City of Houston to build parking garage under new downtown park
And here we thought the city was low on funds, since we have a problem with increasing crime and decreasing police manpower. Well, it looks as though Mayor White has found $21 million for a parking garage to be built under the city's grand new downtown park. Seriously!
Plans for a new downtown park now include a multi-story underground garage. The 12-acre park will extend from the George R. Brown Convention Center, across Crawford Avenue and into the Houston Center area.
In fact Crawford Avenue will end on either side of the park and be closed to through traffic. While the final plans for the park won't be made public until later this spring, Guy Hagstette, the Director of the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy says it will be more than an appealing green space.
It's going to have a number of features in it ranging from areas where you can throw a foot ball, jogging trails, performance area for outdoor musical performances, a pond, water features, a major play area for children that includes water in it, restaurants, other dining opportunities, gardens, tree house decks, all kinds of stuff, it's very exciting.
Just recently announced, an underground parking garage. It will hold 600-plus cars, about the same number of spaces on the surface lots that will be lost when the park is constructed. The unique aspect of this project is that the park is most important element. Hagstette says the design of the garage will fit the park, not the other way around.
[snip]
The city will foot the 21 and a half million cost of the garage, but the park will be built with private funds. Hagstette says construction should begin in late summer and be complete by the end of next year.
(Tree house decks?)
Actually, based on past news stories, the last paragraph should say that the park will be built with mostly private funds. Houston is still coughing up several million to invest in the park itself.
Is this project being directed by our new Houston Parking Authority? Who knows -- there is no departmental listing on the city's website for the Authority.
Also, the story says Guy Hagstette is the director of the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy. Past jobs for Mr. Hagstette include overseeing the development of the Main Street Square fountain. Here's a city of Houston press release with more information on the Conservancy's director.
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Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/24/06 07:57 AM | Print |
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