Denver Harbor, one of Houston’s oldest Mexican American neighborhoods, is feeling the pressure of gentrification. Residents say investors and developers are moving in, property values are climbing, and families who have lived here for generations are being forced to make difficult choices.
EN ESPANOL: Vecinos de Denver Harbor luchan contra la gentrificación que está aumentando el valor de las propiedades
A community with deep roots
For 69-year-old Carolyn Lopez, Denver Harbor has always been home. Her parents moved here from Bay City when she was a child, joining the wave of working-class Latino families who built the neighborhood.
“I’ve lived here my entire life,” Lopez said. “We still have a strong community, and I’m very proud of the people in Denver Harbor because we stood together and fought gentrification.”
Lopez says she began seeing change about seven years ago—new investors showing up, inspectors ticketing longtime homeowners, and talk of developers targeting properties near downtown. That’s when she and a group of neighbors began organizing.
Fighting back with Chapter 42
Denver Harbor residents are using a city policy known as Chapter 42 to fight back. The rule limits how many homes can be built on a single lot, protecting neighborhoods from high-density townhome construction.
“Chapter 42 is protecting your neighborhood from becoming a neighborhood that is filled with townhomes,” Lopez explained. “It says that if you’re going to build a home, you’re protected and will be protected for the next forty years.”
So far, Lopez says her group has helped save thousands of homes from redevelopment by gathering signatures block by block. The process is slow, but she says it’s worth it.
The numbers behind the change
According to Zillow, property values in Denver Harbor have increased dramatically. A home on Mendez Street has nearly tripled in value over the past decade. Another nearby property went from about $68,000 to more than $205,000 in just two years, even though its taxes appear capped under a homestead exemption.
Those jumps, realtor José Nieto says, are part of a trend he’s seeing across east Houston.
“A lot of people are facing higher property taxes because property value has gone up, and it’s pushing the community out,” Nieto said. “What we’re seeing is people getting low offers from investors, sometimes selling under pressure, and others struggling with higher bills.”
Nieto says the construction boom has also raised the cost per square foot for new homes in Denver Harbor, pricing out local buyers. “Developers have priced new construction so high that older homeowners are surrounded by properties they could never afford to buy today,” he said.
Culture and affordability at risk
For residents like Lopez, the concern isn’t about change—it’s about survival. She worries that unchecked development will erase the neighborhood’s cultural identity and sense of unity.
“It can appear that we’re losing our traditions because more developers are coming in, but we’re still out there fighting,” Lopez said. “We’ve saved thousands of homes, and we still have thousands more to go.”
Lopez says the group continues to meet at Porras Bakery on Lyons Avenue—a business that’s been part of the neighborhood for more than half a century—to coordinate petitions and help residents understand their rights.
A fight for the future
Lopez says her work is about more than housing—it’s about protecting a way of life.
“We’re a community of family and friends,” she said. “At the end of the day, if it’s about protecting our homes, we’re going to fight back and we’re going to take care of ourselves.”
Residents say they want city officials to do more to support older homeowners—especially seniors and families living on fixed incomes—through programs that help with property tax relief and education about available resources.
For many in Denver Harbor, the fight isn’t against growth. It’s about making sure progress doesn’t come at the cost of the people who built the community.