One Creek West Project Update: A United Voice for Communities in Katy North
|
Welcome to our fourth quarter 2024 newsletter, highlighting the things we are doing to achieve our overarching objectives. These goals are pretty basic: making our community “a nicer place to live”, continuing our advocacy for flood mitigation projects, and helping to keep our community safe. We focus this quarter on the recommendations that will be released with the conclusion of the Katy East Community Plan & Mobility Study. A public workshop was held on September 14 to introduce these findings - and to seek input on what's most important. As you may guess, the challenges are many - and the recommendations reflect that complexity. In this issue, we have tried to provide some highlights as they relate to this community organization - but there is far more that we did not thoroughly address. Some of the recommendations overlap with other initiatives that we have undertaken. These include our plan to plant trees along esplanades and other locations within Katy North - an initiative called "Trees for Katy". And, in what appears to be a adjunct to the Katy East Community Plan, Precinct 4 has undertaken a "Healthy Parks" study - evaluating the parks and trails in the Precinct 4 to bring parks to a common, higher level of performance level - and building parks and trails if they are needed. As with all Precinct 4 initiatives, public engagement is key - and you and your community can play a strong role. We also provide an update on the construction of sidewalks within our community as well as our efforts to change the rules related to commercial truck parking in Harris County and, more broadly, in the State of Texas. Please let us know your thoughts and interest. We look forward to the support and engagement of you and your neighborhood to continue to make good things happen in our community. |
Making Our Community a Nicer Place to Live |
Precinct 4 Reveals Community Plan Recommendations |
|
|
After a year-long study and engagement with our community, Harris County Precinct 4 released its “near-final” recommendations for how we can make our community more livable. “Livability” reflects our goals of making Katy North “a nicer place to live” - building sidewalks and new trails, keeping commercial trucks from parking in residential areas, promoting reinvestment in businesses that are aging. But, there is a lot more: “livability” also means that there are also adequate resources to take care of the safety, health, educational, and economic needs of our residents. Given this broad concept, the recommendations are a bit complex. But what we’d like to do is to give you a brief summary – focusing on those things that stood out and what they mean for us. It was our initial understanding that the County would fund the development of the Community Plan – identifying the projects that they felt would best serve our community, the partnerships that would need to be created, and the funding sources that would need to be tapped for the community to execute these projects. But we now understand that it is Precinct 4 that will lead the execution of the plan – drawing on the partnerships and funding sources they have identified. It is our job to advocate for those programs and policies that make the most sense to the community – a much easier job to be sure. So, here's our top 5 list of takeaways. We would love for you to consider these and give us some feedback – what makes sense, what does not make sense, and what questions you have. |
Transform key corridors (such as Park Row and Mason Road) into “Complete Streets”. “Complete Streets” are hard to define – so a picture may be worth a thousand words. And part of the problem is that the design of a complete street depends on the community itself. But the major aspects are meeting the transportation needs of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians safely – which could attract new economic development along the corridor. Sounds a bit beyond our grasp – but Precinct 4 has already applied for funding for a part of Park Row to design a complete street. They’ve targeted Mason Road as well – and propose to Identify additional corridors for Complete Street improvements based on what the data and the community say makes sense. |
Promote reinvestment and keep our community aesthetically attractive and structurally sound. There are two aspects to this recommendation: from a policy standpoint, the County can enact building design standards to require more greenspace and better protect buildings from floods. And from the community, we can promote reinvestment by forming a Community Improvement District. through which community members can partner with HOAs / MUDs to monitor and upkeep the aesthetic quality of residential neighborhoods. We were aware of "management districts" (like the Energy Corridor) - but didn't think there was a good fit. We will explore CIDs and their relevance to Katy North. |
Enhance public safety by promoting collaboration between law enforcement agencies, emergency services districts, and special districts (MUDs). A concern about public safety is a core, unifying principle for most neighborhoods in our community. There are several recommendations to ensure that the various agencies that deliver emergency response services communicate to improve their equitable delivery across the community – and a specific recommendation to focus on lighting in high-crime intersections and corridors. We would add the need for engagement by security coordinators in a public safety forum to share information and to provide the “voice of the community”. |
|
Make sure all neighborhoods have access to quality parks and greenspaces within a 10-minute walk. Precinct 4 has already kicked off what they call the “Healthy Parks” initiative. We attended the introductory meeting of what’s called the “engagement” committee. A description of the initiative follows. Plant trees to expand tree canopy within neighborhoods. The County has identified this project as one that strengthens the livability of neighborhoods and, indeed, trees do so many good things for the community. They reduce the “urban heat island” effect, improve air and water quality, make our streets safer, and expand the habitat for birds and other wildlife. Both Precinct 4 and community organizations are engaged in planting thousands of trees in Alief – a good model for Katy North. We highlight this opportunity below. Honorable mentions – We completely omitted the major recommendations around health and housing, largely because we’ve not considered these issues to be core to our organizational objectives. In the plan, there are recommendations to make sure that our community is equipped to provide health services and affordable housing to residents of all incomes and backgrounds – and to support and accelerate economic growth in our community. We’ll monitor these initiatives as they develop. Of this brief description, are there recommendations that you feel can really make a difference for our community? Click on the survey link at the end of this newsletter - and let us know what you think. |
Trees for Katy North – Turning an Idea into Reality |
We continue to explore the mechanics of planting trees in Katy North. Trees for Houston will donate the trees – but everything else will be our responsibility. Our motivation is two-fold:
We have both issues in our community. American Forests has developed a “Tree Equity Score” for all census tracts in the U.S. to show the adequacy of tree canopy (shade) – including our area. - from areas with lots of trees to areas where trees have been pushed out by commercial development. Not surprisingly, Katy North has both types of tree canopy. Low scores are most common around the Fry Road area in the center of our community. Importantly, the scores that allowed the County to win grant dollars for planting trees in Alief are very similar to what we find in this area - which suggests we might be able to also successfully apply for grants to fund tree-planting there. We are looking right now at starting project locations. Aside from the question of where to plant, the other issues include what type of trees to plant, who can help us with the planting, and how do we maintain the trees from the time of planting until they are self-sufficient. We’ve been in touch with the Alief SuperNeighborhood – a group that is working alongside the County to plant 2,000 trees along esplanades in the Alief community. The group has provided us with an excellent road map of how to plan for these projects – and we will participate in their October planting on October 26. The maintenance of trees (providing them water twice a week for about 2 years) is probably the most expensive part of the process – and consumes most of the grant dollars that we will seek. The other key issue is gaining volunteers, and we will be contacting schools and churches to find individuals and groups who may be interested in participating in the October/April planting seasons. If you know someone in your neighborhood that has an interest in participating, please let them know about this project. |
Precinct 4 Launches "Healthy Parks" Plan |
This precinct-wide plan aims to create “healthier” parks for residents and visitors of Harris County Precinct 4. The first “engagement committee” meeting was held on October 14 – and showed that the County has already taken a look at all 55 parks within its boundaries – assessing the amenities and looking for where improvements might be needed. They will next hold a public workshop to gain the insights of residents in the community. This meeting will be held in early December – and the specific agenda of the meeting is being develop. The meetings will be “family friendly” so that you can bring your kids and/or grandkids. All told, there will be four opportunities for you to engage in the park and trail assessment, ensuring that the parks in our area have the amenities and connecting trails to meet your needs and those of your family. To make our voices heard, you might want to consider naming a “Healthy Parks” ambassador from your neighborhood – who can attend the workshops and provide a summary to you and your board. As soon as we gain more details, we will pass along them to you. |
Making Our Community Safe |
Sidewalks for the Mayde Creek Area Near Completion |
|
Perhaps the most visible example of Precinct 4’s commitment to our community is the construction of sidewalks connecting neighborhoods to schools, churches, and other key destinations for families. The first phase of the Sidewalk 4 Precinct 4 program – a $20 million project to build 50 miles of sidewalk in Precinct 4 – is nearing completion. We thought it would be helpful to show a “before and after” view - as well as to offer what we believe a Phase 2 program should include. |
|
|
Here is the “before” view. The purple lines represent sidewalks typically built when the neighborhood was constructed. They tend to be narrow (4-ft) and some are in pretty poor condition. The light green lines are the sidewalks built by the County prior to the Sidewalks 4 Precinct 4 program. They are in good condition and generally 5- or 6-feet wide. |
|
|
Here is the “after” view – showing all of the new sidewalks that have been installed over the past year. To the very left are the sidewalks built on the west side of SH-99, which reach farther west than our image can show. The salmon-colored lines are the sidewalks funded by a partnership between Harris County Precinct 4 and a coalition of ESD 47, Harris County MUD 238, and West Park MUD. The coalition contributed 20% of the project cost to demonstrate to Precinct 4 the dire need for sidewalks along Greenhouse and Saums Road. They were slated to be the first sidewalks to be built in the community, but delays in the agreements needed between all parties slowed construction. We are thrilled to report at the Interlocal Agreement has been signed – and construction should begin shortly |
|
|
Finally, the orange lines represent additional opportunities to fill in gaps not included in the Phase 1 construction. Highlights include a sidewalk along Franz road from the Morton Ranch academic complex to Williamsburg Colony and Williamsburg Settlement, additional sidewalk in Raintree Village, sidewalk along Groschke and Barker Cypress Roads to connect Barkers Branch, Barkers Crossing, and the Estates of Cullen Park to the Mayde Creek academic complex, and an extension of the Saum Road sidewalk to connect Mayde Creek Farms to the schools. We have conveyed this list to the County – and will engage with them on how to make some or all of these sidewalks a reality in the future |
Commercial Truck Parking - A New Strategy |
After a series of “wins”, our ability to persuade the County to prohibit 18-wheelers from parking next to residential/retail areas on a long-term basis has slowed in the last few months. The County did install “No Parking Signs” on portions of Masters Manor Lane (which runs between the Lancaster Apartments and to the Westborough Place neighborhood) and Julie Marie Lane (connecting the Parkway West community to Westgreen Boulevard). But the signs did not prohibit parking on all segments of the two roadways – and the trucks are still there. To be sure, there ware some “wins”. Signs were installed on a short street directly connecting Parkway West to Julie Marie Lane. The owner of Fry Road Mini Storage on Park Row removed graffiti along its back fence on Masters Manor, and the owner of the inactive Extended Stay hotel signed a consent form to allow the County to remove the graffiti on Snake River Road. But the trucks are still there. There are lots of reasons why the current statutes cannot prevent this activity. Law enforcement officers generally do not understand or fail to enforce the law that prohibits the overnight parking of commercial vehicles in residential areas. They don’t realize that these restrictions extend 1,000 feet from a resident’s property line; tagging truck for 48-hours may cause one truck to move, but only to be taken by another; and deputies don’t like writing tickets if it means they might have to appear in court if the ticket is challenged. We maintain that truck drivers benefit financially: they don’t pay parking fees and are free to dump oil and used tires along the roadside. The money they save is actually a real cost to the community – the streets are less safe, the market value of homes declines, and the trucks signal that the neighborhood (at least outside its boundaries) is not being attended, bringing other unwelcome activity. We continue to pursue this issue. We have a face-to-face meeting with County planning and engineering officials in early November to make our case. We met with the staff of Representative Suleman Lulani (HD76) to draft amendments to the Texas Transportation Code. If enacted, these changes will protect all of our neighborhoods from having trucks move to or near their communities. |
What Do You Think? |
|
We would love some feedback on the recommendations to be included with the Katy East Community Plan when it is released - as well as the initiatives we have charted for our organization. Would you take a moment to complete a short survey? To start the survey, click on this link. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Your views mean everything. |
Post Script |
|
We formed One Creek West in 2019 with a team of three, at least two of which were very talented individuals - recognized by friends, neighbors, and colleagues that they were indeed leaders of our community. We lost Annette Mennen Baldwin in the summer of 2021. This summer, we lost a second member of our team, Jacque Freeman. Both women were extraordinary individuals - so dedicated to their community, so skillful in advocating for change. Their guidance in understanding the issues that were important to the community - and in how to solve them - is sorely missed. Respectfully, Judith McGlaughlin
Dave Romero Carlos Espinoza |
