[Quality of Life Committee]
[00:00:14]
IT'S OCTOBER 25TH, 2023, AND TODAY'S HYBRID COMMITTEE MEETING IS BEING HELD VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS, AS WELL AS IN PERSON.THE CHAIR AS PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE COMMITTEE IS PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN CHAMBERS AND ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 5 1 0.127 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
I'LL BE CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOGGED IN VIRTUALLY.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO MUTE YOUR MICROPHONE.
GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN, AND WELCOME TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE MEETING.
I'M ROBERT GALLEGOS, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE.
IT'S NOW 2 0 2, AND I'M PLEASED TO CALL TODAY'S MEETING TO ORDER.
LET ME START BY RECOGNIZING MY COLLEAGUES JOINING US TODAY.
UM, WE HAVE STAFF HERE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK'S OFFICE.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ASHA JACKSON'S OFFICE.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS OFFICE.
UM, WE HAVE STAFF FROM VICE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX'S, OFFICE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON'S OFFICE AND STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER'S OFFICE, AND WE HAVE STAFF FROM VICE CHAIR ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE.
WE NOW, UH, HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK HERE IN THE CHAMBERS.
DID I, IF I MISSED ANYONE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
A REMINDER FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION.
WHEN YOU'RE RECOGNIZED, REMEMBER TO UNMUTE YOUR MICROPHONE.
I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR THREE MINUTES QUESTIONS HAVE ENDED.
NOW SWITCHING TO THE MEETING AGENDA TODAY, THE COMMITTEE WILL RECEIVE UPDATES FROM THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT ON HOUSTON ACTIVE LIVING PLAN, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC ON MORE SPACE, MAIN STREET PROJECT UPDATE.
WE WILL ALSO HEAR ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS REGARDING EXPANDING THE DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT ZONE.
NOW, LET ME INVITE OUR FIRST PRESENTERS.
UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE HAVE DEBRA MAXWELL, UH, AS WELL AS LAKA STATON, UH, WITH THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE READY FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
YOU'LL PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR, FOR THE RECORD, AS WELL AS ANY MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM JOINING JOINING YOU TODAY.
I'M ADMINISTRATION MANAGER WITH THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND TODAY I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUE DEBRA MAXWELL, STAFF ANALYST FOR THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF CHRONIC DISEASE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND WELLNESS.
AND IF IT'S OKAY TO GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO PRESENT TODAY.
UM, AGAIN, ON BEHALF ON BEHALF OF THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND GO HEALTHY HOUSTON TASK FORCE, WE WILL BE PRESENTING UPDATES MADE TO THE 2017 HOUSTON ACT LIVING PLAN, WITH THE INTENT FOR THESE UPDATES TO BE FULLY ADOPTED.
AND SO THE CURRENT PLAN WITH SUPPORT FROM THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, WE WOULD LIKE TO START BY PROVIDING, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF INSIGHT INTO THE PURPOSE AND THE VISION OF GO HEALTHY HOUSTON.
FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT ALREADY KNOW, THE TASK FORCE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2012 VIA EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ADDRESS CONCERNS AND THE INCREASED, UM, THE INCREASED NEED FOR COMMUNITY AWARENESS RELATED TO BOTH CHRONIC DISEASE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AS WELL AS OBESITY.
UM, IT IS A MULTI-SECTOR TASK FORCE IS COMPRISED OF BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERS, UM, WITH COMMON GOALS RELATED TO ADVOCACY AROUND HEALTHY LIVING, COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES TO LEVERAGE AVAILABLE RESOURCES, ENHANCING INFORMATION SHARING, AND EDUCATION RELATED TO WELLNESS.
UM, THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE TASK FORCE IS REALLY TO MAKE THE HEALTHY CHOICE THE EASY CHOICE FOR HOUSTONIANS.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, GO HEALTHY.
HOUSTON AIMS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF ALL HOUSTONIANS BY INCREASING ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND TOBACCO FREE PLACES.
THIS ACTIVE LIVING PLAN WILL ADDRESS THE NEED FOR A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITHIN HOUSTON.
SO, WHILE THE ORIGINAL ACT OF LIVING PLAN WAS ORIGINALLY ADOPTED IN 2017, THERE REMAINS A NEED TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN
[00:05:01]
THE CITY OF HOUSTON.WE HAVE SEEN THAT ENGAGING IN ACTIVE LIFESTYLES HAS VITAL IMPACTS ON DISEASE PREVENTION, MENTAL HEALTH, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE.
FOR HOUSTONIANS, THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS HAS BEEN MAGNIFIED DURING THE CURRENT STAGE OF COVID-19 AND IN OUR RECOVERY EFFORTS, UM, WE SAW THAT THERE WAS A DECREASE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS FOR BOTH ADULTS AND CHILDREN.
AND SO, ACCORDING TO THE HOUSTON STATE OF HEALTH, WE SEE THAT 30% OF ADULTS FAILED TO ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THEIR FREE TIME.
UM, THAT RESULTED IN ABOUT 32% OF ADULTS BEING IDENTIFIED AS OBESE.
AND AS WE ALL KNOW, THAT OFTENTIMES, UM, THESE TYPES OF THINGS LEAD TO OTHER HEALTH ISSUES, SUCH AS INCREASED HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, AS WELL AS, UM, THE INCREASED, UH, NEED FOR D OF ADULTS IDENTIFIED AS DIABETIC WITHIN HOUSTON.
SO, THE ACTIVE LIVING PLAN IS MEANT TO BE A GUIDE, INCLUDING STRATEGIES, TIPS, AND TOOLS FOR US TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, BUSINESSES, AND RESIDENTS TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE.
WE REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT ACTIVE LIVING IS NOT MERELY A TRENDY CONCEPT, BUT IT'S REALLY A FUNDAMENTAL PILLAR UPON WHICH OUR PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING RESTS.
UM, IT ENCOMPASSES EVERYTHING FROM ENGAGING IN REGULAR PHYSICAL EXERCISE TO ADOPTING HEALTHY EATING HABITS, PRIORITIZING MENTAL HEALTH, AND FOSTERING STRONG EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS.
UM, AS WE PREPARE TO DISCUSS THE UPDATES WITHIN THIS PLAN, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO REAFFIRM THE VISION CREATED BY THE ORIGINAL PLAN, WHICH READS THAT HOUSTON IS A PLACE WHERE ACTIVE LIVING IS EASY AND ALL RESIDENTS LIVE, WORK, PLAY, AND AGE IN SAFE, ATTRACTIVE, AND CONNECTED ENVIRONMENTS.
SO THE 2021 UPDATES TO THE ACTIVE LIVING PLAN BUILD ON THE ORIGINAL SECTORS AND STRATEGIES TO INCREASE ACTIVE LIVING.
SO, WITHIN, WITHIN THE ORIGINAL PLAN, WE DID IMPLEMENTATION, AND THEN WE HAD A CALL TO ACTION PHASE.
UM, DURING THAT TIME, HOUSTON WAS PLAYED WITH COVID-19, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
AND SO WE ALL KNOW THAT AT THAT TIME, UM, MANY ORGANIZATIONS SHIFTED PRIORITIES.
SO KNOWING THAT THERE REMAINED AN INCREASED NEED FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THIS TIME, THE GO HEALTHY TASK FORCE WAS ABLE TO HOST VIRTUAL FOCUS GROUPS WITH COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, PARTNERS, AND KEYTO STAKEHOLDERS FROM MULTIPLE SECTORS TO HELP TO UPDATE THIS ACTIVE LIVING PLAN.
AND IT WAS BASED ON THE RESULTS FROM THOSE FOCUS GROUPS AND LISTENING SECTION SESSIONS THAT THE RESULTS OF THE TASK FORCE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY SIX ADDITIONAL SECTORS TO BE ADDED TO THE HOUSTON ACTIVE LIVING PLAN.
WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO DEVELOP STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND INDICATORS THAT CAN BE USED TO MEASURE SUCCESS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU WILL FIND WITHIN THE PLAN TODAY.
SO THE 2021 UPDATES, UM, EXPAND THE CURRENT PLAN SCOPE TO INCLUDE A TOTAL OF 12 SECTORS.
UM, EACH OF THOSE SECTORS HAS UNIQUE GOALS AND STRATEGIES THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED BASED ON THE SECTOR'S PARTICULAR STRENGTHS AND NEEDS.
AND SO THE ORIGINAL SECTORS INCLUDED PUBLIC HEALTH, CULTURE, TRANSPORTATION, BUILT ENVIRONMENT, PARKS AND RECREATION, SPORTS AND FITNESS.
AND THEN THE ADDED SECTORS, UM, IN 2021 WOULD INCLUDE FAITH-BASED, MILITARY AND VETERANS, BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, AND MEDIA.
AND SO NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, DEBORAH, TO PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE UPDATED SIX SECTIONS THAT WE'RE SEEKING, UM, ADOPTION AND PROPOSAL FOR.
SO THE STRATEGIES OF EACH SECTOR REALLY AIM TO BENEFIT THE GENERAL PUBLIC ACROSS ALL POPULATIONS, REGARDLESS OF AGE OR ABILITY.
THE FIRST NEWLY ADDED SECTOR WAS FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS, FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING CHURCHES, TEMPLES, AND SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS FAITH-BASED SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES, CHARITIES, AND SCHOOLS ALL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE LIVES OF ESTONIANS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS.
ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER, 80% OF IT OF HOUSTONIANS ACTUALLY IDENTIFY WITH A RELIGIOUS TRADITION.
THUS, THESE INSTITUTIONS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN OUR SOCIETY'S SOCIAL FABRIC, NOURISHING THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF CONGREGANTS AND PROVIDING GUIDANCE IN THEIR DAILY LIVES.
THE NEXT THAT I'LL DISCUSS IS MILITARY AND VETERANS, ALTHOUGH NOT KNOWN, BEING KNOWN FOR A MILITARY TOWN WITH NO MILITARY BASIS, HOUSTON ACTUALLY HAS A SUBSTANTIAL VETERAN POPULATION.
OVER 260,000 VETERANS CALL THE METRO HOUSTON AREA HOME, WHICH IS NEARLY A FIFTH OF ALL TEXAS VETERANS.
A HEALTHY, ACTIVE LIFESTYLE IS NO LESS IMPORTANT TO VETERANS AS IT IS FOR CIVILIANS, AND MANY VETERANS FACE SIMILAR BARRIERS AND DIFFICULTIES IN LIVING ACTIVELY.
[00:10:01]
IS BUS IS THE BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY SECTOR.CURRENTLY, TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGY ARE LEADING TO MORE AND MORE EMPLOYEES IN WORK BEING CONDUCTED AT DISC AND IN FRONT OF COMPUTERS WITH FEWER WORKERS ULTIMATELY SPENDING MORE TIME, UH, SITTING AND LESS TIME ON THEIR FEET.
WITH INCREASING USE OF AUTOMATION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, THESE TRENDS ARE ONLY BOUND TO TO INCREASE AND ACCELERATE MORE INTO THE FUTURE.
THERE ARE REAL CONSEQUENCES TO HAVING A MORE SEDENTARY WORKFORCE CHIEF, AMONG BEING THE INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF HEALTH PROBLEMS AND CHRONIC DISEASES.
BUSINESSES ARE ACTUALLY IN A UNIQUE POSITION GIVEN THEIR PROXIMITY AND THE LIVES OF EMPLOYEES, AND THEY STAND TO GREATLY BENEFIT FROM IMPROVED EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELLBEING AS WELL.
THE NEXT SECTOR ADDED WAS EDUCATION.
THE HOUSTON AREA SERVED BY 25 INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN NUMEROUS PRIVATE AND CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND BOAST OVER 40 COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, AND OTHER POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS.
SCHOOL AND EDUCATION ARE A CENTRAL FOCUS IN THE DAILY LIVES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH, AN OCCUPY POSITION OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE TO THEIR PARENTS AND TEACHERS AS WELL.
BECAUSE OF THEIR IMPORTANCE IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY, HOUSTONIANS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE A GREAT POTENTIAL TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF ACTIVE LIVING.
HEALTHCARE WAS THE NEXT ADDED SECTOR.
THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR ACTUALLY ENCOMPASSES A WIDE RANGE OF ENTITIES AND INDIVIDUALS RANGING FROM PRACTICES SUCH AS PRACTICES TO LARGE RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO SKILLED NURSES, TO PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATORS.
WITH OVER 85 HOSPITALS IN THE REGION, AS WELL AS THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER, THE LARGEST MEDICAL CENTER IN THE WORLD.
HOUSTON HAS NO SHORTAGE OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND EXPERTS WHO REALLY CARE FOR RESIDENTS VARIED NEEDS.
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF ACTIVE LIVING ARE WELL DOCUMENTED, RANGING FROM WEIGHT CONTROL TO REDUCING THE RISK OF NUMEROUS DISEASES AND CHRONIC ION CHRONIC DECISIONS AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS AS WELL.
WITH THIS IN MIND, ACTIVE LIVING SHOULD FORM AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE APPROACH TO ANY PATIENT'S WELLBEING.
THE LAST ADDED SECTOR WAS MEDIA.
THERE ARE SIX MAJOR TELEVISION STATIONS AND ONE MAJOR CITYWIDE PAPER IN HOUSTON, AS WELL AS NUMEROUS SMALLER TV, TV AND RADIO STATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS THAT SERVE THE CITY'S LARGE AND DIVERSE AUDIENCES.
THESE MEDIA OUTLETS PROVIDE INFORMATION KEEPING HOUSTONIANS INFORMED AND UP TO DATE ON LOCAL NEWS.
THEY ARE TRUSTED SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
HOUSTONIANS SIMILAR TO OTHERS ACROSS THE NATION, ARE ALSO ENGAGED WITH NEW AND ONLINE MEDIA AND DIGITAL TOOLS SUCH AS FACEBOOK, TWITTER, TIKTOK, AND INSTAGRAM.
WE ALL GO TO THESE PLATFORMS TO LEARN ABOUT THE LATEST TRENDS AND TO FOLLOW INFLUENCERS AND CREATORS.
MEDIA, BOTH NEW AND TRADITIONAL HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN ACTIVE LIVING FOR ITS ABILITY TO INFORM, INSTRUCT, AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE.
SO WHAT ARE WE REALLY TRYING TO SAY HERE? WELL, OUR CALL TO ACTION IS THAT EACH ONE OF US, NO MATTER OUR PROFESSION BACKGROUND, OUR CIRCUMSTANCES HAS THE POWER TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT OF ACHIEVING ACTIVE LIVING FOR ALL.
WHETHER YOU'RE A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL, AN EDUCATOR, A COMMUNITY MEMBER, A COUNCIL MEMBER, OR A CONCERNED CITIZEN, YOUR ACTIONS AND INFLUENCE CAN INSPIRE, EMPOWER OTHERS TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES IN THEIR LIVES.
SO WE WANT TO CHALLENGE HOUSTONIANS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH TO REFLECT ON YOUR OWN POTENTIAL TO DRIVE CHANGE.
HOW CAN YOU BE AN AGENT OF TRANSFORMATION IN YOUR OWN SPHERE OF INFLUENCE? PICTURE OF SOCIETY WHERE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS EMBEDDED INTO OUR DAILY ROUTINES, WHERE HEALTHY CHOICES ARE THE NORM, WHERE INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS AND BASE EMBRACE ACTIVE LIVING AND F IN A FULFILLING LIFESTYLE.
OUR HOPE IS THAT WITH SUPPORT FROM THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE TO APPROVE AND ADOPT THE ADDITIONAL SECTORS, THE UPDATED ACTIVE LIVING PLAN CAN BE A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT IS WALLY REFERENCED ALL OVER HOUSTON TO HELP US EMBRACE ACTIVE LIVING AS A WAY OF LIFE AND PROMOTE ACTIVE LIVING WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES.
THANK YOU ALL TO EACH OF ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE AND FOR OUR THE TIME TO BE HERE TODAY.
OUR CONTACT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THIS SLIDE AND TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE ACTIVE LIVING PLAN.
AND FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW ANYONE CAN BE INVOLVED, PLEASE VISIT THE GO HEALTHY HOUSTON WEBSITE.
WE ALSO HAVE ADDITIONAL COPIES AVAILABLE FOR YOU TODAY.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL OR STAFF? NO.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR SECOND PRESENTATION.
BEFORE DOING THAT, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, WHO HAS JOINED AS VIRTUALLY, AND WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO HERE IN THE CHAMBER.
UH, AGAIN, MOVING ON TO THE SECOND PRESENTATION.
I WILL ASK, UH, CHRIS LARSON, UH, CEO OF THE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT TO PLEASE COME UP AND PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD AND YOUR GUESTS.
[00:15:02]
HI.I AM PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE HOUSTON DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, AS WELL AS CENTRAL HOUSTON AND THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
UM, AND I'M JOINED TODAY BY, UH, JACKIE GONZALEZ, PLANNING AND DESIGN MANAGER FOR THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT AND THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS RIGHT NOW.
CAN CAN WE ADVANCE THIS OR YOU GUYS, ARE YOU GONNA ADVANCE IT FOR ME? OKAY.
UM, THIS AFTERNOON, WE ARE EXCITED TO TELL YOU ABOUT, UH, A PROJECT THAT WE'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO ADVANCE, UM, AND THAT IS WHAT WE CALL INTERNALLY MORE SPACE, MAIN STREET 2.0, UH, WHICH IS, OF COURSE, BUILDING OFF OF THE DIRECTION THIS COUNCIL APPROVED, UH, TO MAKE, UH, THE USE OF, OF, OF PARTS OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, UH, MORE PERMANENT, UH, TO REALLY CREATE A MORE EXCITING PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE.
BUT BEFORE WE JUMP INTO, UM, MORE SPACE MAIN STREET, I'D LIKE JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT ABOUT HOW THIS FITS INTO THE OVERALL PUZZLE OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND, UH, LAST YEAR WE APPROVED A STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT PLAN, UH, WHICH REALLY BRINGS TOGETHER ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, UH, AROUND A SHARED VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT FOR DOWNTOWN NEXT SLIDE.
UM, AND THAT PLAN IS, IS ORGANIZED, UH, INTO, UH, THESE FIVE KEY GOALS.
AND, AND WE'LL WALK THROUGH, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, UH, OF HOW THIS WORKS.
UH, SO OUR FIRST GOAL IS, IS REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE LEGACY OF CENTRAL HOUSTON AND BEING ABLE TO ACT AS A CATALYST AND TO ADVANCE BIG IDEAS AND BIG THINGS.
UH, SO OUR FIRST GOAL CAPTURES THAT ESSENCE.
OUR SECOND GOAL IS, UH, REALLY THINKING ABOUT, UH, THE, THE CHARACTER AND DNA OF OUR MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, AND HELPING TO CARE FOR AND MAINTAIN THE PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN.
UM, EVERYTHING FROM KEEPING OUR SIDEWALKS, UH, CLEAN TO, UH, THINKING ABOUT SEASONAL PLANTINGS, THE CARE OF OUR URBAN TREE CANOPY, UM, AND OF COURSE, SAFETY AND SECURITY.
CONNECTING DOWNTOWN WAS ONE OF THE MOST RESONANT THEMES, UH, THAT OCCURRED DURING OUR PLANNING PROCESS.
AND THIS REALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT DOWNTOWN HAS A WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF ACTIVITY GENERATORS, THINGS THAT ATTRACT, UM, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EACH YEAR.
UH, BUT THAT THE SPACES BETWEEN IS WHERE THAT EXPERIENCE STARTS TO FALL APART.
AND SO, CONNECTIVITY, UH, REALLY THINKING ABOUT, UH, HOW THE SHAPE OF OUR PUBLIC REALM AND COURAGE IS PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY, WALKING MOVEMENT, UM, AND REALLY NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION IN AND AROUND DOWNTOWN REALLY SHOULD BE A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE FOR DOWNTOWN WITHIN THE REGION.
NEXT SLIDE, UH, THRIVE IS, IS ALL ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMBITION.
UM, IN PARTICULAR, OUR ORGANIZATION IS KEENLY INTERESTED IN ADVANCING STOREFRONT BUSINESS RECRUITMENT.
UM, AND SO WE ARE, UH, REALLY RESPONDING TO THE LOSS OF, UH, MORE THAN FIVE DOZEN BUSINESSES DURING THE COVID, UH, PERIOD OF TIME AND THINKING ABOUT HOW WE BACKFILL SOME OF THOSE VACANCIES, UM, AND REALLY EXPAND ON WHAT DOWNTOWN OFFERS FOR, FOR FUN AND RECREATION.
UM, AND OUR FIFTH ONE IS JUST RECOGNIZING OUR WONDERFUL DIVERSITY OF THE CITY AND REALLY WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE BROAD REPRESENTATION AND PARTICIPATION, UM, IN DOWNTOWN TO ENSURE THAT DOWNTOWN, UH, IS A PLACE THAT FEELS WELCOMING TO ALL HOUSTONIANS.
UH, AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO, WALKABILITY, UH, AS I MENTIONED, AS A PART OF CONNECTIVITY, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS THROUGH SEVERAL DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS.
UH, WE ARE, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF EXPANDING THE TREE CANOPY, ALSO THINKING ABOUT HOW WE DO THINGS LIKE, UM, UH, REPAIR ANY TYPES OF TRIP HAZARDS AND OTHER TYPES OF, OF, UH, BROKEN CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN STREETSCAPE.
UH, AND WE ARE ALSO CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING A VERY INTENSIVE, UH, PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING STUDY THROUGHOUT ALL OF DOWNTOWN TO IDENTIFY POINTS OF VULNERABILITY, UM, AND ALSO WHERE WE CAN ADD BOTH FACADE LIGHTING AND PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING TO IMPROVE, UH, REALLY THE PERCEPTION OF SAFETY AT NIGHT IN THE DOWNTOWN.
THIS IS ONE THAT I THINK IS ALSO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
UH, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT, UH, YOU CAN REDUCE THE AIR TEMPERATURE, PARTICULARLY IN SUMMER MONTHS BY ABOUT 25 DEGREES, UH, WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO CREATE A SHADED, UH, LUSH, UH, ENVIRONMENT.
AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HOPE TO EXPAND UPON.
UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE ABOUT 4,000 TOTAL TREES IN DOWNTOWN, AND, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO GROW THAT NUMBER SIGNIFICANTLY.
UM, I MENTIONED, UH, PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING.
UH, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IS, IS RELATED TO PERCEPTIONS OF SAFETY.
UH, WE, ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE STRUGGLE IN DOWNTOWN IS AROUND THE PERCEPTION OF SAFETY, NOT ACTUAL SAFETY.
UM, AND IN WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, WE HAVE FOUND THAT MUCH OF THAT EXPERIENCE IS, IS, IS TIED BACK TO TWO THINGS.
NUMBER ONE IS FEELING ALONE AND VULNERABLE.
UM, AND THAT IS A FUNCTION OF URBAN DESIGN AND SOME OF THE OTHER CHARACTERISTICS THAT WE HAVE.
BUT THEN ALSO, UH, A LACK OF PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING, PARTICULARLY AS WE TALK ABOUT THE WINTER MONTHS, UH, WHEN, UM, IT STARTS TO GET DARK A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
[00:20:05]
UH, STOREFRONT RECRUITMENT.UM, AS I ALSO MENTIONED, THAT ALSO PLAYS A ROLE IN THIS, AND YOU'LL SEE HOW IT FITS IN WITH MAIN STREET.
BUT REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHERE WE CAN BE MOST SUCCESSFUL WITH STOREFRONT RECRUITMENT.
UH, THE TOP OF THAT LIST IS MAIN STREET, BECAUSE WHAT IT DOES OFFER, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN DOWNTOWN, IS CLUSTERED ADJACENCIES FOR GROUND FLOOR AND STOREFRONT USERS.
UH, THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE WE CAN GET THAT, UM, REALLY IMMEDIATELY.
AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE A PRIMARY AREA FOR US, UH, WHICH IS A COMPLIMENTARY EFFORT TO SUPPORT, UH, THE, THE MAIN STREET PRO PROGRAM THAT JACKIE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT, UH, JACKIE AND OUR TEAM HAVE ADVANCED, UM, IS A, IS A REALLY SCIENTIFIC LEVEL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURRENT CONDITIONS OF, OF, UH, THE URBAN REALM, UH, THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN.
AND SO WE HAVE BUILT A PROPRIETARY METHODOLOGY TO EVALUATE, UH, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH AND EVERY BLOCK FACE, UH, THAT'S SHOWN HERE.
UH, WE LOOK AT 21 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES THAT RANGE FROM THINGS LIKE PEDESTRIAN COMFORT TO TRANSPARENCY IN BUILDINGS, TREE CANOPY, AND OTHER VARIABLES TO CREATE AN ALGORITHM THAT REALLY RATES THOSE BLOCK FACES ON A ONE TO 10 SCALE.
UM, AND WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE STRATEGIC CONNECTIONS TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT SOME OF THOSE ACTIVITY CENTERS.
UH, THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY OF WHICH IS, UH, REALLY CONNECTING DISCOVERY GREEN AND THE MAIN DRIVERS OF VISITATION TO DOWNTOWN, TO MAIN STREET, AND THINKING ABOUT THE STREETS THAT PROVIDE THE MOST OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE TO DO THAT, AND HOW WE MIGHT INTRODUCE A SERIES OF INTERVENTIONS TO HELP TO IMPROVE THAT PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE.
UH, HERE YOU CAN SEE SOME GREAT CONDITIONS.
AND THEN NEXT SLIDE, THE ALTERNATIVE.
AND THIS IS LITERALLY THE VERY NEXT BLOCK.
UM, AND THAT'S SOME OF THE, THE, THE MONUMENTAL TASKS THAT WE HAVE, UH, BEFORE US TO, TO HELP TO CONNECT TO MAIN STREET.
BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE WILL DO OVER THE NEXT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AS AN ORGANIZATION.
SO, WITH THAT, I WANNA TURN IT OVER TO JACKIE, BECAUSE WHAT SHE'S BEEN ADVANCING ON, ON BEHALF OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, IS A TRANSFORMATIVE CONCEPT OF REALLY HOW WE TAKE THE NEXT STEP ON MAIN STREET, UH, AND THINK ABOUT ITS NEXT CHAPTER FOR HOUSTON.
SO JACKIE, I INVITE YOU TO, TO UPDATE THE, THE COMMITTEE.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON.
UH, THIS REALLY JUST THE PROJECT OF THE MORE SPACE MAIN STREET 2.0 TIES BACK INTO THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS TO CHAMPION AND ENHANCE DOWNTOWN AS A CONNECTED AND THRIVING PLACE FOR EVERYONE.
THIS PROJECT IN ITSELF NOT ONLY TIES TO OUR GOALS OF CREATING A SAFER AND, UH, EQUITABLE SPACE FOR EVERYONE.
BUT IT ALSO TIES INTO ALL OF OUR OTHER GOALS, AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY TACKLE A LOT OF THINGS THAT OUR ORGANIZATION IS WORKING TOWARDS.
SO, AS YOU GUYS KNOW, MAIN STREET HAS BEEN A PLACE THAT'S EVOLVED OVER TIME.
IT'S BEEN A PLACE FOR BUGGIES, IT'S BEEN A PLACE FOR COMMERCE, CONGREGATION, AND NOW, UH, TRANSPORTATION AND, UH, PEOPLE.
UH, IN, DURING COVID, IT BECAME A SPACE THAT, UH, THROUGH Y'ALL'S SUPPORT, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE BUSINESSES REALLY ACTIVATE THE OUTSIDE ROADWAY SPACE, UH, CLOSES TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, AND GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY BREATHE AND BRING PEOPLE BACK DOWNTOWN, UH, TO USE THESE SPACES OUT OUTSIDE IN THE ROADWAY.
SO, IN PARTICULAR, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE SEVEN BLOCKS OF THE NORTH END OF MAIN STREET FROM RUS, UH, COMMERCE TO RUSS.
AND THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE ESSENTIALLY COVID.
WHEN THIS FIRST, UH, THROUGH ACTION OF CITY COUNCIL, THE CLOSURE OF MAIN STREET TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC HAPPENED.
AND IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, UH, THROUGH CITY COUNCIL'S ACTION, IT WAS PERMANENTLY CLOSED TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC, WHICH IS WHERE WE WERE BROUGHT IN.
AND ESSENTIALLY CHALLENGED BY THE MAYOR TO THINK OF MAIN STREET AS A NEW PLACE AND WHAT IS IN IMPROVED PER, UH, PERMANENT CONDITION.
UH, SINCE THEN, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT.
UH, EACH OF THE SLOT, OR EACH OF THE DOTS IS ACTUALLY A POINT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH EITHER STAKEHOLDERS, AGENCIES, OR THE PUBLIC.
UH, WE'VE HAD AT THIS 0.2 WORKSHOPS, UH, VERY GREAT.
UM, BUT WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH THESE AGENCIES AND STAKEHOLDERS, BOTH AT THE FRONT END TO GET AND BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDS THEY NEED HAVE.
AND WE'VE BROUGHT BACK THESE IDEAS THAT WE'LL BE PRESENTING TODAY, UM, TO REALLY GET A, HOW DO I SAY IT? AN AGREEABLE, UH, A POINT OF AGREEANCE ON OUR DESIGN.
IT'S A PLACE THAT, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW THAT I NEED TO PAINT A PICTURE FOR YOU, BUT I WILL
IT'S A PLACE THAT IS, UH, PERCEIVED TO BE A VIBRANT PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE.
UM, IT'S A, THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY FOR A GRAND
[00:25:01]
ARRIVAL TO DOWNTOWN.IT'S ANCHORED BY ALLEN'S LANDING, WHICH IS WHERE HOUSTON WAS, UH, DISCOVERED AND REALLY STARTED.
AND IT'S A PLACE THAT, AS CHRIS SAID, UH, LEVERAGES THE HISTORIC STOCK TO REALLY CREATE A PLACE FOR PLACEMAKING AND A PLACE THAT'S HUMAN SCALE.
UM, AS I MENTIONED, THIS PROJECT HAS NOT BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DONE ALONE.
UH, WE'VE MET WITH A LOT OF AGENCIES, AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS A NEED TO BALANCE BOTH SAFETY, UH, FIRE ACCESS, A DA ACCESS METRO'S NEEDS, THE PUBLIC'S NEEDS, AND REALLY TRY TO FIND A POINT OF, UH, A POINT OF BALANCE THAT ADDRESSES ALL THESE, BUT IS ALSO FORWARD THINKING AND, UH, SETS UP MAIN STREET FOR THE FUTURE.
SO, THIS IS JUST A LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WE'VE MET IN TERMS OF AGENCIES AND STAKEHOLDERS.
UH, WE HAD MULTIPLE ROUNDS WITH EACH, UH, TO NOT ONLY FIRST GATHER THAT INFORMATION FROM THEM, BUT REALLY PRESENT THEM OUR IDEAS AND GET THEIR FEEDBACK.
AT OUR FIRST PUBLIC WORKSHOP, WE HAD 140 PEOPLE WITH, UH, OVER 400, UM, POST-IT NOTES, EACH REPRESENTING A COMMENT, IDEAS, FEEDBACK, UH, REALLY TRYING TO GATHER WHAT PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE IN MAIN STREET.
UH, JUST LAST THURSDAY, WE HAD OUR SECOND PUBLIC WORKSHOP WHERE WE PRESENTED, UH, THE IDEAS THAT WE HAVE FOR MAIN STREET.
WE HAD 90 PEOPLE ATTEND OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR HOURS.
UH, WE HELD IT AT LITTLE DIPPER ON MAIN STREET.
WE HAD RESIDENTS, UH, WORKERS, AND, UH, VISITORS ACTUALLY STOPPED BY.
UH, I SPOKE TO SOME PEOPLE FROM ORLANDO WHO WERE, UH, VISITING DOWNTOWN.
SO IT WAS A REALLY GREAT MIX OF PEOPLE.
UH, THROUGH THAT WE HAD 99% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY WERE EITHER EXCITED OR VERY EXCITED FOR THIS PROJECT, AND 80% SAID THAT THEY BELIEVE IT'LL DRAW MORE PEOPLE TO DOWNTOWN.
SO WHAT THIS REALLY LOOKS LIKE, UH, NEXT SLIDE, UH, IS THE NEED, UH, ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR MAINTENANCE, ACCESSIBILITY, AND PLACE MAKING THROUGH THIS PROJECT.
UH, WITH THIS, WE SET GOALS FOR OURSELVES, UH, THAT RESPOND DIRECTLY TO THESE NEEDS.
AND, UH, THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED.
WE WANT MAIN STREET TO BE AN ACTIVE AND PUBLIC REALM BOTH DAY AND AT NIGHT, A COMFORTABLE SPACE FOR ALL USERS, A SAFE ENVIRONMENT, AND REALLY BE A FUN AND IDENTIFIABLE DISTRICT.
UH, THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES WHEN DESIGNING THIS SPACE THAT WE, UH, WENT BY WERE THINGS THAT WE ALREADY SEE AND DO TODAY.
UH, THEY BUILT ON IDEAS OF MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, DRAINAGE AND STREET SCAPES, AND SAFETY AND ACCESS THAT WE SEE AND, AND OTHER PLACES IN DOWN, UH, ALONG MAIN STREET ITSELF TODAY.
SO, WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING AND THINK WILL SET A STAGE FOR A CATALYTIC CHANGE FOR MAIN STREET IS REALLY ADDRESSING MAINTENANCE THROUGH, UH, THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, UH, ACCESSIBILITY THROUGH A RAISED PAVER TABLE AND ADDRESSING PLACEMAKING THROUGH ACTIVATION.
UH, WHAT THE FIRST SHIFT LOOKS LIKE IS CREATING A PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE WITH THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, ACTUALLY MANAGING BETWEEN, UH, STOREFRONT TO METRO ON EITHER SIDE OF METRO.
UH, THIS IS CREATING A PARTNERSHIP OF HAVING SOMEONE TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SPACES THAT ARE NOT ONLY VACANT, BUT SPACES THAT ARE, UH, CAN BE BETTER USED.
UH, THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH RIGHT NOW, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE THINK WOULD BE A GREAT, UH, PARTNERSHIP AND HAVE SEEN A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR.
AND I'LL ADD THERE THAT IT'S, I THINK WE HAVE GREAT PRECEDENT WITH BOTH MARKET SQUARE PARK AND TREV PARK, WHERE, UH, THE DRA BUILT THOSE ASSETS, UH, BUT THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT CARES FOR THEM AND PROGRAMS THEM.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DO ABOVE AND BEYOND, UH, WHAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON DOES.
UH, SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THROUGH THIS SECOND ITERATION OF A MORE PERMANENT MAIN STREET IS ACTUALLY USING THE PATH OF TRAVEL IN THE ROADWAY FOR PEDESTRIANS.
UH, IT'S A CLOSURE OF THE MAJORITY OF MAIN STREET, WHICH WE AREN'T ABLE TO ACHIEVE TODAY.
THIS HAS ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO BE ACHIEVED BY OUR WORKING THROUGH WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND, UH, COMING TO A SOLUTION OF PROPOSED BOLLARDS THAT WOULD CLOSE OFF THE STREET, UH, TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC AND ALLOW THAT STREET AS A PATH OF TRAVEL WITHOUT ANY PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, THEY'D BE ABLE TO REMOVE THE BOLLARDS AND ACTUALLY STILL DRIVE INTO THIS SPACES.
UH, THE CHALLENGE OF ACCESSIBILITY THAT EXISTS TODAY IS BEING ADDRESSED THROUGH RAISING THE PAVER
[00:30:01]
TABLE.UH, THIS WOULD ACTUALLY GIVE US A GREATER SPACE TO WORK WITH FOR THE SIDEWALK.
UH, IT WOULD WIDEN OUR USE SPACE.
UH, ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE PATH OF TRAVEL, NOT ONLY NEXT TO BUILDINGS, BUT ALSO WHAT IS IN TODAY'S ROADWAY, UH, AND CREATE A MORE NAVIGABLE SPACE THAT ALLOWS US TO WORK AROUND THE ELEMENTS THAT EXIST, UM, SUCH AS LIGHTS AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE.
LIKE I SAID, THIS CREATES A SEAMLESS CONNECTION, UH, WITH A GREATER SPACE FOR US TO WORK.
BUT UNDERSTANDING THAT WE KNOW THAT THIS WOULD PLACE PEOPLE CLOSER TO, UH, THE METRO RAIL.
AND WHAT WE INTEND TO DO IS USE, UH, INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE ACTUALLY EXISTING TODAY.
SO, IN THE LEFT, YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE OF, UH, THIS IS ONE OF THE MORE SOUTHERN BLOCKS OF MAIN STREET, WHERE PLANTERS ARE USED AS A BUFFER ZONE.
UM, AND WE WOULD THINK THAT THIS IS A MINIMUM, UH, CONDITION OF PLANTERS OR, UH, ANOTHER ELEMENT TO REALLY SHIELD AND CREATE THIS, UH, SAFER SPACE, NOT ONLY FOR THE PEDESTRIAN, BUT FOR METRO.
AND IN TAKING FROM IDEAS THAT ALREADY EXIST, WE WOULD ALSO BE, UH, USING EITHER PLANTERS OR, UH, BOLLARDS TO DRAW PEOPLE BACK TO THE CROSSWALKS, UM, AS A PLACE TO CROSS FROM BLOCK TO BLOCK, UM, THE, BECAUSE THE EAST WEST STREETS WOULD REMAIN OPEN IN THIS CONDITION.
AS WE SEE, THIS IS A CONDITION THAT ALREADY EXISTS ON MAIN STREET, SO IT WOULD JUST CREATE THIS CONTINUITY OF, UH, EXISTING CONDITIONS THAT ARE EASY FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND AND, UH, CONTINUES UP.
UH, SO A CONDITION THAT YOU SEE TODAY IS THESE SPACES THAT ARE GREAT FOR BARS AT NIGHT, BUT INACTIVE IN THE DAY.
AND WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING WOULD ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO USE THIS ACTIVATION AS A SORT OF KIT OF PARTS THAT WE WOULD ACTIVATE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BUSINESSES TO, UH, ACTIVATE IN THE DAY AT NIGHT, UM, AND REALLY MAKE MAIN STREET A DAY NIGHT, UH, ALL HOURS OF THE DAY, UH, SPACE.
UH, WE ALSO SEE GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN SPACES THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY ACTIVE TODAY.
SO THIS IS THE 600 BLOCK ALONG THE WEST SIDE.
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE THEIR OUTDOOR DINING TUCKED IN UNDER THE BUILDING.
SO WE SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ACTUALLY ACTIVATE THIS OUTSIDE SPACE.
AND CREATE, UH, SPACES SUCH AS MARKETS, UH, OTHER DAY ACTIVATIONS, AND, UH, JUST GREATER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE AREN'T ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TODAY.
SO, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THIS IS SORT OF A THOUGHT AS TO WHAT COULD BE HAPPENING IN THESE SPACES SINCE THEY AREN'T NEEDED FOR OUTDOOR DINING.
AND THIS IS REALLY THE LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE SEEING AS THE OVERALL PLAN FOR THESE SEVEN BLOCKS WITH, UH, THE BAYOU ENTRANCE ON THE NORTH END, AND, UH, ALL THE WAY TO, UH, RUST STREET ON THE SOUTH END.
I GUESS JUST AS A REMINDER, THESE ARE THE ENTITIES WHO WE'VE MET WITH AND HAVE AGREED THAT THIS CONCEPT IS A WORKABLE CONCEPT.
UH, FOR NEXT STEPS FOR THIS PROJECT, WHAT WE SEE IS, UH, AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT OF SORTS BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, UM, FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, AND THE NEED FOR MINOR ORDINANCE UPDATES THAT WOULD SUPPORT THIS EFFORT.
IN TERMS OF PROJECT, PROCESS AND SCHEDULE, UH, RIGHT NOW, THIS IS ALL, WE ARE WITHIN A PLANNING PHASE, UH, OF 2023, WITH THE INTENT OF, UH, FOLLOWING THIS UP WITH A ENGINEERING PHASE IN 2024, CONSTRUCTION IN 2025, AND ALL BEFORE THE WORLD CUP IN 26.
UM, AND THIS IS JUST A LOOK AT THE FACT THAT, UH, THIS PROJECT IS NOT HAPPENING IN A, BY ITSELF IN A VACUUM.
UH, THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS THAT OUR ORGANIZATION IS, UH, LOOKING AT AND ADDRESSING THROUGH VARIOUS PROJECTS.
AND THIS IS A LOOK AT AN ACTIVATED, UH, SPACE ON MAINSTREAM AND WHAT WE CAN ENVISION HAPPENING, UH, THROUGH THE ACTIVATION OF THE OUTSIDE SPACE, UH, FACILITATION, UH, THROUGH OUR RETAIL PROGRAMS. AND REALLY JUST A SPACE THAT'S FOR EVERYONE AND WHAT WE WANNA ACHIEVE.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
IT'S, UH, EXCITING, UH, TO KNOW THAT, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF OR SO AGO, DAVID FIELDS AND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT CAME INTO MY OFFICE AND, UH, STATED THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE WAS THIS, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, UH, MORE
[00:35:01]
SPACE IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON IN REGARDS TO MAIN STREET TO HELP THE BUSINESSES AND RESTAURANTS AND BARS DUE THE FACT THAT THEY WERE, AS, YOU KNOW, NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY COVID.UH, AND, UH, WE, WE, WE DID THAT.
AND, AND, AND Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT EVEN EXPANDING AT, UH, 2.0.
UH, WE, WE, WE HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN IN THE QUEUE.
I LIKE THAT YOU HAD A BUSKER THERE ON THE LAST SLIDE.
IS THAT, WAS THAT STOREFRONTS? SO THAT'S 60 STOREFRONTS YEAH.
THAT YOU CAN COUNT THAT HAVE LEFT.
YEAH, THERE WAS, IT WAS 55 THAT WE LOST DURING COVID.
YEAH, THAT IS, THAT IS A BIG NUMBER FOR OUR DOWNTOWN.
UM, I REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, AS AGGRESSIVE AS WE CAN BE AND AS, AS MUCH HELP THE CITY CAN DO TO INCENTIVIZE, UH, STOREFRONTS.
I MEAN, I, I, I JUST, I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO, TO BRING DOWNTOWN BACK THE WORLD CUP.
KIND OF LIKE THE SUPER BOWL DID WAY BACK WHEN, WHEN WE HAD THE RAIL JUST OPEN AND THAT WHOLE MAIN STREET FIRST OPEN.
IT BROUGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
WE FOLLOWED IT UP WITH A LOT OF RESIDENTS.
AND HOPEFULLY THE GEARING UP FOR THE WORLD CUP WILL ALSO KIND OF GIVE A SIMILAR KIND OF JOLT TO DOWNTOWN TO, UH, GET MORE, MORE, UH, STOREFRONTS AND PEOPLE DOWN HERE.
UM, I REALLY LIKE THE, THE RAISED PAVER DEAL.
YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S GONNA BE KEY.
I THINK, I MEAN, THAT'S SUCH A GOOD POINT ABOUT NOT THE SPACES ARE ACTIVATED AT NIGHT WITH PEOPLE SITTING OUT THERE, BUT THIS WILL REALLY BRING PEOPLE WALKING, UM, AROUND DOWNTOWN.
I THINK THEY HURT DOWN, OR DOWNTOWN VIBRANCY AND STREET SCAPE.
I KNOW PEOPLE LOVE THEM 'CAUSE IT'S HOT, BUT, UM, BUT ANY, UH, ANY WAY WE CAN GET PEOPLE INTO THOSE STOREFRONTS, ESPECIALLY OVER HERE ON THIS WEST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN, IT FEELS, UM, IT FEELS ON THE EAST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT'S ENERGIZED WITH THE PARK AND WITH A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON OVER BY THE GRB, BUT ITS WEST SIDE IS, IS STILL, I THINK LYNN WYATT'S HELPING.
BUT, BUT, UM, BUT STILL NEEDS LOT HELP.
UM, ENGINEERING NEXT YEAR, I MEAN, DO WE HAVE, UM, KIND OF A BALLPARK, UH, COST OF, OF, I MEAN, I KNOW WE'RE WAY FAR IN THE, IN THE PLANNING STAGE, BUT I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT, JUST TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY THE, THE SET, THE BLOCK, THE BLOCK AREA ON MAIN STREET, WHAT, WHAT ARE, WHAT NUMBERS ARE WE LOOKING AT? YEAH, SO, SO RIGHT NOW, I MEAN, IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE SKETCHING OUT WHAT A PROJECT COST MIGHT LOOK LIKE, UM, THE NEXT PHASE, UH, IN ENGINEERING WOULD LOOK LIKE PROBABLY BETWEEN A HALF MILLION AND A MILLION DOLLARS, UM, IN THOSE, ESSENTIALLY THOSE TO DEVELOP CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS.
UH, BUT THEN ULTIMATELY WE'RE LOOKING AT PROBABLY BETWEEN SIX AND $8 MILLION, UM, IN CAPITAL COSTS FOR THE PROJECT.
UM, AND, AND THAT'S THE NUMBER THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO SOCIALIZE WITH THE DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BOARD.
UM, THEY ARE INTERESTED IN BEING OUR, OUR BASICALLY OUR CONSTRUCTION PARTNER, UH, FOR THE EFFORT.
BUT THEN ONGOING O AND M ON THE SPACE IS STILL, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THE DISTRICT IS, IS VERY RECEPTIVE TO THE CONCEPT.
WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME MORE WORK TO DO WITH THE CITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO STRUCTURE THOSE KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS AND PUT THE DISTRICT IN A POSITION WHERE IT CAN TRULY CARE FOR THAT ENVIRONMENT.
UM, BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE ALREADY PROVIDING A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE OUT ON MAIN STREET.
UM, AND SO WHAT THAT INCREMENTAL COST MIGHT BE FOR THE DISTRICT IS, IS UNKNOWN.
UH, BUT WE'RE PRETTY HOPEFUL THAT WITH ALL THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT, THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE DISTRICT BOARD WILL, WILL ALSO SUPPORT WHEN IT'S TIME TO DO SO.
I THINK SIX TO 8 MILLION SOUNDS, SOUNDS GOOD.
I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE MORE, UM, THE PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING STUDY.
THAT'S WHAT, WHAT'S THE TIMEFRAME FOR THAT? IS THAT GOING ON RIGHT NOW? IT IS, IT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW AND, AND, UH, WE WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
I KNOW WHEN I'M WALKING DOWNTOWN IN THE EVENING OR WHATEVER, THERE'S DEFINITELY PLACES I'D RATHER WALK, UM, THAN NOT, AND PLACES I DON'T WANNA WALK.
SO THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT, I THINK A ABSOLUTELY.
AND IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFICS THAT YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT JACKIE'S TEAM HAS, HAS TAKEN A LOOK AT, OKAY.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SEND THOSE TO US.
AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE INCLUDED OR AT LEAST EVALUATED AS A PART OF THE STUDY.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX'S OFFICE.
UM, WHAT TYPE OF FEEDBACK HAVE Y'ALL BEEN RECEIVING FROM THE VARIOUS BUSINESSES LOCATED ALONG THERE? AND WHAT TYPE AND WHEN, IF AND WHEN WORK PROGRESSES ON THIS, UM, HOW MUCH, UH, WHAT'S THE LENGTH OF DISRUPTION, THE TIMEFRAME? SO IF A BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, SEES WORK IS GOING WORK IS BEING DONE OUTSIDE THEIR BUSINESS, HOW LONG IS THAT GONNA AFFECT THEM? YEAH, SO THERE'S BALLPARK A COUPLE OF THINGS.
AND I'M GONNA DEFER TO JACKIE ON FEEDBACK 'CAUSE SHE'S BEEN PROVIDING THAT, THAT DIRECT OUTREACH WITH
[00:40:01]
THE BUSINESSES.UH, BUT AS IT RELATES TO THE CONSTRUCTION TIMING, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT WE'D BE PHASING ON A BLOCK BY BLOCK BASIS.
SO WE WOULDN'T BE DISRUPTING SEVEN BLOCKS ALL AT ONCE.
IT WOULD BE DONE ON A PER BLOCK BASIS AND PROBABLY ONLY HALF OF A BLOCK AT A TIME.
AND SO YOU'RE ALTERNATING AND COMPLETING THAT PIECE OF WORK BEFORE YOU GO BACK TO IT.
SO WE'D WANNA MINIMIZE THOSE DISRUPTIONS.
AND WHAT'S CRITICAL IN ALL THAT IS, AS YOU'RE MANAGING THAT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, IS MAKING SURE YOU'RE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THE BUSINESS OWNERS.
YOU'RE MAINTAINING A PATH TO TRAVEL TO THEIR STOREFRONTS.
YOU'RE PROVIDING THAT COMMUNICATION SO THAT THEY CAN PLAN FOR IT.
UM, AND THAT YOU CAN REALLY MINIMIZE DISRUPTION AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UH, IN TERMS OF BRINGING THEM ALONG FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PLANNING PROCESS.
JACK, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK TO THAT? SO FEEDBACK HAS, I KNOW ALL OF OUR CONSULTANTS AND EVERYONE WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH HAVE BEEN SURPRISED AT HOW POSITIVE EVERYONE'S FEEDBACK HAS ACTUALLY BEEN.
UH, EVERY BUSINESS OWNER WE'VE MET WITH HAS RECEIVED THIS IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY.
UH, WE'VE HEARD COMMENTS SUCH AS WE WOULD GLADLY GIVE UP WHAT WE HAVE NOW FOR SOMETHING BETTER.
UH, THE ONE I THINK, UH, IDEA THAT KEPT COMING UP IS THIS IDEA OF WHO'S GOING TO BE MAINTAINING THIS SPACE.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE SOLUTION OF THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT ACTUALLY CAME IN.
AND HEARING THAT EVERYONE WHO WE CAME BACK TO IS ACTUALLY VERY SUPPORTIVE OF IT.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE, UH, OUR EXAMPLES OF TREBLE PARK MARKET, SQUARE PARK, WHICH WE MANAGE AS A PLACE TO POINT BACK TO.
AND IT'S REALLY EASED A LOT OF, UH, THESE IDEAS AND CONCERNS THAT HAVE AROSE.
SO WHEN, OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW THINGS CHANGE MM-HMM
WHEN WORK IS BEING PERFORMED, YOU SAID MAYBE A HALF BLOCK PORTION, HOW LONG WILL THAT BE DISRUPTING THE BUSINESSES? WHAT DO, WHAT DO YOU ENVISION? YEAH, IT WOULD BE MEASURED IN WEEKS.
UM, YEAH, SO IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, FOUR TO EIGHT WEEKS, UH, FOR ON A, ON A PER HALF BLOCK BASIS.
IN, IN REGARDS TO THE TREE CANOPY AND LANDSCAPING, UM, I, I KNOW THAT, UH, OVER THERE AT THE TOYOTA CENTER, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I THOUGHT I HAD READ, UM, THAT THERE WAS A, UH, NEW TYPE OF OAK TREE THAT DOESN'T EXPAND OR IT DOESN'T GET AS LARGE AS YOUR, YOUR, YOUR LIVE OAKS AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY HAVE PLANTED AROUND THE TOYOTA CENTER.
UH, IS, IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING ON MAIN STREET IN REGARDS TO THE TYPE OF TREES WHERE IT, EVEN THOUGH IT, FOR IT TO PROVIDE SHADE GRANTED, UH, BUT THAT IT JUST DOESN'T TAKE OVER THE, YOU KNOW, IN REGARDS TO THE ROOT SYSTEM AND WHAT HAVE YOU? YEAH.
AND, AND MAIN STREET, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME OTHER CONSTRAINTS ALONG MAIN STREET, WHICH CREATES SOME CHALLENGES, PARTICULARLY FOR TREES.
UM, AND SO YOU'VE GOT THE OVERHEAD, UH, WIRES AND, AND LINES FROM METRO, UH, THAT YOU HAVE TO ESSENTIALLY WORK IN BETWEEN.
UM, AND SO BEING ABLE TO THINK ABOUT A SPECIES THAT'S GONNA GROW VERY MODESTLY AND IN A CONTROLLED FASHION IS, IS CRITICAL FOR MAIN STREET SPECIFICALLY.
BUT I APPRECIATE THE RECOMMENDATION ON GREAT.
AND, AND, AND, AND PLEASE BUDGET FOR NO, UH, SCOOTER SIGNS, NO SCOOTERS,
UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO, WHAT'S OUR CURRENT, UH, OCCUPANCY DOWNTOWN OF OFFICE BUILDINGS? WHERE, WHERE, WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF LEASED OCCUPANCY? YEAH.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT LEASED OCCUPANCY FOR, WE HAVE 51 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE IN DOWNTOWN.
UM, IF YOU GO TO A SOURCE LIKE COSTAR, I TELL YOU WHERE ABOUT 80% LEASED.
UM, WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS RECOGNIZING THAT NOT ALL OFFICE SPACE IS THE SAME.
SO ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF OUR OFFICE SPACE WOULD BE CHARACTERIZED AS CLASS A, SO EITHER BRAND NEW OR RECENTLY RENOVATED.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF VERY GOOD SPACE.
UM, BY FAR THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF CLASS A SPACE FOR ANY URBAN CENTER IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
THAT KIND OF SPACE HAS A MUCH HIGHER OCCUPANCY THAN OUR CLASS C SPACE, WHICH IS THE LEAST ATTRACTIVE TYPE OF OFFICE SPACE.
AND, UM, THAT IS ABOUT 10 MILLION SQUARE FEET IS ABOUT THAT CLASS C PRODUCT.
SO WE'RE ALSO ADVANCING RIGHT NOW A STUDY ON OFFICE CONVERSIONS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE CONVERSION OF THOSE OFF THOSE BASICALLY UNMARKETABLE OFFICE BUILDINGS TO SOME OTHER FUTURE USE.
UM, AND SO VERY POPULAR RIGHT NOW IN CITIES IS CONVERTING THOSE BUILDINGS TO RESIDENTIAL AS AN EXAMPLE.
UH, SO WE'RE, WE'RE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GONNA BE DELIVERING THAT REPORT AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, UH, TO THE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BOARD.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, ANDY KINS OFFICE ON THAT.
UH, WE BEGAN THAT PROCESS REALLY AS THINKING ABOUT A TRANSFERABLE METHODOLOGY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY PLACE WITH OFFICE BUILDINGS THAT NEED A NEW LIFE.
SO THINKING ABOUT HOW THAT, THAT LEARNING IS ALSO IS TRANSFERRED TO, UM, OTHER DISTRICTS IN HOUSTON IS IMPORTANT TO US.
SO THAT'S IN TERMS OF LEASE OCCUPANCY, IN TERMS OF RETURN TO OFFICE.
SO HOW OFTEN PEOPLE ARE COMING BACK? UH, WE'RE AT ABOUT 66 TO 67% RIGHT NOW.
UM, THE AVERAGE EMPLOYEE IS BACK IN THE OFFICE ABOUT THREE DAYS A WEEK.
YOU KNOW, WE SEE VERY SIMILAR PATTERNS IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON AS, AS ALL CITIES ARE SEEING RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS THAT THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK IS WHERE WE SEE REALLY THE CONGLOMERATION
[00:45:01]
OF EMPLOYEES WHO ARE RETURNING TO OFFICE.AND IT IS, MAKE NO MISTAKE, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RETURN TO OFFICE IN THE CLASS A BUILDINGS IS, IS A VERY, VERY HIGH RATIO OF THOSE OVERALL FOLKS WHO ARE COMING BACK TO OFFICE.
SO THE, THE POOR MORE POORLY APPOINTED OFFICE SPACE STUFF THAT DOESN'T OFFER A LOT OF AMENITIES, UM, THOSE ARE, HAVE THE LOWEST RETURN TO OFFICE RATE AND THE LOWEST OCCUPANCY.
SO THOSE REALLY IS, IS A KIND OF OFFICE SPACE THAT'S, THAT'S PULLING DOWN ON OUR MARKET RIGHT NOW.
SO IT'S 80% COUNTING EVEN THE YES.
BUT THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS, IS WITHIN THE, THE, HOW MANY, YOU SAID 10 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF CLASS C.
HOW MANY OF THE GOOD CLASS? YEAH.
SO, SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT 40 MILLION SQUARE FEET THAT ARE MARKETABLE.
LIKE, UM, AND THEN ABOUT HALF OF THE STUFF THAT IS UNLEASED RIGHT NOW IS BASICALLY A CANDIDATE FOR CONVERSION.
SO IF, IF WE WERE ABLE TO CONVERT A, YOU KNOW, A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THOSE BUILDINGS, OUR OCCUPANCY WOULD GO UP TO 90%.
AND WE'VE NOT ATTRACTED A SINGLE ADDITIONAL OFFICE USER.
WE'VE JUST REMOVED SOME OF THE PRODUCT OFF OF THE MARKET THAT'S PULLING US DOWN.
'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY, BACK TO MY EARLIER POINT ABOUT RECRUITING STOREFRONTS, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S DEPENDENT ON, ON LOTS OF BODIES DOWNTOWN.
RESIDENTS BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT.
AND, UH, YESTERDAY WHEN WE WERE GOING OVER THE, UH, PRESENTATION, YOU DID MENTION JACKIE IN, IN, IN REGARDS TO, I KNOW THAT BACK WHEN, UH, UH, WE WERE LOOKING AT OH, UH, MORE SPACE, THERE WAS A CONCERN BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT INITIALLY, UH, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THAT EVERYONE NOW SEEMS TO BE ON BOARD.
SO, UH, AND I BELIEVE YESTERDAY YOU HAD MENTIONED THE WAY IT'S GOING TO BE DESIGNED, THAT IF A FIRETRUCK IS NEEDED OR ANOTHER EMERGENCY VEHICLE, THEY WILL HAVE ACCESS.
UH, WE DID MEET WITH THEM AND LIKE I SAID, THEY'VE BEEN GREAT PARTNERS.
UH, AND WE IDENTIFIED PLACES THAT IN THE FIRST ITERATION WERE NEEDED TO BE RESERVED.
UM, AND WE'VE MAINTAINED THOSE SPACES AND THERE'S ACTUALLY BEEN SPACES THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND, UH, CONVERT TO WHAT WOULD BE USABLE MORE SPACE STREET IN THE ROADWAY.
BUT, UH, THEY'RE VERY, LIKE I SAID, THEY'VE SEEN OUR PLANS, UH, A COUPLE TIMES.
WE'VE MET WITH THEM, I THINK IN THREE DIFFERENT INSTANCES, AND OVERALL REALLY POSITIVE OUTCOME FROM IT.
UH, DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE, SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILMAN.
AND, AND, AND I'D LIKE JUST TO SAY ONE MORE QUICK THING.
UH, HAVING WORKED IN A FEW CITIES, UM, THIS IS A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE WHERE CITY STAFF HAS COME TO US WITH A BOLD IDEA AND ASKED US TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
AND IT REALLY JUST MAKES IT A LOT OF FUN FOR US BECAUSE AT THE END, WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE SOME RULES AND, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, BUT TO KNOW THAT THE CITY IS ALREADY SUPPORTIVE OF IT AND WE'RE NOT JUST BRINGING SOME CRAZY IDEA TO THE TABLE, UM, IT JUST MAKES IDEAS LIKE THIS DOABLE.
SO MY, MY COMMENDATIONS TO CITY STAFF WHO HAVE BEEN JUST TREMENDOUSLY SUPPORTIVE, UH, THROUGH THIS PROJECT.
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO THE, WE WE'LL NOW MOVE TO THE THIRD PRESENTATION, UH, C CATHERINE BRUNING, UH, WITH ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS.
UH, WE'LL PRESENTING, AND PLEASE INTRODUCE ANYONE THAT YOU'RE WITH.
I AM CATHERINE B WITH ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE ORDINANCE REVISIONS THAT THEY, UH, THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT THAT, THAT THEY JUST TALKED ABOUT WOULD NEED TO HAPPEN, UH, OR THEY'RE REQUESTING TO HAVE HAPPEN AS PART OF THIS MAIN STREET, UM, PROJECT.
SO JUST THE OVERALL CONCEPT RIGHT NOW IS WE'RE, WE'RE COMING IN AND WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO, UM, EXPAND THE DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT ZONE.
THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS TO CREATE ONE SET OF REGULATIONS FOR DOWNTOWN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
RATHER THAN TWO DIFFERENT REGULATIONS WE HAVE NOW, WHAT WE WOULD DO IS WE WOULD ALLOW A BUSINESS WITH A-T-A-B-C FOOD AND BEVERAGE CERTIFICATE TO SELL ALCOHOL WITHIN 300 FEET OF A SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR PUBLIC HOSPITAL.
WE'VE ALSO REMOVED THE RESTRICTION IN THE DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT ZONE OF ONLY ALLOWING THREE ALCOHOL SERVING BUSINESSES, UH, ON A SINGLE BLOCK FACE THAT'S WITHIN THAT 300 FEET.
THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE CERTIFICATE IS NEXT SLIDE.
UH, CHAPTER THREE DASH TWO IS WHAT MAKES IT UNLAWFUL TO SELL ALCOHOL WITHIN 300 FEET
[00:50:01]
OF A CHURCH, SCHOOL, OR PUBLIC HOSPITAL.IN, WITHIN CHAPTER THREE DASH TWO, UM, THERE IS A, UH, SECTION THAT DOES ALLOW THE CITY TO CREATE AN ENTERTAINMENT ZONE.
AND IT, AND IT'S ONLY RELATED TO ALCOHOL.
THAT IS A MIXED USE AREA THAT CONSISTS OF AT LEAST 10 ACRES OR 10 CITY BLOCKS.
IT'S USUALLY CHARACTERIZED BY HIGH DENSITY MIXED LAND USES AND SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT INTERESTS.
AND THE BEAUTY OF THE ENTERTAINMENT ZONE IS YOU CAN SELL ALCOHOL WITHIN 300 FEET.
WE HAVE AN EXISTING ENTERTAINMENT ZONE DOWNTOWN RIGHT NOW.
AND, UM, IN WITHIN THAT ENTERTAINMENT ZONE, THINGS THAT ARE, UH, IMPACTED RIGHT NOW WE HAVE THREE CHURCHES, THREE RELIGIOUS FACILITIES WITHIN THE CURRENT ENTERTAINMENT ZONE, ISLAMIC DEIS CENTER, CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, AND HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH.
SO THESE, THESE ARE ALREADY THERE.
WE'RE ALREADY SEEING THREE RESTAURANTS ACROSS FROM A NUMBER OF THEM.
WE ALSO HAVE AN ENTERTAINMENT ZONE IN MIDTOWN THAT Y'ALL PASSED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
SO THE REQUIREMENTS WE'RE GONNA HAVE IS WE'RE CHANGING THE REQUIREMENTS A LITTLE BIT FROM WHAT THEY ARE TODAY FOR A DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT ZONE.
AND WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS THAT ANY ESTABLISHMENT THAT'S WITHIN THAT 300 FEET HAS TO OBTAIN A FOOD AND BEVERAGE CERTIFICATE, WHICH REQUIRES THEM TO SELL 60% OR LESS ALCOHOL AND ALL MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF A-T-A-B-C, FOOD AND BEVERAGE.
THE OTHER THING IS THE LIMITATIONS.
WE WOULDN'T HAVE ANY LIMITATIONS EITHER.
NOW WE HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH STAKEHOLDERS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, AND SOME IDEAS HAVE COME UP IN, IN LIKE THE LAST WEEK THAT WE ARE ALSO LOOKING INTO AS A REQUIREMENT.
AND THEY'VE BEEN BROUGHT UP BY THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CHURCHES AND THE SCHOOLS.
SO THE FIRST ONE REQUEST WAS THAT WE DO NOT ALLOW EXTERNAL SIGNAGE RELATING TO ALCOHOL ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING, ONLY ON THE INTERIOR, BUT BASICALLY ON THE EXTERIOR, THERE'S NOTHING THAT GIVES YOU THE IDEA, WE'RE SELLING ALCOHOL.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT TO INCLUDE THAT IN THESE OVERALL REQUIREMENTS.
THE OTHER REQUIREMENT THAT WAS BROUGHT UP IS WHEN YOU GET YOUR TABC PERMIT TO STAY OPEN TILL 2:00 PM ON SATURDAY NIGHT, YOU CAN STAY OPEN TILL 1:00 PM BUT TO STAY OPEN TILL THE TWO, THE ONE TO TWO ON SATURDAY AND THE MIDNIGHT TO TWO ON THE OTHER DAYS, YOU HAVE TO GET A LATE HOUR CERTIFICATE.
SO ANOTHER ITEM THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED IS THAT WE REQUIRE ANY OF THE ESTABLISHMENTS THAT ARE CREATED AFTER THIS GETS PASSED, THEY WOULD NOT BE, THEY COULD NOT APPLY FOR A LATE HOUR CERTIFICATE, WHICH MEANS THEY WOULD CLOSE AT THE EARLIER HOURS AS ALLOWED BY THEIR PERMIT.
THIS REQUEST HAS COME, UM, FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
ONE, YOU'VE GOT WITH SOME OF THE CHURCHES, THEY HAVE RECTORIES, AND SO YOU'VE GOT THE PRIEST, THAT'S WHERE THEY LIVE,
IT ALSO CAUSES OTHER ISSUES WITHIN THEIR PARKING LOTS, YOU KNOW, TRASH, JUST ALL THE ANCILLARY ISSUES THAT COME ALONG.
THIS WOULD NOT IMPACT AN EXISTING LOCATION WITH THE CURRENT ENTERTAINMENT ZONE.
IT, UM, WITH THE CURRENT ENTERTAINMENT ZONE, ANYTHING CAN BE LOCATED WITHIN THAT 300 FEET BAR RESTAURANT.
AND SO WE DO HAVE SEVERAL LOCATIONS THAT HAVE BARS WITHIN 300 FEET OF 'EM.
IT WOULD NOT IMPACT EXISTING BUSINESSES ONLY ONCE THIS PASSES AND GOES FORWARD FOR NEW BUSINESSES.
UM, THE OVERALL PUR PROPOSED EXPANDED BOUNDARIES IS A CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
AGAIN, IT WAS TO CREATE ONE SET OF RULES IN DOWNTOWN INSTEAD OF HAVING A, A, YOU KNOW, 10 BLOCK RADIUS THAT HAS ONE SET OF RULES AND THE REST OF DOWNTOWN HAVE A DIFFERENT SET.
AND IT ALSO ALIGNS WITH THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT'S VISION OF MAKING DOWNTOWN A VIBRANT PLACE TO LIVE, DINE, VISIT, YOU KNOW, COME, COME SPEND YOUR TIME DOWNTOWN.
WE HAVE HAD STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.
UM, WE'VE HAD MEETINGS WITH THE CENTRAL HOUSTON BOARD.
WE'VE HAD MEETINGS WITH KEY BUSINESSES, CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS.
[00:55:01]
SPOKEN WITH HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION AND BUILDING MANAGERS FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES WORKING WITH THE CENTRAL HOUSTON BOARD.OVERALL, THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN POSITIVE.
WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF LOCATIONS THAT ARE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC.
THE NEXT SLIDE WILL SHOW YOU THE BOUNDARIES.
SO THE BLUE BOUNDARIES THAT YOU SEE IN THIS SLIDE, THAT'S THE ENTERTAINMENT ZONE AS OF TODAY.
SO YOU SEE IT'S VERY SMALL, VERY LIMITED.
WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING IS TO TAKE IT AND MATCH THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT BOUNDARIES.
SO WE'RE CONSISTENT ACROSS THE BOARD IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
SO THAT, THAT IS WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO.
UM, THE CHANGE WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE TO CHAPTER THREE SO THAT LOCATIONS CAN SELL ALCOHOL WITHIN 300 FEET.
WE'RE BE, WE'RE IN A DENSE AREA.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A REALLY UNIQUE SYSTEM SITUATION HERE IN HOUSTON THAT THE HOUSE OF BLUES HAS A CHURCH THAT OPERATES WITH INSIDE OF IT ON SUNDAYS.
SO THERE'S A WHOLE SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE A-T-A-B-C PERMIT HOLDER WITH A CHURCH RIGHT THERE,
SO IT, IT'S, THESE ARE POSITIVE THINGS FOR DOWNTOWN.
AS WE HAVE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE COME DOWN AND WE HAVE MORE RESIDENTS DOWNTOWN, IT GIVES THEM MORE OPTIONS.
UM, CHAIR AND THANK YOU, CATHERINE.
THE, UM, SO YOU, WHERE ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS? ARE THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS DONE? ARE YOU KIND OF MOVING THIS DOWN THE ROAD? IS IT COMING TO COUNCIL SOON? YES.
RIGHT NOW, UM, WE HAVE DONE OUR FIRST ROUND OF STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.
WE HAVE SENT REQUESTS OUT TO MULTIPLE, UM, CHURCHES AND THE SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE SENT FOLLOW UP REQUESTS FOR ANYBODY THAT HAS NOT RESPONDED TO US.
WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE DOING 'EM AND CIRCLE BACK WITH THE CHURCHES, ESPECIALLY WITH THESE TWO NEW IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED SINCE WE STARTED OUR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.
BUT WE'RE TENTATIVELY LOOKING AT THE NOVEMBER 15TH COUNCIL AGENDA.
SO THE, THE NEW THINGS ARE THE, UM, NO, YOU CAN'T GO LIGHT.
I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE WHAT DIFFERENCE THAT HOUR MAKES, BUT, OKAY.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I GUESS IF, WELL, IF THERE ARE A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS SAYING THAT THAT'S GONNA BE AN ISSUE, I'M GOOD.
AND THEN, UH, UM, THE OTHER THING WAS, UM, BESIDES THE LATE HOURS, WAS THE, WHAT WAS THE OTHER? THE SIGNAGE, THE, AND NOT HAVE ANY EXTERNAL SIGN.
SO YOU JUST HAVE THE NAME, SO BASICALLY THE NAME OF YOUR ESTABLISHMENT, RIGHT.
NOT NECESSARILY BAR HANGING OUT THERE.
AND IF YOU'RE, THE NAME OF MY ESTABLISHMENT IS CATHERINE'S BAR GRILL.
I CAN, NO, I CAN PUT THAT 'CAUSE THAT'S THE NAME OF MY ESTABLISHMENT, BUT I CAN'T, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ARE THE NEON BEER SIGNS.
BUT YOU CAN WRITE BAR, BUT YOU CAN WRITE BAR IF THAT'S IN YOUR NAME OF YOUR, YOUR, UH, ESTABLISHMENT.
BUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HAVE THE NEON SIGNS OUT.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HAVE SIGNS THAT SAYS, HAPPY HOUR, BUD LIGHT, YOU KNOW, TWO, $2 FROM FOUR TO SEVEN.
THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WON'T BE HAPPENING.
AND I MIGHT HAVE MISSED IT, BUT DID YOU SAY HOW MANY CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS THERE ARE IN THIS AREA? I DIDN'T, BUT I CAN.
WE HAVE THE KINDER HIGH SCHOOL FOR PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS, AND WE HAVE INCARNATE WORD.
THEN WE HAVE 2, 3, 4, 6 CHURCHES.
OF WHICH WE'VE MET WITH I THINK FOUR OF 'EM, FIVE OF THEM AND THE ARCHDIOCESE.
WELL, JUST BEFORE COUNCIL CHAIR, WHAT I'D, I'D MAKE SURE, JUST 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD KIND OF ON OTHER THINGS, IS, YOU KNOW, GO KNOCK ON THE DOORS OF THE ONES YOU HAVEN'T HEARD FROM.
'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WE'RE, WE'LL, WE'LL HEAR FROM IF THEY HAVEN'T HAD ANY CONTACT WITH US ABOUT IT.
WHATEVER IT TAKES TO, TO GET THEIR ATTENTION.
IF THEY'RE NOT ANSWERING THE EMAILS OR THE MAIL, GO KNOCK ON THE DOOR BECAUSE WE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S ON BOARD.
DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THERE'S ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF.
SO THANK YOU CATHERINE, FOR YOUR GREAT PRESENTATION.
WE'LL, WE'LL NOW MOVE TO THE, UH, PUBLIC SESSION OF TODAY'S MEETING.
THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKERS WERE REQUIRED TO SIGN, UH, UP BY FIVE O'CLOCK MONDAY, JUNE, UH, BY MONDAY.
[01:00:01]
WE WILL GO AHEAD AND THANK YOU TODAY AND CONCLUDE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF TODAY'S MEETING.FOR ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WATCHING, YOU MAY SEND QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BY EMAILING MY OFFICE AT DISTRICT I@HOUSTONTX.GOV.
THAT'S DISTRICT I@HOUSTONTX.GOV.
SEEING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING TODAY.