From: garbuttd@national-citymortgage.com
To: info@houstonheights.org, hebert@enron.com, trent.a.hebert1@jsc.nasa.gov, deedrestrictions@houstonheights.org, announcements@houstonheights.org, dmarkey@pdq.net, ranhorn@aol.com
Date: 2001-12-05 17:40:20+00:00
Subject: RE: Protect Your Most Important Investment with Deed Restrictions

I rent a small cottage in the Heights and have lived in the Heights for the
past 8 years.  I love it for the very reasons Jeff Balke has stated.  I also
love not having to get on the freeway to drive to work every day - I used to
live in Kingwood.  I don't want to see huge townhomes built on every
available property because ten years from architectural styles will change
again and some of this new construction will appear even more ugly than it
is now.  Just my opinion.

Diane Garbutt
National City Mortgage
3800 Buffalo Speedway, Suite 520
Houston, Texas 77098
713/892-1055
713/892-1058 Fax
garbuttd@National-Citymortgage.com

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Zero Zero 8 Productions - Jeff Balke
[SMTP:jeff@zerozero8.com]
	Sent:	Wednesday, December 05, 2001 10:41 AM
	To:	info@houstonheights.org; HEBERT, TRENT A. (JSC-CB) (USA);
deedrestrictions@houstonheights.org; announcements@houstonheights.org;
dmarkey@pdq.net; RAnhorn@aol.com
	Subject:	Re: Protect Your Most Important Investment with Deed
Restrictions

	Well, this isn't Kingwood (thank God).  It is one thing to eliminate
	businesses that create a significant problem for traffic, noise or
whatever
	else.  It is another altogether to eliminate the existence of
businesses.

	This is a community and, by definition, requires a little bit of
everything.
	I, personally, would hate to lose places where I can walk to eat
like Java
	Java or pick up some gardening supplies like Buchanan's or shop for
some
	antiques.  Those businesses are part of the charm of the community
that is
	the Heights.  Without them, we are just another deed restricted
suburb of
	Houston.

	Jeff
	Zero Zero 8 Productions
	Music - Digital Audio - Web Design
	http://www.zerozero8.com/

	> From: "HEBERT, TRENT A. (JSC-CB) (USA)"
<trent.a.hebert1@jsc.nasa.gov>
	> Reply-To: info@houstonheights.org
	> Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2001 10:17:42 -0600
	> To: "'info@houstonheights.org'" <info@houstonheights.org>,
"HEBERT, TRENT A.
	> (JSC-CB) (USA)" <trent.a.hebert1@jsc.nasa.gov>,
	> deedrestrictions@houstonheights.org,
announcements@houstonheights.org,
	> dmarkey@pdq.net, RAnhorn@aol.com
	> Subject: RE: Protect Your Most Important Investment with Deed
Restrictions
	>
	> So Bob,
	> Are you saying that if I sign a Deed Restriction on my home that
does not
	> limit me to opening a "low traffic" business there?  What is the
limit 3
	> cars per day, 3 cars per hour, or what?  What is the definition of
"low
	> traffic?"  Some could submit that a tire repair shop only gets 3
to 5
	> customers per day.  That sounds low traffic to me.  However, I bet
that with
	> employees and customers a law office, real estate or mortgage
office gets
	> about that same amount of traffic.
	>
	> The reality is that neither a law office nor a tire shop have a
vested
	> interest in the community as would a private residence.
	>
	> This all started with HHA asking folks to sign deed restrictions
on our
	> property.  My issue is that they are making a big deal about folks
singing
	> deed restrictions but out of the other side of their mouth they
are not
	> doing anything about the businesses that are coming into the
community.  It
	> seems there is always a lot of effort to beautify the Blvd and I
ask why
	> make the Blvd so beautiful for all the businesses.  If that is the
case then
	> lets say - lets beautify the business park!
	>
	> So what I hear you saying is that it would be okay if Perry Homes
opened a
	> "model home" office on Heights Blvd as this would be "low traffic"
the same
	> as our law office or mortgage company.
	>
	> Personally I think that either we live in a business park or a
neighborhood.
	> Allowing some businesses and not all businesses is not an option.
	>
	>
	> Trent Hebert
	> Astronaut Office - Flight Crew Engineering
	> E-Mail:  trent.a.hebert1@jsc.nasa.gov
	> Phone:  281-244-7336
	> Pager:  713-501-7300
	> Fax:  281-244-8545
	>
	>
	> -----Original Message-----
	> From: Bob Pearson [mailto:bobpearson@pdq.net]
	> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 9:40 AM
	> To: info@houstonheights.org; HEBERT, TRENT A. (JSC-CB);
	> deedrestrictions@houstonheights.org;
announcements@houstonheights.org;
	> dmarkey@pdq.net; RAnhorn@aol.com
	> Subject: Re: Protect Your Most Important Investment with Deed
	> Restrictions
	>
	>
	> There has never, to my knowledge, been an objection to
professional
	> offices on Heights Blvd.  We have a number that fit in very well.
these
	> include law offices, real estate offices, and other low traffic
businesses.
	> The objection has been to high traffic retail establishments such
as the
	> Church's Fried Chicken.
	> Another point to answer:  The Heights was designed to be a mix of
large
	> houses for the wealthy and modest bungalows for the rest of us.
The early
	> developers had no problem putting a Victorian mansion next to a
Craftsman
	> bungalow.
	> For the person that though Perry Homes would be improving the
	> neighborhood, I say "hog wash"!
	> As I stated at the Land Use Committee Monday night there is
nothing more
	> dangerous than the "it is better than what was there" approach.  I
gave the
	> example of the ugly almost townhouses going up at 11th and Oxford.
Yes,
	> there was a used tire shop there previously, but we didn't get rid
of it it
	> just moved across the street.  Now we have both the tire shop and
the
	> townhouses.
	> A lot of the e-mails in this thread seem to be from newcomers and
it is
	> gratifying to see them interested, but they need to take the time
to learn
	> the nuances of the Heights.  A good place to start is the book
History of
	> Houston Heights 1891-1918 by Sister Agatha.  It is no longer in
print, but
	> it is available at the library.
	> Bob Pearson
	> ----- Original Message -----
	> From: "Hatcher, Melissa" <Melissa.Hatcher@WBR.com>
	> To: <trent.a.hebert1@jsc.nasa.gov>; <info@houstonheights.org>;
	> <deedrestrictions@houstonheights.org>;
<announcements@houstonheights.org>;
	> <dmarkey@pdq.net>; <RAnhorn@aol.com>
	> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 7:53 AM
	> Subject: RE: Protect Your Most Important Investment with Deed
Restrictions
	>
	>
	>> I agree with Mr. Trent!  I remember being horrified when I heard
about the
	>> lawyers buying it.  I was so disappointed, but then again I
thought
	>> something along those lines would happen as I heard about the
price for
	> the
	>> home getting higher and higher.  Most families would be hard
pressed to
	>> afford such a house.  However, having the choice of the
apartments that
	> were
	>> there and the lawyers' offices in the Victorian style building, I
would
	>> chose the lesser evil (the new construction) anytime.
	>>
	>> Should HHA spend more time working with (or against!) some of the
owners
	> who
	>> possess multiple properties?  I hate to use the term slum-lords,
but then
	>> again I want to call it as I see it.  Some owners of rental
properties in
	>> the Heights seem to be squeezing every last penny out of their
rentals,
	> and
	>> not putting any of that back into maintaining their holdings.  As
a
	> result,
	>> houses fall into disarray; their ability to attract people who
take pride
	> in
	>> their homes diminishes, and a spiral of destruction begins.
Surely there
	> is
	>> some set of codes in existence for which these owners can be held
	>> accountable?
	>>
	>> I agree we should be concerned with the demolition of some of the
homes,
	> but
	>> if the properties had been maintained in the first place, maybe
demolition
	>> would not have been the only answer.  I guess my point is, why
are we
	>> creating so much grief for people who want to bring money into
the Heights
	>> and allowing those who simply want to take the money out to
continue on
	> with
	>> their neglect?
	>>
	>> -----Original Message-----
	>> From: HEBERT, TRENT A. (JSC-CB) (USA)
	>> [mailto:trent.a.hebert1@jsc.nasa.gov]
	>> Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2001 3:27 PM
	>> To: 'deedrestrictions@houstonheights.org';
	>> announcements@houstonheights.org; 'dmarkey@pdq.net'
	>> Subject: RE: Protect Your Most Important Investment with Deed
	>> Restrictions
	>>
	>>
	>> Debbie,
	>> I was curious as to what the HHA did to try and prevent the
Lawyer's
	> office
	>> from buying the property at 18th and Heights Blvd.  I believe it
is the
	> one
	>> designed after the Cooley house.
	>>
	>> I was very, very upset when I learned that the house of which so
much
	>> attention was paid and so much publicity was made about returning
the
	> Cooley
	>> house to the Blvd that in fact what has happened is that it is an
"office
	>> building."  I know for the moment there is grass in the front and
side
	> yard
	>> but I can already tell that a parking lot will be coming soon as
there is
	> no
	>> place to park.
	>>
	>> Did HHA do anything before the house was built or during
construction to
	> try
	>> and convince the builder/owner to sign a deed restriction on that
	> property?
	>> What happened?
	>>
	>> I guess I am having a hard time with keeping Perry Homes out when
we let
	>> such a situation occur on Heights Blvd.  Especially on the west
side of
	>> Heights Blvd where there is still much room for improvement.
Don't get me
	>> wrong, I hate those "big box" style town homes but if money talks
as it
	>> appears it did at 18th and Heights then I cannot help but believe
that my
	>> property value will increase if new constructed town homes are
built to
	> the
	>> west of Heights Blvd.
	>>
	>> If you would like to discuss this further please feel free to
e-mail me
	> back
	>> or call me at home.  My number at home is 713-864-9889.
	>>
	>> I look forward to hearing from you on this matter.
	>>
	>> Trent
	>>
	>> Trent Hebert
	>> Astronaut Office - Flight Crew Engineering
	>> E-Mail:  trent.a.hebert1@jsc.nasa.gov
	>> Phone:  281-244-7336
	>> Pager:  713-501-7300
	>> Fax:  281-244-8545
	>>
	>>
	>> -----Original Message-----
	>> From: Debbie Markey [mailto:dmarkey@pdq.net]
	>> Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 6:02 PM
	>> To: announcements@houstonheights.org
	>> Subject: Protect Your Most Important Investment with Deed
Restrictions
	>>
	>>
	>> Deed Restrictions are the best tool that the property owners in
the
	>> Houston Heights have to curb over-development and the
encroachment of
	>> commercial businesses.  A signed deed restriction document
protects the
	>> investment you have made in your property by restricting
undesirable
	>> development.  These restrictions do not restrict you from
painting your
	>> house any color you like, putting up fences, adding garage
apartments,
	>> or remodeling your property in any way.  Once signed, a deed
restriction
	>> applies only to the specified property to which it applies and is
an
	>> effective tool ensuring future protection, despite changes in
future
	>> ownership.  More important, even if your entire block is not deed
	>> restricted, the existence of deed restricted properties within a
block
	>> can often benefit the entire neighborhood by limiting developers'
	>> choices in future construction on not only that specific lot, but
also
	>> adjacent properties.
	>>
	>> The Houston Heights Association ("HHA") is not a homeowners
association.
	>> The HHA is prohibited from assessing maintenance fees and cannot
put a
	>> lien against your home.  Why?  As a volunteer-based 501(c)(3)
charitable
	>> organization, the HHA is dependent upon volunteers to donate time
and
	>> effort to maintain community assets and services that improve our
	>> quality of life; these include Donovan Park, Marmion Park, the
Fire
	>> Station at 12th and Yale and the esplanade of Heights Boulevard.
	>> Volunteers coordinate all the fundraisers for these properties
and the
	>> projects that the HHA supports.  HHA's four biggest fundraisers
are the
	>> Spring Home Tour, the Fun Run, the Heights Festival and the
Holiday Home
	>> Tour.  Monies raised by these fundraisers go right back into your
	>> Houston Heights Neighborhood.
	>>
	>> The Deed Restriction effort initially started when concerned
residents
	>> saw their property values plummet in the late 1970's. Volunteers
crafted
	>> a document that would enable our neighborhood to slow down and/or
	>> prevent commercial development.  Large businesses were moving in
and
	>> depleting the historical housing stock by destroying the houses
or
	>> turning the houses into businesses that were not desirable for
the
	>> neighborhood.  With Houston's absence of zoning, deed
restrictions in
	>> the Houston Heights were their only method of preventing
commercial
	>> encroachment.  While the restrictions spurned businesses that
invited
	>> 18-wheel truck traffic, unsightly dumpsters that were emptied at
early
	>> morning hours, and the use of paved front yards as parking lots,
the
	>> restrictions did allow small businesses and arts and crafts
enthusiasts
	>> to co-exist with the neighborhood. Currently there are
approximately
	>> 1,034 Heights properties protected by deed restrictions and HHA
	>> volunteers make themselves available to answer questions and
attend deed
	>> restriction signups and other Civic Association meetings to talk
about
	>> the positive results of deed restricting a neighborhood.
	>>
	>> The HHA recently revised the restrictions to protect the
neighborhood
	>> from dense townhouse construction and encourage preservation of
some of
	>> the few remaining larger lots in the Houston Heights.  By early
2002 the
	>> revised restrictions will be voted on by those properties that
are
	>> currently restricted.  Their passage is vitally important to
encourage
	>> development that suits the character of the Houston Heights.
Their need
	>> is immediate and severe.  In the fall of 2001, Perry Homes
purchased
	>> large tracts of land on the West Side of Heights Boulevard.  Its
plan is
	>> to build townhouses rather than single-family homes.
Representatives
	>> from the HHA have thus far unsuccessfully met with Perry Homes to
	>> encourage them to build period-style single-wall constructed
homes.  The
	>> passage of amended deed restrictions and their ongoing wide
spread
	>> adoption is the most significant tool our neighborhood has to
stop over
	>> development and the mass construction of townhouses.
	>>
	>> For more information please phone 713-861-4002, mailbox 1 or
visit the
	>> website at www.houstonheights.org.
	>