Ashby High Rise

For the past six years, the city of Houston has been dealing with an incident which may have far reaching consequences for the city. On December 17^th, a jury altered the future of Houston when they decided that it was legal for the Ashby high rise to be built, however, ordered that the residence of the neighborhood be compensated for damages. Although the quest to change development in Houston has been long and hard fought, I believe the outcome was the best possible outcome for the community of Houston to reach.

The issues at play here with the Ashby high rise are issues with any building built in the city. Construction of all buildings in the city could damage surrounding property, increase or decrease property values and impact traffic in the neighborhood. The lawsuit ran the risk of causing every building in the city to be threatened by nearby neighbors who did not like damage to surrounding properties under construction, increase/decrease of property values and traffic impact on the road. The jury’s findings prevent future Houstonians from demanding similar actions in their neighborhood. However, as the impact on the neighborhood will affect property owners in the neighborhood, I am glad that they have been compensated for any financial loss that they may have experienced. The decision to allow construction is for the benefit of the community. Construction and growth in Houston will still prosper. Cities are built by their communities and our community has passed a milestone of our history with this decision. May we continue to be one of the greatest economic engines in this country, while still listening to and compensating individuals affected by this growth.