Washington Avenue Information & Developments

[ToolMan]

I'm not sure if there is enough going on at the moment to support only foot traffic because the area is still too spread out other than pockets here and there. Washington Ave. needs more bars, restaruant, or other entertainment if they truely want to shut down the street. It would be great to see street performers, food vendors, and art along the scene. I would like to see the area completely shut off from traffic at some point, but only if there is enough business to support the foot traffic.

I do like the idea of allowing Pedestrian, Pedicabs, Taxi's, and Jitney's only. They just need to be careful with how they approach this idea while not scaring the people away. They will need a lot more parking for availble for example. Houstonians are also lazy and don't like to walk; I'm not sure people will be happy about paying for a taxi just to go 3/4 miles down the street, and they aren't going to walk down the road unless there are some sotps along the way.

More traffic signals would just make things more congested.

I make it out to Washington Ave. every now and then to drink at Taps, Dubliner, or maybe Brixx/Drinkery on occasion, but I definitely won't be going if I can't park on the street. And I'm too stubborn to pay for valet. Perhaps they could keep one side of the street open for parking, the two middle lanes for jitney, taxi, and pedicabs, and the other lane for pedestrian.

Edited September 16, 2010 by ToolMan

[TheNiche]

I happen to know a couple of people of this "Committee" that they formed because of the traffic issues and the accident that occurred because of it.

While I don't want to give away the whole thing because I don't want to burn my source, I can mention what has been suggested so far:

• Closing Washington to traffic from Bonner to Durham St.
• Closing Washington to traffic from Shepherd to Moy St.
• Only allow Pedestrian, Pedicabs, Taxi's, and Jitney's through.
• Additional traffic lights and crosswalks.
• Eliminate street parking.

The bar owners aren't exactly very enthusiastic about the idea of closing off traffic, as they see it as hurting business and the construction of putting in lights would also be disruptive.

As far as I can tell, they aren't all playing very nice with each other.

Center Street is the obvious solution. Make it one-way westbound between Houston Avenue and TC Jester. Washington becomes one-way eastbound and narrowed to accommodate pull-in parking, wider sidewalks, and a wider-than-normal bike lane suitable for use by jitneys.

It simply cannot be shut down to traffic. Not possible. There is no other viable east/west alternative.

[roadrunner]

Center Street is the obvious solution. Make it one-way westbound between Houston Avenue and TC Jester. Washington becomes one-way eastbound and narrowed to accommodate pull-in parking, wider sidewalks, and a wider-than-normal bike lane suitable for use by jitneys.

It simply cannot be shut down to traffic. Not possible. There is no other viable east/west alternative.

That makes sense. Of course, in 7 years we will be discussing the decline of the Washington area and the rise of the West Alabama or East End bar scene and how to deal with the lack of infrastructure in those areas. If the city was interested in establishing a permanent nightlife district they would work quickly to improve the infrastructure along Washington and at the same time provide concessions to the bars and restaurants (sounds ridiculous, I know). Until then, this scene will just keep moving.

I thought the migrating nightlife scene was too big to migrate now. I thought for sure Midtown would survive, and I guess it has but it is on life support. Sammy's has closed, Tipsy Clover has closed, and I'm sure we'll see another neighborhood staple shut its doors soon.

In summary, I don't see any need to do anything significant along Washington since we are talking about a decade-long phenomenon.

[kylejack]

Sammy's closed temporarily to renovate and reopened as MainStage. Tipsy is gone, but Nouveau and several other bars have popped up.

[ToolMan]

Midtown is not dying. New bars are still popping up, just not the fancy clubs that tend to last only a couple of years.

[TheNiche]

In summary, I don't see any need to do anything significant along Washington since we are talking about a decade-long phenomenon.

The nightlife will move on, but the people will stay. There's still going to be a need to accommodate West End yuppies, and a re-do of Center Street is long overdue.

[sonic0boom]

To add to what Niche said about people staying: I think you have a lot more people owning property in the Washington area as opposed to renting in Midtown. Along with all the restaurants, I just see this area maturing differently than MIdtown. People might eventually stop coming here from far away and the "exclusive" clubs will move on to the next hot area, but there are enough local residents (including directly north of I-10) to keep a lot of the places going.

[trymahjong]

May 12 3pm on 2000 block of Washington east of Sawyer--

Complete Streets http://houstoncompletestreets.org/

and Better Bocks Houston http://www.facebook.com/betterblockhouston

Will transform 2 block stretch of Washington Ave east of Sawyer starting just after the artcar parade ends.

Last year two blocks on Holman were transformed. http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/04/better_block_houston.php

The presentation I saw was remarkable--It gives Houstonians the chance for an upclose encounter to walkability in Houston.

[Hartmann]

Where do they plan on installing the god-strength air conditioner and corresponding massive sun blocker? I'd definitely walk more if those were both installed in Houston so I didn't cook in August.

[s3mh]

Where do they plan on installing the god-strength air conditioner and corresponding massive sun blocker? I'd definitely walk more if those were both installed in Houston so I didn't cook in August.

Nights and mornings in August are sticky, but not so bad. Just look at all the people who flock to White Linen Nights. And why not have a walkable city when the weather is pretty spectacular for at least eight months out of the year and traffic is awful twelve months out of the year?

[Ross]

Nights and mornings in August are sticky, but not so bad. Just look at all the people who flock to White Linen Nights. And why not have a walkable city when the weather is pretty spectacular for at least eight months out of the year and traffic is awful twelve months out of the year?

There's nothing stopping you from walking now.

[Hartmann]

Nights and mornings in August are sticky, but not so bad. Just look at all the people who flock to White Linen Nights. And why not have a walkable city when the weather is pretty spectacular for at least eight months out of the year and traffic is awful twelve months out of the year?

Two things.

1) We must live in very different Houstons. Clearly yours is an oasis in some dystopian land while mine is a flat, featureless land hovering around 95% humidity for 8-9 months out of the year.

2) If White Linen Nights is our measuring stick then clearly the Art Car Parade is a model for how we all should accessorize our cars.

Seriously, you think our weather is "spectacular" 8 months out of the year? I live within walking distance of the 19th Street shops and will only walk to them in the winter, early spring and late fall (you know, those three days before Christmas).

There's a reason downtown is a bunch of buildings connected by a series of tunnels and skybridges.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Hartmann

[LarryDierker]

This thread has more whining than a chron.com comment.

[crunchtastic]

Nights and mornings in August are sticky, but not so bad. Just look at all the people who flock to White Linen Nights.

White Linen Nights? This is great---I had no idea how much I underestimated Houston walkability in summer! I'll be sure to tell all my friends in the second ward and encourage their families to go walking at White Linen Nights. They thought it was a fable that the fountains in the Heights were filled with chilled pinot grigio and the streets were lined with misters. Au contraire! It's ok to park on the streets, right? Because sometimes it's hard to fit all the strollers and rolling coolers on the Metro.

[RedScare]

It's ok to park on the streets, right? Because sometimes it's hard to fit all the strollers and rolling coolers on the Metro.

Well, except for those houses with the boulders on the grass. But, no worries. If your 2nd Ward families can't find a place to park during WLN, tell them to come back at Hallowe'en. And the weather is spectacular in October!

[Subdude]

Creating walkable streets for a few hour's demo project seems a bit silly. This is really just kind of a block party, right?

[s3mh]

Two things.

1) We must live in very different Houstons. Clearly yours is an oasis in some dystopian land while mine is a flat, featureless land hovering around 95% humidity for 8-9 months out of the year.

2) If White Linen Nights is our measuring stick then clearly the Art Car Parade is a model for how we all should accessorize our cars.

Seriously, you think our weather is "spectacular" 8 months out of the year? I live within walking distance of the 19th Street shops and will only walk to them in the winter, early spring and late fall (you know, those three days before Christmas).

There's a reason downtown is a bunch of buildings connected by a series of tunnels and skybridges.

I have lived in the Midwest and the Northeast. Compared to the long, dark, cold winters, gloomy and stormy fall, and spring that doesn't really come until early May, our weather is spectacular. If you cannot hack the humidity, you need to move. I will take 95% humidity over the cracked skin and chapped lips I used to get sitting inside with the heater blasting for month after month. The buildings downtown have a tunnel system because people wear wool suits to work all year. But the tunnels are closed after business hours, leaving people going to events and restaurants downtown to walk. The weather is no excuse to blow off urban design that gives pedestrians a chance over cars. You can fit way more people on a sidewalk than you can on a street in cars. If you really cannot stand to be out of your car when there is 95% humidity for more than the time it takes you to walk from the parking lot to the front door of the store in the strip mall, then you have miles and miles of strip malls and suburbs in Houston to chose from. But inside the loop, space is at a premium and walking will become more of a necessity to keep the city from turning into endless gridlock.

[SilverJK]

I walk/longboard all over the place still (as I did last summer), I just show up sweaty. A majority of restaurants have some shaded outdoor seating; I just sit there so my sweat doesn't offend those sitting inside. If you don't like sweating, perhaps you should be less of a wimp (j/k), but Houston is still a great place for you, because you CAN drive everywhere and there is air conditioning. I get baffled by those who say "its too hot to walk in Houston". Just go downtown on a hot summer day during lunch and what do you see, a crap ton of people walking around. Just because a lot of people will choose not to walk in the heat doesn't mean that there isn't a substantial amount of people who will.

If you are one of the people who doesn’t go out in the heat, that’s fine. I still want you to live in and enjoy Houston (unlike S3mh who always thinks if you don't share her point of view you should move away) but I would hope you recognize any additional walkability will be used and beneficial, regardless of how hot it is.

Edited May 8, 2012 by SilverJK

[Hartmann]

I have lived in the Midwest and the Northeast. Compared to the long, dark, cold winters, gloomy and stormy fall, and spring that doesn't really come until early May, our weather is spectacular. If you cannot hack the humidity, you need to move. I will take 95% humidity over the cracked skin and chapped lips I used to get sitting inside with the heater blasting for month after month. The buildings downtown have a tunnel system because people wear wool suits to work all year. But the tunnels are closed after business hours, leaving people going to events and restaurants downtown to walk. The weather is no excuse to blow off urban design that gives pedestrians a chance over cars. You can fit way more people on a sidewalk than you can on a street in cars. If you really cannot stand to be out of your car when there is 95% humidity for more than the time it takes you to walk from the parking lot to the front door of the store in the strip mall, then you have miles and miles of strip malls and suburbs in Houston to chose from. But inside the loop, space is at a premium and walking will become more of a necessity to keep the city from turning into endless gridlock.

Since it appears we can't actually have a discussion, just you calling me a wuss in a roundabout way, I'll leave it with the following.

If all one needs on a block is a restaurant, a book store, a coffee shop, and a convenience store then this is perfect.

It's not about being able to "hack" the humidity, it's about not being dripping wet as I walk from place to place. Like I said, I like walking places, I just don't like sweating my butt off to do it. I'm all for bigger sidewalks (or in some cases, sidewalks period) and making an area accessible to pedestrians but I fear the notion of a Portland like walkability is not entirely possible due to the heat. Or, maybe I'm crazy.

Hell, I was in Portland two years ago during one of their hottest weeks on record. It got to 93. People walking down the streets looked like they were dying. I was quite comfortable.

[trymahjong]

A map of the proposed changes during Complete Streets----apparently a city permit was obtained that would close that section of Washington Ave, but it was always intended to remain open, just limited to 2 lanes and a center median.

The concept of "walkability" seems very popular right now, no matter the geographic location of the city.

In Houston, especially in some of the inner city areas, it's hard to imagine or visualize what could be possible, , , , , , let alone understand the steps that need to be taken to achieve walkability.

Being able to see what changes Complete Streets (and the other groups they worked with) can bring to Washington Ave will be interesting and I hope it's a springboard for change.

[heightslurker]

Anyone else go? I love the concept...I love the message...Did it pick up in the evening? I found it a bit quiet in the afternoon...

I guess it had competition with the Art Car Parade..

I had hoped there would be more store fronts transformed...

[lockmat]

There is a Washington Ave Livable Centers initiative, formed by the Houston-Galveston Area Council in partnership with BetterHouston, the City and TIRZ 15

http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/11-13-12-a-new-washington-avenue-plans-call-for-crazy-bar-scene-to-be-balanced-by-transit-arts-more/

http://washave.wordpress.com/

 

Here are some of their plans/recommendations

- reduce surface parking by creating a mixed-use destination with multi-modal transit options

- create a dedicated management entity to help with area branding etc

- high-frequency transit (initially a bus circulator, with a fixed streetcar in the future)

- bicycle facilities

- comprehensive parking

- redesign of the Memorial Dr./Waugh Dr. interchange

- building setbacks

- affordable housing

- storm water management

- public art programs

And of course, the lofty dreamy renderings

[samagon]

There is a Washington Ave Livable Centers initiative, formed by the Houston-Galveston Area Council in partnership with BetterHouston, the City and TIRZ 15

*snip*

- affordable housing

*snip*

but they just spent the last 10 years getting rid of the affordable housing along this corridor!

[Mister X]

Shouldn't the little girl in that rendering be at home studying instead of cruzin' the liquor district with her mother in the middle of the night?

[lockmat]

Geeze, I didn't notice at first, but it looks like their dream has Washington Ave with only two lanes!

[samagon]

Geeze, I didn't notice at first, but it looks like their dream has Washington Ave with only two lanes!

and with a fixed streetcar in the future...

[JLWM8609]

Why redesign the Memorial/Waugh interchange to improve traffic operations? The cloverleaf handles the volume of traffic fine as-is.

[trymahjong]

You've listed this topic under Montrose but Super Neighborhood 22 might disagree

http://www.houstontx.gov/superneighborhoods/profiles/SN_22.htm

I heard their representative speak at a Neartown (SN24) meeting over 2 years ago. She described their area a a long corridor roughly between Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou, Downtown and 610.

At that time SN22 had developed a master plan for the Washinton Avenue corridor that included (among other things) a median with trees, improved sidewalks, and a bike lane--- The graphics were great! I was impressed with the entire presentation. All of the proposed improvements (both then and now) would be a terrific gain for all of Houston.

[TxDave]

This poll is a little tricky to answer.

The clubs will move away to the next trendy spot (they always do).

But they will leave behind a rejuvenated area in a great location, so the area should have a bright future

[samagon]

looks like they'll be installing parking meters:

http://www.khou.com/news/local/Plan-to-add-parking-meters-to-Washington-Avenue-181917191.html