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$31 million apartment complex slated for Heights By Matt deGrood news@theleadernews.com An Austin-based multi-family developer with projects across the Houston region is the latest entrant to a growing market in the Heights with a $31 million plan to build a 359-unit complex. Crews will begin construction on the complex, called Lenox Heights, 333 W. 24th Street, this December, with plans to open the facility in the first quarter of 2025, said Jackson Simons, vice president of development for the Houston market with OHT Partners. “This part of town attracts
young professionals and families alike due to its proximity to ma-
jor employment centers, charming neighborhood setting and rare walkability to some of Houston’s top retail and dining destinations,” Simons said. Lenox Heights will join a growing list of new apartment complexes in the neighborhood. Information from the real estate firm Transwestern found more than 1,051 new apartment units were under construction in the Heights and Washington Avenue corridor, according to an article from the Houston Chronicle. The new trend comes in contrast to the Heights’ reputation in the Houston area for its single-family
homes, according to the Houston Chronicle. As of earlier in 2022, the neighborhood was home to less than 2 percent of all apartments in the region, according to the article. But developers are eying the neighborhood for more apartments because it’s a great destination for a walkable lifestyle in the city itself, Simons said. “The Greater Heights leads urban Houston for apartment demand because of the desirable lifestyle and relatively unaffordable and rapidly appreciating home See APARTMENT P. 4A
Back on the pitch Annual Leader Senior Expo set for next week
Nibbles and Sips The inaugural Oak Forest Restaurant Weeks kicks off Friday. Check out that and more in this week’s column.
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Staff Reports
Steep decline Local housing markets have continued to see dips in sales. Check out this month’s market recap to see how Leader markets fared.
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Contributed photo One of the Oaks Dads Club youth soccer teams shows off their team banner prior to Saturday’s Opening Day parade. The local youth organization began its fall soccer season last weekend.
Fall planting In this edition of Garden Guru, Amy Williams offers a guide for fall planting and planning in your garden.
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THE INDEX. Food/Drink............................................. 2A Church....................................................... 4A Coupons................................................... 4A Classifieds.............................................. 6A Senior Living.................... 1B-3B
Local business is our business. Send us your story of interest news@theleadernews.com
Oaks Dads Club kicks off fall soccer season By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
At the start of each season at Oaks Dads Club, excitement is always palpable, according to Ana Needham, from the joy on kids’ faces to satisfaction on the part of everyone involved in making the league possible. It was no different this year, she said, as ODC kicked off its fall soccer season with its annual Opening Day parade last Saturday morning. As teams paraded down all the way to the ODC soccer fields, the emotion said it all. “The best part was seeing the smiles on
every child’s face as they walked through the gates behind their banners,” said Needham, who serves as the secretary on the ODC board of directors. At least a dozen teams marched north on Arbor Vitae Drive from Collier Regional Library last Saturday morning before making a sharp left and heading west to the fields at 6500 Rena St. for festivities, which once again included a special visit from Houston Dynamo mascot Diesel. Each team also made a banner for the parade with a competition for the winning banner in each division. “All of the young boys
and girls had smiles on their faces throughout the day,” PDC Vice President John Barcelo said. “...The community showed why our family continues to grow and excel here at ODC.” Each year, the Oaks Dads’ Club has kicked off its competitive soccer season with Opening Day ceremonies full of fun, team cheers and anticipation, with the exception of 2020 because of the pandemic. It returned with a bang last year, and the mood this year was still one of joy according to Needham. “The entire ODC Soccer Board, as well as the coaches and parents on each team to
help make the banners, have spent a lot of time planning and preparing for this moment,” she said. Needham said this year’s league has seen one of the highest registration years in the organization’s history. Last year, the ODC website said more than 800 total kids took part in baseball, softball and soccer leagues. There are roughly 385 kids registered for over 40 teams in various age groups from U-4 to U-11 this fall season, according to Needham. There is a lot of work that goes into planning the logistics of See ODC P. 4A
Next week, The Leader is hosting an event geared toward seniors in our community, and all of our readers and their loved ones are invited. On Sept. 28, The Leader will host our annual Senior Expo from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the SPJST Lodge 88, located at 1435 Beall St. It is generously sponsored by Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital. We’ve invited businesses all across the community to take part to provide information about issues that are important to you. There will be speakers attending to help with health care concerns. We’ve invited professional finance planners who can help our area’s seniors and their loved ones take that dream trip or manage a fixed income better, and attorneys who will talk to you about any legal concerns you have. But this isn’t going to be all serious business, either. We’ll have breakfast in the morning and lunch in the afternoon. The best part, besides the food, fun and fellowship is that it is all free. All community members have to do is register. Attendees will have the opportunity to talk to them about estate planning, retirement, savings, medical care, event planning, trip advice, real estate and much more. Vendors will also have promotional items at their booth during the event for attendees to sample To register for the event, all community members have to do is go online to our website at www.theleadernews.com/site/ seniorexpo.html. They can also give us a call 713-686-8494.
Sinclair Elementary set to host annual pumpkin patch event By Matt deGrood news@theleadernews.com
Parents at Sinclair Elementary School are gearing up to host a pumpkin patch next month to raise money for the school’s parentteacher organization, according to those behind the event. The Sinclair Elementary School pumpkin patch will run from Oct. 14 through Oct. 23 and is open to all residents and families living in the Timbergrove and surrounding neighborhoods, said Allison White, one of the event’s co-chairs. “Last year, we had quite a few people attend from Oak Forest,
who weren’t from Timbergrove,” she said. “And it occurred to me that this event is popular in the larger community. ”This is a growing school and growing community and the event is getting more and more popular as the years go on.” Sinclair Elementary School has hosted a pumpkin patch for several years now, though the annual tradition took a brief break during the early years of the coronavirus pandemic, White said. The event kicks off after school Oct. 14 with a family pumpkin run around campus that will end at the pumpkin patch, she said. After the opening, the patch
will be open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, she said. Each Saturday, the school will host special events alongside the patch, White said. The first Saturday will include pumpkin painting and the second Saturday will feature bubbles for children, she said. Some families have visited the pumpkin patch for years, with photos of their children next to a big pumpkin taken at each year’s event, White said. The school’s PTO organization raises money for the school through sales of pumpkins, White said.
Photo from Facebook The annual Sinclair Elementary Pumpkin Patch opens to the community on Oct. 14.