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SATURDAY | January 4, 2014 | Vol. 60 | No. 9 | www.theleadernews.com | @heightsleader
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Highway plans reignite lawsuit Plaintiffs: Lanes will be too loud
METRO increases HOV rates for commute
METRO will increase its High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane rates for portions of the morning commute on several highways throughout Harris County, effective Jan. 6. The rates will remain the same for all other hours of the day, according to Carolina Mendoza of the METRO public information office. Mendoza said the reason for the rate increases is “to improve the flow of morning traffic over peak times.” Tolls on U.S. Hwy. 290’s High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane will increase from $5 to $7 during the 6-6:30 a.m. morning commute. The HOT lane goes from the Loop 610 interchange to the Sam Houston Tollway interchange. The 3+ HOV requirement on 290 will begin at 6:30 a.m. through 8 a.m. It previously began at 6:45 a.m.
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by Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com When Holly Park resident Dawn Harrell goes outside, she can hear all of the noise from the nearby U.S. Hwy. 290 and Loop 610 interchange. She knows that noise will only increase as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) plans additional, and elevated, lanes for the ongoing 290 project. Harrell, who lives five or six house lengths away from W. 18th Street, met with Houston attorney Carol Caul, who is representing her and 12 other plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against the Federal Highway Administration and TxDOT. Other plaintiffs in the case reside in areas of Oak Forest, Timbergrove and Lazybrook that are close to the highway construction. Because TxDOT changed its original plan to accommodate managed lanes, Caul must re-file the original lawsuit, which she filed in 2012, by Jan. 24, which she plans to do. The defendant will have 60 days to respond to the suit, during which time the judge could dismiss it. If the judge doesn’t dismiss the case, the two sides will speak to the judge on April 24 and decide how to move forward. In the revised suit, Caul said she’ll also be seeking a supplemental environmental impact statement for 290, 610 and I-10, including Memorial Park and the Arboretum. “(We’re seeking) adequate noise abatement,” Caul said. “That might sound easy, but when you have these massive highways, it should have included those plans in the design.” Caul is working pro-bono on the case and said she and the plaintiffs are not seeking monetary damages. She wants to make sure that TxDOT is abiding by federal noise regulations. “I made a promise to some of the people that I would do it, Caul said. “It’s something I believe in.” The issue affected Caul’s neighborhood,
Seven of area’s neighborhoods top pub’s list Just in case Leader residents didn’t know they lived in great neighborhoods, the official ballot for the 2013 Swamplot Neighborhood of the Year Awards is out and out of seven contenders, five are in or near the area. That’s right, five. Voting ended on Dec. 27 so there’s no chance of getting your two cents in now, but you can view the finalists.
Germantown Historic District
Swamplot said, “This tiny neighborhood of 71 homes tucked between Woodland Heights and I-45 used the historic preservation ordinance to protect itself from a big, bad developer — without drawing the wrath of haters.”
Oak Forest
The fundraising efforts of the community were part of the final ballot mention as were the new security program and the quality of Oak Forest Elementary and Black Middle School. Swamplot also said that “Oak Forest has a ridiculously active Homeowner’s Association/Facebook page, large lots, and TC Jester Park.”
Norhill
If the hassle of the ongoing road construction on 610 and 290 isn’t enough of a headache already, a group of homeowners within earshot of the improved roads also have concerns about the noise the highways will produce, and have filed suit over the concerns. (File photo) on North Post Oak near Loop 610, a decade ago. She filed a suit against the same entities, and they responded with a noise wall. TxDOT has offered noise barriers in some areas of the 290 construction, but not in all of the areas that would be affected by them,
Caul said. TxDOT cannot comment on pending litigation, but they’ve said in the past that longitudal tining, a type of pavement, will make
see Highway • Page 4
According to Swamplot, this neighborhood is “one of the few, maybe only, Heights-area neighborhoods to have escaped the scourge of New Charlestorleans-style homes, humper house additions and the light industrial/garden apartments that infiltrated the area in the ’60s and ’70s. Deed restrictions and historic district status have helped it keep the original look, and attract the type of buyer who wants and appreciates that look.” An interesting perspec-
see Tops • Page 4
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Bayou plan taking shape, eye on environment
ALTERATIONS: Reasonable. Pick up and delivery. Charlotte, 713-6940003.
by Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
See More Pages 11&12
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Chris Medina is a semi-regular fisherman on White Oak Bayou. He says he’s caught bass there.
There is no doubt that Houston is taking its role as the Bayou City seriously. The Bayou Greenways 2020 project – funded in part by the November 2012 bond referendum providing $160 million in park funding – will add an uninterrupted system of 150 miles of parks and trails along Houston’s bayous. More people are subsequently exploring the existing paths by foot and on bike and perhaps familiarizing themselves for the first time with “the rich ecological corridor” – so put by Roksan Okan-Vick, executive director of the Houston Parks Board. She’s right. In the Leader area, the West White Oak Bayou Trail, running from 11th and TC Jester Boulevard all the way up to Antoine Drive, provides a glimpse
One important step, according to Roksan Okan-Vick, executive director of the Houston Parks Board, is determining who will maintain the bayous, especially cleaning them of trash. of both Houston’s natural beauty, and its randomness. While the trails themselves are being tended to, the bordering buildings are not, as they are the responsibility of the individual property owner. And due to Houston’s lack of zoning, what is built along the bayous is up to their own discretion. A prime example of this is the part of the White Oak Trail which begins at 34th and TC Jester Boulevard and extends to the current end point at Antoine. While
following the TC Jester Park for a bit, around Pinemont it becomes a different trail altogether, giving way to business and residential areas, including trailer parks and apartment complexes, some of which are abandoned. Yet on the other side, people are fishing, bird watching and just plain taking it all in. Blue herons delicately step along the water while turtles bob underneath. The trash is here – no doubt about it – but also miles of uninterrupted green space. The true definition of a dichotomy, repeated all along the Bayou City. But it’s only going to get better.
Plans for West White Oak Trail
First, the West White Oak Trail is going to be extended from Antoine to Alabon-
see Bayou • Page 4