Highlights: MAMA Neighborhood Meeting, February 10, 2015
Bell Park
There will be a neighborhood Bell Park clean up on Saturday, February 21 from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Residents are encouraged to show up with gardening tools to help tidy our shared community space.
Membership
MAMA has grown from twenty members in 2012 to eighty in 2014. There are approximately 450 residents in the MAMA area; the goal for 2015 is to have at least 100 dues paying members. As a member, you help provide funding for mailings, newsletters, neighborhood social gatherings, Bell Park maintenance and overall beautification efforts. In addition, MAMA members stay well informed about goings on in the neighborhood such as, building projects, public safety issues and city initiatives. If you have not yet signed up or renewed your membership for 2015, we encourage you to do so online at: http://rb1.6c9.myftpupload.com/membership/
Museum of Fine Arts Expansion and Informational Meetings
The MFAH will begin construction on a new Glassell School building, exhibition center and parking facility within the next few months. This project will lead to lane closures on Montrose and Bissonnet throughout 2015 and 2016. The MAMA board is considering the impact this expansion may have on parking our neighborhood. To learn more, Gary Tinterow, MFAH Director, and Willard Holmes, COO, have invited MAMA residents to attend one of two Museum of Fine Arts Campus Re-Development Informational Meetings.
Dates: Tuesday, April 14th or Tuesday, April 21st (identical meetings)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Brown Auditorium in the Law Building (old building), 1001 Bissonnet (between Main and Montrose Streets)
Parking: Surface parking will be available across Bissonnet from the Law Building
Carter Highrise
The new Carter Highrise on Chelsea Place has begun concrete slab pours at night between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Trucks are using Montrose Blvd. to access the site. If a resident has an issue with construction, please email news@mamahouston.org so that we may help to address your concerns.
Post Oak School Expansion
The Post Oak School is in the process of expanding. A proposed 8,000 square foot building on the corner of Montrose and Autrey will accommodate the high school, and the current 6,000 square foot building on Autrey will become the new middle school. The school is currently in the design phase, but has assured MAMA of its continued commitment to parking and green space.
Proposed Midtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) Expansion
The proposed Midtown TIRZ expansion has been tabled due to lack of an adequate opportunity for input from the Montrose Community. This issue will be revisited within the next six months.
Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County
Marilyn Brown, President and CEO of Coalition for the Homeless attended the meeting as a guest speaker. She reported that initiatives to reduce chronic homelessness are a major focus of Mayor Parker’s administration. Ms. Brown’s organization is working with government, non-profit and private stakeholders to build a comprehensive service system to stabilize the chronically homeless in housing. A major component of this effort is to identify the chronically homeless in our neighborhoods. If you are aware of homeless individuals living in the MAMA neighborhood and would like to help, you may contact Marilyn Brown directly at: mbrown@homelesshouston.org
Houston’s General Plan Initiative
Guy Hagstette, a member of the Houston’s General Plan Initiative Steering Committee, gave a presentation on the mission of the plan, which is focused on thoughtful decision making, governance and fiscal responsibility as the city develops in the coming years. Stay tuned for additional information. MAMA will post a link to the General Plan website within the next few weeks.
Upcoming
The next MAMA neighborhood meeting on April 14 has been cancelled due to the MFAH presentation scheduled for the same evening. In the meantime, all residents are encouraged to stay in touch by emailing news@mamahouston.org. Also, continue to check our website, www.mamahouston.org and our Facebook page. MAMA continues to be committed to improving our communication efforts with the neighborhood. Please email suggestions on how MAMA can better reach out via social media, etc. at news@mamahouston.org