Blogging machine Charles Kuffner returns to the scene of a Memorial Heights sidewalk he photographed 2 years ago, and finds it’s grown. The Ed Sacks Waste Paper Company building that stood at the non-intersection of Memorial and Studemont has been replaced by the 25-story Legacy at Memorial. That apartment tower opened recently, but the set of sidewalks that wraps around it is still under construction:
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The new, wider walkway parallels the bridge portion of Studemont, but heads down to Memorial Dr.:
There it connects to a path that leads west under Studemont:
Or east toward Downtown,
still working its way there:
- A Montrose/Studemont walkability update [Off the Kuff]
- Previously on Swamplot: North Montrose and Memorial Heights: Look at Us Now, New Studemont Apartment Tower: Out of Styles
Awesome! Walkability.
Meanwhile in parts of Montrose people walk in the streets because there are no sidewalks. In some cases there were sidewalks. That seem to have disappeared.
And we won’t even talk about the Heights.
Yes, this sidewalk has been very needed. It sucked not being able to get to Memorial from Studemont. Makes it even better that this sidewalk will do much more than that! I can’t wait to see the pedestrian bridge once it’s complete.
Large amount of apartment complexes on the north side of Memorial has created heavy pedestrian traffic on the Studemont bridges.
These sidewalks also show how city really can’t get anything done. Private interests involved with TIRZ #5 got these sidewalks built and are building the pedestrian bridge. The city has nothing to do with it other say “ok”.
This is my hood, I ride those trails/sidewalks daily. Recently blighted with some unsightly grafitti/tags. Though if you look hard enough you can still see (barely) where the old SP railroad went across memorial, allen pkwy, and wound up next to Sears/Baylor College of Medicine/Now empty lot on Montrose. There are some cool historical photos of that intersection when it flooded.
“These sidewalks also show how city really can’t get anything done. Private interests involved with TIRZ #5 got these sidewalks built and are building the pedestrian bridge. The city has nothing to do with it other say “okâ€.”
Actually the city is managing this project. TIRZ #5 is a public entity spending public money from its legislature approved tax dollar funded geographic district.
Good to see some progress here.. My question is when are they going to re-do the running/walking/biking path along buffalo bayou? It could use some widening and resurfacing as well.
That’s being done, look under the shepherd bridge for reference.. Nice and wide..
Actually the city is managing this project. TIRZ #5 is a public entity spending public money from its legislature approved tax dollar funded geographic district.
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Thank you. Bottom line is tax dollars pay for the TIRZ improvements. So people in Sharpstown are paying for improvements in Studemont or whatever they call this area.
TIRZ is the biggest ripoff of the taxpayers that only benefits the developers.
John Cornyn ruled they were basically contrary to the legislative intent with regard to the word “blight” but of course his opinon as AG only carried weight if someone sued the city. As if.
They also are a marvelous “fundraiser” for the politicians.
Thanks for posting this. I drive down Memorial daily and was wondering what all the construction was. I could see it was a path of some sort but didn’t know how/where to get my bike on it. Now I know.
Thank you. Bottom line is tax dollars pay for the TIRZ improvements. So people in Sharpstown are paying for improvements in Studemont or whatever they call this area.
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Considering only local residents pay into the TIRZ through property tax freezes, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.
You’ve never let the truth get in the way of your rants so I’m not too shocked.
Matt Mystery and Diggity,
The only properties that pay for any TIRZ money spent is commercial property. This includes businesses and apartments. Individual residents are not paying from their property taxes for these improvements.
Furthermore, as Diggity pointed out, it is only the properties that are within the TIRZ that pays. So a homeowner in Sharpstown is not paying for improvements in TIRZ #5.
This same process it what is used for improvements in Midtown, Upper Kirby, and Uptown.
Also, when money is spent on this, it is not taking away money that would be spent on ongoing maintenance projects budgeted by the City.
Any tax revenue over the “frozen valuation” goes into the TIRZ. But that is tax revenue that doesn’t go into the general revenue base. So if there’s a shortfall in the general revenue base, it’s because some of the tax revenue was diverted. And then everyone makes up for the shortfall. While the TIRZ just spends the tax revenue that was diverted on itself. Any way you look at it, it is a ripoff of the taxpayers.
The statute was created to help “revitalize” blighted areas.
As John Cornyn probably asked when he saw what Houston was up to, “The Galleria was blighted?”