Originally proposed in 2019, the Buffalo Park East Master Plan, which would extend Buffalo Bayou Park to the East End and Fifth Ward neighborhoods, is suddenly in high gear.
The Kinder Foundation this week announced a $100 million gift to launch a plan to expand Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston to the east to the East End and Fifth Ward neighborhoods.
“This visionary plan integrates new bayou parks, trails, housing, cultural destinations, and infrastructure improvements into the Greater East End and Fifth Ward neighborhoods,” according to a September 26 press release from the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. The Kinder Foundation gift represents a down payment on the $310 million total investment planned in the first ten years of the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan, first announced in 2019. The Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan envisions parks and destinations that reflect the cultural and industrial legacies of Buffalo Bayou East for a four-mile stretch of the bayou from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin.
The announcement comes with an acknowledgement of the housing pressures in the two neighborhoods—the Fifth Ward in particular has been identified as one of the hot beds of gentrification in Houston. To address community needs for affordable housing, the proposal includes 13 acres of mixed-income development, funded with $24 million in 9% federal tax credits and Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant financing.
Both the City Council and Harris County Commissioners Court are expected to sign off on final documents this week, according to a paywalled article published by the Houston Chronicle. Additional coverage of the gift and the Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan is available from Chron and Houston Public Media. More details on Buffalo Park East are also available on the Kinder Foundation website.
Criticism for Army Corps' Houston Flood Protection Plans
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has revised a plan to protect the Houston region from flooding by tossing out a proposed tunnel and opting instead to dig Buffalo Bayou wider and deeper.
Houston's Latest Stormwater Project: 'Massive, Underground Tunnels'
The most recent post-Harvey proposal would mean the city could endure enormous rain events, but so far it's not clear who would pay for it.
Houston's Historic Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern Opens to the Public
Houston's Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, commissioned in 1926 and decommissioned in 2007, is now the city's hottest attraction.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Cuomo Is the Candidate of Both NIMBYs and Developers. What Gives?
In the New York City mayoral race, odd bedfellows align to preserve the housing status quo.
The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip
Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.
San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.
Charlottesville Temporarily Has No Zoning Code
A judge ordered the Virginia city to throw out its newly revised zoning code, leaving permitting for new development in legal limbo.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont