It excites me to find a venue that is uniquely different; indeed Hunters’ Lair is Katy’s newest “best kept secret”! If you like a venue with a relaxed sophistication, adventurous menu and a handsome off-the-beaten-path decor, I’ve found it. If you prefer something dainty, pretentious or predictable, search on.

Don’t let “Hunters Lair” conger images of a smoky hunting lodge with canoe-paddle curtain rods and barstools made from rough-hewn timber. Instead, picture a cocktail party at a taxidermist’s uptown loft. I guess you’d have to classify this a “sports bar” due to the numerous video screens set to sports networks. But, unless you came to watch those TV’s, they are not what attract attention in the décor.. The TV screens alternate along the walls with glass cases full of awesome wildlife displayed in scenic natural settings. It’s like a trip to the nature museum! This uniquely classy setting is complete with glass top tables, ornate wrought iron chairs, tile floors, and ambient lighting. Perhaps it is the obvious absence of neon beer signs and NASCAR memorabilia that gives this place a testosterone matured to a delightfully tasteful level.

As the name implies, you can come here to watch televised sports. But you’d be equally comfortable meeting associates to conduct business or joining friends for laughs over a flight of wine, or a round of pool in the whimsically pink neo-classic pool “parlor”. And although sports and hunting are typically “male themes” I noted that women were comfortable gathering here. And I was delighted at the ceiling full of smoke eaters working effectively to eradicate any evidence of tobacco products. (Isn’t nice when we can all live together?)

The difference doesn’t stop there. You don’t want to miss the MENU!

More than just your typical pub fare, Hunters Lair has a wonderfully adventurous menu with offerings of exotic game… bison, ostrich, venison, quail, boar,…. even rattlesnake fritters! For the less adventurous, they also offer a selection of the standards, hamburger, pizza, shrimp po boys and salads. These are expertly prepared by renowned chefs. It is also fun to sample the “flights” of wine or cheese.

They have an impressive selection of beer on draught, as well.

Where is it? Old Katyites will recognize the locale if I say: “next to Landry’s” or formerly Charlie’s Pool Hall. It’s on the eastbound feeder road of I10 east of the Grand Parkway. Free Wi-Fi.

Check their website at: http://www.hunterslairkaty.com/index.html

February 2007 Sales

HOUSTON HOUSING MARKET WITHSTANDS IMPACT OF SUBPRIME LENDING AND INCREASED FORECLOSURES

HOUSTON — (March 27, 2007) – The greater Houston area real estate market continued to outpace most of the nation and experience growth, although the rate of increase slowed from recent years, according to statistics released by the Houston Association of Realtors® Housing in the Houston region has withstood the more pronounced drops experienced by most other major U.S. metropolitan markets and only the number of local foreclosures and past several years of less stringent lending standards have been cited as possible contributors to any possible slowdown in growth.

Total property sales for the month registered 5,991, which was a 2.6 percent increase over February 2006. Properties sold during the month reached a total of more than $1.1 billion, a 5.7 percent increase compared to last year’s nearly $1.0 billion in February sales. Additionally, the median home price for a single-family home reached a monthly record for February of $146,000, and the average single-family home price came in at $195,561, increases from last year of 2.5 and 2.6 percent, respectively.

“With the reports across the country of rising foreclosures and concern about the impact of subprime lending, we in Houston must watch for any indication of a weakening market,” said Rob Cook, HAR Chairman and broker/owner of Robert D. Cook Properties. “Houston is still one of the most solid real estate markets in the country, and we do not anticipate any dramatic downturn locally.”

February Monthly Market Comparison

All listing categories combined, Houston’s overall housing market in February saw increases in most categories, including total property sales, average sales price, median sales price, and overall total dollar volume on a year-over-year basis.

The number of available homes (active listings) at the end of February was 45,466 properties, which was an increase of 11.3 percent versus last February and the eighth month with a year-over-year increase, after 10 consecutive previous declines. The figure was an increase of 781 properties from last month, which is typical for the beginning of the year as more homes are listed for sale.

Month-end pending sales – those listings expected to close within the next 30 days – reached 4,756, which was up 1.1 percent from last year, and signals an expectation for continued strength into 2007 for sales. The months inventory of single-family homes for February came in at 5.2 months. This statistic signals more of a seller’s market and also shows that demand is more than keeping up with the available supply of homes, as displayed by February reporting the 28th consecutive decline in year-over-year months inventory figures. (more…)

March 11, 2007, 11:49PM
Silver Oak subdivision planned for FM 1463

By KIMBERLY PIÑA

A proposed master-planned community in the southwest part of Katy will add more than 300 new homes, a retail center and recreational amenities to the area.

Silver Oak subdivision, a project of Houston-based firm Moody Simmons 1463 Ltd., is planned to be developed on FM 1463 about one mile south of the Katy Freeway. Approximately 215 acres located south of WoodCreek Reserve have been annexed into the city of Katy for the development.

Katy’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the project, including the detention basin and preliminary plats for the first phase of the subdivision. Representatives from Moody Simmons presented the planned development to commissioners last Tuesday.

The project is well-designed, David Frishman, commission chairman, said, adding that the firm considered necessary elements such as easements and drainage. A homeowners association and Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 161 have also been created, he said.

Most importantly, Frishman said, are the subdivision’s two entrances that will provide access for emergency vehicles and residents in case of an emergency.

“When looking at these projects, I look at public safety,” Frishman said. “Two access points are important to me as a citizen.”

Silver Oak subdivision will include about 14 acres for parks, 30 acres for a retail center, 15 acres for a detention pond, 11 acres for pipeline easements and 145 acres for 343 single-family residences. The neighborhood will be developed in four phases over the next eight years.

The detention basin and first phase, which includes 166 residential lots, will be constructed first at an estimated cost of almost $17 million, said project manager Thomas Simmons.

The increase in new home and business development in Katy made the location at FM 1463 a good spot for the planned community, Simmons said.

“Katy is one of the fastest growing areas in the state of Texas and as things are building, we’re moving out west,” he said.

The minimum residential lot size will be 9,660 square feet and starting home prices will be $225,000. The retail center will be at the intersection of FM 1463 and Spring Green Road, which will be developed into a four-way stop with a traffic light.

Parks, landscaping and greenbelts are planned for the community as well as a pool, playground and potentially soccer and baseball fields, Simmons said.

“We feel it’s going to be great enhancement not only for the city of Katy but for the surrounding area,” Simmons said.

Moody Simmons will receive bids for the construction work once the project has received final approval from the city, Simmons said. Construction will be regulated according to city guidelines.

In the home development business for 35 years, Moody Simmons has worked on projects in other Katy-area neighborhoods including Westfield and Eagle Ranch West at Fry Road and West Little York.

Moody Simmons will seek final plat approval at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting this month and will present the project before Katy City Council in April, Simmons said.

The Texas Department of Transportation’s contractor, Williams Brothers Construction, will completely close eastbound and westbound Interstate 10 this weekend from Eldridge Parkway to Texas 6.

The closure is scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday, March 9, until 5 a.m. Monday, March 12.

Traffic will be detoured to the eastbound and westbound frontage roads.

The I-10 lanes are being closed in connection with the demolition of the now out-of-service T-Ramp to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Addicks Park & Ride.

Additional closures associated with this work include the following:

•There will be a total closure of I-10’s westbound frontage road between Eldridge Parkway and Texas 6 from 9 p.m. March 12 until 5 a.m. March 13. Motorists will be detoured onto I-10 from the Dairy Ashford entrance ramp.

•There will be a total closure of eastbound I-10 between Eldridge Parkway and Texas 6 from 9 p.m. Friday, March 16, to 5 a.m. Monday, March 19, and 9 p.m. Friday, March 23, to 5 a.m. Monday, March 26. Drivers can detour onto I-10’s eastbound frontage road.