‘Front lawns are going away,’ developer says
Revere Park at River Oaks, the aspiring developer of a proposed condominium project, is making a second attempt to win city approval to densify a quarter-acre lot in a rapidly evolving enclave on the eastern edge of River Oaks.
Two years ago, the city development commission rejected the developer’s request to build nearer to the street than restrictions allow after local residents turned up at a commission meeting to complain, saying the project would ruin the quiet vibes of Mimosa Drive.
Now the area rumbles with the sound of other construction projects raising even larger condominium and estate home projects, and Revere Park thinks the time is right for a second try.
The story illustrates the rapid progress of redevelopment in particular spots inside Loop 610, like the greater River Oaks area, where popular urban styles are rapidly replacing the aging bungalows, suburban-style lawns and foliated streets characteristic of the sprawling Bayou City.
“Front lawns are going away,” the developer wrote in its application for a plat variance from the city.
“The character of the area is changing,” Revere Park wrote. “New development needs to be designed to enhance that new character. The change in neighborhood character that occurred is not the result of the actions of this developer.”
A spokesman for the developer noted that the newly proposed project is smaller and shorter with fewer units than were included in plans ultimately withdrawn in 2015.
Mimosa, a three-block neigh-
borhood street without a direct link to any major thoroughfare, is a mixture of sagging midcentury apartment complexes and latecentury single-family houses beside multimillion-dollar threestory estate homes with the first condominium complexes under construction.
The tract in question sports two wooden two-story apartment buildings, both built in 1950, shrouded in plant growth and affixed with a variety of wallmounted air-conditioner units.
Across the street is Mimosa Place, a gated community built in 2015. The 18 homes start at $1.6 million, and each boasts its own elevator. Then there is Mimosa Terrace, an 11-unit tower planned for completion in 2018, with remaining units priced between $2 million and $3 million. One block north, crews are building The Revere at River Oaks, a 32-unit complex advertised at “boutique condominiums.”
“It’s only recently we’ve had developers come in with these condominium plans,” said Peggy Brenner, an attorney and 21-year resident of Mimosa Drive who owns a house with a swimming pool. “It’s a very nice neighborhood, and a lot of people have lived here a long time.”
She worries that a condominium project so close to the street would set a precedent that could doom the old oak tress and shaded spaces between homes.
Revere Park is requesting a variance of building restrictions to build 5 feet from the sidewalk instead of the required 10 feet.
A hearing for the request is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The Planning and Development Department will evaluate applications based on some technical criteria but will also hear out local residents, assistant director Mike Kramer said.
“That weighs heavy with the commission, when the neighbors come in and show the character of the neighborhood,” he said.