Remediation work is beginning on the 10.52-acre now-cleared lot along Gillette St. between Allen Pkwy. and West Dallas St. The Coastal Water Authority purchased the land, which includes the (now-former) San Felipe Park, from the City of Houston in January. These photos, sent in by reader Jimmy Hollowell, show the view from a balcony at the Ashton at West Dallas apartments, looking east along Hopson St., toward Allen Parkway Village and downtown, from just south of the Federal Reserve Bank. “The green tarping on the fence, dumpsters, and offices is new” as of last week, Hollowell reports.
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- Previously on Swamplot: City Selling Off Land, Streets, and a Park on Allen Parkway, Daily Demolition Report: The Falls Falls
Photos: Jimmy Hollowell
Between the Fed and APV
I’ve heard that’s where the new water park is going. Supposed to be a way scaled-down version of water world, but still something nice to cool off with in the 100-degree-plus temps. Water slides, a lazy river, swim-up bar and wave pool. 2016.
Anyone know who The Coastal Water Authority is and what their plans are for this site? What I pulled up didnt’ look a developer.
Good to see this polluted land is going to be cleaned up, but I seriously doubt it will become a water park.
The Coastal Water Authority is state funded and involved with surface water capture and cleanup. My bet is that most of the lot will become a water treatment facility with possibly new office space along Allen Parkway.
Anything beats the SWAT team guys outside polishing their automatic rifles in full paramilitary gear for neighbors. Or having to see Anise Parker’s personal trailer sitting there rusting away in the midday sun. Yay for progress.
They’re not a developer, they’re a semi-governmental entity like MUDs. From what I can tell from the meeting notes from CWA’s website, they’re handling the contracting and design for the remediation for the city. They keep making reference to a “slip ramp” around there, but I can’t see one coming from that property, so I think it’s unrelated, just something nearby they’re also doing for the city. I don’t even know that there has been a sale yet.
I believe the CWA will clean up and flip the property. I found this;
http://www.houstontx.gov/council/1/bfacommittee/4.19.12/gilletteproperty.pdf
“CWA would pay an amount not to exceed $16
m which is based on a current appraisal
of the property
•
$11m to be paid to the city at closing
•
An amount not to exceed $5m to be contri
buted by the City for the costs of the
remediation
•
City and CWA will subsequently
work on remarketing the site”
Someone else will have to connect the dots, but here is what I have found:
http://bidsets.publicworks.houstontx.gov/documents/plansets/addendum/addendum_5_m_000290_0002_4.pdf
There is a big drainage project that will go in on and around the site that will feed down to the bayou. According to their meeting minutes, the Coastal Water Authority has contracted a company to do the environmental remediation needed for the site. It is not clear what happens to the site once remediation is completed. The only lazy river will be the brown one across the street that carries dog poo and fertilizer from the suburbs to the Gulf.
I also live in this building (I refuse to call it The Ashton – it was originally an Allresco Broadstone, not a prep school residence hall), with an apartment overlooking the site, so I have something of a vested interest in the property.
Over the last few months, I’ve been following public disclosures from CWA and Cushman Wakefield – site prep and environmental remediation will be ongoing through the end of the year, though no definitive indication yet on end use. However, I did hear from one of the employees in the management office that it will be a single story commercial property. Fingers crossed for some legit retail to increase the local mixed use ratio.
I did read somewhere about that waterpark going in. It makes sense since it gets so hot the majority of the time. We’re all looking forward to it.
I wonder if the swim-up bars will have downtown views? They better bury those tangly power lines. Nothing in Houston like a million-dollar skyline view ruined by power lines in front of it.
Does anybody know what they’re naming the park?
The City and CWA partnered to clean up the site. A prior attempt to sell the land require the new owner to handle the environmental clean up and relocaiton of a storm sewer. Due to the developer’s risk, the bids were lower than expected. The City did not have the cash to fund the clean up and CWA had cash available, so the city sold them an interest. Once the contamination from the former incinerator is removed, the site will be sold to the highest bidder. CWA will get their investment back and the City keeps the rest. There are a few restrictions on the site ( 50′ building line set back from Allen Parkway) but nothing limiting it to one story. Whatever goes here will be a first class development, as dicated by the high price of the land.
The slip ramp was intended to allow the dump trucks to haul the waste directly (across the frontage road and median) onto Allen Parkway and then I-45.
Funds oringally planned to renovate the contaminated park were redirected to the public recreation facilites at the new CVHS campus a few blocks away.
Good insight on a couple articles today, Northwood.
A water park, located next door to Sec 8 housing, what could go wrong……..
Does anybody have renderings?