Harris County Commissioners Briones, Ellis, Garcia, and Ramsey; County Judge Lina Hidalgo; and Mayor Whitmire: 
We can support strong public health systems and protect our public green spaces. We oppose the taking of Hermann Park land for the expansion of Ben Taub Hospital.
Harris County taxpayers, patients, and park visitors deserve a better plan. 

Background:

Hermann Park is a beloved sanctuary for Harris County residents and visitors, welcoming more than six million people every year. Its lush green space supports recreation, mental health, flood control, and overall quality of life in our busy city. 

In 2023, Harris County voters approved a $2.5 billion bond package that included $400 million to renovate and expand Ben Taub Hospital on its existing 11-acre campus. But now Harris Health plans to seize 8.9 acres of Hermann Park for a new 100-bed facility, with the stated intention of building an entirely new hospital complex there in 20+ years. This proposal raises serious concerns for taxpayers, for patients, and for the millions of visitors to Hermann Park.

1) This is not what voters approved.
Taxpayers were told the bond funds would be used to renovate and expand Ben Taub on its current site. The proposed seizure of parkland represents a significant shift in scope. Building a new hospital complex would require another bond election, meaning taxpayers would be asked to complete a much larger project they had not voted to begin.

2) The project contradicts Harris Health’s own plans.
Harris Health’s 2021–25 Strategic Plan recommended renovating Ben Taub in the short term while planning for relocation in the future. The plan noted that Ben Taub’s location next to Harris County’s only other Level I Trauma Center, combined with growing demand in southwest Harris County, justified putting trauma care where it is most needed. It identified the corridor between Highway 59, Westpark, and Beltway 8 as the ideal location for a future Ben Taub campus. Harris Health now plans to build a new clinic in that area, but clinics don’t provide critical trauma care. 

3) The proposed site is fundamentally unsuitable for a large hospital.
Both the parkland and the existing Ben Taub campus sit in the 100-year floodplain. (State law forbids building new hospitals in such areas.) During Hurricane Harvey, Ben Taub was surrounded by floodwaters, preventing access by patients and staff. This site will flood again. Preserving this water-absorbing parkland will help protect the Medical Center. 

4) The land already has a carefully planned public purpose.
After years of research and consultation with park users, the Hermann Park Conservancy developed a design for this 8.9-acre park tract as part of its Master Plan. The Conservancy invested $500,000 in detailed studies and designs for the site, which include gardens, trails, a pond, a bridge over Cambridge Street for pedestrians and cyclists, and a landscaped parking garage with a green roof. These improvements would provide important benefits to park visitors.

5) Texas law sets a high bar for taking public parkland, and that standard has not been met.
Harris Health must prove that no feasible alternatives exist to seizing the parkland. That means providing a thorough analysis of options such as renovating or rebuilding within the existing Ben Taub campus, redeveloping nearby sites, or pursuing a future campus closer to the majority of patients, an option Harris Health has itself previously endorsed. Harris Health has not yet provided such an analysis.

6) Acquiring the land would be very expensive.
Because the 8.9 acres were donated and deed-restricted for park use, seizing them would cause the land to revert to the donor’s family. Harris Health would then need to pay the family an amount equal to the land’s fair market value - estimated at $100 million - and make an additional, undisclosed payment to the City. Even before construction begins, a substantial portion of the $400 million bond would be spent simply acquiring land, increasing the likelihood that taxpayers will be asked for more funding.

7) This approach undermines voter trust.
Asking voters to fund campus renovations and then redirecting those funds toward parkland development sets a troubling precedent. If voters cannot rely on bond descriptions to reflect actual plans, they are likely to be skeptical of future bond projects for essential infrastructure.

8) The proposal ignores upcoming capacity changes.
The new 330-bed LBJ Hospital is scheduled to open in early 2029 and is likely to reduce pressure on Ben Taub. Harris Health has not explained how this expansion will affect overcrowding at Ben Taub.

9) Houston needs more parkland, not less.
Despite the clear environmental, health, and quality of life benefits of public parks, Houston ranks 66th out of the 100 largest U.S. cities - and 8th among large Texas cities - in park quality. We should be adding parkland, not destroying it.

For more information, please visit ProtectHermannPark.org. To contact us, email info@ProtectHermannPark.org. Thank you!

Note: The featured image is a publicly available rendering that shows part of the Hermann Park Conservancy's plan for the endangered site. Protect Hermann Park is not affiliated with the Hermann Park Conservancy.