Stick Up For Public Space-Houston Sidewalk Ordinance Revisions A Scam & A Better Autry Park

Here are Houston Democracy Project notes & observations for November 8th. Today's theme is sticking up for public space. 

*There is a giant real estate development going on along Allen Parkway and near Buffalo Bayou.   

From the Houston Chronicle:

"Perched above Buffalo Bayou, a 13-acre mixed-use project is gradually helping to reshape the retail real estate landscape along Allen Parkway in Montrose....Autry Park has opened in stages since 2022 — a handful of restaurants and shops and two apartment buildings are already open — but will soon come to life in a way it hasn’t yet before. The project is welcoming a string of retailers and restaurants over the next several months, plus an additional 38-story apartment tower by next summer. The development takes its name from the small city park it surrounds..."

That's all fine. Whatever. But the small city park referenced in the story and that gave the development it's name, has not benefited from all this investment. Above you see a picture of Autry Park I took yesterday. The grass is patchy, there are a couple of picnic tables, an ill-defined walking trail, a garbage can and not much else.

​In proximity to such wealth and investment, can't the developers offer up a few bucks to plant some nice flowers, add some amenities and just in general show some appreciation for a community resource they are profiting off?  

Next week I'll write an e-mail to the District Councilmember-I think it may be Mary Nan Huffman-and the five at-large Councilmembers, as well as to the developer & ask for Autry Park get some needed attention.  I'll make updates here if I can get any response.          

*The sidewalk ordinance revision process is ongoing.  

This is a matter for the Houston Democracy Project because Mayor Whitmire recently gutted the sidewalk ordinance with a memo rather than by a vote of Council. No democracy involved. 

Three Councilmembers--Tiffany Thomas, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz & Ed Pollard--sought to change a provision in the law that requires developers to either build a sidewalk, or pay a fee to a city sidewalk construction fund when building a new house. They didn't have the votes for this bad idea. Instead, Mayor Whitmire worked it out for them by simply writing a memo allowing exemptions from the requirement to either build the sidewalk or pay up. Not very democratic at all.

It really should be called The Gutting The Fee Ordinance.    

Beyond the shifty anti-democratic way Mayor Whitmire watered-down the ordinance, this issue is a matter of democracy because sidewalks are an important place where people meet up and connect. Sidewalks are such an important place for protest, that Mayor Whitmire unsuccessfully tried in August to restrict the rights of Houstonians to protest on the sidewalk.      ​

The Houston Planning Department has been taking public comments on the Gutting The Fee Ordinance.  Most all the comments oppose the changes.   

Here is a fine comment from a Houstonian-- 

"Houston urgently needs more safe and continuous sidewalks. By expanding exemption criteria, we risk widening the existing gaps in our sidewalk network, which compromises public safety, discourages walkability, and hinders connectivity between neighborhoods. Sidewalks are not merely infrastructure; they are essential pathways for pedestrians of all ages, including those with disabilities, parents with strollers, and individuals without access to cars. Moreover, this ordinance revision appears to shift responsibility away from developers and onto the community, which will ultimately bear the cost of missing sidewalks. Rather than expanding exemptions, I urge you to consider a complete removal of exemption criteria to ensure that all new developments contribute to a safe, accessible, and connected Houston for everyone. Modeling all of Houston after select neighborhoods that already prohibit sidewalks is regressive and archaic. Say goodbye to your trick-or-treaters!"
 
Here are the remaining steps in the process:

​November 14: Planning Commission public hearing
December 2: Quality of Life Council Committee meeting
December 11: City Council meeting

Here is the Planning Department website about the ordinance.  

Take part in the process if sails your ship to do so. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember.

Today's post has been about parks, sidewalks & about public and private obligations to protect and improve public space. So much of Houston is uninhabitable from heat, stray dogs, aggressive driving, poor streets and bad or non-existent sidewalks. When we stick up for public space, we stick up for better lives for ourselves. We stick up for the healthy public sphere that strengthens faith in openness and democracy.       

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

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