Heights Residents weigh in on new restaurant, Lawrence Park breaks ground and latest on Shepherd/Durham crosswalks

Hi! First, thank you for your patience as we work on launching our Heights website (small tease!)🙂 We’re still working through a few kinks to make sure everything runs smoothly, but I’m hoping to start using it more soon! Click the link above and take a look around. Let me know what you think.

I’m keeping this newsletter a little shorter today, but I wanted to give you a few quick updates on things I’ve been hearing from you.

🍕 Should I look into what’s happening on Lawrence St. behind Angie’s Pizza?

I’ve had at least two of you who live on Lawrence St. reach out with concerns, including ongoing noise from the restaurant’s HVAC system and parking problems during the dinner rush.

I am told there have been complaints made to the city and HPD.

But keep in mind, there are several sides to every story and I certainly want to hear from Angie’s, too.

But let’s talk about. If you live nearby and have dealt with noise, parking or other issues related to the restaurant, send me a message.

🌳 Lawrence Park reno has officially broken ground

If you’ve been following my Lawrence Park updates, construction is officially getting underway! 🛝

The Sept. 24 groundbreaking at Lawrence Park also marked the launch of Let’s Play Houston, a roughly $60 million public-private initiative to upgrade 25 neighborhood parks across Houston. The city and Houston Parks Board are calling it the largest investment in neighborhood parks in Houston’s history.

Lawrence Park is one of the first parks entering construction, with about $2 million in improvements planned.

For Lawrence Park, that means as early as next summer you could see two new playgrounds, improved paths and MKT Trail connections, fitness areas, paved plazas and other upgrades we’ve been talking about!

🚶‍♀️ An update on the Shepherd/Durham pedestrian signals

A few days ago, I mentioned that I’ve heard from many of you about some pedestrian warning signals along Shepherd and Durham that you say aren’t working.

I heard from the Memorial Heights Redevelopment Authority, which clarified that the signals installed as part of Phase 1 have been checked and are operational.

Phase 2, from 15th Street to the I-10 westbound frontage road, is still under active construction.

The Shepherd and Durham corridor is currently undergoing a major reconstruction project, with work including new sidewalks, drainage, utilities and roadway improvements. The city says the project remains on schedule for completion in fall 2028.

That said, because Phase 1 and Phase 2 are at different stages, specific locations can make a difference as you try to understand what’s happening near you.

I’ll keep an eye on it as the project moves forward.

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And as always, if there’s something happening in your neighborhood that you think I should know about, send it my way. That’s how all these stories start!