HOUSTON – Houston City Council is expected to vote on whether to abandon a stretch of Polk Street in downtown — a move that would clear the way for the George R. Brown Convention Center expansion and TxDOT’s I-45 overhaul.
Residents urge council to reconsider
At City Hall on Tuesday, East End residents made last-minute pleas to city leaders, saying the plan would cut them off from the rest of Houston.
“We are not against the expansion of the George R. Brown,” said Scott Singleton, an East End resident. “We are against them doing it so that it permanently cuts off the East End from the rest of the city.”
Many who live in the area say it’s not the first-time major projects have created barriers between the East End and downtown.
“We feel like the East End has been historically cut off from the first George R. Brown, from the soccer stadium, from Minute Maid Park, and all of these other developments on that side of downtown,” Singleton said.
Concerns stretch beyond the East End
Other residents say closing Polk would affect more than just their neighborhood.
“Anybody who comes to a Rockets game at Toyota Center, anybody who comes with their kids to play at Discovery Green, anybody who comes to the convention center — they use Polk Street,” said Ian Hlavacek, another East End resident.
Hlavacek said residents aren’t opposing progress but want a say in how it’s done.
“Most of us don’t want it to go away. We want to be part of it though — we want to be able to get to it,” he said.
Singleton added that City Council should pause the plan until other alternatives are reviewed.
“City Council can either do the right thing — oppose the abandonment of Polk Street while the other alternatives are considered — or go along with Houston First and cut off the rest of the East End.”
Houston First Corporation’s Responds:
“As part of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), the portion of Polk Street that crosses I-59 will be permanently closed. The closure of an additional two blocks of Polk Street is vital to the GRB transformation project, which is designed to work in tandem with the complete vision of NHHIP. In response to comments and concerns expressed by some community members, Houston First has committed to working together with Houston Public Works to convert Leeland Street to a two-way configuration. That project is moving forward and we believe will be complete within 12 months. Additionally, a recently released traffic study conducted by Transcend Engineers & Planners LLC shows minimal additional travel time across 48 different intersections in the area with the changes proposed.”