St. George Place residents protest possible land use changes

In the patchwork of land we call Houston, there is one tiny area that defies something that makes Houston...Houston: zoning. In 1990, St. George Place became the first of now twenty-two Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones, which was instated by petition to promote new economic growth into the area which needed a little boost. Soon after, City Council decided to enact zoning in the small area as well.

St. George Place is located within "walking distance" of the Galleria, bounded by Westheimer Rd. and Richmond Ave. on the north and south, and Rice Ave. and Chimney Rock Rd. on the east and west. Most of the homes in the area are appraised from the low 200,000s for the original fifties-era, and up in the 6-800s for the newer, if you need more than 4,000 square feet of living space. And don't worry about the TIRZ money running out any time soon; St. George is on the forty year plan, which is the longest of any of the other zones.

Almost two decades later, higher end single-family homes make the majority of the development, but that restful assurance has been rocked by locals Röhe & Wright Builders, who have proposed a new plan to build patio and town homes on a three acre vacant tract of land to be named Hidalgo Place between Hidalgo, Ector, Navarro, and Yorktown streets. While the builders tout lavish homes in only the finest neighborhoods of Houston, many St. Georgeites want nothing of it:

Some residents seemed to see the [TIRZ] board's support for the zoning change as a betrayal of the qualities that make their neighborhood a refuge from the sprawling, haphazard development they see in other parts of Houston.

"That is the city, but we are St. George Place," said Richard Reiger, a retired home builder.

Houston City Councilman Peter Brown, an architect and planner who helped write the zoning ordinance for St. George Place, said the rules were intended to be flexible. In this case, he said, the change would have produced a development that would benefit the neighborhood.

The residents' fear of non-McMansion development and Röhe & Wright's shanty plans perhaps may be completely innocent according to Councilman Brown: "The strength of the residents' opposition might reflect lack of experience with zoning or other common planning tools." On the other hand, over three hundred residents of St. George Place signed a petition against bending the zoning rules. The petition's organizer, resident Terry Rockwell, said that folks on the TIRZ board "don't necessarily represent our interests."

Photo: Flickr user j-a-x