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Inside Today: HISD plans to reexamine attendance zones • Page 6B

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Covering the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest & the neighborhoods of North Houston Saturday, January 30, 2016 • Vol. 62 • No. 5

About Us

A special section focusing on the future of the area, with insights from business owners and local officials alike.

3500 East T.C. Jester Blvd Suite A (713) 686-8494 news@theleadernews.com www.theleadernews.com Facebook/THE LEADER.

Find it on 1 B

Planning Commission, Wabash owner dispute sidewalk issues along North Shepherd Drive Your neighborhood drinkery & eatery 2307 Ella Blvd. (713) 701-9105 www.tbpheights.com

Takeout Available

INSIDE.

Getting in Shape A new, major gym and athletic facility opening in the Heights is joining other startups across the area, targeting fitness-conscious Millennials and other professionals. Find out about the new O Athletik facility and what it will bring to the area.

By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com Those that are most familiar with North Shepherd Drive know the road as a thoroughfare with a considerable amount of dilapidated buildings, loiterers and litter. Sidewalks are poorly maintained and inconsistent throughout the road and local business owners are hoping to change that. However, a recent proposal from a beloved local business to construct a porch on the front of their property in an attempt to beautify the area is hitting a roadblock with the Planning Commission, which is asking its owner to instead give up a portion of its property after suddenly deciding that the area now needs a vastly improved sidewalk. Betty Heacker, owner of Wabash Feed & Garden Store, has been excited for months

at the prospect of having her dream business open its doors on North Shepherd. That dream has turned into a headache that culminated in a frustrated appearance at a Jan. 21 Planning Commission meeting. “I feel like I’m trying to bring a good business to North Shepherd,” Heacker said. “I’m just feeling that because I’m asking for a variance that gives the city an opportunity to impose additional conditions on me.” Heacker filed a variance request months ago for the porch, which would encroach over a portion of paved parking lot and the entrance to the proprety, but the commission has opted to approve the request only if it meets several conditions. This includes providing a 12 foot “pedestrian realm,” which would include improved sidewalks and a landscape buffer to improve

The front of Wabash Feed & Garden Store will likely lose its planned porch, originally envisioned by owner Bettry Heacker, following a compromise with the Houston Planning Commission regarding the establishment of a larger pedestrian realm that it hopes to set as a precedent for other North Shepherd properties.

safety for those walking along the street. While Heacker acknowledges that an improved sidewalk for pedestrians is a great idea, it would be done so at a

negative cost for her business. According to city documents, Public Works and Engineering would require Heacker to reconstruct a portion of the existing sidewalk and assist

Turning a New Page

Find it on 1B

6th Annual Classic Car Show Saturday, January 30 4610 N. Shepherd Dr. For more info

INSIDE.

By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

When Business Meets Art It’s no secret that people are anticipating the opening of the soon-to-be-fullyrenovated Heights Theater. In this week’s special section, find out about the status of the ongoing project and how the new owner is bringing on a local visionary to help better cater to the area for the long term.

Find it on 1B

The INDEX. Church

6A

Classifieds

7A

Coupons

5A

Food/Drink/Art Obituaries

9A 4A

Opinion

3A

Public Information Puzzles

2A 4A

It was 19th century social reformer Henry Ward Beecher who said that “a library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.” The faculty and students at Hogg Middle School would most certainly agree. Their new library, which was dedicated on Jan. 21, has all the necessities and a lot more. There was a library before, but it wasn’t what the school community envisioned, nor what was it what current principal Angela Sugarek wanted for students. Sugarek said that when she hired Mary Chance as the school librarian she told her that she needed to see the “library as an opportunity.” Opportunity in this case meant a lot of room for improvement. “When I took over Hogg this summer, I was surprised to see that it is standard operating procedure for the district to remodel spaces without purchasing new furniture for the space,” said Sugarek. “For Hogg this meant new science labs with old broken furniture and a library with improved AC, new carpet [but] dilapidated shelves and tables. After some back and forth, the Bond office

See Pedestrians P. 2A

Construction to move forward at former site of Texas Cafeteria By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Davis Commercial’s Ryan Neyland has been increasingly interested in working in the Heights since he started at the company three years ago. “Our company does a lot in Montrose,” he said, “but the price of land is so high that there’s not a lot of new development.” After some research he narrowed in on the Heights. “It’s the last place [inside the Loop], you can buy something for $40 to $60 a square foot,” he said. “You can’t find that anywhere else.” Neyland approached the owners of the building at 19th and North Shepherd which will soon house Neapolitan-style pizza place Cane Rosso because he had worked on a project with a similar scope on Lower Westheimer. He said that Cane Russo should open soon. For their part, Cane Russo posted the following on their Facebook page recently: “Houston peeps: things are moving FAST on our first location in The Heights! The oven is in place, and the walls are up! ” They are also asking followers to sign a form to allow them to secure their TABC Permit. Neyland said he’s close to signing

Hogg MS touts new renovated library for kids

See our ad on page 10A

with creating a “more safe and pedestrian friendly environment.” Officials also say that

See Construction P. 5A Photo by Betsy Denson Ruby Cullen who will attend Hogg next year checks out the shelves. The school’s library has seen a significant boost from local donors which culminated in a three month-long renovation.

relented and agreed to purchase new furniture for the library and labs.” The school paid for paint, new books and technology from the school budget. Other monies for the library came from Learn Local and the Education Committee of the Heights Chamber of Commerce. “The most important part of raising money is communicating a vision that others

can believe in,” she said. “For us, the library was in such sad condition that it was easy to articulate the improvements we wanted to make and the ways they would positively impact our community.” Renovations took three months, but the library was only closed for two weeks during the process. The result is a bright, dynamic space with plenty of tech-

THE LEADER.

Senior eXP

March 30 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. SPJST Lodge 88 (15th & Beall)

nology but also, of course, books. Learn Local and Heights area donors gave the school $1,000 for Name that Book books. The Heights Association gives $3,500 yearly to the school which this year was spent on their Quick Reads section, including high interest books for at risk students. See Library P. 10A

Photo by Betsy Denson Things are about to start happening at the former site of Texas Cafeteria, according to its leasing agent.

FREE Admission • FREE Food & Drinks • Games and activities • Educational information on health, finances and legal concerns • A chance to meet experts who will offer free advice on a number of senior issues • An opportunity to mingle with friends

RSVP OnLine www.theleadernews.com


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