Winter, 2008

The latest outrage - Wealthy builders, bankers and real estate lawyers have organized to fight homeowners.   Read More

A new beginning? Read our opinion piece from the 1/13/08 Houston Chronicle.

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New laws allow everyone in  
           the loop a little more
            protection for their 
               neighborhoods.
      
                  LEARN MORE
                  


This house is already gone, as are thousands of others.
   Contact
info@savethebungalows.org

or  writesheila@gmail.com


Historic Venue Available !
A fine piece of history, the Houston Heights Women's Club, is available for rent.
Help support this lovely building by holding your next event there.
For details, call
Mary Sparks at 713.862.3659

Save The Bungalows seeks to          Educate and Advocate           For the Preservation and Restoration of           Vintage, Urban Neighborhoods & Homes. We are Houstonians who believe that the people who live in a neighborhood ought to have a say in its future. City government has a long tradition of leaving all "planning" decisions to the private sector - developers, speculators and profiteers whose only goal is to turn a quick buck and move on.  People in the suburbs arm themselves with strong deed restrictions and homeowners associations that have enforcement power. Many urban neighborhoods have weak or no deed restrictions and their future is left to the whims of whoever has the most money and gets there first. But at what cost? Many are appalled at the bulldozing of history, the removal of thousands of tress, the destruction of communities and the lack of a vision for Houston's urban neighborhoods.  Some facts to consider:       * As vintage homes are replaced with for lot covering Hummer     houses and condos, history is lost and communities build    over years are pulled apart. Mature trees, often century old oaks,    are uprooted and thrown in dumpsters. This is bad for people, for    wildlife, for air quality, for flood control and for the livability of    the city. * Listing on the National Register of Historic Places does not protect    structures or neighborhoods from demolition - it is just a list.     * Homes in City of Houston Historic Neighborhoods are not    protected either. The designation simply adds a 90 day wait for a    demolition permit. Currently, only six small areas are legally    historic. The process to get designation is cumbersome and may    take years.  * Potentially life altering decisions are rendered by the Houston    Planning Commission. The members of this powerful board are not    elected and their decisions are final - citizens have no right    to appeal. * Deed restriction changes require getting signatures from up to 75%    of property owners, a difficult and time consuming process for    volunteers. * Developers have "one stop shopping" at City Hall. Homeowners    face many obstacles.  There are also people in city government who see the need to plan and believe that the current system that shuts out homeowners is blatantly unfair, but it will take the efforts of many people to change the status quo. Won't you join us?