[Wattleigh]

The Langley



https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...uston-17825264

7 years after Ashby high-rise controversy, Houston approves key permits for 20-story tower at site

More permits needed, but developer prepares to break ground soon

Marissa Luck,
Staff Writer
March 7, 2023
Updated: March 8, 2023 6:32 a.m.

For years a controversial proposal to build a high rise in the wealthy enclave of Boulevard Oaks appeared to be dead — a lesson in how land-use battles can erupt even in a city with virtually no zoning.

But after six years of sitting on the proposal — and the vacant, proposed site at Ashby and Bisonnet sitting dormant — the owners, Hunt Cos. of El Paso, last spring resurrected efforts to build the tower. They brought on a new development team, Dallas-based Street Lights Residential, to create a scaled-down version of the high-rise, now called The Langley, that they hope would win over neighbors who had fiercely opposed the earlier project dubbed The Ashby.

Almost a year after StreetLights filed updated plans with the city, the developer says it is weeks from breaking ground on the 20-story apartment building. The city of Houston approved StreetLights Residential's permit for site work and foundation work Monday, though it still is waiting approval to start vertical construction.

Stephen Meek, developer at Street Lights Residential, said the approved work could begin in early April.

“(The site now) is a brown field that looks like a black eye right at the entry of beautiful neighborhood,” Meek said. “What we're proposing is bringing something beautiful and something as architecturally significant.”

EARLIER: Developers unveil plans for The Langley, a 20-story tower proposed on high-profile site

The spacious units and high-end design of The Langley are aimed at attracting well-heeled empty-nesters, and Meek believes some neighborhood residents would want to live in The Langley if they decide to downsize but want to stay in the area.

Many of the neighbors, however, remain opposed. Several houses around the project site are adorned with bright yellow signs with a menacing carton caricature of a high-rise and the phrase “Tower of Traffic” and "Protect Our Neighborhood" — a nod to past protests against the previous high-rise proposal.