Surge in Area Development Sparks Concerns in Section 5

Residents of Section 5 have been concerned about the increasing construction going on to the West of the Section, along Hurst Street, including another expansion of the parking lot of Grace Bible Church and continued fill in the Palisades Park residential development.

Traffic Concerns – In addition to the heavy automobile traffic on Sundays, construction traffic, including dump trucks and other commercial vehicles, has been clogging Shirkmere, although is it posted as “No Thru Trucks.” Residents have also observed trucks from SouthWaste and Curtis Steel cutting through the neighborhood, including eighteen wheelers. A TMCC board member will request a traffic study and further enforcement of the No Thru Tucks at the next TMCC meeting.

Drainage Concerns – There are continued concerns and questions around the church’s continued expansion, as it was TMCC’s understanding that the existing storm water detention volume was already at capacity. Residents have been requesting drawings and drainage calculations from the City of Houston, which has onerous requirements to obtain the documents.

Importing Fill – Residents have routinely observed a large number of dump trucks dumping fill on the Palisades Park site, which incidentally always happens on Saturdays. Again, the City’s Flood Plain Manager has been contacted, and they have responded that they have issued permits for fill and that the developer has phased the project to allow for permitting.

Anticipated Traffic Increases – As the result of the development of Palisades Park, residents along Shirkmere and connecting streets in Section 5 can anticipate heavier traffic volumes in the future, especially at the intersection with West 11th Street. Residents may want to consider a Traffic Study request to install traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, and determine if Hurst Street can be closed at Shirkmere.