Tag Archives: Houston

The Astrodome Park Proposal

Since the initial news, Lisa Gray of the Houston Chronicle has updates on the Astrodome saga.  The full plan from the Texans and the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo have finally been revealed, and the county, is now considering it…

Yesterday Harris County said that it’s open to a plan to raze the Astrodome and create in its place a park that salutes the Astrodome’s history. Just for a moment, let’s pretend that’s not crazy.

In the site plan, the proposed park is described as “reminiscent of Discovery Green” — which is to say, like one of Houston’s favorite parks, an intensely used, much-loved urban space. But the description of the Astrodome park and the its site plan — see the slideshow — seem very different. There’d be a ring that imitates the old Astrodome’s “ribs,” each decked out with a historic plaque. There’d be multiple “event stages.” And at the center, in something that looks like a mini-Dome, is what the site plan seems to call a Hall of Fame.

It’s unfortunate that more Houston- area business leaders don’t see the potential of a repurposed Astrodome. The park proposal is certainly not a bad idea, but short-sighted compared to what could be done. Still, this plan is a marked improvement over the worst-case scenario of a surface parking lot, and the choice to honor the original structure is appreciated and absolutely necessary.   If done right and well-maintained, even the park proposal could be utilized to grow the city’s tourism business.

But the secret to creating a tourist draw that Houston hasn’t seemed to figure out yet… it doesn’t happen overnight.  Like any business venture, you have to make an upfront investment, promote it and then trust that you’ve done everything  you can to make it a good visitor experience.

In recent years, the Bayou City has made some good choices that provide good tourism potential. With all of the city’s major sports facilities located in close proximity, it’s easy to envision a scenario where people come to the city for a sporting event, but then add a visit to the Dome sight to learn about sports history. Having a museum on the site (perhaps this is what the Rodeo/ Texans plan is referencing with their Mini-dome “hall of fame”) should be essential. The Astrodome’s mark is forever written into the 20th century, and Houston would be foolish to not observe and honor it as such.

Regarding this and any other possible proposals, we’ll see what happens soon enough. See Brains and Eggs, Off the Kuff and Texpatriate for more thoughts.

Houston Equal Rights Ordinance PASSES

It’s a moment that was years in the making, and for some Houstonians, a moment that means so much more than words on any page could convey.  The silent, and often private struggles of discrimination have long been endorsed by the city of Houston… an endorsement via inaction and refusal to address those who are oppressed.  But on May 28th 2014, that endorsement of discrimination ended in the Bayou City, as Houston City Council has passed a comprehensive, non-discrimination ordinance.  Known now as the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, it passed Council by a vote of 11 to 6.

Both sides argued passionately for and against H.E.R.O., though many questioned how much of the opposition’s argument was based in factual information.  Speaker after speaker gave eerily similar scenarios that all revolved around some imaginary figure in a bathroom waiting for the opportunity to molest a child.  But in the end, this vast cloud of falsehood did not win out, and the city took an important step forward to protect all of its citizens.

From a political standpoint, many see the passage of H.E.R.O. as “a victory for the Mayor” or a victory for her base, being the LGBT community.  I don’t see it that way, but instead this is a victory for everyone in the city of Houston.  A city that seeks to protect all of its citizens is a city that is safer for all.  Ask anyone in the LGBT community… it takes real courage to live as an out individual.  Just like someone who goes around hating openly gay people… there’s a strong possibility that the person initiating the hatred is gay themselves, but haven’t found the strength to deal with their internal feelings.  They lash out against others because of fear of themselves.  Laws like H.E.R.O. get rid of that fear by helping to create an environment where that person can walk their individual journey in a healthier way.  They are less likely to lash out… less likely to cause any harm to others.  By standing up for equal protection, Houston is sending a message that we care about everyone’s safety.

As I wrote in an earlier post, Annise Parker has accomplished much as Mayor of the City of Houston.  In 4 short years, she has shepherded historic growth and prosperity for the city and region… tackling a host of problems her predecessors were too scared to face.  But one has to believe that she was uniquely skilled for this moment in time.  Parker will be long remembered for her bravery and expert strategy to get the ordinance through.  Because of her leadership, we are a better city today than we were yesterday, and 2.2 million Texans have a home where discrimination is no longer acceptable.

Transgriot, Brains and Eggs and Off the Kuff have more.

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METRO Reveals System Re-imagining Plan

At over 2.2 million residents and over 600 square miles in land area, Houston has the unique distinction of not only being one of the largest cities in the US by population, but also one of the most spread-out cities.  This reality can be quite the challenge when trying to plan for the for the transit needs of so many people in such a large space. Also, as more citizens discover the benefits of public transit options, demand for quality service increases.

Which is why public transit advocates have been awaiting  some big news, as Houston METRO considers a total transformation of its existing bus network.  Last week, that news was revealed as the  transit re-imagining plan.  And as promised, it is a total transformation.

From the slideshow presentation, Here are the basic goals:

System Re-imagining delivers a transit network that…

  • Has more frequent routes to more places

  • Is much easier to understand and use

  • Connects more people to more jobs

  • Provides much better weekend service

  • Better serves METRO’s current riders

  • Provides faster, more reliable trips

  • Is built to support future growth.

Job centers are a big stress of this plan, with improved service to all of Houston’s major employment hubs.  At present, METRO has a lot of duplicating routes… multiple buses that travel on the same thoroughfare for an extended amount of time.  Under the new plan, those duplicated routes are virtually wiped away, in favor a simpler system.  This also would allow those simplified routes to run more frequently, which decreases wait times at stops.  What METRO calls its Frequent Network… buses that run every 15 to 20 minutes, would be dramatically expanded.

Here’s a look at METRO’s current Frequent Network…

Existing METRO

 

And here is what the proposed re-imagining would move to…

New METRO

Clearly, the plan covers a wider area of the city, and stresses more reliable connections.  Of course this is at the expense of other routes, many of which are in areas that depend on METRO’s services the most.  The solution proposed for those cuts is called a Flex Zone… an area that operates essentially as a ride-share service instead of having fixed route coverage.  If one is in the Flex Zone, they would have to call ahead and schedule a ride (this is already done under the current MetroLift service) which would then take them to the nearest fixed route service.  Most of the Flex Zones are located in Northeast Houston.

Overall, this is a great first draft, and will represent a significant improvement over the current public transit network.  If METRO can deliver 10 to 15 minute service in the Frequent Network as promised, it will undoubtedly attract more riders to the system.

But the greatest concern here are the Flex Zones… especially that they are all in one concentrated area.  A call-in service may work for home-bound citizens, but it’s not a practical solution for frequent travelers that have jobs, children to support and other basic needs.  After spending billions of dollars to build the North, East and Southeast rail lines, it appears that these transit stops are being underutilized in the current iteration of re-imagining.  For example, the current route 52 Hirsch/ Scott is consistently one of the highest ridership routes in METRO’s system, with a northern terminus at Mesa Transit Center.  But under re-imagining, Mesa TC will be left with significantly reduced transit coverage, serviced by just three routes, and no frequent network coverage.  Additional connections to either Kashmere TC’s frequent route, or to Northline Station could be a low-cost solution that would decrease the need for such large Flex Zones in the area.

There are definitely some kinks to work out with this, but on the whole this is good plan for Houston’s transit future.  The public comment period for System Re-imagining is going on now, so this is the time to take a look at the new system, and leave METRO your feedback.   This is a bold opportunity to guide the future of Houston transit, so let’s be a part of it.

Reimagining METRO

 

 

 

 

 

Comprehensive Immigration Reform ‘Won’t’ Pass The House

The curious case of the GOP versus Comprehensive Immigration Reform continues.

It appears that the latest plan that Republicans have cooked up to stall Immigration Reform is nothing more than an old stand-by… blame President Obama.

Here’s more from the Washington Post…

Republicans are starting to lay the blame on President Barack Obama if an overhaul of the nation’s broken immigration system fails to become law.

The GOP’s emerging plan on immigration is to criticize Obama as an untrustworthy leader and his administration as an unreliable enforcer of any laws that might be passed. Perhaps realizing the odds of finding a consensus on immigration are long, the Republicans have started telling voters that if the GOP-led House doesn’t take action this election year, it is Obama’s fault.

“If the president had been serious about this the last five years, we’d be further along in this discussion,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, said Sunday.

I suppose making CIR a top priority of his administration during virtually every year of his Presidency isn’t getting serious enough? And not to mention that the only chamber to have done anything substantive at this point is the Democratically-controlled Senate, which passed Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation last year. Let’s also not forget that Obama is apparently much more serious on the issue than President George W. Bush. During the Bush administration, neither House of Congress got ANYTHING advanced on immigration. Make no mistake, the GOP is running plays from a tried and true playbook right now… desperately trying to sound serious about immigration reform just long enough to get through the 2014 elections. That’s the only reason for all of the caution and careful change in tone for 2014.

But on Wednesday’s Houston Matters with host Craig Cohen, Texas Congressman Kevin Brady decided to throw even that caution to the wind, and out the window. Here was the exchange from last week…

Craig Cohen: “Another topic of significance to Greater Houston that the President raised last night was immigration. What would it take to see comprehensive immigration reform pass through the House?”

Congressman Brady: “You know… it won’t. I think the House has learned from some of the massive bills, such as the Affordable Care Act, that comprehensive efforts are normally very sloppy, and we learn later just what the consequences of them are. The House is going to take a step-by-step approach.”

Step-by-step approach is code for “we’re going to stall for as long as humanly possible.” Their focus is only on the next election. The GOP agenda is not now, nor will it ever be serious about immigration reform. For someone like Congressman Brady, member of both the House Ways and Means Committee and House-Senate Joint Economic Committee, to be dismissing any hopes of a substantive bill from the House is a big problem. Brady lives in a very safe district that is majority white and majority Republican… basically, he can afford to tell the truth on this issue, and not worry about much blowback. Please folks, don’t be fooled by the Republican rhetoric. If you want Immigration reform passed, vote for the Democrats. And maybe someday, the Democratic party will grow a spine and run on the issue too.

TLCQ 2013: Endorsements in HCC Trustee Races

As the second-largest College system in Texas, and the 6th largest in the United States, Houston Community College is a pillar entity in Houston and Southeast Texas. Even for Texans that don’t directly attend HCC, they interact with students and alumni on a constant basis. It is an integral part of the educational life of Houston… almost as much as its progenitor the Houston Independent School District. HCC’s trustees are elected by voters in Houston and other cities within the school’s jurisdiction. For all of these reasons, Texas Leftist wanted to examine these races and issue endorsements for the candidates.

In HCC’s District 1, current incumbent Trustee Yolanda Navarro Flores is running for reelection. But given a torrid history with the HCC Board, including suing her fellow trustees for defamation, it’s no surprise that she has drawn two challengers in the race. It’s a sampling of many issues that have plagued the Board of Trustees in recent years. Both of her challengers, Kevin J. Hoffman and Zeph Capo, have strong records of public service. But in this race, Mr. Capo’s record in the classroom, especially in dealing with at-risk youth is what makes him stand out. His first-hand experience working with students not unlike many attending HCC would prove a great attribute to the system. The 2013 pick for District 1 is Zeph Capo.

District 3 has incumbent Herlinda Garcia with two respective challengers. Dr. Adriana Tamez is an educator with extensive knowledge of HISD and the K-12 system. But Dane D. Cook also has a wealth of unique experiences, both as a recent student of HCC, and as one of our nation’s veterans that would be of great asset to the school’s governing body. Many of the school’s current Trustees are so far removed from the student experience that their vision for the future of the institution can become uninformed by reality. It’s true he is the youngest candidate, but Mr. Cook’s leadership skills have been proven both in the theater of war, and transition back to American society. This is an experience that will continue to be vital to HCC as the war in Afghanistan draws down and our soldiers come home to face real-world decisions about the next stages of their lives. For many of Houston’s veterans, HCC will be a critical part of that journey. The 2013 pick for District 3 is Dane D. Cook.

District 5 has been mired in difficulty as well, following the resignation of Richard Schechter and later his interim replacement Leila Feldman, so it is certainly the hope that voters can find some stability for this constituency. As a native Houston and lifelong resident of the District, candidate Robert Glaser will be there to provide stable leadership. Bringing his experience in both public education and as a small business owner, he has been able to see the important role HCC plays in training the Houston workforce. As college costs continue to skyrocket, he also sees the benefit of reducing redundancy in college and high school programs to both enrich the student experience and lower education costs for families. Affordability is perhaps the greatest attribute that HCC has, and Mr. Glaser brings that aspect as a central part of his goals for the system. The 2013 pick for District 5 is Robert Glaser.

Though District 7 incumbent Trustee Neeta Sane has drawn one challenger in this race, she has proven her skills as an effective leader and visionary for the system. Like her rapidly growing and diverse district, Ms. Sane brings a wealth of diverse experience as a naturalized US citizen and small business owner. She has demonstrated how HCC can be more than an educational institution, but can really mold and shape a growing community. Ms. Sane has overseen over $140 million dollars of investment in her district, including the establishment of the Alief ISD Early College High School, the HCC Stafford Fine Arts Center, the ASPIRE scholarship program to promote educational opportunities in the Asian community, the Bissonnet workforce building and HCC Missouri City. She has a thorough understand of the growing needs in her district. For all of these reasons, the 2013 pick for District 7 is incumbent Neeta Sane.

Texas Leftist appears on Houston Matters

Well I must say this was a lot of fun.

Houston Matters is a brand new show on KUHF Houston Public Radio. The show is about all things Houston… discussing important events around the city, and the ever-changing nature of the region. Needless to say, it’s already one of my favorites for subject matter alone. Just this week, they talked about how Houstonians would be affected in Syria, the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Ike, and a host of other topics.

I was honored to be asked to participate on today’s show with Host Craig Cohen, John Beddow, Operator of the Houston Business Journal and Joe Holley, Columnist and Editorial Writer for the Houston Chronicle. KUHF reporter Edel Howlin arranged the segment. Check it out!

Houston to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

From the Mayor’s Office:

Mayor Parker Announces Citywide Observance of 50th Anniversary of March on Washington and MLK Dream Speech

August 7, 2013 — Mayor Annise Parker is calling on places of worship, schools and other Houston places where bells are available to join her in a local bell-ringing ceremony to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of The March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Houston’s official bell-ringing ceremony will occur at 2 p.m. on August 28 outside Houston City Hall by the reflecting pool. The date and time is a half century to the minute after Dr. King delivered his historic address and it coincides with a “Commemoration and Call to Action” to be held on the National Mall in Washington D.C. the same day.

“I am calling on all Houstonians to join me as we pause to mark the 50th anniversary of this historic moment,” said Mayor Parker. “As the most diverse city in this country, we are positioned through our local bell-ringing observance to send a strong message of inclusion, and acceptance of people of all races, religion or national origin. I especially hope that our young people will get involved.”

Mayor Parker is asking all local organizations with access to bells to join in the bell-ringing at precisely 2 p.m. August 28 to achieve a citywide ringing of the bells. Any bell may be used for the commemorations. However, the bell tone should be deep to lend solemnity to the commemoration. The bells should not ring for more than 15 seconds. Organizations without access to a large bell may play a recording of bells ringing. Any speeches given during your program should be short and polarizing debates should be avoided. The local observance is being planned to allow participation by those who cannot make the trip to Washington.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. King ended his speech with a call to “let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire … from the mighty mountains of New York…from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania … from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado … from the curvaceous slopes of California … from Stone Mountain in Georgia…from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee … and from every hill and molehill in Mississippi.