Archive for the 'Texas' Category

Fort Worth architects design space with visitors in mind

Fort Worth architects design space with visitors in mind
By Gaile Robinson / Star-Telegram
September 24, 2009

The architects of Fort Worth have gone public, making themselves more accessible to the community. After years of being reclusive to the point of near invisibility, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects has opened the Center for Architecture on Seventh Street in the old Strings location, and they welcome visitors. Really, they want you to drop by.

“The center is a place to show how architects can help people with a wide range of design opportunities,” says Joe Self, whose Firm817 designed the new facility.

The center opened on Gallery Night with the show “Cross Section — What Architects Do,” an exhibit of models and architectural drawings by chapter members. The simplicity of the show title indicates how earnest the group is in trying to be accessible and understood.

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Some still optimistic about Fort Worth real estate

Some still optimistic about Fort Worth real estate
By Darla Miles / WFAA-TV
September 18, 2009

FORT WORTH - One of the premier developments in downtown Fort Worth, Le Bijou, has gone under. But, foreclosure is not necessarily the new face of the city.

The Texas Pacific Lofts on the south end of downtown is 95 percent sold. Some experts say the lofts’ success is a more accurate picture of downtown Fort Worth real estate.

Villa de Leon is the newest high rise in downtown Fort Worth. It has 23 luxury condos overlooking the Trinity River. Prices range from $780,000 to $2.2 million.

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Places to run in Fort Worth: Trinity Trails

By Tanya Menoni / Examiner.com
August 17, 2009

Looking for a new running route to shake up your long run? Head out to Fort Worth for a day trip. The city has a number of running hot spots, but few are as scenic or popular as Trinity Trails. These biking and running trails wind their way throughout the city and are not to be missed if you are visiting the area. With nearly 30 miles of trails throughout the city, you can see something new and shake up your running routine.

The majority of the trail system runs along the Trinity River, with mostly paved paths — although some sections are crushed limestone. For the most scenic view of some of Fort Worth’s attractions, pick up the trail at Overton Park and continue north past the Fort Worth Zoo, Botanic Garden and Trinity Park. If you need a long run, you can start down in Pecan Valley Park for a longer route. There are numerous water fountains along this section of the running path, and lots of trees along this route provide welcome shade in the summer. Other areas of the trail system are less shaded, so bring sunscreen.

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CISD to get $1.3M in federal stimulus funding

By Christina Rowland / Star Community Newspaper
June 25, 2009

Carroll ISD will benefit from a bill signed earlier this year by President Barack Obama.

Funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide the CISD with $1,332,457 in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-B) funding, in addition to the funds they normally receive. The district will also receive $34,432 to be used for preschool students with disabilities.

Dr. Cathy Friar, executive director for special programs and state assessments with the CISD, notes her excitement with the additional funds, because the normal IDEA funds only cover about 17 percent of the cost needed to educate a child with a disability.

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Expensive homes in Keller staying on market longer, analysts say

By SARAH JUNEK

With tighter mortgage lending, pricier homes in Keller have lingered on the market, contributing to tumbles in first quarter 2009, analysts say.

Thirty-five percent fewer pre-owned homes sold through March than in the same period in 2008, according to North Texas Real Estate Information Systems. That’s compared to a roughly 25 percent drop across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said James Gaines, a Texas A&M Real Estate Center economist.

Average price also fell 4 percent, but median price rose 5 percent – a sign Keller’s more expensive homes are taking longer to sell, Gaines said. That difference wasn’t as wide across the area, where average and median prices fell 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively, according to Gaines and the National Association of Realtors.

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Real estate: Sinclair Building won’t lose parking

By Sandra Baker

May. 24, 2009

The owners of the Sinclair Building in downtown Fort Worth were not left without parking for their tenants when they recently sold the building’s parking lot at Third and Commerce streets to billionaire Ed Bass’ Fine Line Diversified Realty.

As part of the deal, Fine Line conveyed to Sinclair Building Partners the 20,000-square-foot surface parking lot it owned on Jones Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, two blocks east of the Bass Performance Hall, according to deed records. The Sinclair Building is at Fifth and Main streets.

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Deadline for property appraisal protests nears

By SCOTT PRICE Wednesday, May. 20, 2009

The deadline for most property owners in Tarrant County to protest their appraisals with the Tarrant Appraisal District is June 1, 2009.

Fort Worth-based attorney Ryan E. Ray said many people do not take advantage of their opportunity to have the tax value of their home or other property reduced. He said this can save people a lot of money.

Ray said last year he assisted a Colleyville homeowner whose tax value was reduced from about $1 million to $750,000. He said that reduced the annual property tax bill by about $6,000.

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Cowtown City Hall Considers Going Postal

The Fort Worth City Council has approved money for a study on moving City Hall into the city’s historic downtown Post Office building.

The city is considering renovating the state landmark into a new City Hall.

“And we should do that, because its a centrally located facility, it’s at the heart of the Lancaster corridor development (and) it has great access to current and future mass transit,” said Randall Harwood, director of the city programs office.

The City Council approved $200,000 for a study to determine if the project would be economically feasible.

The question is: Do the numbers work?

The city would be on a 20 to 30-year lease purchase agreement at up to $6.4 million a year.

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Rise in Tarrant County property values puzzles some homeowners

By ANTHONY SPANGLER May. 16, 2009FORT WORTH — A reeling economy plus rising foreclosures plus a faltering housing market equals higher home values.

Sound like fuzzy math?

Thousands of property owners in Tarrant County may be asking that question. Roughly the same number of homeowners’ values increased as fell, but overall property values rose 4.6 percent in Tarrant County in the past year, according to preliminary data.

Values would have dropped if not for an additional $1.2 billion in taxable mineral rights and $4.4 billion in residential and commercial construction, data released Friday show.

So why did some properties rise in value against the downward current?

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Southlake’s Three Dogs Bakery to send Obamas’ pooch ‘Bo’ a special treat

A Southlake bakery is sending a bit of Texas love to Bo, the Portuguese water dog, as he settles into his new digs at the White House.

The Three Dogs Bakery in Southlake is shipping a specialty doggie dessert to D.C. for Bo, who was bred at Amigo Portuguese Water Dogs in Boyd, 35 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
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