Arbor Day Tree Planting First Step in Creating Livable Center in White Oak Community

The Near Northwest Management District, Treesearch Farms and Forged Products are commemorating Arbor Day with a planting of 10 trees at the White Oak Conference Center. The new trees will be planted in and around a stand of pine trees including the historic Inwood Pine to create The Grove, a wooded area of native trees that are the first step in creating the Botanical Gardens outlined in the Livable Centers Plan for the Antoine Corridor.

The new trees will be celebrated in a brief ceremony on Monday, January 23 at 12:30 p.m. at the White Oak Conference Center, 7603 Antoine, which will include remarks by Wayne Norden of the Near Northwest Management District as well as representatives from Forged Products and Treesearch Farms and visioning tours of the conference center grounds for interested community members.

“The District is changing thanks to business owners like Forged Products and Treesearch Farms who have a passion for making our community a better place to live,” said Wayne Norden, president/CEO of the Near Northwest Management District. “Their commitment and vision is helping the communities along White Oak Bayou to once again become a place in which we can all be proud to live and work.”

The creation of The Grove is the first step to create a public greenspace that can be enjoyed by all Houstonians. Future additions to the complex include a butterfly garden, a demonstration garden, the addition of native grass prairie areas and hike and bike trails. The improvement of the White Oak Conference Center grounds is the first step in changes to transform the Antoine Corridor and is being supervised by Heidi Sheesley of Treesearch Farms, a long-time business owner in the area who is passionate about sustainable, usable public gardens.

Livable Centers Plan
The Livable Centers Plan includes recommendations to improve the Antoine Corridor, rechristened the White Oak Quarter, into a walkable mixed-use place that provides multimodal transportation options, improves environmental quality, and promotes economic development.

A copy of the Livable Centers Plan is available on the District Web Site at www.nearnorthwestdistrict.com/programs/livablecenters .

Houston growth contributing to growth of Near Northwest District

The revitalization efforts for Near Northwest Houston are spurred by the growth of the city as a whole. As prices for homes and apartments climb in the remainder of the city the value that our area has to offer becomes more apparent. The Livable Center Plan is a road map for the changes to come in the Near Northwest District.

Visit http://www.nearnorthwestdistrict.com/Programs/LivableCenters.shtml to learn more about it.


Houston ranks as North America's fastest-growing metro area
Houston Business Journal
Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 6:32am CST

Houston not only beat every other large metropolitan area in the U.S. in terms of the world's fastest-growing economies, but it also topped all other large metropolitan areas in the eastern hemisphere, according to a report from the Brookings Institution released on Wednesday.

Houston ranked No. 19 on Brooking' s Global MetroMonitor report, which analyzed large metropolitan areas' gross domestic product, employment, income and population rates.
Although Houston fared well -- the report found income increased 5.5 percent and employment increased 2.5 percent since 2010-- almost all other North American markets fell in the rankings.

This is part of a worldwide trend, as more market growth shifts to developing economies in Asia and Eastern Europe, the report found. Surprisingly, half of the 40 weakest metropolitan markets were either in the U.S. or the U.K. Dallas was the only other U.S. market to get a strong economic growth ranking at No. 36.

The other markets that beat Houston were mainly in China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which all had multiple cities in the top 10 ranks.

Walmart opens in Near Northwest District

Near Northwest Houston welcomes the opening of Walmart on Highway 249. This new business is now hiring 300 new positions which will contribute to the revitalization of Near Northwest Houston. For information on other jobs in and around the Near Northwest District go to http://www.nearnorthwestdistrict.com/Programs/JobFair.shtml.

New Walmart Store Hiring 300 Associates
Construction is complete on the new Walmart store at 13003 Tomball Parkway at the intersection of Highway 249 and Smiling Wood Lane and the retailer is spending the next few weeks transforming the empty building into a store complete with a full line of groceries and a wide assortment of merchandise and time-saving services.

They are in the process of hiring 300 full and part-time associates for its opening this month to work in all areas of the store.

According to a representative for Walmart, the company currently employs 152,902 people in Texas. As of October 31, 2011 (End of Q3), the average wage for regular, full-time hourly associates in Texas is $12.19 per hour (Walmart Discount Stores, Supercenters, and Neighborhood Markets). Additionally, eligible associates receive an annual incentive based on the company performance.

Interested applicants should apply online at http://walmartstores.com/Careers.

Read this week's Leader article about changes coming to Antoine Corridor:

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Take the District's Online Participation Survey:

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