Mischer News

Do cities have a future? Pessimists point to industrial-era holdovers like Detroit and Cleveland. Urban boosters point to dense, expensive cities like New York, Boston and San Francisco. Yet if you want to see successful 21st-century urbanism, hop on down to Houston and the Lone Star State. You won't be alone: Last year Houston added 141,000 residents, more than any region in the U.S. save the city's similarly sprawling rival, Dallas-Fort Worth. Over the past decade Houston's population has grown by 24%--five times the rate of San Francisco, Boston and New York. In that time it has attracted 244,000 new residents from other parts of the U.S., while older cities experienced high rates of out-migration. It is even catching up on foreign immigration, enjoying a rate comparable with New York's and roughly 50% higher than that of Boston or Chicago.

So what does Houston have that these other cities lack? Opportunity. Between 2000 and 2009 Houston's employment grew by 260,000. Greater New York City--with nearly three times the population of Houston--has added only 96,000 jobs. The Chicago area has lost 258,000 jobs, San Francisco 217,000, Los Angeles 168,000 and Boston 100,004.

Politicians in big cities talk about jobs, but by keeping taxes, fees and regulatory barriers high they discourage the creation of jobs, at least in the private sector. A business in San Francisco or Los Angeles never knows what bizarre new cost will be imposed by city hall. In New York or Boston you can thrive as a nonprofit executive, high-end consultant or financier, but if you are the owner of a business that wants to grow you're out of luck.

Houston, however, has kept the cost of government low while investing in ports, airports, roads, transit and schools. A person or business moving there gets an immediate raise through lower taxes and cheaper real estate. Houston just works better at nurturing jobs.

It's not just smug coastal places getting smoked by Texas. Since the collapse of the housing bubble Houston has outperformed Sunbelt counterparts like Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. A big factor has been that manufacturing, professional services, international trade and technology industries have been the primary drivers of the city's economic growth--rather than construction and speculation. Ironically, this has increased home values. Since 2007 prices of homes in Houston have ticked slightly higher, while those in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles and the Bay Area each are down by more than 35%.

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Ty Pennington and the cast from ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ surprised one Houston Bay Area family on January 7th with the news that they had been chosen as the finalists in receiving a brand new home. This was more than a nice surprise; this was an overwhelming birthday present for Melissa Beach as she turned 40 that day. The family of 15 had been displaced from their home when Hurricane Ike made its way through the area on September 13, 2008. In seven short days , from January 7 to January 14, hundreds of volunteers and vendors worked together to create a new space this family could call home.

The Beach family has stood strong in the face of odds and challenges. Over the past 12 years the Beach family has fostered approximately 85 children, and after seeing that many of them could not be placed in permanent homes they decided to start adopting. The original Beach family which started with Larry and Melissa on the day they were married 23 years ago, has grown to include four biological children and nine adopted children: Chris (23), Michael (21), Jose (20), Cody (19), Mikala (18), Paul (14), Faith (13), Hope (9), Justin (8), Jacob (4), Grace (4), Jeremiah (23 months), and Mercy (22 months). They took in children that adoption agencies were not able to place and gave them a home full of love.

It’s true that “home is where the heart is” and this family’s home was with each other, though that was in a trailer on their property after their house was damaged in the hurricane. They lived in an 18-foot travel trailer with one toilet, a hot water tank that only held 6 gallons, and a gas grill for cooking. After the birthday surprise of a new house on the way, the Beach family was whisked away to Disney World for a much needed vacation while their home was under construction.

After just seven days, volunteers gathered on January 14, waving American and Texas flags, showing their love and support as they welcomed the Beach family home. Their new house was completed in 106 hours by a team of vendors and volunteers led by Blu Shields Construction. They bundled up in the face of the cold to make this dream come true for this Houston family. The home design included eight bedrooms, 4 ½ baths, an elevator, therapy room, rooftop panels, with a classroom and “decent kitchen” per Melissa’s request, all under the 6,340-square-foot, two-story home.

The show detailing the Beach Family Project will air in March on ABC. The show airs Sundays from 8:00-9:00pm, C.T. on ABC 13. Just as this family is never too small or too large, so no donation is too small or too large to benefit this awe inspiring project. “Because the house is considered a complete donation, the family will not be responsible for a mortgage or property taxes,” said Patrick Henderson, CEO of Energy Solution Homes, Blu Shields’ parent company. The first year of utilities will also be free. The new home will allow the family to begin adopting again, welcoming more children in need into their family.

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Mischer Community residents can look forward to an entertaining, thought-provoking event if they visit the Russian Culture Center this weekend. The RCC has recently opened an Art Exhibition for Dmitri Koustov titled "Megapolis".  The exhibit is open now through October 16th, 2009.  From Monday through Friday you can see the exhibit from 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday from 11am to 3pm.  Admission is free and visitors may even purchase some of Koustov's works.

Dmitri Koustov has works all over Europe in private collections through Austria, Germany, France, Russia, England, Singapore, and Finland as well as in the United States, and the Ivanovo Art Museum.  His works are comprised of intense, vivid color with balanced harmony.  His abstract works bring about emotions of positivity.
 
"Creating an abstract composition that has a luminous mixture of forms and colors brings me happiness, inner strength and freedom. I hope that viewers will feel the same when they see my works… I think that the task of the artist is to show the things that one can feel but not see. And that’s what I am awaiting from my public-imagination and fantasy" - artist Dmitri Koustov.
 
Koustov is a graduate from Ivanovo Art Institute, and previously worked in St. Petersberg, Russia and Moscow.  Currently he resides in College Station, Texas.
 
For more information on the exhibit, visit the Russian Culture Center's site at ourtx.org.  You can also reach them by phone at (713) 395-3301 or email at rcc@ourtx.com.
 
Image courtesy of DmitriKoustov.com
 
Source: Russian Culture Center Official Site and khou.com.

Mischer Development, developers of Cypress Creek Lakes in Cypress, TX, and River Park West in Richmond, TX, prides itself on shaping communities to enrich the lives of its residents. This goal is achieved through careful planning and execution of the master plan of each of its communities. Mischer designs communities with a wealth of amenities like swimming pools, playgrounds, hike and bike trails, lake and water features, sports fields and on-site schools. With prices starting at approximately $200,000 in each of its communities, Mischer has created communities that are not only beautiful, but also affordable.

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