Latest in Heights Crime, when does the Pizza Place open, and a recap on Joe Panzarella’s 100-day town hall

Hi👋

Hope you’re having a great Monday! Every time I send one of these out, the open rates are fantastic. So I just wanted to say thank you for reading, and being here. I’m so thankful for you!

I’m also working behind the scenes on even more ways for us to connect. That means there are definitely some days when I’m in meetings ALL DAY trying to get things moving.😂 We are also excited to share that we have a Heights only website in the works! I will probably post more about it on my Instagram stories later today. Eek!

I very much appreciate your patience when my inbox gets a little backed up or I’m slower to respond than usual. I promise I’m not ignoring you! I see your messages.

OK. Let’s get into it.

First up: Joe Panzarella’s 100-day town hall

Over the weekend, Council Member Joe Panzarella held his 100-day town hall on Saturday, where he went over some of the biggest issues and projects he’s been working on since taking office, and shared results from the “Direct your Dollars” survey. Remember that?

There was a LOT covered, so here’s a quick recap of some of the biggest takeaways.

First: You showed up.

More than 100 people attended, and more than a dozen city departments were there for residents to meet with directly!

I was really curious to see what District C residents said were the biggest challenges in their neighborhoods.

The biggest concern, with 23% of respondents, was missing or deteriorating sidewalks.

Next was unsafe streets, at 20%, followed closely by deteriorating streets, at 19.9%.

So it’s probably no surprise that walkability improvements and street upgrades emerged as two of the biggest priorities.

And the response to the survey was HUGE!!

The goal was around 200 to 300 responses.

Instead, 1,141 people responded! What!

I hope my sharing the survey helped get some of you involved, too!

Those results will help guide how District C allocates future funding for district projects.

Also, two District C events are coming up this weekend:

📍 Voter Registration Event: Saturday, Sept. 26 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.West End Multi-Service Center, 170 Heights Blvd.With Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Annette Ramirez and Brown Chapel AME Church.

📍 Electronic Recycling Event: Saturday, Sept. 26 | 8 a.m. to noonMetropolitan Multi-Service Center, 1475 W. Gray St. With Compucycle, Neartown Montrose Super Neighborhood and the North Montrose Civic Association.

And there were some good resident questions, concerns and mentions, too.

Updates to West Gray Multi-Service Center: More than $3 million has been allocated for immediate needs, including restrooms and lobbies. The larger renovation is expected to cost tens of millions, so the district is working with city departments to identify additional funding.

Shady Acres bars: Residents raised concerns about the ongoing issues around some bars. Panzarella said the goal is to support businesses that are good community partners while addressing those that aren’t following city rules and regulations. He also offered to join the neighborhood for a Saturday morning cleanup.

Bell Park: Student volunteers showcased their work at the park. Panzarella encouraged other neighborhoods to build similar partnerships with local schools and organizations to help smaller neighborhood parks thrive.

🚨 CRIME NEWS...NO UPDATES....

Woodland Heights homicide

On Tuesday the 15th, Houston police began investigating after an 87-year-old man was found fatally shot inside a home in the Woodland Heights area.

Police responded around noon to a home in the 900 block of Omar Street. Investigators initially considered whether the shooting could have been self-inflicted, but homicide detectives were called to the scene.

Police later said there had been an altercation between the victim and another man at the home. That man was detained and later released while the investigation continues.

I spoke to HPD this morning, and they said they had no updates. It’s still an ongoing investigation.

And then Friday morning...

A man was fatally shot at a bus stop in the Greater Heights early on the 18th.

Police say the shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. in the 600 block of West Cavalcade Street near Northwood Street. A vehicle stopped near the bus stop, someone inside fired at the man, and the vehicle left the area.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Also, HPD says no updates. The latest we have is from what occurred Friday. HPD told me they are still working to determine exactly what happened and are looking for surveillance video that could help the investigation.

🚗 LET’S TALK CAR CRIME!

If you saw my story this week, you know I went DEEP into this one.

I analyzed thousands of HPD data points from 77007, 77008 and 77009 to look at motor vehicle theft, car break-ins and theft of vehicle parts.

And honestly? The data was interesting.

Motor vehicle theft hasn’t gone anywhere, but it also hasn’t increased. The numbers have stayed relatively steady since 2024.

Car break-ins, on the other hand, have dropped significantly so far this year compared with the first half of 2024. (Whaaaat? I know.)

And vehicle-part theft has also stayed steady.

I also looked at which streets have the most reported vehicle thefts and break-ins and whether there appears to be a seasonal pattern.

for that data, watch the reel here.

But now I want to take this one step further.

Would you want me to break this down by neighborhood?

Instead of looking at the larger ZIP codes, I could dig into specific areas like:

The Heights, Cottage Grove, Norhill, Woodland Heights...etc.?

If that’s something you’d actually want to see, let me know. I can keep digging into the data.

🌳 Coming this week: Lawrence Park update!

I’ve also been working on Lawrence Park, and there are some changes coming.

The park is getting redesigned, with new plans expected this fall.

I’ll have a reel breaking down what’s changing, what the plans look like and what you can expect to see there.

More on that soon!

🍕When is “The Pizza Place” actually opening?

I posted this DM on my Instagram story, and so many of you wanted to know the answer to this question.

I spoke to Restaurateur Shawn Bermudez in charge, who says they don’t have an exact date...but it is still happening. He says 2027 is the plan, but he also wanted to acknowledge that it’s a small local company and they’ve just been busy. He opened the Taco Stand in Montrose less than a year ago, Burger Joint and Taco stand on Gessner this year, and reopened Happy Go Lucky this spring, and their current focus is on Burger Joint in West U. Once that is open, he says then his focus will turn to The Pizza Place.

🚔 And I’m asking your constables some questions...

This is another one I’ve been wanting to dig into because I know a LOT of you have questions about it.

There are several areas around the Heights with contract patrols, but what does that actually mean?

What does a contract deputy do?

How does that work alongside regular HPD patrol?

And perhaps the biggest question:

If you call 911, what happens when a contract deputy is nearby?

I’m setting up a meeting with local constables to get some answers and break down exactly how this system works here in the Heights.

Because I think a lot of us hear the phrase “contract patrol” but don’t necessarily know what we’re actually paying for or how it fits into the larger picture.

Ooh! And a reminder for this week 👇

The Cottage Grove Civic Association is holding its September meeting on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.

And yes, Joe Panzarella will be the guest speaker.

They’ll also have updates on the I-10 project and Cottage Grove East Ditch Project, plus information about the community event, National Night Out on Oct. 8.

The meeting is open to the community and will be held on Zoom. (Click here to join!)

Passcode: 77007

PHEW. Done. That was a long one.

In personal news, it’s a short week for me!

I’ll be off Thursday and Friday because... it’s wedding season, and we have some friends to celebrate!💍 (Sorry, y’all!)

But I’ll still be following what’s happening around the Heights and posting as much as I can, as always.

Keep the story ideas coming. If there’s something happening on your block, something you don’t understand, a project you want explained or an issue you think needs a closer look, send it my way.

I’m listening!!❤️