Harris County needs zoning laws now! (Houston, Austin: townhomes, maintenance, property tax)

[randian]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

I am all for bilboard and signage control - that would go a long way in cleaning up Houston's appearance.

I'm pretty sure they do. A real no limits place would look like Las Vegas. No so bad, really, since at least Las Vegas signs are interesting, whereas Houston signs tend to be boring and/or decrepit.

Businesses always want to make signs that are new, interesting, and visually appealing. If they aren't, it's usually a signal that whoever is approving signs is being jerks about it. Like zoning ordinances, sign ordinances devolve into political favoritism and a means for politicians to extract tribute from applicants. Want a new sign? Make a $5,000 contribution to the parks fund. What does that have to do with any supposed "impact" of new sign? Nothing at all, but they they demanded it because they could, and because "look at all the money I got for local parks" is politically advantageous in the next election.

[Kenpar]

Well to be honest I don't really look at the Billboards. Heck I don't pay attention to much advertising. But, I'm sure many do. I've been hearing about the Billboard Ordinance, but don't know much about it. I will have to do some research I guess.

What do you guys think of the streets? I mean they need to be fixed. I'm not the most knowledgeable of most of these subjects, haha. I'm sure it would cost more. I would just like to ride my bike without getting jolted every 5 seconds.

[randian]

Originally Posted by Kenpar

What do you guys think of the streets? I mean they need to be fixed.

I drove down Harwin yesterday. The street is crap. There are some monster potholes on Westheimer too. Houston would have plenty of money for street repair if it wasn't wasting money on light rail. It's spent what, a billion dollars? That's just capital costs, operating costs are enormous too. That's a hell of a lot of new and repaired road, and road has almost zero operating cost.

[jfre81]

Light rail construction means a completely redone adjacent road too. We're getting a new Richmond along with the University Line. Couldn't come soon enough.

[latetotheparty]

Originally Posted by Callo

I have to take issue with the idea that zoning laws would hurt the economy because it would discourage building.

Really, there's TOO MUCH building in Houston. Already there are countless vacant office buildings, storefronts, and strip centers all over the place. Why can't businesses do something with those instead of insisting that new construction take place? How many pizza joints and taco shops does one neighborhood really need?

A big part of the reason home prices in Texas are so cheap is because new homes are constantly being built. Putting the brakes on that will only improve prices all across the board.

callo .... i don't know how old you are or how long you have lived in houston, but i was born there in 1960 and grew up, lived and worked there until economics and other issues forced a move away in 1986.....

and guess what..... i remember "the grownups" talking about the need for zoning 40 years ago when the galleria (the original portion) was being built....... my dad, who passed 29 years ago, was more concerned with the sprawl than "undesirables" though.....

Originally Posted by jfre81

All that stuff is there because there's a market for it. If there isn't, they close.

So what you want to do is create an artificial shortage of housing so your property values will go up. Am I missing something?

ding ding ding .... jfre wins the prize.....

Originally Posted by Rich2010

I've been reading this thread with great interest. There are compelling arguments on both sides of the debate. Zoning laws imply zoning boards, bigger government, slower development, and higher prices. On the other hand, completely unrestricted development implies unwelcome externalities: traffic, noise, air pollution, ugliness.

So how does a community escape these antinomies?

It seems to me that the start of a good answer is in situating planning decisions at the local level, in a geographic unit of at most a few thousand people organized as a village, incorporated municipality, homeowners association, etc. The zoning board should be made up of elected volunteers, and its recommendations should have to be ratified by village voters.

I think the most livable villages will be those that provide for a mix of residences and shops within walking distance, and some industrial parks and a big-box mall on the periphery, where the highway is. This would provide a diverse, competitive, accessible shopping environment, reduced tax burdens for homeowners, and work near home for many.

Rather than just zoning for high income residents, I think it also would make sense for there to be some housing for lower income levels, so that those working in unskilled or semi-skilled jobs in the village shops, big-box stores, or industrial parks could live locally rather than commuting from distant cities. This would make for lower levels of rush-hour traffic and air pollution, a happier work force, and higher quality of life for the village as a whole.

With decisions made at the local level, as proposed by an elected volunteer zoning board, then ratified by the village as a whole, I think the burdens normally associated with zoning boards and impersonal, ever-growing government can be minimized and the benefits maximized.

But whatever the village decides on for its desired mix, there will be lots of competition between villages

well said......

and i meant to quote another of jfre's posts about the apartment construction of the 70's ..... because it is RIGHT ON...... i remember well the HUGE influx of people from the rust belt states..... their areas were dying and there was work to be had in houston...... and most did not have the ability to just pick up and move and buy a nice little house right off the bat...... so voila!! harold farb makes (or vastly increases) his fortune.......

as a young woman, i lived in several areas that i am saddened to read in here have gone downhill .... they were not bad back in the day.......the management did credit and reference checks, etc. ...... but if the economy of the mid-80's forced ME to move 1,000 miles away, i imagine that alot of those once well-employed rustbelt transplants had to do to the same..... when the slide really hit..... people (in droves) were just walking away from houses that they owed more on than they were worth.... banks were having foreclosure auctions in subdvisions every weekend...... there were jokes that what-a-burger was only interviewing mba's and phd's for their counter jobs....... i could go on, but you get the picture......

i don't understand something though..... are they still building apartments in callo's area?? or is the problem with apartments that predate his move to the area??

and a thought on the illegal immigrant "issue" ....... the latinos have been a part of Houston's (and my) landscape since time immemorial..... i even learned a lot of spanish from some that i worked with while i was in college..... i really don't get this hysteria of the last 5-10 years over this "new problem".....

as i wait for our temps to get into the 20's today so i can take my dogs out for some exercise, i would just about sell my soul to be back "home." granted, if things work out to my wish, i likely won't come back to houston, it's just too danged big for my taste anymore......

[AK123]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

I am all for bilboard and signage control - that would go a long way in cleaning up Houston's appearance.

I agree.
Although there's an ordinance, maybe it came too little too late and/or wasn't enforced well.
A reduction in the number of billboards and tall signs, as well as some restriction to keep the developers from mowing down every standing tree in sight, would go a huge way for Houston. That's what I enjoy so much about the Sugar Land area... very few billboards or tall signs. Also green space between the roads and parking lots. It's sooo nice to drive around. I don't care as much about the kind of land zoning that dictates what kind of development must go where (although there are some areas of Houston that are obviously over-developed in apartments in ratio to single-family homes.) But a lack of tall ugly billboards/signs, and more mature trees left up instead of being mowed down to be replaced with concrete everywhere, makes a world of difference IMO.

[cheryjohns]

Originally Posted by AK123

I agree.
I don't care as much about the kind of land zoning that dictates what kind of development must go where (although there are some areas of Houston that are obviously over-developed in apartments in ratio to single-family homes.)

Agree. I just read an article that apartments have a much higher vacancy rate than normal right now. You would think they would slow down the apartment construction for a little while.

[XodoX]

When you're going westbound on Richmond, then you'll see a sex club right before Unity Dr. Right next to the club, literally,you have several single family homes. So I'd say not many people care about this.

[jfre81]

Uh, the nearest single family homes to Centerfolds (I suppose that's the one you mean) are on the other side of Hillcroft, about a quarter mile away.

There's a headshop closer to them than Centerfolds.

[XodoX]

Well, I did say "literally". And that's what I mean. It's Legends Adult Entertaiment. Although these are big townhomes, not regular homes.