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Leader Listing The Leader • Saturday, February 23, 2019 • Page 1B
Hines variances approved for 34th Street complex Equipment and Tejas Office Products – also are part of the deal that will offer a total of 4.6 acres between addresses 1213 and 1239 on West 20th Street. Colliers is brokering the sale. Colliers’ Bill Byrd said the property is being offered as a whole and there are no restrictions on it.
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com At the city’s Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 14, Hines was approved for the three variances the company requested to build a fourstory, 383-unit “upscale multifamily residential complex” at 1015 W 34th St., the former site of a business, Seco Industrial Maintenance Control. Submitted by Windrose Land Services on behalf of Hines Multifamily division, the approved variances are: to allow a 20-foot right-ofway dedication along Gardendale Drive as opposed to the code-required 30 feet; to allow an alternate right-ofway turnaround configuration at the terminus of Gardendale Drive in lieu of a cul-de-sac; and to allow a reduced building setback of 10 feet along Gardendale Drive (local street) as opposed to the code-required 20 foot building setback. There is no word yet on the proposed timetable for the new development.
Photo supplied The Houston Planning Commission approved three variances for Hines to build a planned apartment complex along West 34th Street.
Large parcel for sale on West 20th Street AJ’s Landscaping & Design Inc. is giving up the land that formerly housed its Garden Expo, although the company will still maintain a presence there from its office at 1223 W 21st St. AJ’s Paul Thibodeaux said AJ’s would still operate as usual with its landscaping, yard maintenance and nursery components. The two businesses between the Garden Expo and Bevis Street – Houston Steel
Drift HTX to open this spring Also on West 20th Street, Drift HTX, a new bar to come at 1207 W. 20th St., is ready to begin its build out. It will join an already festive area
Photo supplied AJ’s is giving up the land that used to house the store’s Garden Expo.
Photo supplied Drift Bar at 1207 W. 20th St. should open its doors this spring.
that includes McIntyre’s, The Boot, Providence Heights Bar and Cedar Creek Cafe Bar & Grill. New businesses on 19th Not to be left out, 19th Street between North Shepherd Drive and T.C. Jester continues to grow with new businesses as well. There’s a sign up for the Roast N Brew House at a house at 931 W. 19th St. Its website mentions a subscription box option for coffee ordering. Closer to opening is Orange Artichoke Kitchen at 818 W 19th St. It touts a menu for grab-
and-go, order ahead and pickup. Sample dishes include Chipotle Lime Marinated Flank Steak, Coconut Cashew Curried Tofu, Vegan Chilled Cucumber soup and a variety of a la carte items. Personal chef Emily Ferrara said she is a proud native Houstonian with 20 years of experience split between cooking for restaurants and private clients. Ferrara was a sous chef at The Daily Review Cafe, Shade and Barcino and also the chef de cuisine at Trevisio. “Now I want to bring fresh, local food to a wider audience,” she said.
Strong sales, mixed prices kick off local markets’ 2019 dian home prices in this area fell 18.9 percent to $231,150. That represented the most significant year-over-year price drop in area neighborhoods.
By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com As the calendar flipped to 2019, home sales in Houston slowed slightly following a record-breaking 2018, while overall prices held fairly steady, according to the most recent report from the Houston Association of Realtors. In local neighborhoods, the report said sales and pricing markets both showcased simultaneous growth and accompanying fluctuations on both ends of the spectrum. The report said 4,100 single-family homes were sold in Houston in January 2019, compared to 4,462 in January 2018. That represents an 8.1 percent decline – the third straight month of falling sales. Single-family home median price increased 1.4 percent to $222,000 and the average price rose 2.4 percent to $277,483. “January appears to have delivered a perfect economic storm of sorts, with some consumers focused on paying off holiday credit card bills, others concerned about the recent bump in mortgage rates and still others that may have felt the squeeze from the partial government shutdown,” said HAR chair Shannon Cobb Ev-
Photo courtesy of Houston Association of Realtors Home sales in markets such as parts of the Garden Oaks and Oak Forest neighborhoods rose last month compared to January 2018.
ans of Heritage Texas Properties. “I believe that as inventory levels continue to grow, more buyers will return to the market.” 77018 In the central Garden Oaks and Oak Forest neighborhoods, January 2019 was a slight turn for the worse, with sales dipping to 21 compared to 24 the previous January. Its 12.5 percent downturn was 33 percent worse than the Greater Houston sales drop and the most significant among local neighborhoods. This area was one of only two local markets to exhibit signs of year-overyear decline. Additionally, home prices in these neighborhoods demonstrated significant dips. Aver-
age single-family home prices were down 5.5 percent to $492,725, while median home prices fell even more. The $399,000 figure represents a 6.8 percent drop from January 2018. 77092 Garden Oaks and Oak Forest’s western edge, which includes Scarborough High School and T.C. Jester Park, saw 12 homes come off the market last month – a 9.1 percent increase from the 11 sold during the same period last year. On the pricing front, average price figures held relatively steady year-over-year, with the $278,975 representing a 0.9 percent rise from January 2018. On the other hand, me-
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77008 In an area which includes much of the Heights as well as the Lazybrook/Timbergrove and Shady Acres neighborhoods, it was a bit of a slow month, with agents closing on 51 homes in January compared to 53 the previous year.
The 3.8 percent dip was one of only two year-over-year drops in local neighborhoods, though it still paled in comparison to the Houston area’s 8.1 percent drop. Meanwhile, home prices in those neighborhoods jumped during this past month. Average home prices rose to $559,906 – a 9.9 percent spike, which essentially quadrupled the Houston area’s 2.4 percent rise. Median prices sat at $467,500 – a 3.2 percent rise,
which more than doubled the overall Houston trend. 77009 On the eastern edge of the Heights sits the Woodland Heights, Sunset Heights and Near Northside neighborhoods. Agents serving these neighborhoods sold 28 homes last month, nearly identical to the 27 sold the previous year. Homeowners, meanwhile,
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