Can North Pasadena Be Saved?

[FilioScotia]

I found this on the Chron's East Harris County Blog, moderated by Carol Christian. What do you think? Can North Pasadena be saved? As someone who grew up there in the 50s and lived there off and on in the 60s and 70s, I have my doubts.

A Preview of the North Pasadena Redevelopment Plan

As reported here earlier, the new redevelopment plan for the city's North Side will be presented at 6 p.m. Feb. 9 at City Hall, 1211 E. Southmore Ave.

The Pasadena city Web site has a link to a slide show of highlights from the planwritten by the consulting firm Wilbur Smith Associates. A team from the consulting firm will be at the Feb. 9 meeting to present the plan to the Pasdena Second Century Corp., the city's economic development entity funded by a half-cent sales tax.

http://www.ci.pasadena.tx.us

According to the city Web site, public comments are warmly invited on the plan, which is an "18-month, $260,000 master blueprint for revitalizing the oldest parts of our community." As described in the plan, North Pasadena presents a challenging environment for economic development.

After growing in the 1990s, North Pasadena is now losing population, especially in the southern and eastern portions. The poverty rate is rising in northwestern neighborhoods and along the Shaver and Red Bluff corridors. Home ownership has declined, according to the redevelopment plan.

To help spur economic growth the plan recommends these steps, among others:

*Develop and fund programs to improve the housing stock.

*Create an assistance program for first-time home buyers in North Pasadena.

*Sponsor a home ownership training program.

*With the help of an architect, develop a North Pasadena Home Plan Book, showing typical home floor plans and how they can be expanded or improved.

*Create a property inventory that identifies vacant land as well as abandoned and substandard properties.

*Conduct a North Pasadena business survey.

*Establish a business-development program

[kylejack]

In short, no. The refineries took over and its now an unpleasant town.

[TJones]

Filio, have the Pasadena officials actually BEEN over to North Stinkadena ???

[kylejack]

Filio, have the Pasadena officials actually BEEN over to North Stinkadena ???

Seriously. How in the hell do you gift wrap the smelly refineries along both sides of 225??

[TJones]

Seriously. How in the hell do you gift wrap the smelly refineries along both sides of 225??

Well, they could make a detour for all the folks coming from Louisiana, and when they make it over the big beltway 8 bridge, they have a sign that says, "Welcome to Stinkadena, a little piece of Louisiana, right here in Texas ?"

[foxmulder]

Well, they could make a detour for all the folks coming from Louisiana, and when they make it over the big beltway 8 bridge, they have a sign that says, "Welcome to Stinkadena, a little piece of Louisiana, right here in Texas ?"

Well the same could be said about the "east" side of HOUSTON. I went to milby and could smell stuff from the rhone polenc plant... All anti pasadena bashing aside look at the draft they are proposing. http://130.94.216.225/N-Pasa_Redev_Plan_Pr...FT-01-23-09.pdf Once you get a half mile off the freeway"the smell" is gone...(Which really only comes when a front moves through.)

[TJones]

Well the same could be said about the "east" side of HOUSTON. I went to milby and could smell stuff from the rhone polenc plant... All anti pasadena bashing aside look at the draft they are proposing. http://130.94.216.225/N-Pasa_Redev_Plan_Pr...FT-01-23-09.pdf Once you get a half mile off the freeway"the smell" is gone...(Which really only comes when a front moves through.)

You talking about the smell on I-10, that's the paper mill, while going through Channelview and North SHore. I don;t know which is worse. LOL!

[FilioScotia]

Filio, have the Pasadena officials actually BEEN over to North Stinkadena ???

Makes you wonder. The city officials know what's there, but I don't think those high priced consultants spent much time there.

Notice that the consultants could only call for a lot of strategizing and planning. I didn't see much of anything specific in their plan. And taxpayers paid 260 thousand dollars for that?

I hate to say it but I think Pasadena between the ship channel and Southmore is just too far gone to be saved. It's done for. It's already a slum and it will only get worse until people start going miles out of their way to avoid going through Pasadena. Many already are.

[kylejack]

Makes you wonder. The city officials know what's there, but I don't those high priced consultants spent much time there.

I hate to say it but I think Pasadena between the ship channel and Southmore is just too far gone to be saved. It's done for.

I mean, every part of a city serves a purpose, and we thank Pasadena for giving us cheap gas prices, but nobody can reasonably expect it to ever be affluent or a "nice area" as long as the refineries are there. Its not just being dramatic to say that the area stinks to high heaven and is one of the most unsightly places in Houston.

[foxmulder]

I mean, every part of a city serves a purpose, and we thank Pasadena for giving us cheap gas prices, but nobody can reasonably expect it to ever be affluent or a "nice area" as long as the refineries are there. Its not just being dramatic to say that the area stinks to high heaven and is one of the most unsightly places in Houston.

It's not Houston...BUT it gets better the more south you go. Fairmont area has some nice homes.

[FilioScotia]

I mean, every part of a city serves a purpose, and we thank Pasadena for giving us cheap gas prices, but nobody can reasonably expect it to ever be affluent or a "nice area" as long as the refineries are there. Its not just being dramatic to say that the area stinks to high heaven and is one of the most unsightly places in Houston.

I think you're wrong to say it will never be a nice area as long as the refineries are there. Pasadena between 225 and Southmore WAS a very nice place to live in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

Tree lined streets of very nice well maintained bungalow style homes, and the refineries were there then. People who lived there took pride in their homes and surroundings.

It was one of the nicest suburban neighborhoods you ever saw, but it started going down badly in the 80s and 90s.

The refineries had nothing to do with that. And they have nothing to do with the way it looks today.

[kylejack]

I think you're wrong to say it will never be a nice area as long as the refineries are there. Pasadena between 225 and Southmore WAS a very nice place to live in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

Tree lined streets of very nice well maintained bungalow style homes, and the refineries were there then. It was one of the nicest neighborhoods you ever saw, but it started going down badly in the 80s and 90s.

The refineries had nothing to do with that. And they have nothing to do with the way it looks today.

How can such a smelly place be described as a "very nice place"?

[NenaE]

Well the same could be said about the "east" side of HOUSTON. I went to milby and could smell stuff from the rhone polenc plant... All anti pasadena bashing aside look at the draft they are proposing. http://130.94.216.225/N-Pasa_Redev_Plan_Pr...FT-01-23-09.pdf Once you get a half mile off the freeway"the smell" is gone...(Which really only comes when a front moves through.)

I grew up on the border of Pasadena & Houston, Allen-Genoa Rd. was the dividing line for my neighborhood. It always had a smell, at times. Don't believe it's the healthiest place in town to live, think it's a lot worse now, than it was in the 1960's. I've always heard the taxpayers (many of them chemical workers, of course) pay a lot of money in taxes. I would like to see the old bldgs. (in the Pasadena North part. by Hwy 225) preserved. I'm amazed that theater is still standing, after what's happened to the Houston ones, it's a miracle.

Just read over that proposal, gotta give them credit, at least for trying, heard that area has really gone down, it needs help.

[TheNiche]

N. Pasadena is the kind of place where very unsexy approaches to community improvement probably have the biggest payoff. For instance by focusing especially on law enforcement (including in neighborhoods), code enforcement, and increased maintenance and cleanup of the parks and rights of way that they have. Many neighborhoods in N. Pasadena are really very nice, but a few unruly neighbors spoil the bunch and depress housing prices. Programs like these would probably pay for themselves by way of property tax increases occuring over a period of several years. Then there are the big blocks of apartments--that requires a very different approach. The City of Pasadena could provide some kind of financial assistance for a substantial rennovation of such properties, but only on the condition that future tenants be subjected to a background check before being allowed to lease there.

I believe it possible on a subjective basis, at least, to rank communities using ERG Theory (an adaptation of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs). Pasadena has difficulty getting out of the lowest category of Existence, which includes both Maslow's Physiological and Safety needs. The refineries don't help, as a lot of people are afraid of explosions, chemical leaks, and air pollution--but Pasadena can't do much about that. They probably could hire someone to do a study that indicates the honest-to-goodness truth, which is that these concerns are overblown. But there's never enough publicity on stories that play down peoples' fear and anxiety. What they can realistically do is to make residents and potential residents at least feel a sense of Relatedness (the 'R' in ERG) about their or their potential neighbors, and that won't happen until people feel safe. Only then should Pasadena try to move on to Growth by way of sponsoring public/private partnerships and large outlays on new recreational venues.

It's good that they recognize that there are problems, but they can't just build their way out of them. Before they can achieve their higher ambitions, they have to stabilize what's already there.

[TheNiche]

How can such a smelly place be described as a "very nice place"?

Because parts of N. Pasadena really are very nice. There are nice parts of Texas City, too. You just have to be willing to drive around a little and discover them.

The smells aren't that bad. In fact, I actually like it more times than not. It is an amenity.

EDIT: And I actually put an offer on a house in Morgan's Point (near La Porte) a few years ago and was looking forward to a commute down SH 225 every day. It's much more visually exciting than any other freeway in town.

[kylejack]

Because parts of N. Pasadena really are very nice. There are nice parts of Texas City, too. You just have to be willing to drive around a little and discover them.

The smells aren't that bad. In fact, I actually like it more times than not. It is an amenity.

Disagree, I worked in Pasadena for a while and driving down 225 was the worst.

[TheNiche]

Makes you wonder. The city officials know what's there, but I don't think those high priced consultants spent much time there.

Notice that the consultants could only call for a lot of strategizing and planning. I didn't see much of anything specific in their plan. And taxpayers paid 260 thousand dollars for that?

No, that's only one document of many, and it's audience is the uninformed public.

[TJones]

I think you're wrong to say it will never be a nice area as long as the refineries are there. Pasadena between 225 and Southmore WAS a very nice place to live in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

Tree lined streets of very nice well maintained bungalow style homes, and the refineries were there then. People who lived there took pride in their homes and surroundings.

It was one of the nicest neighborhoods you ever saw, but it started going down badly in the 80s and 90s.

The refineries had nothing to do with that. And they have nothing to do with the way it looks today.

I think it has more to do with all those patio homes and Surburbia built homes in the 80's, which, if you watch Urban Cowboy, you can the beginning of the end, when Bud is standing in his Uncle's backyard.

No, that's only one document of many, and it's audience is the uninformed public.

I think that is what they are counting on Niche. I grew up, as well as others on here, seeing the turning of the pervebial leaves of Pasadena's north side. It was a boomtown when Gilley's was going strong and they were building like madmen in the whole area, then the oil crisis of '87-'88 really hurt the town, as well as mine, (Baytown). It just never could recover properly.

[NenaE]

N. Pasadena is the kind of place where very unsexy approaches to community improvement probably have the biggest payoff. For instance by focusing especially on law enforcement (including in neighborhoods), code enforcement, and increased maintenance and cleanup of the parks and rights of way that they have. Many neighborhoods in N. Pasadena are really very nice, but a few unruly neighbors spoil the bunch and depress housing prices. Programs like these would probably pay for themselves by way of property tax increases occuring over a period of several years. Then there are the big blocks of apartments--that requires a very different approach. The City of Pasadena could provide some kind of financial assistance for a substantial rennovation of such properties, but only on the condition that future tenants be subjected to a background check before being allowed to lease there.

I believe it possible on a subjective basis, at least, to rank communities using ERG Theory (an adaptation of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs). Pasadena has difficulty getting out of the lowest category of Existence, which includes both Maslow's Physiological and Safety needs. The refineries don't help, as a lot of people are afraid of explosions, chemical leaks, and air pollution--but Pasadena can't do much about that. They probably could hire someone to do a study that indicates the honest-to-goodness truth, which is that these concerns are overblown. But there's never enough publicity on stories that play down peoples' fear and anxiety. What they can realistically do is to make residents and potential residents at least feel a sense of Relatedness (the 'R' in ERG) about their or their potential neighbors, and that won't happen until people feel safe. Only then should Pasadena try to move on to Growth by way of sponsoring public/private partnerships and large outlays on new recreational venues.

It's good that they recognize that there are problems, but they can't just build their way out of them. Before they can achieve their higher ambitions, they have to stabilize what's already there.

There were explosions from time to time, shook the windows in our little house, but (in it's defense) the area was never evacuated while I was there (1962-1979). IMO- anywhere close to that ship channel/ petrochemical area is risky. There was a Chronicle feature on this area a while back, talked about Benzene, from what I can remember, and how the property values in Oak Meadows were low. Of course, I will always have a soft spot for the area I grew up in, even with it's polluted air.

As a side note - In that park by the Pasadena High School, there was even a small zoo at one time.

[TheNiche]

There were explosions from time to time, shook the windows in our little house, but (in it's defense) the area was never evacuated while I was there (1962-1979). IMO- anywhere close to that ship channel/ petrochemical area is risky. There was a Chronicle feature on this area a while back, talked about Benzene, from what I can remember, and how the property values in Oak Meadows were low. Of course, I will always have a soft spot for the area I grew up in, even with it's polluted air.

The article you're talking about referenced a study commissioned by the City of Houston for the purposes of giving weight to Mayor White's attempt to regulate industry which was outside of his jurisdiction. The chemicals studied were benzene and butadiene as they relate to the development of cancer. And for a suspiciously short period of time, that study was available on the City of Houston website. It was removed within a matter of weeks.

The opening and concluding sections of the study harped on the dangers of the chemicals to humans, however the epidemiological data in the appendices as well as bullet points in the body of the study indicated that the benzene had no statistically significant health effects on the nearby population. Butadiene had no statistically significant effects on the adult population and only barely observable effects on some minors and not others.

The study itself was grossly inadequate to the task (insofar as any aspect of the task could be defined as determining objective truth). It focused only on residential populations, most of which are really very well-removed from the points of chemical release. The study did not take into account the tenure of residency, the places of work, or the movements in and out of the study area in a typical day. The study also did not take into account that areas studied are all very similar in terms of ethnicity and economic conditions and that their epidemiology may be inherently different from the general population.

A critique of that study was actually the subject of my very first post on HAIF.

[VicMan]

The article you're talking about referenced a study commissioned by the City of Houston for the purposes of giving weight to Mayor White's attempt to regulate industry which was outside of his jurisdiction. The chemicals studied were benzene and butadiene as they relate to the development of cancer. And for a suspiciously short period of time, that study was available on the City of Houston website. It was removed within a matter of weeks.

What was the URL? It may have been archived on web.archive.org - If so that is good as everyone can view it.

[TheNiche]

What was the URL? It may have been archived on web.archive.org - If so that is good as everyone can view it.

It was from several years ago. I have no idea what the URL is.

[FilioScotia]

No, that's only one document of many, and it's audience is the uninformed public.

That "uninformed" public is invited to be "informed" at a public meeting on this subject Monday. Here's the invite from Pasadena City Hall:

"February 5, 2009

For information contact:

Jennifer Banks

Office: (713) 475-5536

Cell: (281) 830-3295

Community invited to share ideas for future of Pasadena

Pasadena residents are invited to share their thoughts and ideas about how to best shape the future of the city

[VicMan]

It was from several years ago. I have no idea what the URL is.

Well, web.archive.org has archived stuff since 1996, so even if it's a few years old it may have been archived.

Did you make any posts about this on HAIF? Did you post any links during that time?

[citizen4rmptown]

In my eyes, since i live there, the only thing that needs to be fixed is infrastructure(including sidewalks), demolition of worn out,archaic buildings and structures[some exceptions], and give makeovers to some existing buildings and structures, some form of public transportation, soon to be provided by METRO, maybe even a little park(like right next) to city hall with a fountain, some nice trees, and some benches. Also do away with old signs, implement new ones,likewise with the telephone poles.

Then it will look good. Almost all the buildings the city owns or operates in are good, like the new Police Station,new addition to the library, and well, City hall, as much as i would like it to be rebuilt is hidden by the trees so its OK.

The Schools in North Pasadena are good and some new, and have even demolished the old Southmore Int.

One thing to help the TS Mall would be to put a theater where Dillard's used to be. But, i would put the entrance where the loading dock used to be,that way itll be as far away as possible from the Sears Entrance and the Food Court Entrance , in case some mallgoers are annoyed by teenagers.

[PasadenaTexan]

I think you're wrong to say it will never be a nice area as long as the refineries are there. Pasadena between 225 and Southmore WAS a very nice place to live in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

Tree lined streets of very nice well maintained bungalow style homes, and the refineries were there then. People who lived there took pride in their homes and surroundings.

It was one of the nicest neighborhoods you ever saw, but it started going down badly in the 80s and 90s.

The refineries had nothing to do with that. And they have nothing to do with the way it looks today.

Ouch those comments about Pasadena HURT!

As a citizen of Pasadena since 1956 yes I still live here, Your hometown is full of memories and Family and Friends. For all of you snobs over in H Town if it were not for Pasadena, Channelview,Baytown,La Porte............. were would you all be ?

The Champion/Simpson/Pasadena Papermill is no longer a threat to your health or delicate noses. Our Family came to Pasadena,Texas in 1947 as a part of that Papermill's expansion.

Pasadena has many old and beautiful neighborhoods in the northside which is comprised of 100,000 plus residents of our 150,000 population. We feel we have been put on a back burner for far too many years by city officials that broke more promises that they kept [90%] in several decades.

To insult Our town with Stink lines is cruel, every community in America has to contribue it's fairshare to develope and fuel this country, Doctors,Lawyers,Masons,Electricians,Refinery Techs,Ditch Diggers..................you take the good with the bad. Many folks around here wish we had a perfect plan for survivial but Houston is just a Older bigger Pasadena so get over yourselves and be more consructive and a little less destructive with your opinions in here. If you all want to really help us be more pleasing to your Eyes and sinus system we could levy a special TAX from H Town and surrounding beautiful people areas to fund our Beauty Makeover so to speak, a sort of share the wealth TAX.

Limited income senior and families and tenants of slumlords don't have the resources to improve the properties they live in and since Ike hit many are still in recovery mode, the Blue Roofs are Proof of needs unmet by Insurance providers.

"Can't we all just get along?"