Unsurpassed views
Ashby high rise fight is over: Neighbors and developer agree on 78-story tower
After five years of contentious debate, both sides in the long-running Ashby high-rise saga have come to a surprising consensus. At a press conference early Sunday morning after a marathon all-night negotiating session, representatives of Buckhead Investement Partners and the Stop Ashby High Rise Task Force announced that they have reached agreement for construction of a 78-story tower at the corner of Ashby and Bissonnet.
"What we finally came to realize is the the building was too darn short, " said Jim Reeder, co-chair of the neighborhood group that had opposed the project for such a long time.
"Not only will you be able to get a glimpse of your neighbor's back yard you'll be able to see all the way to Galveston on a clear day."
When completed on April 1, 2015, the tower, called Ashby D-Luxe, will be the tallest building in Texas, surpassing the 75-story Chase Tower in downtown Houston.
"It will offer the best views in Houston," asserted Buckhead CEO Kevin Kirtin. "Not only will you be able to get a glimpse of your neighbor's back yard, you'll be able to see all the way to Galveston on a clear day."
The deal clincher came when neighbors in a 16-block area surrounding the high rise agreed to approve the taller building in exchange for free ownership of a two-bedroom apartment on floors 26-52. Each floor will be named for a street in the area and residents can live in apartments next to one another just as they do now if they prefer.
"It is this kind of innovative thinking that makes Houston a can-do city," said Mayor Annise Parker, who attended the press conference.
As part of the deal, developers also offered the mayor and each city council member a rent-free apartment for conducting city business. Parker said everyone on council supports the project except council member Helena Brown, who believes it is a Communist plot.
To alleviate congestion in the area, Parker announced that the Richmond light rail line will be diverted south to pass by the building if an additional $2 billion in federal funds can be secured.
Although he is usually opposed to METRO projects, U.S. Rep. John Culberson promised to do "everything humanly possible" to find federal funds for the light rail project because the Ashby D-Luxe is an example of capitalism and the free-market system.
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Editor's Note: Happy April Fools' Day!