Coming to the Village: bohemians, attorneys, hippies?

Via Off the Kuff, Rice Village-area residents are a little ticked off by a sign advertising Sonoma, the residential component of the proposed Piazza mixed-use development just off Rice Boulevard. You remember that, right? It's the $100 million, seven-story behemoth for which a block of Bolsover Street will be closed, with 225 condominiums, 100,000 square feet of retail space and an underground parking garage. But according to the Examiner, it's not the size of the development or its impact on the neighborhood that are upsetting locals right now: It's residential developer Randall Davis's slogan, "Home to Bohemians, Attorneys and Hippies," that's painted across a storefront on the site of the development.

“The bohemians and hippies might not be so bad, if they don’t drive,” a caller from Southampton Place said. “But, this community simply can’t handle any more lawyers — with or without cars.” Perhaps fearing litigation from a future neighbor, the source asked not to be identified.

Sure, it's kind of a stupid slogan, but Davis admitted to the Examiner that it really doesn't mean anything: "I think advertising is about making people read a sign," he said. Fair enough. What made Houstonist throw up a little in our mouths is another part of the sign: “We didn’t create West U living, we’re just perfecting it.” Ah, yes — that must go hand-in-hand with the idea that the Village is a really unique area in Houston, so the best possible course of action is to demolish it to make room for luxury condos.

In an editorial this weekend, the Chronicle opposed the closing of the 2400 block of Bolsover, suggesting instead that the Piazza be developed in a way that would allow the street to remain open. We agree with Kuff, though, that the real focus shouldn't be on Bolsover, but rather on the increased traffic the project will bring to already-congested north-south streets. We'll see how it all works out.

Davis plans to open a sales center for Sonoma on March 1, with construction scheduled to begin in July. The first phase of the development will open early in 2009; there's no timetable for the second phase on the south side of Bolsover.