EAST END
Finding Common Ground— Livable Centers Study
With significant restoration and redevelopment at Buffalo Bayou Park and Allen’s Landing, it is the right time to turn to the bayou’s east sector to make a comparable level of investment. Meeting that goal came one step closer in 2013 when BBP, Fifth Ward Redevelopment Corporation and Greater East End Management District were awarded a $230,000 Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) grant for a Livable Centers Study, a planning initiative designed to create walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, multi-modal transportation choices and private investment leveraged from public improvements. A key component of the Livable Centers Study will be identifying connections from the Fifth Ward and East End to the bayou where BBP owns considerable property. Strategically located between these two historic and culturally rich neighborhoods, Buffalo Bayou can be the “bridge” that unites these two distinct areas, creating a combined and compelling vision. The study will serve as a prototype for a comprehensive master plan of the bayou’s entire east sector that BBP hopes to get underway in the very near future. The Livable Centers Study grew out of an American Leadership Forum (ALF) class, which sought to strengthen collaborative decision-making among diverse East End and Fifth Ward leaders.
Buffalo Bend Nature Park Located at the Port of Houston Turning Basin, Buffalo Bend Nature Park is becoming a beautiful and much needed trailhead. Improvements already in place include three storm water filtration ponds, a natural amphitheater and native wetland plantings. In 2013, Harris County Precinct Two, the park’s owner, agreed to provide BBP with matching funds for a $500,000 Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) grant that will make possible the following enhancements— boardwalks, learning station, trails and interpretive signage. BBP is currently focused on purchasing a trail easement from an adjacent property owner. Through this acquisition, Buffalo Bend Nature Park eventually will be connected to the City’s Hidalgo Park resulting in 23 acres of continuous open space.
Hike and Bike Trails BBP’s long term goal is to put in place a continuous trail from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. Incrementally, easements have been secured from more than 20 private and public property owners to make this vision a reality. During the past year, BBP worked with the Houston Housing Authority and CenterPoint Energy to acquire critical “missing links” that will help connect trails from the west to the East End. In 2014, TxDOT and BBP hope to begin construction on a trail and pedestrian bridge at the Houston Housing Authority’s Clayton Homes site, just east of US 59. 9