m s p d repaving recycling richmond! glass!kirby last month, but apparently pwe ... place much...

vol 25 no 4 april 2019

Repaving Richmond!

CM Cohen announced Richmond Ave. would receive a 1" blacktop cover to smooth out the potholes from Main to Kirby last month, but apparently PWE has found it cheaper to just do complete panel replacements with new concrete on the worst areas. Whatever the reason, we're delighted for some relief– at last!

Recycling Glass! As if the repaving of Richmond weren't enough to test credulity, the City also announced the resumption of glass recycling as a new City-owned recycling processing plant opened. Residents can immediately resume placing glass recyclables in the large green bins.

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Get your Maddest Hat and best dish together & Celebrate Spring MUSIC - MUNCHIES – MIRTH & MADNESS – SEE PAGE 2 FOR DETAILS!

~~ ~What ' s Next?~~~ FMC Board Establishes Standing Committee on Historic Preservation RESPONDING TO THE RECENT INCREASE IN SALES AND RENOVATIONS WITHIN THE NEIGHBOR-

HOOD, THE FMC BOARD HAS ESTABLISHED THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON HISTORIC

PRESERVATION TO MONITOR APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS, ASSIST

THE HISTORICAL AND ARCHEOLOGICAL COMMISSION TO MAKE DECISIONS APPROPRIATE (MORE PAGE. 2)

Scan & Renew now

On Common Ground April 2019

2

NSR 467

Engineer CONTACT INFORMATION:

ZACH MARTIN

Project Supervising Engineer United Engineers

832-731-7299

[email protected]

Please note – Mr. Martin should be contacted for all problems associated with NSR 467. He should not be contacted for problems caused by other contractors (such as CenterPoint or AT&T). Contacting the City of Houston before you contact Mr. Martin will only delay any response to your issue, as the City will automatically refer the issue back to Mr. Martin.

FMC Standing Committee on Historic Preservation to Assist Residents, HAHC

cont from p.1

decisions about renovations or modifica-tions within the First Montrose Commons Historic District, and to assist residents as they apply for Certificates of Appropri-ateness.

The tipping point came when the HAHC asked Historic Preservation Staff what was the principal period of significance of the FMCHD and Staff was unable to an-swer this crucial question at the hearing. Thus, FMC has offered to assist Historic Preservation Staff with questions about our unique Historic District to better inform decisions by the HAHC. The Standing Committee on Historic Preservation will be chaired by FMC’s Historian, and comprise volunteer members who will be familiar with the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance

Join Us for FMC’s Infamous Mad Hatter

Contest at April Foolishness 2019

Live Jazz, Free Beer, Pot Luck Munchies, Mirth & Mad Hats – all to celebrate the coming of Spring!

on’t miss an evening of fun and frolics and the opportunity to meet some new neighbors as we enjoy the hospitality of Tom & Laurette at their beautiful historic home at 718 Sul Ross. Eve-ryone who lives or owns property in First Montrose Commons is welcome to attend this event.

If you’ve not yet joined or renewed your membership in our very effective Civic Association, this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about us in a fun environment. Families with kids, renters, and their guests are all encouraged to join us! We do have a NO PETS policy, however—we don’t want the mad hats and rowdy humans frightening our companion animals!

and the history of the original subdivisions of First Montrose Commons—Lockhart, Connor & Barziza, Bute, and Montrose—and how they evolved to become the unique historic residential neighborhood we now enjoy.

The inaugural members include: Leslie Turner, Historian & Chair; Steve Longmire; Robert Wil-liamson; Christopher Vandewater; and Bruce Clark.

As part of our efforts, we will publish the list of applications for Certificates of Appropriate-

ness in the FMCHD each month in

On Common Ground April 2019 3

710 Colquitt Gets a Makeover

wners of 710 Colquitt have re-

ceived a CofA for an extensive

facelift of the 1965 16-unit apart-

ment building. Gone will be the dingy

grey rotten wooden façade and in its

place much cleaner cementitious lap

siding, according to the application.

Applications for Certificates of Appropriateness

App No. Property Address

App Type App Sub-types

Historic District

App Status

Recommendation Final Action Review Cycle

HP2019_0128 710 Colquitt St

Alteration Siding or Trim, Win-dows

First Montrose Commons

Final Action

Approve Approved 2019-05

HP2019_0059 401 Branard St

Alteration Sign First Montrose Commons

Final Action

Deny Denied 2019-03

HP2019_0061 417 W Main St

Alteration Siding or Trim, Doors, Windows, Roof, Other


Final Action

Deny Denied 2019-03

HP2019_0015 501 Branard St

Alteration Siding or Trim, Doors, Windows


Final Action

Approve Partially Approved Partially

2019-02

HP2018_0114 417 W Main St

Alteration Siding or Trim, Doors, Windows, Roof, Other


Final Action

Deny Denied 2018-12

HP2018_0086 606 Colquitt St

Alteration Addition First Montrose Commons

Final Action


HP2018_0009 4103 Greeley St

Alteration Siding or Trim, Roof


Final Action


The table above shows all the Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness and

the action taken by the Historical and Archeological Commission (HAHC) for the

First Montrose Commons Historic District. All applications for a Certificate of Ap-

propriateness must be filed online only using the City of Houston Historic Preser-

vation Tracker website (https://cohweb.houstontx.gov/hpt/). The status of each applica-

tion can be viewed online at

https://cohweb.houstontx.gov/hpt/PublicSearch.aspx?PreQuery=True

Any project that requires a permit within the First Montrose Commons Historic

District must first seek a Certificate of Appropriateness (CofA) (or contact the

Planner of the Day at the Preservation Office for guidance) in order to avoid a

mandatory hold on the permit while the need for a CofA is investigated.

Failure to obtain a CofA prior to beginning work that requires a CofA will

result in Stop Work Orders and may result in issuance of a Certificate of

Remediation and other penalties.

Certificate of Remediation Issued for work at 417 West Main Owners of the historically contributing apartment building at 417 W Main were again denied a Certifi-cate of Appropriateness during their second hearing before HAHC in March, and instead were reissued a Certificate of Remediation: “Removal of all the currently installed aluminum windows and in-stallation of new or salvaged 1/1 wood windows to match original. This reaffirms the previous decision made by HAHC at the December 2018 meeting.”

“Without HAHC permission or City of Houston permits, the applicant has replaced 105 original wood windows on a contributing 12-unit historic apartment building. …”

“The applicant has also altered the original façade and west elevation of the building…”

“The project was tagged by Public Works tagged for construction without Permits in August 2018.”


4

Like the generous families of the Renais-sance who sponsored artists for public ben-efit, FMC’s Neighborhood Patrons contribute substantially to our annual budget–enabling us to improve our work for the neighbor-hood year after year. Their generous support helps us keep your residential dues the low-est of any active Civic Association.

Yard of the Month 801 Branard

Graffiti or T It’s still NOT ART! It IS a CRIME

he amount of graffiti has been slowly increasing over the past few months throughout Neartown, but until recently First Montrose Commons has been fortunately ignored by taggers. Not so anymore!

At least three different styles of tagging have begun to appear throughout our neighborhood, not just on the walls of Spur 527, but now on trash and recycling bins, utility poles, and street signs. This type of activity is com-monly associated with territorial marking, and the presence of differing styles may indicate unwelcome competition.

Coincident with the uptick in tagging, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of vagrants sleeping on FMC’s new sidewalks and even in the back yards of several homes! Houston’s homeless problem is well understood by most residents of FMC, but we must act to prevent the establishment of en-campments and sleeping of sidewalks within our neighborhood unless we are prepared to welcome the drug peddlers that surely follow such activi-ties. (While it’s not illegal to be homeless, it IS illegal to block a sidewalk.)

Indeed, one FMC resident has already reported apparent “substance ex-changes” near Sul Ross and Greeley to HPD.

So, we must report and abate any and all graffiti or tagging as soon as it occurs to prevent the establishment of any “territory” within First Mont-rose Commons. The most effective (if not the easiest) way to do this is to use the 311 APP. Press the white “+” in the orange circle at the bottom to start a new report, take a photo of the tag, and BE SURE THE LOCATION SHOWN MATCHES THE CORRECT STREET ADDRESS; then press next at the top right, and select Nuisance On Property as the category. Under “What violation would you like to report?” select “Graffiti, painting, scratching…” and com-plete the report.


If you own a business and

wish to become a

commercial member of

First Montrose Commons,

please contact us via our

web page:

Strong neighborhood businesses help

build strong neighborhoods.

Email: [email protected]

https://www.timberlinefitness.com


6

Do NOT Park blocking the

new fire hydrants!

Do NOT Park within

20 feet of the back of the new sidewalks!

Do NOT Park facing the

WRONG WAY!

Do NOT Park within

30 feet of a STOP SIGN or TRAFFIC SIGNAL!

Did you know that

Parking Enforcement

Patrols & Tickets

7 days a week as well as

evenings and nights?

2019 FMC Residential Dues are

All Residential Memberships in The Civic Association of The First Mont-rose Commons EXPIRE each December 31st. Memberships are suspended March 2nd for those who have not yet paid.

lease RENEW TODAY so we can devote our energy to our core mission rather than seeking renewals. YOUR support keeps YOUR neighbor-hood the best place to live in Houston!

Scan the QRCode above with your smartphone and it will take you directly to our PaPal renewal page. You do not have to have a PayPal account – you can pay by credit or debit card, or your venmo account. Dues remain $10 per person per year. If paying for more than one person please be sure to indicate the names of each person in the instructions to seller field.

Final Edition TheMcBrayer Reports Retires

After many years providing with the latest available crime statistics

as well as reports on the local hot spots and art scene, The McBrayer Reports will

be retired this month. Tom and Mary Anne McBrayer informed and entertained us

longer than I have edited this newsletter, and I will miss their contributions and

mentoring as they move from First Montrose Commons to their new home.

Our newsletter will go on, but First Montrose Commons will never quite be the

same without the McBrayer’s walking our streets, and Tom tirelessly picking up

bits of discarded trash as he walked. Mary Anne’s firm guidance to keep our meet-

ings orderly and on schedule has already been missed as I struggle to finish every-

thing in a lightning fast 60 minutes!

Though the McBrayer’s may be moving to a new home, they will always be family

to many of us in First Montrose Commons, and our neighborhood will have to

work harder to live up to the high bar they set during their years of care for our

31 unique blocks.


_____________________________________happenings

arts & history______________________________ FMC Crime Reports February 2019 Location Crime Premises DatezzTime

500 W Main

Theft Residence 02.05 Midnight

600 Richmond

BMV Strip center parking lot

02.05 3:00 pm

500 W Main

Aggravated Assault

Unknown 02.05 4:00 pm

4100 Roseland

BMV Street 02.06 3:00 am

700 Richmond

BMV Parking lot 02.08 6:00 pm

400 Sul Ross

BMV Residence 02.09 5:00 pm

900 W Main

Burglary Unknown 02.18 6:00 pm

400 Branard

Auto theft Street 02.13 10:00 pm

300 W Main

Robbery Parking lot 02.16 3:00 am

500 Richmond

BMV Apartment parking lot

02.20 6:00 pm

500 W Main

Theft Unknown 02.24 Midnight

4100 Garrott

BMV Street 02.25 7:00 am

600 Colquitt

Drugs Residence 02.28 8:00 am

West Main was hit pretty hard in

February -- 5 incidents (2 thefts,

an assault, a burglary and a rob-

bery). Richmond came in second

with 3 incidents. Colquitt, Gar-

rott, Branard, Sul Ross and

Richmond are in the mix. It

looks like the perps prefer our

new streets, too! Guard your

property!

Always Report Everything! Police Patrols are assigned

based on reports received.

HIDE LOCK REPORT EVERYTHING!

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com (Free on Thursday 1-5pm) 3816 Caroline St – in the old National Guard Armory A complete look at African American military history from 1770 to 2000 (Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War) Houston Center for Contemporary Craft http://www.crafthouston.org To Be of Use: The Functional Ceramics of Mike Helke —Through May 12 Tom Loeser: Please Please Please in the Main Gallery — Through May 12 Houston Museum of Natural Science — www.hmns.org Curator’s Choice: Recent Acquisitions of the Houston Museum of Natural Science: Free with admission. Biophilia: A Dialogue of Nature Art and Science — Opens February 8 Death By Natural Causes — Extended by popular demand through Labor Day 2019 Museum of Fine Arts www.mfah.org Kncent van Gogh: His Life in Art — Through June 27 Eye on Houston: High School Documentary Photography — Through August 11 Arts of Islamic Lands: Selections from The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait — Through December 29 Sally Mann: A Thousand Crossings: Photographer Sally Mann explores what it means to be Southern in 40 years of experimental photographs Contemporary Arts Museum www.camh.org Shapeshifters A group exhibition featuring work by over forty Houston-area teen artists. — Through June 16, The Menil www.menil.org Richmond Hall & Cy Twombly Gallery: CLOSED FOR REPAIRS Roni Horn: When I Breathe, I Draw, Part 1 — Through May 5 in the Menil Drawing Institute Collection Close-Up: John Cage — Through May 12 in the Main Building Contemporary Focus: Trenton Doyle Hancock — Through May 19 in the Main Building Houston Museum of African American Culture www.hmaac.org Free admission 4807 Caroline CLOSED Sunday - Tuesday

You’ve no doubt noticed the bright yellow shipping container on Montrose at Marshall. How could

you not! Plus, it got a write up in the Chronicle. It’s Café Bustelo making an immediate success of

their opening in mid March. It’s called a “pop up” venture — here today, gone tomorrow. They’ll

only be there until the end of May so best hurry on over. Try an empanada or a pastelito along with

your coffee. It seems to be a marketing ploy to promote their coffee, Café Bustelo (what else!) and it’s

on the shelf at Kroger. In years past, that site was long time home to the River Café and was a very

popular spot.

The new mural at the University of St. Thomas (UST) is a real eye catcher. Again, something it’s

hard to miss when you’re on campus. Created by GONZO247, otherwise known as Mario Figueroa, Jr.,

it depicts the University as a vital member of the Houston community. He made it a point to empha-

size UST in HoUSTon, very prominent in the mural. Take a walk over there; it’s on the Crooker Cen-

ter on Graustark near their parking garage.

The Rothko Chapel is now closed for renovation until the end of the year. Scheduled work includes a

new skylight and a digital lighting system. They’re trying to create the overall effect as envisioned

by the artist. Target date for reopening is December 21, 2019.

by tom mcbrayer


8

Join or Renew Your Membership for 2019

ONLINE

https://firstmontrosecommons.org

Still only $10.00 per person per year! That's just 3¢ per day!

1. Parking on any street for more than 24 hours.

2. Parking blocking ANY portion of ANY sidewalk – EVER.

3. Parking between the sidewalks and the curb.

4. Parking within 20 feet of ANY intersection.

5. Parking within 30 feet of STOP sign or crosswalk.

6. Parking facing the wrong way.

Not even for “just a minute!”

T h e S T R E E T I S N O T Y O U R G A R A G E

Helpful Contact Information CrimeReports™ https://www.crimereports.com/

https://communitycrimemap.com

Who you gonna call? Emergencies -Life, Property in

IMMEDIATE DANGER

Non-emergency Police

NEXTDOOR.COM – South Montrose Group –

IF YOU LIVE, OWN PROPERTY, OR RUN A BUSINESS IN THE

AREA ABOVE, WE WANT YOU TO JOIN OUR

EFFORTS TO KEEP FMC THE BEST PLACE TO BE!

Residents pay only $10 per person per year. Businesses can choose from three levels of membership from $50 - $500 per year.

A p r i l 1 2 7 - 9 p m A p r i l F o o l i s h n e s s D o y o u h a v e y o u r H A T r e a d y ?

M a y 2 1 , 2 0 1 9 F M C M E E T I N G

D u e s f o r M e m b e r s h i p i n F i r s t M o n t r o s e C o m m o n s ARE DUE EACH JANUARY .

Please help us to continue to advocate for our neighborhood by joining or renewing now. –Thank you

2019 Board of Directors – The Civic Association of The First Montrose Commons, Inc.

m s p d repaving recycling richmond! glass!kirby last month, but apparently pwe ... place much...

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