Does Houston do enough to promote Westheimer?

[ThePhun1]

Seems to me Houston has found not necessarily a tourist area but a hotspot. It seems a great number of movers and shakers conduct a lot of business around there and it has a great number of nodes/cultural attracts.

I think Houston has a chance to have something of a Sunset Blvd or even Seawall Blvd (amazing that Galveston has two such streets and Houston arguably has none).

[dc_denizen]

houston's commercial streets are pretty atrocious, especially relative to the nice infill and multifamily growth within the inner loop.

compare to how austin is improving its commercial streets (eg East Austin)

[austlar1]

The answer is "no". Westheimer offers a terrible pedestrian experience and inadequate local transit. The sidewalks are skimpy, and there is no unified landscaping program in place. It is actually an interesting street with diverse offerings, but it still one that is best experienced by car. It kind of reminds me of a rundown version of Melrose Blvd in LA circa mid 1970s. Westheimer connects The Montrose with the Galleria area and skirts the River Oaks shopping area as well. Houston would be wise to try to unify the pedestrian experience on that three or four mile stretch of the street.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Houston would be wise to try to unify the pedestrian experience on that three or four mile stretch of the street.

They've already begun. The stretch between Kirby and Shepherd has been totally redone. The stretch between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway is in progress.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

I think Houston has a chance to have something of a Sunset Blvd...

Westheimer is an incredibly long street and different parts are unrecognizable as being the same street.

For those of us old enough to remember, the stretch from Montrose east to Brazos has been ruined by tearing down so many of the old houses (which housed businesses and restaurants) and replacing them with small strip centers and that hideous townhouse development at the far east end.

The stretch west from Montrose to Shepherd is in many ways better than it used to be.

West of Post Oak to Sage could be considered slightly pedestrian friendly and maybe a bit touristy. Everything west of Sage (10 miles at least) is a pedestrian no-man's land.

[Double L]

If Houston wants to improve areas for tourists, concentrate on downtown, Hermann Park/MuseumDistrict and the area around Space Center Houston. In some ways they are already doing this.

This thread should be in a regional forum not city discussions.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by Double L

If Houston wants to improve areas for tourists, concentrate on downtown, Hermann Park/MuseumDistrict and the area around Space Center Houston. In some ways they are already doing this.

The three places where I've personally seen tourist activity recently are Discovery Green Park, Buffalo Bayou Park especially along Sabine Street, and the Glassell School Plaza/Cullen Sculpture Garden. Then there's Post Oak/Galleria, which has always had wealthy shopping tourists, especially from Mexico.


Edited to add: I think with some major work, the Montrose/Westheimer intersection and the two streets extending outward in all directions could become something of an attraction for tourists and locals alike. I'd like to see more hotel space in the area. The Colombe d'Or tower is a start.

[llamaorama]

They were supposed to put Lower Westheimer on a road diet but I think the funding didn't come through or it got cancelled. I don't remember the details.

The section in Montrose might as well not actually be 4 lanes because of all the parked cars and the enormous potholes and slumps where the gutters are. Urban Houston has some severely beat up streets, IMO. If I had to drive on Richmond every day I would worry about my car's suspension.

Another observation is there are a lot of streets which are 4 lane with a central median with now mature trees. It's pretty, but it means the roadways are pushed out to the edge of the right of way and so there are narrow sidewalks that are usually in poor condition and blocked by cars parked in driveways. These trees are a treasure so nobody ever wants to redo these streets. But suppose someone had the balls to tear out the median, there could be 4 lanes with a raised curb divider and then bike lanes and much, much wider sidewalks with tree wells. In time the new trees would grow as big as the old ones and you'd get the same amount of shade and "tree tunnel" effect. I guess it comes down to making a lasting legacy.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by Double L

If Houston wants to improve areas for tourists, concentrate on downtown, Hermann Park/MuseumDistrict and the area around Space Center Houston. In some ways they are already doing this.

This thread should be in a regional forum not city discussions.

Screw tourists! Houston needs to improve areas for local residents and offer urban amenities.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

They've already begun. The stretch between Kirby and Shepherd has been totally redone. The stretch between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway is in progress.

Glad to know this. The truth is I haven't really spent any time there in several years, except for a quick pass through following an Astros game two years ago. I always thought Westheimer had a "rustic/boho" charm to it and a lot of potential. I loved all the old bungalows converted to retail and restaurants. I used to be in Houston almost every other weekend, but I rarely leave Austin anymore.

[Double L]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Screw tourists! Houston needs to improve areas for local residents and offer urban amenities.

Sure but that’s the topic of the thread.

[llamaorama]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Screw tourists! Houston needs to improve areas for local residents and offer urban amenities.

IMO this touches on a bigger problem. Urban residents are a minority of the city as a whole. Inside the 610 loop is 500,000 people, out of the city proper's 2.3 million, in a region of 7 million.

So how do we justify spending a disproportionate amount of taxpayer money to provide improvements and urban amenities to a small group, which could also be characterized as relatively affluent given gentrification trends?

Especially when you consider that the City of Houston suffers from a challenging budgeting situation right now with the property tax revenue cap. Any spending now is a zero sum game, which is why the Prop B fight over firefighter pay was so acrimonious. What do you tell the people who live in other areas which have some severe problems like degraded sewer and drainage infrastructure, not enough cops, few parks, etc?

"Tourists" might be people from the rest of town for all you know, who are going into the city because their own neighborhoods don't offer as much. I think its only fair then that if we redistribute public funds and concentrate them on the core city, those improvements to the core city should be things that benefit the region and its economy.

[James Bond Agent 007]

I thought this was going to be about Dr Ruth.

[JManc]

Lower Westheimer (inside the loop) has potential and is already changing but outside the loop, that strip is a blighted shit show for miles. All the way out to Highway 6.

[Qubert]

Personally, I'm surprised LRT has never been considered for Westheimer.

[Double L]

Originally Posted by Qubert

Personally, I'm surprised LRT has never been considered for Westheimer.

Of course it has been considered but Westhiemer is too narrow for LRT. IMO we would need elevated rail to make it work.

[hipster duck]

I visited Westheimer about 4 years ago, and had a chance to walk it from Dunlavy to Montrose - or wherever the plaza where Half Price books is.

While it was very lively, the overall experience seemed like it wasn't working for anybody. For pedestrians, the sidewalk was too narrow in most places and often cracked or in poor repair. For drivers, the 4 lane setup is pretty lousy, with the outermost lanes being barely wide enough to fit cars, let alone buses. I also remember the road surface being in poor shape - maybe it has been repaved. A rebuild of this stretch where there's 2 through lanes, a left turn lane, bike lanes and nicer sidewalks would do wonders.

[austlar1]

Originally Posted by Double L

Sure but that’s the topic of the thread.

Not really. Seems to me the topic is whether Westheimer is a "hot spot" worth improving. Tourism was mentioned tangentially. So, my take is this: Make it nice for locals to experience, and all the rest will fall into place. That's what has happened on similar stretches of street in other cities. I'm talking about improving the pedestrian experience and perhaps upgrading transit options along the stretch from just below Montrose out to the Galleria. It should not break the bank to do something nice.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I visited Westheimer about 4 years ago... I also remember the road surface being in poor shape - maybe it has been repaved.

When Hell freezes over!

[Double L]

It does seem like it would be pretty easy for the city to set up a project that would renovate Westheimer. Maybe we should turn Montrose into a TIRZ.