Buffalo Bayou Master Plan

[Sunstar]

This will be the more daunting, yet exciting phase of the Buffalo Bayou master plan. It will likely involve the transition of numerous abandoned industrial sites into parks and new ecosystems/habitats. Hopefully they haven't wasted any time acquiring properties along the Bayous East end.

Still, this is probably a 20+ year endeavor.

[samagon]

On 7/27/2017 at 8:58 PM, H-Town Man said:

Hopefully they reference the earlier plan at some point in their press statements so we get a sense that there is continuity and adherence to the earlier vision. I was a big fan of that plan when it came out.

 

 

It was certainly cool, but it always felt to me like pie-in-the-sky dreams rather than a plan that could be adhered to. I do suspect that the vision of the park will be in the same spirit as the 2003 renderings.

 

Then again, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

[H-Town Man]

54 minutes ago, samagon said:

 

It was certainly cool, but it always felt to me like pie-in-the-sky dreams rather than a plan that could be adhered to. I do suspect that the vision of the park will be in the same spirit as the 2003 renderings.

 

Then again, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

I took the plan as Boston landscape architects saying, "We have this thing called the Emerald Necklace, and if you want something like that, here's what you would do." It was ambitious, but everything in it was doable. By an ambitious city.

 

With the possible exception of Symphony Island.

 

 

Edited August 3, 2017 by H-Town Man

[Mr.Clean19]

I liked symphony island

[bedmondson]

I don't know if it was mentioned above but there has been some coordination between "Houston Needs a Swimming Hole" people and BBP for east of downtown for potential sites. They have toured BBP owned or controlled sites and are currently doing a feasibility study. One of the sites along the bayou being considered is the former wastewater treatment plant on the north side of Buffalo Bayou and Lockwood Dr.

[Timoric]

-

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Timoric

[Subdude]

Remember the North Canal project?  It's still included in the new master plan.  https://archpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Plan_Downtown_Perspective_North_Cana

 

 

If I'm not mistaken the North Canal was first proposed for flood control in the 1930s.  You have to wonder what it would take to ever get it going.

 

 

 

[cspwal]

Looking at the map, it looks like the only things standing in the way of it are:

- the Union Pacific line that goes under UH-D and crosses San Jacinto

- the Metro bus depot

- a large parking lot

- a building that I think is used by UH-D

 

The largest problem looks to be the rail line, as everything else is semi-publicly owned (Metro, UH-D)

[Houston19514]

40 minutes ago, cspwal said:

Looking at the map, it looks like the only things standing in the way of it are:

- the Union Pacific line that goes under UH-D and crosses San Jacinto

- the Metro bus depot

- a large parking lot

- a building that I think is used by UH-D

 

The largest problem looks to be the rail line, as everything else is semi-publicly owned (Metro, UH-D)

 

Better yet, I don't think it would even take the UH-D building, just small parking lot on the west side of San Jacinto, north of UH-D's pumping station building.

Edited November 15, 2017 by Houston19514

[H-Town Man]

1 hour ago, Subdude said:

Remember the North Canal project?  It's still included in the new master plan.  https://archpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Plan_Downtown_Perspective_North_Cana

 

 

If I'm not mistaken the North Canal was first proposed for flood control in the 1930s.  You have to wonder what it would take to ever get it going.

 

 

 

 

Maybe if a trillion gallons of water fell on the county in a single event, that would cause them to consider something like this.

 

[samagon]

16 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

Maybe if a trillion gallons of water fell on the county in a single event, that would cause them to consider something like this.

 

 

It still won't happen.

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, samagon said:

 

It still won't happen.

 

Because nothing ever happens in Houston, right?  

[samagon]

8 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

 

Because nothing ever happens in Houston, right?  

 

Correct, if this city can't implement something simple like mass transit, how are they ever going to be able to dig holes?

[H-Town Man]

16 minutes ago, samagon said:

 

Correct, if this city can't implement something simple like mass transit, how are they ever going to be able to dig holes?

 

We actually have a pretty good track record of digging, rerouting, and pretty much doing everything you can think of with bayous.

 

[Sunstar]

On 11/15/2017 at 1:28 PM, Subdude said:

Remember the North Canal project?  It's still included in the new master plan.  https://archpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Plan_Downtown_Perspective_North_Cana

 

 

If I'm not mistaken the North Canal was first proposed for flood control in the 1930s.  You have to wonder what it would take to ever get it going.

 

 

 

 

Is this the 'Alcatraz' project? They would have to relocate the Harris County lockup facility, which I think is the bigger project compared to digging a new connector canal. 

[rechlin]

18 hours ago, Sunstar said:

 

Is this the 'Alcatraz' project? They would have to relocate the Harris County lockup facility, which I think is the bigger project compared to digging a new connector canal. 

 

Which building is that?  The drawing shows the Harris County Jail, the Baker Street Jail, and the new joint processing building in their existing locations.  The new buildings shown and the canal would fit on the existing parking lot and Metro facility. 

[Houston19514]

There is no lockup facility that would have to be relocated for this project.  I don't know what Sunstar could be talking about.

[Houston19514]

On 11/16/2017 at 9:05 AM, samagon said:

 

Correct, if this city can't implement something simple like mass transit, how are they ever going to be able to dig holes?

 

Besides the overall awfulness of the Chronicle, my biggest pet peeve about Houston is the general ignorance of Houstonians about their city and the relentless focus on what we don't have/haven't done, to the willful exclusion of all of the things we do have and have done.

 

 

As H-Town Man said, we have quite a long history of being able to "dig holes", as you put it.

 

[Sunstar]

On 11/17/2017 at 9:37 AM, Houston19514 said:

There is no lockup facility that would have to be relocated for this project.  I don't know what Sunstar could be talking about.

 

It wouldn't have to be relocated to dig the North Channel specifically, but what's the point of doing all this development right next to the Harris County Jail?

 

 

 

 

[hindesky]

They have some heavy equipment loading out all the sediment in the Johnny Steele Dog Park.

 

fullsizeoutput_2195 by David, on Flickr

 

fullsizeoutput_2194 by David, on Flickr

[hindesky]

Beavers!!! Unfortunately for them the tree is tethered to a pole. This was on the south bank bike trail between Milam and Louisiana. I could see the tell tale beaver tracks in the river mud.

[kbates2]

Yeah, that is about the third tree they have gotten to in the past couple of years.

[Avossos]

I saw 2 beavers last night in my walk!! They were around Montrose!

 

I love that we have them but we need these trees to Forrest up the greenway so hold banks / prevent erosion / settle in... in a few years a tree every so often won’t phase us

[HoustonMidtown]

Getting ready for the In Bloom Music Festival

 

https://www.inbloomfestival.com

 

[samagon]

On 12/31/2017 at 9:05 AM, Avossos said:

I saw 2 beavers last night in my walk!! They were around Montrose!

 

I love that we have them but we need these trees to Forrest up the greenway so hold banks / prevent erosion / settle in... in a few years a tree every so often won’t phase us

 

Believe it or not, in natural environments, beavers end up doing more good than harm.

 

But then, buffalo bayou isn't a natural environment. 

 

biodiversity is cool and the gang, but maybe some forestry service can help relocate them to a more appropriate surrounding.

[HoustonIsHome]

I knew we had Nutria, but I didn't know we had beavers.

 

 

At the end of the day we have enough flooding issues already. We do not need beaver dams showing down the path of water to the Bay

[hindesky]

They are building some forms for concrete wall in the small dog park and it looked like the large dog park pond has been filled in.

[Visitor]

Hopefully they get it right this second time. That original design was was pretty bad. The constant mud bog in the large dog area was brutal.

 

I hope they do a better management job regarding graas as well. Should have a section of the large dog area fenced off at all times for grass growth/recovery with it moving around every few weeks. The place was a giant mud pit. 

Edited April 1, 2018 by Visitor

[Triton]

Here's to hoping it doesn't flood this weekend:

 

Johnny Steele Dog Park reopens by Marc longoria, on Flickr

 

Johnny Steele Dog Park reopens by Marc longoria, on Flickr

[htownbro]

On 6/13/2018 at 0:07 AM, Triton said:

Here's to hoping it doesn't flood this weekend:

 

Johnny Steele Dog Park reopens by Marc longoria, on Flickr

 

Johnny Steele Dog Park reopens by Marc longoria, on Flickr

it'll be under water this weekend...