The city's Planning Commission on Thursday recommended landmark designation for the River Oaks Shopping Center and Alabama Theater/Bookstop, meaning the two structures are a step closer to preservation — or as close as Houston ever really gets to preservation, which is far enough away to be sure the city doesn't piss off any developers with deep pockets. As we noted when the landmark designation process began back in April, the next step in designation......

Earlier this month, we talked about the proposal to build a youth sports complex on the site of the Wortham Park Golf Course, one of three public courses inside the Loop and an East End institution for a hundred years. The complex proposal is part of Houston's push to keep the Dynamo in town — the team is looking for a new stadium and has stipulated that a youth soccer/sports complex be part of the......

More news on Houston's proposed stronger smoking ban: Marc Levin, an attorney who helped get a portion of Austin's smoking ban overturned on the basis of vague legal language, urged Houston City Councilmembers to postpone a vote on the expanded ban until the proposed ordinance can be reworded. Austin banned smoking inside all public buildings, including bars and concert venues — a similar ban to the one Houston is considering. Shortly after Austin's ban went......

A couple of City Councilmembers have come up with 11th-hour alternatives to the city's proposed smoking ban, which council is supposed to take up tomorrow. The proposal would ban smoking at all workplaces in Houston, including restaurants and bars; exceptions would be patio areas and businesses designated as tobacconists or cigar bars. Councilwoman Toni Lawrence has one alternative: She's begun circulating a petition that would exempt standalone bars and clubs from the citywide ban. "My......

So City Council held a hearing yesterday on a proposal to ban smoking in all Houston workplaces — yes, including bars and tobacco shops — and, not surprisingly, a lot of bar owners showed up to protest the idea, saying a full smoking ban would devastate their businesses. "Draft an exception to allow bars to continue to operate and make the decision whether they want to be smoke-free or not," Philip Brinson, who owns three......