Will Houston’s East Side ever be renovated? (Katy, West: crime rates, how much)

[bmlx]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Once you get toward the port enough where the air quality is poor, then not so much, but west of there, the sky is the limit. There's the light rail on Harrisburg. The general area along that is essentially a less dense version of some of this N/NW Chicago Hermosa/Belmont Cragin/Kilbourn Park north and west of my spot right now. Light industrial/commercial on the main drags and neighborhood off it. Here, the transit connection is relatively poor compared to the rest of the city; for Houston that Harrisburg corridor is one of the best connected now. That will drive development faster there while here it's just kind of on the fringe of the redevelopment hotspot.

The process got started with EaDo and will work its way down, but it'll hit that barrier at some point eastward. You won't have luxury midrises going up in Manchester.

Suppose I was going to set back up in Houston, I probably wouldn't mind being somewhere Harrisburg-ish, 69th-ish. It sure won't be unfamiliar territory.

I would suspect that the "barrier" would be somewhere around Magnolia Park or so. I have a feeling that Harrisburg and 69th will be close to the easternmost end of any east side redevelopment. Magnolia Park is adjacent to the most upstream part of the Ship Channel, though the industry doesn't really start to pick up until you get outside 610 (that said, poor air quality will be an issue anywhere close to the industrial areas).

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by bmlx

I would suspect that the "barrier" would be somewhere around Magnolia Park or so. I have a feeling that Harrisburg and 69th will be close to the easternmost end of any east side redevelopment. Magnolia Park is adjacent to the most upstream part of the Ship Channel, though the industry doesn't really start to pick up until you get outside 610 (that said, poor air quality will be an issue anywhere close to the industrial areas).

Right, and the rail line ends over there as well. It'll take a good while to get out anywhere near there, anyway.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by SanJac

I took a drive yesterday to check out progress of the new Houston Botanic Garden at the site of the former Glenbrook Golf Course. When I was younger I played that course quite often. I followed Google Map directions which had me exit on Howard and then circle back under the freeway.

I have to say I was super disappointed with the state of the neighborhood on the east side of the garden. There are slum apartments at the corner of the freeway and Glenview Drive. The houses along the street almost all have burglar bars and look run down.

I decided to check out the Park Place side of the Garden where the entrance will be. If you’ve ever been there you know that the Park Place/Broadway intersection is a nightmare and confusing. Nothing has changed. From Park Place I could see the Botanical Garden construction and the new entrance bridge, but the surrounding area is not nice.

Rather than turn around and head back to I45 I used google maps to guide me home and it took me towards Old Galveston Road. OMG that area is really bad. It was dumpy. In one lot there was a stack of at least 50 old tires. It looked like a junk yard. I would hate to think tourists could get lost in this area of Houston.

I grew up in Northeast Houston off Hwy 59 so I am not a stranger to “hood” neighborhoods, but this was a wake up call for me. Clearly I have been insulated in my Heights and West Houston bubble for the last 20 years. It makes me sad that people still live in those conditions in East Houston. What will it take for this area to be renovated? Gentrification?

The state of the neighborhoods all near 610/45 on the SE side is generally bad and hasn't changed much over the years. I have recently explored this too after being away for several years, figured out ways to avoid the 610/45 construction nightmare, and it is still the same. It feels like a stagnant area, with some decline. In the neighborhoods there exist some nice homes here & there, but overall it is has not prospered and is still rogue-ish. I don't believe this will change in my lifetime.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by tstone

The state of the neighborhoods all near 610/45 on the SE side is generally bad and hasn't changed much over the years. I have recently explored this too after being away for several years, figured out ways to avoid the 610/45 construction nightmare, and it is still the same. It feels like a stagnant area, with some decline. In the neighborhoods there exist some nice homes here & there, but overall it is has not prospered and is still rogue-ish. I don't believe this will change in my lifetime.

You don't think Sagemont is OK? Talk like this is setting up the area for full-on decline. Despite having relatively recently built retail like HEB.

EDIT: Ooops, nevermind, Sagemont is Beltway / 45, not 610 / 45.

[tstone]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

You don't think Sagemont is OK? Talk like this is setting up the area for full-on decline. Despite having relatively recently built retail like HEB.

EDIT: Ooops, nevermind, Sagemont is Beltway / 45, not 610 / 45.

Nah- Sage / Kirk neighborhoods are decent, always have been-- south of Fuqua anyway. The two things holding that area back are the severe flooding potential & Pasadena ISD.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by elnina

I wonder if the slow pace has something to do with the east side more vulnerable to hurricanes destruction? Houston expands more to the west. Everything new and shiny is build to the north and west of Houston, no?

Maybe I am wrong. Here is an "opportunity" map:
https://kinder.rice.edu/2018/03/23/n...ings-questions

Kind of typical in North American cities not constricted by geography.

Took a while, but Pearland is taking off. Northern Galveston County is taking off. I do think those areas had to do with flooding. But not that's not the reason for the east end.

[KerrTown]

UH has been rising up this decade. EaDo is starting to gentrify, but eventually Eastwood and Third Ward will gentrify too with its proximity to campus. You could build Rice Military townhomes for the professors and upscale apartments for more affluent students who don't want to live in the on-campus dorms.

Harrisburg Boulevard is probably going to be the northern barrier to gentrification. Might make sense to build the Harrisburg Freeway before land is hard to acquire--perhaps developers could donate some land like with the Grand Parkway. Building the freeway will help with UH commuter traffic while the Gulf Freeway is completely being rebuilt.

[hbcu]

but will the local schools gentrify? That's something that has yet to be done in the city.

[kemahkami]

The farther east Houston extends, the better. Urban grid infrastructure extends as far East as Harrisburg, whereas city jurisdiction extends all the way to the shores of Burnett Bay, where the San Jacinto Monument is located.

[kemahkami]

Originally Posted by SanJac

I took a drive yesterday to check out progress of the new Houston Botanic Garden at the site of the former Glenbrook Golf Course. When I was younger I played that course quite often. I followed Google Map directions which had me exit on Howard and then circle back under the freeway.

I have to say I was super disappointed with the state of the neighborhood on the east side of the garden. There are slum apartments at the corner of the freeway and Glenview Drive. The houses along the street almost all have burglar bars and look run down.

Speaking of which, I'm not very fond of the location chosen for the upcoming garden. The original location at Gus was far superior - it had more expanse of older-growth tree background to cover the growing period, as well as closer access to central city, including a direct location on the light rail.