Setback what? Where?

It's no secret that Weingarten Realty has given a big F-you to its Houston market with the much protested redevelopment of the River Oaks Shopping Center, but it just keeps getting better. A group named Stop Shepherd Noise was organized to bring to light issues concerning the River Oaks Shopping Center, and is described as a "group of concerned neighbors who want to preserve the integrity and quality of life of the neighborhoods surrounding River Oaks Shopping Center."

The latest antics by Weingarten include playing dumb about obvious mandatory property setbacks and posting a new rendering of the development on its web site (old rendering here). According to Stop Shepherd Noise:

Weingarten Realty Investors, who own the River Oaks Shopping Center and demolished the southern half of the center last year in order to replace it with a larger new center, have secretly and significantly altered the design shown last year to the neighbors and the community in order to build an even larger and taller structure that will tower over River Oaks and Shepherd Drive. They have started construction and are trying to finish as quickly as possible, although the construction has been halted due to a violation of city setback ordinances. Weingarten is not only violating the law, they are violating the promises they made to the community to honor the original design, and you can stop them by signing our petition.

In 2007, after loud and protracted public protests, Weingarten specifically promised that the new center "would honor the original curved design, but be two stories tall instead of one." That was the specific promise given to the neighbors, The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, and The Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission. In early October 2008, however, Weingarten began erecting steel beams to a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DESIGN. Without the knowledge of any of the parties they had talked to for their support, Weingarten simply changed the design, submitted it to the City for approval, and started construction. No one outside the City Planning Department had any idea of the changes until the steel beams started going up.

It really does pay to be a trazillion-dollar company with financial incentives for the Planning Department - Weingarten gets to retroactively request a variance for their ignorance of the setback requirement (the city has apparently even tried to take the blame for the "misunderstanding"), they were granted a hearing just a few days later (the 18th), and unless a new precedence is started, the hearing on the 18th will probably pass the variance.

Stop Shepherd Noise is encouraging folks to attend the variance hearing at the City Hall Annex (901 Bagby St.) on December 18 at 2:30 pm and to also sign the petition.