We continue to see in the local news and elsewhere the perpetuation of a false narrative that it's an "either-or" situation in which you can only have either sidewalks -or- keep the historic trees on Montrose Boulevard. But Houston can and should have both!
Don’t be fooled. Here are some FACTS you can verify and believe, even on April’s Fools day :)
1. The plans for new trees do not come CLOSE to replacing the shade canopy we have today – not now and not in 50 years
Just take a look at the vision of Montrose Blvd. shown above, provided by the TIRZ in their recent 3D animation. They think this concrete-heavy hellscape is beautiful! And the trees depicted in this animation are acknowledged as being bigger than what will actually go in.
How do these sidewalks look to you? Inviting and walkable/rollable? Or hot as blazes, bleak and ugly? Can’t you just feel the heat radiating from this much totally unshaded concrete? What about the bus stops (which today have trees shading them). Are you ready to sit at these future shade-free bus stops all summer?
See the TIRZ’s bleak vision for the future here: https://youtu.be/9eTVSSJcI48
And see ISA board-certified master arborist Matt Lathan simulate the canopy regrowth rate here: https://youtu.be/5lMP2xEmm2k?si=h0ATLYJbH3CFz_ic
2. Better drainage does NOT require killing all the trees
The planned drainage culverts for Montrose fit easily under the road. There is no need to cut down every tree on the sides of the street to install drainage culverts. We install drainage all over Houston and with a little care the trees survive.
And btw, you can read more about the fallacy that the Montrose Blvd project will make any significant difference in drainage in Section 4 of our Point/Counterpoint document here: https://www.mediafire.com/file_premium/vx4b94ois8pmbuq/Project_claims_and_our_response_with_backup_evidence_v6.pdf/file
3. ADA-compliant sidewalks do NOT require killing all the trees
The original design for Walk/Bike Montrose was for 6-foot sidewalks which would preserve almost all of the existing trees and exceed ADA guidelines. Take a look at what was originally planned: https://wos-la.com/walkable-montrose/ https://www.houstontx.gov/planhouston/sites/default/files/plans/WalkableMontrose_JW.pdf
In late 2022 and heating up in early 2023, the cycling lobby (notably Bike Houston) began advocating for Montrose to be reduced to one lane each direction to allow a large in-street bike lane. When that proposal was rejected, the idea morphed into a 10-foot wide shared use path replacing the sidewalk.
Accommodating 10-foot sidewalks is what requires the medians to be narrowed, the traffic lanes to be shifted inward and completely reconstructed, and all the trees on the sides of the street to be cut down. This change also made the project significantly more complex in construction and crazy expensive. $15M in taxpayer money to re-do just two blocks?
4. Street trees thrive all over Houston in spite of living near power lines and sidewalks
If you read the rationale the TIRZ, their urban forester and their landscape company espouse for cutting down all the trees on the sides of Montrose, you have to wonder “what trees in Houston would be safe if these standards were applied everywhere?”
Craig Koehl, the urban forester (not an arborist) who consulted to the Montrose TIRZ has said about the 57 trees planned for removal, just in phase 1 “What justified their removal is that they’re not in the best possible condition or best possible location.” Best possible condition and location or ELSE CUT’EM DOWN?! Goodbye Houston street trees! None of you meet that criteria.
He also says the trees on Montrose have only 3 feet to grow in, but need 20 feet. Where in Houston do the lovely mature trees lining our streets have 20’ to grow? I guess they should all meet the ax as soon as possible? The mature trees on Montrose have made it through droughts, heat waves and hurricanes! The only thing that will stop them from another 50-100 years of growth is the Montrose TIRZ.
Take a quick video walk with me down the east side of Montrose from W Dallas to W Clay: https://youtu.be/uFNkupt_FUw?si=HrbbR1_kN66CSIoY