TxDOT: North Houston Highway Improvement Project Public Hearings

The following is from the notice sent by TxDOT to anyone who has expressed an interest or registered a comment about the project.

Join us to provide your input on the proposed North Houston Highway Improvement Project! The proposed North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) includes the following improvements:

• Adding four managed express lanes (also known as MaX lanes) on I-45 from Beltway 8 North to downtown Houston
• Reconstructing I-45 mainlanes and frontage roads from Beltway 8 North to downtown Houston
• Rerouting of I-45 in the downtown area to be coincident with I-10 on the north side of downtown and coincident with US 59/I-69 on the east side of downtown
• Removal of the existing elevated I-45 roadway along the west and south sides of downtown
• Adding access to the west side of downtown via “Downtown Connectors” that would allow access to and from various downtown streets
• Realigning both I-10 and US 59/I-69 within the proposed project area to eliminate the current roadway curvature
• Adding four I-10 express lanes between I-45 and US 59/I-69

Public scoping meetings have already been conducted in 2011 and 2012, as well as a series of public meetings in 2013 and 2015 to present information. The public hearings will present the recommended alternatives and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public review:

 NHHIP Public Hearings

Tuesday, May 9, 2017
St. Pius X High School
811 West Donovan Street Houston, TX 77091
Open House: 5:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 11, 2017
Houston Community College Central Campus
San Jacinto Building
1300 Holman Street Houston, TX 77004
Open House: 5:30 p.m. 
Public Hearing: 6:30 p.m.

The first part of the meeting will be an open house format so citizens may come and go at their convenience, followed by a formal presentation and comment period. Please note: The same information will be presented at both meetings. The hearing will be conducted in English with simultaneous Spanish translation. Comments must be postmarked or emailed by Tuesday, June 27, 2017, to be part of the official hearing record.

Special accommodations: If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this meeting, please call the public information officer at (713) 802-5076 at least five working days prior to the meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate these needs.

The environmental review, consultation and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated Dec. 16, 2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.

We also encourage you to see the online meeting notice as well as the I45NorthandMore project website.

Contact Information

Please note: This email is an automated notification, which is unable to be monitored. We're happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. Please contact the Houston Public Information Office at HOU-piowebmail@txdot.gov or at 713-802-5076 at any time about this project. 

FWP: Light The Night Event Reminder

Friends of Woodland Park invites Houston to our celebration of Firefly Field on April 29th from 7pm to 9:30pm at Woodland Park.

This free, family-friendly event is the biggest event we've ever done. We'll have food trucks, face painting, fun activities for the kids, a prize raffle and live music from funk/soul/rock band, Supreme Tabby. It's a Houston-sized party for its second-oldest park.

Visit the event on Facebook. Please let us know you're going and share with your friends.

Houston Innovation Week 2017

Houston Innovation Week 2017 will be at the Leonel Castillo Center May 1st-5th . Classes on Thursday, May 4th will be entirely in Spanish.

Over 30 free, one-hour business and financial education sessions will be offered on leadership, innovation, financial success, marketing, and social entrepreneurship.

People can sign up and get more info on the website:  https://peoplefund.org/iwhou/ 
 
 

Friends Of Woodland Park Firefly Field Day

On Saturday, Feb. 25th the Friends of Woodland Park (“FWP”) held Firefly Field Day at Woodland Park.  The event was generously underwritten by the WHCA.  The weather was perfect, and the turnout was tremendous as residents from all over the greater Heights area attended.

As has become a custom for our family friendly events, Bayou City Play brought their crafts, materials, and creativity for the children to build whatever they wished.

Our FWP Master Naturalist and Travis Elementary Garden Instructor, Steve Brennan, was there with his plant, animal and critter materials which are always a huge hit with children of all ages.
The primary purpose of our event was to introduce the neighborhood to the now fully approved Firefly Field sculpture designed by fourth generation Woodland Heights resident, Dylan Conner.  Our sculptor was there and engaged many of the attendees with his concept and design for this incredible addition to the park.  We had renderings prepared by our landscape architectural advisors and advocates, SWA, to show everyone just exactly what the sculpture will look like when installed.  We also had fun giveaways, door prizes and snacks for all in attendance.

We were very proud to introduce our City Council District H Representative and Woodland Heights resident, Karla Cisneros, who provided some very kind words and presented a check for $10,000 as the first donation for the Firefly Field!

But the fun and donations did not end there.  Representatives from Elan Heights/Greystar were also there to present the FWP with a check for $15,000 to fully underwrite the matching fund required to have a B-cycle station installed in the park.  Word from the executive director of the B-cycle program is that our application is being fast tracked and the station will be powered via solar energy so that it can be installed and fully functioning before summer arrives.

Woodland Park was once the destination for entertainment and outdoor fun for Houstonians. With Firefly Field, we hope to return this historic park to some of its former glory. We know the surrounding community will benefit from a rejuvenated park culture full of activity and exploration. Please visit the project’s website and consider supporting Firefly Field (www.fwp.fund).

- Pat Rutledge for Friends of Woodland Park

Historic District Workshop March 30, 2017

Workshop will reveal results of Design Survey And take community comments

A community workshop on March 30 will be conducted by the City of Houston Planning & Development Department to present results from a survey of historic districts and to gather feedback. The workshop will take place Thursday, March 30, at Heights Theatre, from 6:00 p.m. until 8 p.m. Address of Heights Theatre is 339 W. 19th Street.

According to its website, the City received 871 responses to a Compatible Design Survey it mailed to owners of 3,486 properties located in six historic districts. The highest survey participation rates were in Freeland (64% of 36 properties) and Woodland Heights (30% of 386 properties). The highest number of responses came from Houston Heights East (237, or 26%) and Norhill (197, or 23%).

The results of the mail survey, as well as input from meetings, were used to develop a Strategy Paper. The Strategy Paper also includes findings and recommendations from consultants.

Copies of the Strategy Paper will be available for review beginning March 16 online (houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres) and at the Heights Library reference desk for two weeks prior to the March 30 workshop and for one week afterward.

Anyone unable to attend the workshop may submit comments or questions through Sunday, April 9, online to project manager Steph McDougal at steph.mcdougal@houstontx.gov or via postal mail to Steph McDougal, City of Houston, P.O. Box 1562, Houston TX 77251-1562.

WHCA General Meeting Reminder

We want to see you there!

The next WHCA general meeting is set for Tuesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at Hogg Middle School Cafeteria. The key item for the meeting is election of new WHCA Board members for the 2017-18 term.

The following positions are up for election:

• President (presides over board meetings, oversees all business and operations of the Association)
• President-Elect (president in waiting for the 2018-19 term)
• Treasurer (handles the WHCA's accounting, must be proficient in accounting concepts and software)
• Secretary (prepares minutes of WHCA board and general meetings, maintains books and records of the WHCA)
• VP, Beautification (responsible for nominating yard of the month, proposing and executing other beautification projects)
• VP, Communications (responsible for maintaining the website and preparing and distributing the newsletter)
• VP, Deed Restrictions (responsible for monitoring land use and deed restriction issues in the neighborhood, must be a lawyer licensed in Texas)
• VP, Infrastructure (responsible for monitoring all infrastructure issues in the neighborhood, such as the recent sidewalk construction and METRO issues)
• VP, Membership (sign up new members each year, maintain database of members)
• VP, Security (responsible for managing the Constable program and contracts)

If you would like to nominate yourself, download the nomination form, fill it out, and email it to the nominating committee at pat@flagstonemortgage.com. Nominations must be submitted by Monday, March 20th. Nominations from the floor are not permitted.

Please note: to be considered for any Board position, you must be a paid member of the WHCA prior to election. Thanks!

FWP Firefly Field Event Saturday, Feb 25th 10am-1pm

Please join the Friends of Woodland Park (FWP) as we celebrate our past successes, our tremendous future plans, and our 10th anniversary. We will be hosting a free, rain or shine, family fun day in the community center building at the park: 212 Parkview St.

We are excited to be bringing Bayou City Play back to Woodland Park for another opportunity to enchant and energize children of all ages. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

We are looking forward to sharing our "monumental" plans for 2017 with the community and are fortunate to have some special guests helping us, including Council Member Karla Cisneros.

CM Cisneros will help us unveil our plans for "Firefly Field", a truly inspiring sculpture designed by our fourth-generation Woodland Heights resident and metal sculptor extraordinaire, Dylan Conner. Fundraising for this park gateway installation, which is planned for the great lawn, will take place in the coming weeks. We look forward to an outpouring of community support for this remarkable addition to the park.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the Woodland Heights Civic Association for their continued support of our efforts, and for their specific sponsorship and underwriting of this family event.

LITH 2016 Wrap-up

Lights in the Heights came together nicely this year. It takes such effort from us the neighbors: from the committee, the porch volunteers, the Gala attendees, those who deck out their homes to the nines, to those who graciously attend LITH.

There are some key characters on the Lights in the Heights Committee who deserve our gratitude: Stephanie Leachman, who ran the Lights Gala to provide much-needed proceeds in a fun way with some particular challenges this year, Meredith Burk who did an amazing job recruiting and managing the logistics of TWENTY bands and porches in a way that made the evening perfect, Robyn Klepper in charge of all new, flashy signage and new, flashing merchandise and cloisonné ornaments and their distribution and the decoration contest, Katie McCafferty who took over Friday Night Lights from three co-chairs and added a food and toy drive, Andrea Gorney who took on the various maps and flyers and delivery, Terri Guerra who listened to me whine and managed the security as she has done for many years, Caroline and Lauren Earthman who kept the luminaria tradition glowing while eliminating the sandlot. Several others played key roles, especially doing the last-minute, overlooked tasks: Michael Graves, Desiree Ruiz, David Coyle, Philip Teague, Amanda Brown, Lauren Snead, Sara Metsa, Ginnie McConn, the Brock family and the Jordan family all took on something important for LITH2016.

The WHCA takes on so much work for us at this time of year also: Mark Sternfels put in hours creating online sales portals and adding and editing web pages and marketing material for us. Casey Ballard and William Getschow spent a great deal of energy on insuring us properly. Melissa McKee cut as many checks as I will have to write thank you notes and kept the budget on track. Marian Wright and the block captains helped with delivery of notices to the neighborhood.

While it would not be inappropriate for me to thank all our sponsors also, I am including Jason Glover and Memorial Herman Greater Heights staff because they took part of our workload this year. His graphic design team drafted many logos for us, updated them with our comments and drafted most of our signage design. MHGH volunteers collected our toy drive and food drive items, and arranged delivery to Heights Interfaith Ministries.

Thank you to my committee. I deeply appreciated each of you giving your extra time to this beloved holiday event. I love Lights in the Heights and I love the Woodland Heights and feel thankful. If you know anyone listed here, do tell them thanks. They absolutely deserve it.

- Jan Greer, LITH Chair

From the Editor: LITH fell into a gap created by the transition between people in the VP Communications position. This resulted in a delay in the January newsletter, including this post. 

LITH Gala 2016 Recap

The Lights in the Heights Gala was held on Saturday, 11/19/16, at the new Elan Heights Apartment Building. This is our primary fundraiser for Lights in the Heights, and we raised $12,000+ this year through ticket sales, silent auction, and raffle.

Elan Heights was wonderful in opening their doors and welcoming us to their beautiful game room overlooking the bayou and downtown. The Houston Heights Orchestra group provided music. Special thanks to our neighbors who helped to pull this event together: Jan Greer, Robyn Klepper, Phil Teague, Michael Graves, Emily Trout, Teri Hagen, Meredith Burke, David Coyle, and Mark Sternfels. Thanks to those who helped the day of the event: Desiree Ruiz, Amanda Brown, Lauren Snead, Amalia Doebbert, Janie Reyes, and Andrew Burke.  

The event sponsors were instrumental in organizing the event: Elan Heights, Memorial Hermann Heights, Sonoma, Kagen Cellars, Cherry Pie Hospitality (Lee's Fried Chicken and Pi Pizza), Treadsack Restaurant Group (Down House, Hunky Dory, and Bernadines), Wokker TX Ranger, Red Dessert Dive, Happy Fatz, Eureka Heights Brewery, Heights Floral Shop, Heights Print Store, Wolfe’s Cleaners, and Davis Hardware. 

We had wonderful auction/raffle items donated by: Kagen Cellars, ABC Home and Commercial Services, Opera in the Heights, Obsidian Theater, Jack Nadel, Bayou City Smiles, Onion Creek, Good Dog, Town in City Brewery, Buchanans, NiaMoves, Orange Theory, Woodland Heights Civic Assn, Dalia Rihani, Houston Heights Orchestra, and Heights Kids Day of Music. 

It was a fun night with wonderful neighbors, and set the stage for Lights in the Heights.

- Stephanie Leachman, LITH Gala Chair

FWP: Movie Night this Friday at Woodland Park

WHAT: Movie night, It's a Wonderful Life
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 2 6:30pm (doors open)
WHERE: Woodland Park Community Center, 212 Parkview

If you haven't heard, the Friends of Woodland Park in partnership with Star of Hope Charities will host a movie night this Friday at the Woodland Park Community Center. Bring a gently used (and clean!) blanket to the movie night and donate it to help someone stay warm this holiday season.

Doors open at 6:30pm and the movie starts at 7pm. Bring the kids, popcorn and refreshments provided.

Hope to see you there!

City of Houston: Next Historic District Guidelines Meeting

The City of Houston’s ongoing Historic District Design Guidelines project continues on Thursday, December 1, 2016, with a community workshop from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the United Way Community Resource Center, 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, Texas. 
 
This will be the second workshop conducted by consultants from Winter & Company, who are currently developing guidelines for seven historic districts: Houston Heights East, Houston Heights West, Houston Heights South, Freeland, Old Sixth Ward, Norhill, and Woodland Heights. You do not have had to attend the first workshop in order to come to this one. All property owners in these seven historic districts are welcome and encouraged to attend.
 
This workshop will help property owners prepare to give informed, meaningful feedback on a Visual Preference Survey, which every property owner will receive in January 2017.  Consultants from Winter & Company will explain the various design tools that might be used to achieve the goals for each district, as well as the factors that make additions and new construction compatible with existing buildings. All information will be presented in an easy-to-understand way, and reference materials will be available online, prior to the meeting. The workshop will also include one or two exercises, designed to help the consultants further understand what the property owners in each district feel are compatible with their specific district. The workshop exercises will be made available online for those who are not able to attend. 
 
Please visit the project webpage (http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres/Design-Guidelines-Heights.htmlbefore the meeting to find links to the informative materials, and again after the meeting to find links to the online exercises. More information about the project and previous activities can also be found on the project webpage.

Urban Farmer Richard Hall Speaking at Next WHCA General Meeting

Richard Hall, longtime Woodland Heights homeowner and well-known urban farmer, will be our featured speaker at the Nov. 15 meeting of the Woodland Heights Civic Association. The meeting is open to the public. It will begin at 7 p.m. at Hogg Middle School, 1100 Merrill.

Dr. Hall will explain in detail the operation of his family “farm” in Woodland Heights. ”We’ve got hens, grow herbs and veggies, plus bananas,” he said. The Hall family maintains several compost bins, they recycle rain and condensation from air-conditioning to water their gardens. Dr. Hall is a wonderful speaker and we're very excited to have him.

We hope to see you there.

Lights in the Heights Gala – 🎉Tickets on Sale 🎉

The 4th Annual Lights in the Heights Gala will be on Saturday, November 19th from 7-10pm in the game room at the new Elan Heights building. Please join your neighbors for a fun evening of games, music, and food. There will be a silent auction and raffle items from wonderful area businesses. Tickets can be purchased at the Woodland Heights Civic Association website.

Charity Golf Tournament Benefitting Hogg Middle School

Learn Local Charity Golf Tournament 2016

Learn Local is hosting our first golf tournament on November 5, 2016 to benefit Hogg Outdoors – a capital campaign to raise funds for enhancement to Hogg Middle School’s outdoor facilities including a major renovation of the SPARK park sports fields and the installation of gardens to enhance our new Culinary Arts curriculum. 

$100 player fee ($400 for foursomes) includes green fees, lunch and an awards Happy Hour, 4 drink tickets, player goodie bags, and a chance to win prizes from local businesses including Premium Draught and 8th Wonder Brewery.

Visit our website for more event info, to register, and for sponsorship opportunities.

It's a Wonderful Life & Star of Hope

The Friends of Woodland Park cordially invite you to a screening of the 1946 classic, It's a Wonderful Life, at the Woodland Park Community Center on December 2, 2016. The winter months are particularly difficult for our homeless population which is why FWP, in conjunction with the Star of Hope homeless shelter, encourage all our guests to bring a clean, new or gently used blanket as a donation to help keep someone warm during this holiday season.

Deepest thanks to our sponsors: Greenwood King and Memorial Hermann in the Heights.

What: It's a Wonderful Life
When: Dec. 2, 2016 / doors open 6:30pm / movie starts 7pm
Where: Woodland Park Community Center (212 Parkview)

Save the Date: Neighborhood Traffic Meeting Dec. 6th

Mark your calendars for 7pm on Dec. 6th at Hogg Middle School for the next public hearing with city engineers regarding the most recent traffic management proposal. The City of Houston will mail you an official meeting notice so please be on the lookout for it. Be sure to check our website, Facebook page, or Nextdoor for new information on this topic as it develops.

Download the most recent traffic plan.

Wrap-Up: National Night Out

The WHCA held a national night out event on October 4, 2016. Approximately 100 neighbors came out to the Norhill Esplanade and enjoyed cold drinks, Rita’s treats and Wokker Texas Ranger. Special thanks to our constables who handed out kids bags and met all of the neighbors.

July 4th Celebration

July 4th Parade

Don't miss the Woodland Heights' annual July 4th parade at the Norhill esplanade. We will have snow cones, bouncy houses, awards for best decorated kids bike and stroller, face painting and other activities. It all start at 9 AM. We hope to see you there!

Things to do: Cigna Sunday Streets May 22nd

Sunday Streets returns to the Heights on White Oak Drive between Heights Blvd. and Watson May 22nd from noon to 4pm. Mark your calendars!