View as Webpage

Inside District I Newsletter 2022 Year in Review

Greetings! As the year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the work we completed in 2022. While we faced many new challenges this year, the District I team worked closely with City leaders, as well as civic and community stakeholders, to better our quality of life and move our community forward. I want to thank all the District I residents for giving my team and me the opportunity to serve you. We still have much to do, and we look forward to continuing that work in 2023. We wish you a very happy and healthy new year!

Robert Gallegos and the District I Team

This year, the City Council continued to prioritize public safety by investing in additional law enforcement, behavioral health programs intended to assist HPD when handling mental health crisis calls, training, equipment, and strengthened ordinances to keep our city safe. Among those was a new ordinance outlawing the possession of cut catalytic converters without proper documentation or proof of ownership, and requiring documentation for all sales of catalytic converters to metal recyclers. We also adopted stronger measures and set new limits on nighttime noise for bars and clubs. We increased the fine from $1,000 to $2,000 for violations and established that any business with two or more noise violations could lose its commercial sound permit for up to a year. These measures are meant to provide relief to neighborhoods that suffer from noise emitted by problematic clubs and bars.

The District I Office also purchased and deployed several automatic license plate reader cameras to help fight crime. The cameras capture images of license plates and vehicles to match with a police database of wanted vehicles. It could be a stolen car, a car used in a crime, or the car of someone wanted for breaking the law. The cameras secured by our office complement the existing network of cameras already in use by HPD and other law enforcement agencies, as well as private entities that share data with HPD. This spring, we also adopted a new ordinance requiring crime-heavy businesses to have exterior-facing surveillance cameras. The ordinance requires convenience stores, nightclubs, bars, game rooms, and sexually-oriented businesses to have high-resolution surveillance cameras that capture video 24 hours a day. The ordinance also requires businesses to install enhanced lighting in areas where customers have access, including the exterior of the main building, storefront entrances, parking areas, and fuel pump islands.

The City and County also partnered on a Gun Buyback initiative aimed at removing unwanted firearms from our communities. Depending on the type of weapon, citizens turning in firearms were rewarded with a gift card from $50 to $200. All firearms were retrieved with a no-question-asked policy by law enforcement. Funding for this program was provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The program proved to be a huge success, with hundreds of unwanted weapons being collected and potentially diverted from ending in the wrong hands. I look forward to supporting this initiative in the new year and to bringing a Gun Buyback event to District I in 2023. With a population of 2.3 million people and an area of more than 660 square miles, Houston has 5,300 officers. By comparison, Chicago has a population of 2.7 million across 275 square miles and nearly 12,000 officers. While we continue to provide funding for additional police cadet classes, I am also pleased that we are investing in historically underserved communities, as well as employment opportunities, housing and other critical factors to help us reduce and prevent crime.

The District I Office is currently working with Houston Public Works through final inspections for Phase 1A of the Magnolia Park Area Drainage and Paving project. This $11 million project had two primary purposes: 1) Provide for neighborhood drainage improvements 2) Replace aging public infrastructure such as pavement and underground utilities. Section 1A is bounded by Elwood Street to the north and Brays Street to the south, and includes new concrete paving, curbs, sidewalks, driveways, and underground utilities. The City is anticipating work on Phase 1B, which will include the streets between Harrisburg and Elwood, to begin next summer.

This year, the City of Houston was awarded $21 million in federal funding for the revitalization of Telephone Road, from Lawndale Street to South Loop 610 Freeway. The project bridges the gap between two projects led by Harrisburg TIRZ 23 and Gulfgate TIRZ 8. The project scope includes reconstruction, rebuilt sidewalks, optimized bus stops with bike lane compatible treatments, optimized signalized intersections, improved street crossings, protected bidirectional bike lanes, and intersection/merge lane safety treatments. The City, along with the Gulfgate TIRZ, is also contributing about $5 million in local match money toward the project. I will continue to work with other partners to enhance the remaining sections of Telephone to create a continuous and cohesive corridor that will provide a significant, positive impact for District I residents and our business community. I want to thank Mayor Turner, Houston Public Works and the Planning Department for working with my office throughout the application process. A big thanks as well to the local, state, and federal elected officials who supported the grant application. The project is slated to begin in 2023.

As residents in the northeast part of the district are aware, earlier this year the City of Houston, in partnership with Commissioner Adrian Garcia's Office, kicked off a major rehabilitation of Oates Road. The southbound lane is largely complete, and work on the northbound lane and shoulders is ongoing. Unfortunately, this project has taken longer than it should have, and the City has been disappointed with delays associated with the contractor's work. The City is currently evaluating options to get the project back on track and, in recent weeks, implemented temporary changes to the traffic control plan to improve mobility while Oates is under construction. The project includes road milling, base repairs, and improving the shoulders. This project will not only improve the driving surface but also extend the life of the roadway and will allow us the opportunity to plan, design, and identify future funding to upgrade and reconstruct the infrastructure to meet the community's needs. We want to thank the citizens of District I for their patience and understanding as the City works to complete the rehabilitation of the street.

In addition to major road reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, the District I Office continued its efforts to improve roadways across the district through asphalt overlays and maintenance. We replaced broken concrete panels, repaired base failures to improve road drivability, and we completed substantial work on Cesar Chavez between Harrisburg and Canal, Dumble between Polk and Telephone, and Office City Drive between Woodridge and Evergreen, along with others. We also continued to support and advance the installation of traffic calming devices (speed humps) through the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP). Historically, funding for citizen-initiated NTMP requests has been extremely limited. As a result, the District I Office has been working to reduce the backlog and complete requests on the NTMP waitlist dating back 7-8 years. Requests from Golfcrest and Eastwood were completed this year, and three others, Reveille – Park Place, Santa Rosa, and Manchester neighborhoods, were approved for funding this year and are scheduled to be completed in the coming months.

City Council approved a transformational project this fall that will connect the west side and east side of Houston with new public greenspaces, trails and bikeways along Buffalo Bayou. The agreement between the City, County, and Buffalo Bayou Partnership, and supported by the generosity of the Kinder Foundation, will provide for new greenspaces, trails, infrastructure and other community amenities along the waterway in an area that was neglected after years of industrial use. The project will also deliver a new affordable housing development so that even more of our residents can enjoy and continue to call the area home. As part of this project, the City also plans to redevelop a tract of land for a special collections library featuring the City's Hispanic Archives, which we hope will serve as an anchor for a future Houston Latino Art & Cultural Center. I cannot express how excited and grateful I am to all the partners who helped bring this project to fruition.

We were once again excited to lead upgrades at several SPARK parks throughout the district this year including at Tijerina, Bellfort, Franklin, JP Henderson, and Park Place elementary schools, as well as YES Prep – East End and Deady Middle School. I am happy to announce that in the coming year, we will continue to address ‘park deserts' in District I by dedicating additional funding to build new SPARK parks at Golfcrest, Davila, Briscoe, and Edison schools. This year, I also worked with Port Houston to finalize the transfer of approximately 21 acres of undeveloped Port property located on the north side of Buffalo Bayou, across from Hidalgo Park, to the Houston Parks Department. The City expects to close on the property and accept it into its inventory in the coming months. It is my goal to engage the community to identify future needs for this green space. Once again, a big thank you to Port Houston for their support and for giving back to the community.

2022 marked the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. And while there is significant work left to do, the City of Houston has taken significant steps to mitigate flooding and to make Houston more resilient. From infrastructure and flood protection investments to adopting stricter development rules which set the 500-year floodplain as the minimum standard for new home construction, to increasing our flood buyout program to help property owners relocate from flood hazard areas. We have also prioritized drainage maintenance by doubling the funding for the City's SWAT (Stormwater Action Team) Drainage Program. This critical maintenance program reduces localized drainage problems by repairing and maintaining storm sewers and outlets, roadside and off-road ditches, and upgrading the existing drainage system to improve water conveyance. A big thank you to Mayor Turner for the additional funding, which will allow us to accelerate even more local drainage projects throughout the City. The above before/after photos are from projects completed in District I.

We were pleased to work on policies and initiatives this year that support and provide financial relief to seniors living on fixed incomes. In the summer, the City Council approved an ordinance to help provide relief to senior citizens and the disabled by increasing the property tax exemption from $160,000 to $260,000 for residents who are age 65 or older and certain residents with disabilities. This is expected to save the average senior household an additional $400 annually. The change will be applied to the appraised value of a resident's homestead and will go into effect for the 2022 tax year. In addition, I have continued to support and advocate for developments that deliver more quality affordable housing for seniors. This year alone, we welcomed the Scott Street Senior Apartments at the corner Scott and Polk. This complex is the newest senior housing development in District I and was made possible through tax credits. The development provided 120 units, of which 90 are affordable units and 30 are market rate, for people 55 years and older.

This past summer, the community was excited to kick off another major hike and bike project along Sims Bayou. The Houston Parks Board began construction on a 2.27-mile Sims Bayou Greenway segment between Stuart Park and FM Law Park in southeast Houston. Once complete, over 20 miles of trails along Sims Bayou will provide users with a unique opportunity to explore and enjoy our city. The hike-and-bike trails will provide seating plazas, and landscaping will enhance and expand Sims Bayou Greenway, connecting residents to nearby parks and community resources. Upon completion, cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians will enjoy the nearly 20-mile stretch from Blue Ridge County Park near Hillcroft Avenue to Milby Park.

Earlier this year, the community also celebrated the completion and grand opening of the 75th Street bridge. The reopening of the bridge marked the completion of Segment 1 of Project Brays, which rebuilt four bridges over Brays Bayou at Telephone, Lawndale, Forest Hill, and 75th Street. These four bridges were completed in partnership with the Harris County Flood Control District. The new bridges are higher, longer and wider, which increases the capacity of the channel, allowing for more water to flow under the bridges and thus greatly reducing flood risk in communities. In addition to these four bridges, TxDOT worked with the City to rebuild the Wayside bridge near the Gus Wortham Golf Course. It took several years to get us to this point, but our community is much better today because of these investments and projects. We thank our County partners, including Harris County Flood Control District and Commissioner Garcia, Precinct 2 for leading these efforts.

After over two years of planning and meetings with residents and community stakeholders, I’m pleased to report that the Lawndale Road Diet Project is now complete. The project aimed to make this 1.5-mile stretch of roadway (from Telephone Rd. to Forest Hill Blvd.) safer and more comfortable for all road users. Some of you may have already noticed a reduction in traffic speeds and seen more neighbors utilizing the new bike lanes. The project provided one lane in each direction for vehicle thru traffic, added new dedicated bicycle lanes, and upgraded crosswalks. Near the KIPP School Campus, a second lane was preserved to accommodate school traffic during student pick-up and drop-off hours. On-street parking was also maintained adjacent to existing residential areas along the corridor. Things to remember: Stopping, standing, or parking your vehicle in a dedicated bicycle lane is prohibited. Parking on the street is allowed only in designated areas. Please obey all posted signs, curb markings, and parking hours.   Place your trash and recycling containers in the gaps in between the new bicycle lane barriers or in front of your driveway. Do NOT place containers in the bicycle lane, the driving lane, or on top of the bicycle lane barrier as it may topple over. As before, containers must be accessible and not blocked by obstacles, including parked cars, trees, mailboxes, fencing, etc. Blocked containers will not be emptied.

An important initiative we launched this year was the creation of an Apartment Complex Strike Team aimed at enforcing safety and habitability issues at problematic apartment communities across the city. One of the first complexes the Strike Team investigated was the Timber Ridge Apartments in the northeast part of our district. Residents complained to the management about rodents, roaches, mold, overflowing dumpsters, broken mailboxes (which keep residents from receiving mail) as well as other safety concerns on the property. Unfortunately, the complaints went unaddressed. Management collected residents' rent while ignoring their most basic needs. After hearing from these residents, the City sent inspectors to the property and identified repairs and other safety measures that management needed to undertake. I am pleased to say that Timber Ridge has improved their property since issues were reported to the City, and I want to thank the City's Strike Team for investigating and keeping pressure on problematic apartment owners and managers. The Strike Team will continue to investigate bad apartment complex owners and management companies and will use its power to hold bad actors accountable.

The District I Office has continued to partner with animal welfare organizations and community stakeholders to reduce the number of strays on our streets. This year we continued our partnership with BARC Houston, Barrio Dogs, Emancipet, Unity for a Solution, Houston Humane Society, Houston PetSet, and others to make available free spay/neuter programs and distribute free pet food in District I. In addition, the City Council adopted stronger rules aimed at protecting pets and reducing the number of unwanted animals on our streets. Those included standards for sheltering animals, strengthening the process for aggressive and dangerous dog designations, rabies evaluations, and mandatory microchipping. Council also removed a loophole that previously gave pet owners 30 days to spay or neuter roaming pets picked up by BARC. The pet owner is now required to have their pet spayed or neutered before they can take it home. The ordinance also prevents local pet stores from obtaining pets from puppy mills which oftentimes don't take proper care of animals. Stores will now be required to sell only dogs and cats sourced from a humane organization or a City/County animal shelter.

I continue to advocate on behalf of our community for better freight rail operations through our area. This year, our collective advocacy yielded two separate visits to our community by Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator Amit Bose and Deputy Administrator Jennifer Mitchell. More importantly, the FRA has now begun to monitor the situation in Houston and has established expectations and regular lines of communication with rail operators. Our office is also working with Houston Public Works and other stakeholders to submit grade separation and crossing improvement projects for potential federal funding. This year, my office also advocated against a pending merger between Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KSC) railroads that could bring even more freight trains through our area. The proposal is before the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB), and this past September, I testified before the board in Washington DC in opposition to the merger. The City, along with Harris County, is concerned about merger-related impacts, especially with no proposed plans by CP-KCS to invest in mitigation projects in Houston. My testimony before the STB resulted in visits to our community by STB Board Members Karen Hedlund and Rober Primus, as well as staff with the Office of Environmental Analysis. We also met with representatives of CP and KCS to express our concerns and to ask for mitigation plans if the merger is approved by federal regulators, a decision that could be made in the first quarter of 2023.

As we continue to work on these important issues, I urge residents to help us report stopped trains and blocked crossings to the FRA as well as UP. Our office created a quick reference sheet with reporting information for a few of our most problematic crossings, including Lawndale, S. Lockwood, Telephone, and Lawndale/Griggs. Please file complaints each time you encounter blocked crossings so that federal regulators understand how widespread and problematic this has become. Report to UP: 888-877-7267 AND report online to the FRA: bit.ly/TrainBlocking

One of the biggest projects I was proud to be involved with this year was the creation and dedication of the Joe Campos Torres Memorial Plaza and Greenspace, which represents an acknowledgment by the City of Houston of a horrific event that occurred almost 45 years ago. The murder of Vietnam War Veteran Jose "Joe Campos Torres at the hands of rogue police officers in May of 1977 forever changed this City. As time passed, the City moved on and never formally acknowledged the tragedy and the role its officers played. That all changed in the summer of 2021 when HPD Chief Troy Finner met with the family and finally, after 45 years, apologized on behalf of the police department. Beginning then, Mayor Turner, Councilwoman Cisneros, Commissioner Garcia, and I worked alongside the family to plan and dedicate this beautiful space as a permanent memorial that celebrates Torres' life and tells his story. The plaza and public greenspace opened this summer, and a permanent mural and other elements to complete the memorial will be done in the near future. 45 years in the making, but I’m reminded of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I hope this plaza forever serves as a place where we come to reflect, grow and where we gather to connect and partner in our continued mission toward social justice.

This year, the District I office continued to work to reduce and clean up illegal dumping in our communities. Garbage dumping decreases the quality of life in our communities, creates a health hazard, and contaminates our waterways. It is serious crime that carries with it a $4,000 fine and even possible jail time for violators. Over the years, we have installed surveillance cameras across the city and in District I to catch and prosecute individuals and businesses responsible for illegal dumping. Help protect our community by reporting illegal dumping to 3-1-1. Additionally, this year we again funded a nuisance abatement program and contracted a team of workers to remove and clean up trash, tires, shopping carts, and other nuisances from public places. The District I Nuisance Abatement Team worked alongside Solid Waste workers but focused on cleaning up areas in our district.