My Heights brain dump before I disappear 👀 (only for a week)

Hey there, Heights :)

So I’m out of town ALL this week. Which means I am *supposed* to be relaxing, turning my brain off and pretending I don’t have 47 open tabs about Heights neighborhood issues.

Will I actually do that?

Absolutely not.😂 But don’t worry, I did write this on Friday so I could try and relax as best as I could starting today.

But since I’m out this week, I wanted to talk through a few things we covered recently, give you some extra context, and leave you with a few things that are important (and very much still hanging over my head while I’m on vacation)

🏡 Let’s start with Norhill Design Guidelines

We talked A LOT about the Norhill Design Guidelines this week, and I have heard from MANY of you on both sides.

And honestly? I think there’s an interesting common ground here.

A lot of residents do want guidelines. Of course there are outliers who don’t want them too. But the disagreement that I have heard the most seems to be more about how restrictive the guidelines should be and how they should actually be enforced.

I got some really interesting context from the Norhill Neighborhood Association about it.

The Norhill Neighborhood Association says its existing deed restrictions require projects to be “harmonious” with the neighborhood. But, what’s harmonious? Well, they say the Design Guidelines they created in 2025 essentially provide a framework for defining what that harmony looks like.

I spoke more in depth with the NNA on this, and I was told they’re essentially a written framework for standards the association was already using when evaluating what was — and wasn’t — harmonious. Now, they’re out there for us all to see. That said, it does seem that to have a renovation approved, you’d need to meet the Design Guidelines, because those are what the NNA uses to determine whether a project is considered “harmonious.” (Does that make sense?)

And then there’s the City of Houston’s version.

I know😂 There is a LOT to this, and there was another pretty significant development last week.

In June, the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission voted to approve their version of the Norhill Historic Design guidelines **with conditions.** So yes, there would then be another layer of approval. Folks have been waiting on these guidelines for 10 years.

But at the Aug. 13 meeting, commissioners voted to rescind that previous approval and form a committee to revisit those conditions before bringing the guidelines back in September. They reiterated many times they’re trying to speed this process up and they felt like by doing this, they will be able to move forward more confidently, quicker.

Either way, this isn’t over.

I’m following it closely, and my goal here is to give you the facts, explain what each side is saying, and let YOU decide what you think.

And just to be clear: When I report that residents disagree about something, that doesn’t mean *I* am taking a position. My job is to tell you what’s happening, explain the arguments on both sides and give you the information to make up your own mind.

Okay, onto some other things we worked on…

👖 The $3,000 boutique theft

We covered the theft of about $3,000 worth of merchandise from Emerson Rose on 19th street.

Ugh. As always, if you recognize the person in the surveillance video, please report that information to HPD. And yes, please keep sharing these videos when you see them. The more eyes on something like this, the better chance there is that someone recognizes the person.

🚧 The blocked sidewalks near Harvard Elementary

I also got some answers from CenterPoint about the construction near Harvard Elementary that had portions of the sidewalk blocked off when school started.

After I reached out, the issue was addressed pretty quickly.

But then several of you reached out and said you’re seeing similar problems at other schools around the Heights. If you are, send me the specific school, location and what you’re seeing.

This is the kind of thing I do want to investigate because when construction impacts a large number of children and families trying to get to school safely, that’s a legitimate public-interest question.

But — and this is important — I am getting a lot of CenterPoint messages, and I can’t be your first line of defense every single time. If you have an issue with something happening on your street, at your school or in your neighborhood, please try contacting the appropriate agency or organization first!

Use your voice. Make the call. Send the email. And then if you aren’t getting answers or something bigger appears to be happening, send it my way❤️ I want to make sure we’re giving the responsible organizations appropriate time to respond.

🚗 I-10 and the Inner Katy Corridor

If you don’t know what this project is, go watch this reel! Seriously. This area is incredibly dependent on I-10, and whatever happens with that corridor is going to affect how ALL of us get around.

I asked TxDOT whether a third public meeting would happen before the end of the year.

They would not tell me. Ugh. 😂 So I’ll keep watching this one and keep you updated as I get more information.

🚔 That car theft data…

Behind the scenes, I also submitted an open records request for car theft data in this area.

And then I got the cost estimate from HPD.

More than $800.😂😂😂 So… I’m going back to the drawing board on that request.

But honestly, after hearing from SO many of you about car thefts and break-ins, I think there may still be a story here even without spending $ on data.

That’s something I’ll keep working on when I’m back. And thank you to everyone who has shared your experiences with me. It really does help me see patterns in what people are experiencing around the neighborhood.

OK. One FUN one before I go. 😂

Jennifer sent me a photo of what might be the most interesting pothole I’ve ever seen. And when I say pothole, I mean… look at this thing, she’s gorgeous. You probably didn’t know the boulevard used to be brick! Jennifer says this is located in front of Common Bond on Heights Boulevard, near the bus stop heading south.

She asked: “why would they cover it up in such a historic neighborhood that works so hard to preserve its history and original character?”

According to the Texas Historical Commission, that brick was laid in 1911, but “like many historic Houston streets, the original bricks were eventually covered over with asphalt as modern vehicular paving standards and clay soils changed local road construction.”

Wow. The more you know.

I will definitely be looking more into this when I get back.

And that’s my very long “I’m on vacation but clearly can’t stop thinking about work” brain dump. 😂 There is SO much happening behind the scenes right now, and I know there are plenty of things you guys have sent me that I haven’t gotten to yet.

I appreciate your patience while I work through them. Some tips take 10 minutes to answer. Others turn into “okay, apparently I need to call three City departments, file an open records request and read 47 pages of documents.”

That’s the nature of journalism.

So while I’m gone, keep the tips coming — just know I may be a little slower getting back to you.

See y’all soon! 🤍

Nicole