COMMENT OF THE DAY: SIGNS THE NON-PLAN FOR WASHINGTON AVE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FLOP “To be clear, I don’t think it will turn into a dump. I just think the area has plateaued and will hold steady. Proximity to Memorial Park isn’t that great unless you live right by the park and walk. Otherwise, it still requires getting in a car and parking. As the thrown-up townhomes age and the scene has moved elsewhere, people are going to question whether living in a hood with narrow streets, rare parking, older townhomes, a train track through the middle, and awkward access into Downtown is really worth $400k+. Those with that kind of money to spend on a townhome are going to want to be near the action.” [Brian, commenting on How About Washington Ave Jitney Rapid Transit?]
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I think this view is near sighted. The proximity to things is a factor, yes. But it is a great place to invest. The city is growing… rapidly. Wastington is literally in the middle of the montrose, memorial park, neartown, heights, downtown, and buffalo bayou. I live in the area now – old 6th ward. Not only will this area thrive, so will the rest. The shear amount of people living there will cause major development. More restaurants, more bars, more businesses.
Just like natural selection, some will die out, others will thrive. That is just how living in an urban enviroment is. Thats what the people living in the area are seaking. It seems to me that the health of Houston will be reflected in the health of the washington corridor.
I would love to see the area continue to improve and change. The momentum is too strong for this area to stall.
I do agree that sometime in the next 10 years Houston is going to have to spend the funds to put in real curbed, guttered, and storm sewered streets in inner loop neighborhoods like Rice Military and The Heights. The city right of way for most of these streets is around 30′, and the present 18′ streets that these neighborhoods have had since the were developed close to a century ago are not going to cut it as the area continues to add density. I literally cannot think of another city in the US of 100k+ residents that has streets in urban areas with no sidewalks and open storm sewers.
Memorial Park is arguably the single most valuable amenity in the City. There are countless people who would LOVE to live near Memorial Park. Of course, the vast majority of them cannot afford to live in Camp Logan or Crestwood. There is a mountain of money pouring into the Washington corridor. People who can’t afford Camp Logan cross Westcott for the next best thing. People who can’t afford that cross I-10.
The redevelopment of this area is part of a marco level trend that shows no sign of abating. The fact that the club scene on Washington is already played out will not disrupt this trend. There are PLENTY of people with money to spend who LOVE this part of town.
Regarding the narrow streets and bar ditches in the area, the City, if they are ever pressured to spend money to improve those things might have to come up with something creative because 1) the ditches could be considered “rain swales” which allow rain to percolate back down and the narrow streets are sufficiently anti-car to be considered hip, pedestrian-friendly and “new-urbanist”. Grated sidewalks maybe?