LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JULY 2015 | Page 55

THE CONCEPT OF A POCKET NEIGHBORHOOD ISN’T NEW, BUT LOCAL ARCHITECT/BUILDER

HEIDI EAGLETON IS DETERMINED TO BRING THE IDEA INTO THE FOREFRONT. POCKET NEIGHBORHOODS
ARE CLUSTERED GROUPS OF NEIGHBORING HOUSES OR APARTMENTS GATHERED AROUND A SHARED
OPEN SPACE – A GARDEN COURTYARD, A PEDESTRIAN STREET, A SERIES OF JOINED BACKYARDS OR A
RECLAIMED ALLEY – ALL OF WHICH HAVE A CLEAR SENSE OF TERRITORY AND SHARED STEWARDSHIP.*
In 2006 Eagleton formed the ODD Group (short for Open
Design and Development) which acts as developer, designer, builder and most recently licensed real estate agent.
Eagleton explains, “I wanted to make sure that we understood Texas real estate law, so now we do it all.” So, for the
past years ODD Group has been buying land strategically
in areas right before developers swoop in changing the
face of neighborhoods. “The first project we started was on
Nadine over off Airline and we just kept moving. We’re just
trying to stay one step ahead of everybody else.” Currently
the ODD Group is finishing up the fourth and final phase of
such a project in Spring Branch on Janak Dr.
“I love Spring Branch and I never thought anything of it until
we started building there. It’s really walkable, the people are
super-friendly. There are people on bikes, and it’s a real
neighborhood. I hope it retains that.” Their ODD houses fit
in quite naturally with the existing homes on the street.
Eagleton shares that they pulled some of the lines and colors
from the surrounding houses into their design. The floorplans
are open with no hallways to take advantage of the entire
space.

accept some of the culture of the place.” The lots are an odd
size at 150’ x 575’ long with the pedestrian and car zones
kept separate. There will be 13 houses all facing east, plus
Ms. Frank’s. “The community space is kind of an “L” shape;
at the end, which is where the neighborhood starts, is going
to be Ms. Frank’s in perpetuity for the community to use as
their community house. All of them will have screened-in front
porches toward the front to get people interacting.”

I PROMISED THE OWNER THAT I WOULDN’T TAKE
IT DOWN, SO WE’RE MOVING IT.
“Philosophically we don’t build anything over 3,000sf, in
terms of sustainability. We design and build for the community, for the culture, for the climate, for the topography of the
place. Our houses are built so that most of the year you don’t
have to use HVAC. During the day you have sunlight to save
electricity.” Eagleton is betting that you’ll want to be her
neighbor.

* per www.pocket-neighborhoods.com

But it’s the pocket neighborhood the ODD Group is developing in Acres Homes that is her dream. “I have two acres
there. We got there through someone renting a house on
Janak. Funny enough, I had driven past there a few years
ago but thought it wasn’t quite right. I went back over there
and I fell in love with it. The horses and the neighborhood,
the history of it. I don’t want to go into neighborhoods and
ruin them. I’d like to be in the 21st century, looking toward
the future, but not throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
“The neighborhood is going to be called Annie’s Place.
Each person will get to pick a name for their individual
house and can pick their colors from a color pallet so they
can be individualized. They will have private gardens as
well as a community space.” The neighborhood’s name is in
honor of Annie Krezesienski Frank, owner of the Heights
bungalow Eagleton bought a few years back. “I promised
the owner that I wouldn’t take it down, so we’re moving it.
It’s a lot more work than I thought it would be. Naiveté works
really well because I don’t know if I would have made that
promise knowing what I know now!” ͡