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Committee to consider landscape ordinance

Kirby Coalition lobbies for road beautification

By ANNE MARIE KILDAY

Chronicle Correspondent

The Houston City Council's Quality of Life Committee began gathering information last week about a possible landscape ordinance that would require some city funding for street construction to be reserved for planting trees, plants and other amenities such as better colored crosswalks.

Houston City Councilwoman Pam Holm, who chairs the committee, said the panel wants to review early city policies aimed at setting aside funds for parks, trees and public art to see whether those funds can be used for road construction.

"What we are trying to do is develop a way to add some beauty and treescape to the city of Houston's public works projects," Holm said during the committee meeting Aug. 10.

The effort to set aside city funding for beautification of construction projects is a result of lobbying efforts by the Kirby Coalition, a group of homeowners, business owners, and community representatives that is looking at ways to finance amenities during the reconstruction of Kirby Drive.

Members of the coalition think the four-year, $40 million Kirby storm sewer replacement project should result in a more attractive appearance when the street is rebuilt.

"Obviously, the Kirby project is the issue of the day," said Kathie Easterly, co-chairwoman of the Kirby Coalition and president of the University Place Association. "And it would be nice if Kirby Drive is the model to show how street reconstruction can be done.

"We need to find a way to quit rebuilding our streets ugly," Easterly said.

"Houston is a huge, sophisticated city. We are trying to attract businesses here and it doesn't make sense to keep building and rebuilding our major thoroughfares in the least attractive way possible," Easterly said. "We would like to see all the major corridors in Houston treated with more attention to beautification."

Easterly said several representatives of the Kirby Coalition have written letters and visited personally with members of the Houston City Council in an effort to convince city leaders that capital improvement projects should be built with an eye toward aesthetics.

"We are now drafting a list of recommendations for inclusion in all major thoroughfares," Easterly said.

Those recommendations mirror the Kirby Coalition's wish list for trees, attractive landscaping and a "sign package" that includes more attractive and similar street identification signs, area signs and directional signs.

Easterly said the Main Street Corridor and Houston's Museum District are good examples of areas where signs have been used to improve the appearance of a street project, while helping people find their way.

Another key element, Easterly suggested, is "colored crosswalks," which improve pedestrian safety and add beauty to street reconstruction.

Last month, the city of Houston started work on the Kirby storm sewer replacement project, which will involve the installation of huge box culverts under Kirby to divert storm water from the Texas Medical Center. After the storm sewers are finished, Kirby will be reconstructed from Loop 610 to the Southwest Freeway.

Seventy-five percent of the project is being funded by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a response to flooding in the Texas Medical Center during Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001.

A final segment of the project involves replacement of the storm sewers under Kirby, north of U.S. 59 to San Felipe. That will take place after the Texas Department of Transportation finishes work on rebuilding the Southwest Freeway.

The Kirby Coalition involves interested groups from South Loop 610 to the Upper Kirby Management District, including the Braeswood Place Homeowners Association, the Rice Village Alliance, University Place Association and the city of West U.

Easterly said she is encouraged that city leaders will be attentive to the desires of the Kirby Coalition's members.

Because of Holm's efforts, Easterly said, "I now know there are three possible funds" that could be used to beautify the reconstruction of Kirby.

Those funds include 1 percent of street construction projects that is set aside for parks, the city of Houston's Tree Protection Fund, as well as the city's Public Arts Fund, Easterly said.

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