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North Hollow sweats while airport makes decision
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By JOSHUA MELVIN
As an airplane thundered overhead, North Hollow subdivision resident Brenda Taylor stood with rows of well-kept homes behind her and spoke loudly over the noise.
“What about us?” she asked.
The neighborhood has been around since 1978 and its residents claim they have suffered at least once from previous airport actions. With proposed land use regulations coming this fall the neighborhood could be affected again.
This time the concern is property values and how land use regulations will affect them. But it’s not just a question of money as the uncertainty has provoked questions on the future of a neighborhood that residents seem to be happy to call home.
Past and present
Apart from the noise of passing aircraft, which most of the residents interviewed said they have learned to live with, the neighborhood is quiet.
The streets have names like Peach Run Drive and Pecan Lane. Many of the 180 or so homes are older but have been well-maintained. There is also some recent construction.
Because of deed restrictions - North Hollow Civic Association President Karen Boeske estimated that less than 5 percent of residents are renters - owners must keep up their property or face legal action.
These residents like where they live; the proximity to downtown, quality of life and employment were all listed as benefits of the area. But many sit nervously by as land use restrictions make their way to the Houston City Council.
But this won’t be the first time residents will watch the airport do something they don’t necessarily approve of. With the dedication of runway 9-27 in June 1987, residents say the number of planes passing over their homes increased and so did the noise. They anticipated and resisted this outcome
“I fought it. I was even on TV,” said Dave LaFargue, who added that the runway still went through.
“We were here first,” said Glen Nevill, who has lived on his street for more than 20 years.
Living in Tier 1
According to current boundaries, North Hollow sits in Tier 1, the most regulated of the three tiers around the airport. Because the neighborhood is in a tier, a notice disclosing land use restrictions will be attached to county property records for the subdivision.
“Notice: Individual lots or parcels within this subdivision may be located in an airport land use tier and may be subject to use restrictions, or increased noise or hazard levels associated with air traffic operations,” reads the statement.
“The question is, does that devalue the property?” asked Darrell Boeske, Humble city manager and North Hollow resident, during a recent homeowners meeting. “There is no such legal document in our deed right now.”
Boeske doesn’t think it will hurt home values, citing that people know when they buy a home in the neighborhood that it will be subject to airport noise.
“You could just stand around here for three or four minutes and see (an airplane) coming down,” he said.
Taylor is less sure. She said that at least one title company told her a loan might not be issued to a potential buyer for North Hollow properties. Tiered land use restrictions and references to airport hazards in the property record notice were given as reasons.
“I don’t want to go any place else,” she said. “But I certainly don’t want to be sitting here with a worthless piece of land.”
While not worthless, many of the homes in North Hollow are worth less this year than last year.
According to the Harris County Appraisal District, average home value dropped from $146,985 to $139,020 between ‘07 and ‘08.
The median value, which is the price at the mid-point on a ranking of home worth from lowest to highest, also saw a more than $19,000 drop.
Jason Cunningham, director of residential property for HCAD, said the fall probably includes a number of factors. Things like foreclosures, the condition of properties or increased plane traffic all likely play a role.
The effect land use regulations could have on value is even harder to gauge at this time.
“We expect to see some results from the new ordinance,” said Cunningham, “but we just don’t know what that will be.”
According to Marlene McClinton, spokesperson for the Houston Airport System, the question of values in relation to the ordinance is hypothetical.
“It cannot be answered at this time given the variables that are involved in determining property value,” she said.
If the slide continues, the neighborhood could lose a few of its residents.
“A decrease in property value is going to lower the quality of the neighborhood,” said Shan Rudd, who purchased his home four years ago. “The first sign I see of riff-raff moving in because of lower-cost homes I’ll be out of here.”
Rudd has already seen the appraised value of his home fall by $19,000 in the last year. Any discussion of North Hollow’s future must also include the possibility of a buyout because of the neighborhood’s location directly under runway 9-27’s approach.
“The (Federal Aviation Administration) still hasn’t made the determination, looking at the (environmental impact study) of what they are going to do with this neighborhood,” Boeske said. “All this may be a moot conversation in a year or two.”
For sale
Rick Dickson may not be around that long. He is putting his home up for sale. And while he is not part of the North Hollow subdivision, he does live in a cul-de-sac at the entrance to the neighborhood.
He has long been a strong critic of the airport. At a kinder moment, he said, “They have a history of being bad neighbors.”
Since the effort to create proposed land use regulations began Dickson has said residents won’t be able to sell their homes and if they do, it will be at a significant discount.
So he is putting his money where his mouth is. His house, as he sees it, is a test case. If he can’t sell it, then, for Dickson, he is right.
“It’ll be on the market soon,” he said.
BUSH AIRPORT IN FOCUS
This story is part of a series of articles looking into the issues surrounding Bush Intercontinental Airport and the proposed land use regulations leading up to the Houston Airport System’s public hearing Aug. 21 at George R. Brown Convention Center. If you want to join the conversation about the airport, please e-mail us at observereditor@hcnonline.com or send a letter to 907 Main St., Humble, TX 77338.
“What about us?” she asked.
The neighborhood has been around since 1978 and its residents claim they have suffered at least once from previous airport actions. With proposed land use regulations coming this fall the neighborhood could be affected again.
This time the concern is property values and how land use regulations will affect them. But it’s not just a question of money as the uncertainty has provoked questions on the future of a neighborhood that residents seem to be happy to call home.
Past and present
Apart from the noise of passing aircraft, which most of the residents interviewed said they have learned to live with, the neighborhood is quiet.
The streets have names like Peach Run Drive and Pecan Lane. Many of the 180 or so homes are older but have been well-maintained. There is also some recent construction.
Because of deed restrictions - North Hollow Civic Association President Karen Boeske estimated that less than 5 percent of residents are renters - owners must keep up their property or face legal action.
These residents like where they live; the proximity to downtown, quality of life and employment were all listed as benefits of the area. But many sit nervously by as land use restrictions make their way to the Houston City Council.
But this won’t be the first time residents will watch the airport do something they don’t necessarily approve of. With the dedication of runway 9-27 in June 1987, residents say the number of planes passing over their homes increased and so did the noise. They anticipated and resisted this outcome
“I fought it. I was even on TV,” said Dave LaFargue, who added that the runway still went through.
“We were here first,” said Glen Nevill, who has lived on his street for more than 20 years.
Living in Tier 1
According to current boundaries, North Hollow sits in Tier 1, the most regulated of the three tiers around the airport. Because the neighborhood is in a tier, a notice disclosing land use restrictions will be attached to county property records for the subdivision.
“Notice: Individual lots or parcels within this subdivision may be located in an airport land use tier and may be subject to use restrictions, or increased noise or hazard levels associated with air traffic operations,” reads the statement.
“The question is, does that devalue the property?” asked Darrell Boeske, Humble city manager and North Hollow resident, during a recent homeowners meeting. “There is no such legal document in our deed right now.”
Boeske doesn’t think it will hurt home values, citing that people know when they buy a home in the neighborhood that it will be subject to airport noise.
“You could just stand around here for three or four minutes and see (an airplane) coming down,” he said.
Taylor is less sure. She said that at least one title company told her a loan might not be issued to a potential buyer for North Hollow properties. Tiered land use restrictions and references to airport hazards in the property record notice were given as reasons.
“I don’t want to go any place else,” she said. “But I certainly don’t want to be sitting here with a worthless piece of land.”
While not worthless, many of the homes in North Hollow are worth less this year than last year.
According to the Harris County Appraisal District, average home value dropped from $146,985 to $139,020 between ‘07 and ‘08.
The median value, which is the price at the mid-point on a ranking of home worth from lowest to highest, also saw a more than $19,000 drop.
Jason Cunningham, director of residential property for HCAD, said the fall probably includes a number of factors. Things like foreclosures, the condition of properties or increased plane traffic all likely play a role.
The effect land use regulations could have on value is even harder to gauge at this time.
“We expect to see some results from the new ordinance,” said Cunningham, “but we just don’t know what that will be.”
According to Marlene McClinton, spokesperson for the Houston Airport System, the question of values in relation to the ordinance is hypothetical.
“It cannot be answered at this time given the variables that are involved in determining property value,” she said.
If the slide continues, the neighborhood could lose a few of its residents.
“A decrease in property value is going to lower the quality of the neighborhood,” said Shan Rudd, who purchased his home four years ago. “The first sign I see of riff-raff moving in because of lower-cost homes I’ll be out of here.”
Rudd has already seen the appraised value of his home fall by $19,000 in the last year. Any discussion of North Hollow’s future must also include the possibility of a buyout because of the neighborhood’s location directly under runway 9-27’s approach.
“The (Federal Aviation Administration) still hasn’t made the determination, looking at the (environmental impact study) of what they are going to do with this neighborhood,” Boeske said. “All this may be a moot conversation in a year or two.”
For sale
Rick Dickson may not be around that long. He is putting his home up for sale. And while he is not part of the North Hollow subdivision, he does live in a cul-de-sac at the entrance to the neighborhood.
He has long been a strong critic of the airport. At a kinder moment, he said, “They have a history of being bad neighbors.”
Since the effort to create proposed land use regulations began Dickson has said residents won’t be able to sell their homes and if they do, it will be at a significant discount.
So he is putting his money where his mouth is. His house, as he sees it, is a test case. If he can’t sell it, then, for Dickson, he is right.
“It’ll be on the market soon,” he said.
BUSH AIRPORT IN FOCUS
This story is part of a series of articles looking into the issues surrounding Bush Intercontinental Airport and the proposed land use regulations leading up to the Houston Airport System’s public hearing Aug. 21 at George R. Brown Convention Center. If you want to join the conversation about the airport, please e-mail us at observereditor@hcnonline.com or send a letter to 907 Main St., Humble, TX 77338.
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