanes on Westpark as will be lost on Richmond Avenue

substantially and negatively impact the quality of life in Afton Oaks. The construction period will take over two years, and thereafter we will have a dangerous, fast-moving train slicing through our neighborhood every six minutes or so. We will also have a significant problem with rail stations in and near our neighborhood. Light rail in Houston has been described as a ?rolling homeless shelter.?

Westpark will service the communities of Bellaire and West University.

seriously hamper ingress and egress from Afton Oaks. We will no longer have the opportunity to turn east or west at Newcastle. This rail project will necessitate the closure of all median openings, except at signalized intersections. Motorists desiring to turn left onto side streets will be required to continue through to the next signalized intersection and execute a U-turn movement.

Greenway Plaza can be reached from Westpark with an approved connector, such as an aerial crossover.

decimate small businesses during and after construction. During the two years of construction every small business on Richmond Avenue will be faced with failure, just as many of those on the Main Street line

Westpark already has an existing bridge over the Union Pacific railroad. there are six bridges that cross the Southwest Freeway between Spur 527 and Shepherd, providing access to Westpark from Richmond and lower Richmond.

Westpark has none of the flooding problems that exist on Richmond Avenue and does not have a high pressure water line under the route.

Building rail on Richmond would be a disaster for Afton Oaks, and our quality of life would suffer forever from this intrusive project. We will report more about it in a future issue, but make it a point to attend meetings that METRO will hold as they try to sell the concept.

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VF t ak es ov er w ast e ser v i ce con t r act f r om Rep u bl i c

By Rhonda Terracini

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WhyDoesn't VFAccept Glassfor Recycling?

Glass is one of the more problematic materials to recycle.

Not only does it cross-contaminate other materials and cause injuries, but the recovery value has plummeted and it?s expensive to handle. When the value of everything else in the bin is high, there?s enough profit to cover it -- but when the value of the other recoverables (aluminum, plastic, etc.) falls, then it?s the first to go. That?s it, in a nutshell.

By way of background, VF Waste, as well as most waste service providers in the US, utilize a system called Single-Sort Recycling (SSR), where mixed items get sorted at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). SSR increases customer participaLorem amet consetetur sadipscing elitr. tion,ipsum butdolor alsositleads to higher levels of cross-contamination.

An example would be pieces of broken glass getting into the fibers of paper, which makes the paper no longer recyclable.

Glass also causes machine malfunctions at MRFs due to the weight and causes injuries among workers.

Even with these issues, at one point it was still profitable to process glass at a MRF. The market began changing in 2013, when China enacted its "Green Fence? policy, which led to higher levels of rejection of incoming shipped recycling. At the time, China was responsible for 40% of the end stage recycling demand. Then, in 2014, the price of oil and gas dropped. This caused a dive in the price of plastics, and it got so extreme that it cost $0.06/pound less to create new plastic from oil/gas feedstock than to recycle used plastic.

Glass may find its way back into recycling bins someday. In the meantime, you may bring it to the recycle center at 5900 Westpark or dispose of it with your household waste.

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After more than 19 years with Republic Services and its predecessors (Allied Waste, BFI), Afton Oaks has changed to a new waste services provider, VF Waste Services. Our contract with Republic was up for renewal and the company proposed a whopping 60% rate increase. Your Board of Directors requested proposals from other service providers and selected VF Waste Services due to its affordability, first class service and stellar recommendations from neighborhoods such as Tanglewood and Briargrove.

VF Waste Services was incorporated in 1997, and since then has set out to be the premier waste company in the community.

They believe in providing ?White Glove Service? to their clients which means leaving the communities spotless, their trucks clean, and their employees professional. In late 2015, they were acquired by Waste Corporation of America. Their operations were not merged with WCA and they are now part of WCA's luxury division.

Members can expect the same or better level of service from VF, with twice weekly garage door waste collection, once weekly curbside recycling and heavy trash collection.

Collection of household waste is on Mondays and Thursdays from an area near your garage door or in front of your driveway gate, if the gate is closed. Curbside recycling moves to MONDAYS. You do not need to sort your recyclables, but GLASS is NOT accepted. Heavy trash curbside collection is on Thursdays and limited to two (2) items per week.

Please visit www.aftonoaks.org (see the Garbage Collection tab) for a detailed listing of accepted items and information on what to do if there is a missed pickup or any other problem.

Good Boy! SEAL officer Peter Werner enjoys the nice February 1 day before the Super Bowl with Serrano, his Belgian Malinois, a breed which is often used for police and patrol action.

Peter and Serrano remind you not to leave valuable things visible in your car or truck -- lets bring that BMV rate down! To call S.E.A.L., dial the dedicated AO line at (713) 201-3535.

Pr op dam age, BM Vs t op cr im e t ally

By David Oliver

lines, we could eliminate most of the criminal activity we currently see.

Reported criminal activity to S.E.A.L. Security in 2016 for Afton Oaks tallied 48 events, with no robberies and only six home burglaries noted. Eighteen property damage incidents and 12 burglaries of motorized vehicles (BMVs) topped the list again this year. While the BMV category is self-explanatory, the property damage category includes things like car damage to a fire hydrant, street sign, or fence, graffiti on a wall or fence, and damage to landscaping or yard decorations.

To create less inviting situations at your home, please close garage doors, secure gates, lock doors and windows, and turn on alarms when leaving home. If you have an alarm, remember S.E.A.L. should be on the call list right after HPD. All armed responses to alarms are free with S.E.A.L. and normally results in a quicker response time from a S.E.A.L. officer on patrol in the neighborhood.

According to S.E.A.L., the vast majority of criminal activity in Afton Oaks can be described as crimes of opLorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur sadipscing elitr. portunity. Officers assigned to Afton Oaks have indicated major contributors to criminal activity in our neighborhood are unlocked vehicles, open garages, unlocked doors and windows, inactive alarms, and inadequate lighting. If we follow the following simple guide-

Invest in security lighting for your home and also report street light outages to the City of Houston.

- To reduce theft from automobiles, lock your car doors and don?t leave anything valuable in your car overnight or for an extended period of time (or at least not in plain view).

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River Oak s Dist r ict 's Ph ase II t o Com e, Det ails Un k n ow n continued from page 8

in the development for $536 million to J.P. Morgan?s JPMCB Strategic Property Fund, a $31 billion fund that invests in premier, core real estate assets across the U.S. That ?s the good news for Afton Oaks ? the new owner is a stable, long- term owner, willing to pay a record price for Houston mixed-use real estate.

With the sale went the 97- year ground lease on 3.4 acres where LePeep and Sullivan?s Steakhouse is now. Original River Oaks District Phase II plans indicated a 455,000 square footsadipscing expansion Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consetetur elitr. that included a hotel, office space, residential and more retail. ?I don?t have any plans to share at this time,? said Rivera. The ground lease payments on the parcel step up sharply in January 2018, so there?s pressure to put a plan in place. Sources suggest Le Peep is moving to Mid Lane before year 's end. ?It ?s a great development, and I really like the walkability,? says Terracini. ?There is more pedestrian traffic through our neighborhood, not only our mem-

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bers walking to the development, but residents of ROD's Grey House apartments jogging and walking their dogs along our streets. It ?s good for us, too.?

AOCC's Bu ilder Liaison Keepin g Eye on Pr oject s

by Mike Hays Currently there are 35 home improvement or new construction projects ongoing in Afton Oaks, varying from empty lots just beginning sitework to new homes nearing completion. Four streets have five projects ongoing simultaneously.

Yar d of t h e M on t h TheAfton OaksWomen'sClubis relaunching itsYard of theMonth recognition program toencourage thedesign and maintenanceof fine yardsin Afton Oaks. With the January freeze, we'll all need a bit of redesign of our yardsand gardens!

For information or toserveon the judging committee, pleaseemail the AOWC at aftonoakswomen@ gmail.com. It'sa fun effort, and it takesyou tovisit themany streets of Afton Oaks!

Over the last few years, Afton Oaks has become a hot spot for re-development resulting in escalating home values. Many of our builders work hard to maintain AOCC Deed Restriction compliance and a safe, neat, well managed work site. Others, however, need encouragement. As the AOCC's Builder Liaison, my goals are to manage and maintain Deed Restriction compliance consistency across all builders and provide a focal point for input from our neighbors.

My role's purpose, applicable to both home improvement and new construction projects, is to increase awareness with homeowners and builders of their responsibility and obligation to comply with the Afton Oaks Deed Restrictions. I inspect home improvement and new construction projects for compliance with deed restrictions on an ongoing basis and take action as needed with the project ?s homeowner and builder to cause compliance, and I provide a monthly compliance report to AOCC?s Board of Directors.

Afton Oaks neighbors with concerns or complaints regarding home improvement or new constructions projects should contact AOCC?s Builder Liaison at builder@aftonoaks.org for review and possible resolution.

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Tr ees in Af t on Oaks Need Car e, Get Pr ot ect ion

by Chris Seger When Afton Oaks was laid out in the early 60s, new residents were eager to have beautiful trees with large canopies, so they planted many oaks. These trees were principally White Oaks or Live Oaks, and they are very important to the beauty of Afton Oaks today.

The White Oak (Querqus alba) is a fairly fast growing tree that is pyramidal in shape when young, but has a distinctively round, canopy shape when mature. The leaves are blue-green on top and have rounded lobes.

White Oaks can attain a height of 75?or more and live quite long in the wild, but unfortunately don?t have such a long life in an urban setting. Sadly, many of the original White Oaks are at the end of their lives.

Live Oak is a general term for a number of unrelated oaks in several different sections of the genus Quercus that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. They are called Live Oaks because they remain green and ?live? throughout winter, when other oaks are dormant and leafless. Examples are the majestic trees down the middle of our Newcastle esplanade. Mature Live Oaks have spreading limbs that extend great distances from the main trunk, making awesome, shady canopies.

Examples of new, smaller Live Oaks are in the park at Oakshire and Kettering. We replaced two enormous White Oaks (which reached the end of their lives) with several good sized Live Oaks that will grow to provide a wonderful shady canopy in years to come.

The AOCC is intensely interested in maintaining the original oaks in our neighborhood as long as possible, but we are planting new oaks wherever appropriate.

Because of our experience with White Oaks, we are now planting mostly from the Red Oak family (Shumard or Nuttall) or the dependable Live Oak, though the Monterrey Oak also makes a great tree.

Our deed restrictions are quite explicit about removing trees, so when a new house is being considered for an Afton Oaks lot, the Architectural Review Committee insists that all trees on the lot be surveyed prior to demolition. If removal of a major tree is absolutely unavoidable because of the new house?s footprint, the builder is obligated to replace it with at least a 200 gallon, healthy tree. Most builders are concerned about trees and routinely submit surveys to the ARC and meet for discussion prior to demolition and construction.

Please do your part to keep trees on your lot healthy and attractive. Be careful when trimming and water frequently? even a mature tree? if we experience a prolonged drought. If you plant a new tree, be especially careful to keep it watered regularly.

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Afton Oaks Book Club Kicks Off The Book Club started late last Fall, inviting men as well as women. We have many avid readers in our neighborhood and thought it would be fun to get together and discuss books with our neighbors. It is interesting, and a bonus is that we get to know the neighbors better. We are still a club in its "infancy" but we have a great but small group already (including two men!). We meet the first Monday of each month at 4527 Ivanhoe St., 7:00-8:30pm. It's casual and even if people haven't finished the book, we find plenty to talk about. For info, email Vicki Crum at crumvickitx@gmail.com.

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P.O.Box22402 Houston,Texas77227-2402

QUICK REMINDERS: -

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