× For the latest information on trail and area closures, click here.
  • Visit
  • Cistern
  • Events & Tours
  • Support
  • Donate
  • Plans & Programs
  • About Us
  • Public Art
  • Rentals & Permits
  • Calendar
Menu
donate trail map
Buffalo Bayou Partnership
  • Visit
    • Buffalo Bayou Park
    • Cistern
    • Sabine Promenade
    • Sesquicentennial Park
    • Allen’s Landing
    • Buffalo Bend Nature Park
    • Public Art along Buffalo Bayou
  • Events & Tours
    • Calendar
    • Cistern Tours
    • Boat Tours
    • Walking Tours
    • Underground Sounds
    • Summer Species: Bees
  • Rentals & Permits
    • Sunset Coffee Building
    • The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park
    • Eleanor Tinsley Park
    • Barbara Fish Daniel Picnic Pavilion
    • Permits
  • Support
    • Join as a Member
    • Become a BBP Patron
    • Volunteer with Buffalo Bayou Partnership
    • Donate
    • The Currents
    • Buffalo Bayou Boutique
  • Plans & Programs
    • Buffalo Bayou East
    • “Deeper Dive” Virtual Presentation Series
    • Waterway Clean Up
  • About Us
  • News
    • Press
    • Newsletters

News

Find the latest news about Buffalo Bayou Partnership and all the doings along Buffalo Bayou.

Jan 29

Buffalo Bayou Partnership Hosts Community Gatherings

Continues master planning for the waterway east of downtown from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin

HOUSTON – January 29, 2018 – Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) recently launched a major planning effort to bring a new network of waterfront parks and open spaces along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector, stretching from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin.  BBP’s goal for this project is to reclaim the waterfront for East Sector residents and create green spaces that will catalyze the equitable revitalization of their communities.  The organization will be sponsoring two community town halls to meet with East End and Fifth Ward residents, and business and property owners to shape a vision for the future of Buffalo Bayou.  The meetings, which are being co-sponsored with Houston City Council Members Karla Cisneros and Robert Gallegos and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Jerry V. Davis, are being held:

Tuesday, February 6
6-8:30 p.m.
DeLuxe Theater
3303 Lyons Avenue

Wednesday, February 7
6-8:30 p.m.
BakerRipley
Ripley House Community Center
4410 Navigation Boulevard

“We are committed to a strong community engagement process,” says BBP President Anne Olson.  “While we want to hear from a range of stakeholders, we are strongly focused on seeking the input of long-time residents and business owners in the East End and Fifth Ward, two neighborhoods that border Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector.”  Olson further points out that BBP is developing a plan that is based on:

  • Authenticity – Creating unique park spaces that reflect the cultural and industrial legacy of the East Sector
  • Connectivity – Rethinking how parks and neighborhoods interact by activating the waterfront and connecting it to surrounding neighborhoods
  • Inclusivity – Establishing a pioneering precedent where green space can catalyze equitable communities
  • Resiliency – Providing a sustainable waterfront model by limiting environmental or man-made risks while allowing them to adapt in an ever-changing city

The communities of the East End and Fifth Ward have long been separated from Buffalo Bayou, its unique beauty, and exciting industrial context.  Long-time East End resident and BBP board member Bolivar Fraga says, “We have a great opportunity to bring together communities north and south of the bayou and connect them to the waterfront and to each other.”

Unlike other parts of Buffalo Bayou, the East Sector was not impacted heavily by Hurricane Harvey due to its higher elevation.  Because of this, one of the plan’s areas of focus will be more on long-term resiliency needs such as new housing opportunities.

“We want to not only bring new open space, but also to build a model for resilient, mixed-income residential development that can accommodate Houstonians who were displaced by the storm while enhancing the strong vibrant and culturally rich East Sector,” states Olson.

The high caliber multidisciplinary planning team working on the East Sector plan is led by Michael Van Valkenburg (MVVA), an internationally recognized landscape architecture firm, and HR&A Advisors, an industry-leading real estate, economic development, and public policy firm.  Other consultant team members include:  Utile(Urban Planning & Design), Huitt-Zollars (Architecture and Civic Engineering), Stantec (Transportation) and Limnotech (Hydrology).

MVVA brings to Houston wide-ranging experience and a proven track record of success in creating acclaimed and economically viable parks and waterfronts such as Brooklyn Bridge Park and Hudson River Park in New York City, and Maggie Daly Park and the 606 in Chicago.  The firm is also very familiar with Houston as they recently completed plans for The Menil Collection, Hermann Park and Houston Parks Board.

For more than 35 years, HR&A has been working with parks throughout the US and abroad to develop open space real estate strategies, financing plans, programming activation, and sustainable operations and maintenance programs.  The High Line and Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, Tulsa Riverfront and Dallas Trinity River are among the more than 100 parks that have benefited from HR&A’s talent.

The Buffalo Bayou East Sector planning project has been funded by Bank of America Charitable Foundation, The Harry S. and Isabel C. Cameron Foundation, The Carruth Foundation, Inc., The Clayton Fund, Fifth Ward Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ #18), The Garver Foundation, Greater East End Management District, Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ #23), Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation, Houston Endowment Inc., Midway, Anne Whitlock and Michael Skelly, The Winston Charitable Foundation and The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

About Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. BBP’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Sabine Promenade and Sesquicentennial Park, protecting land for future parks, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. BBP recently completed the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project that includes major destinations, natural landscaping, footpaths, trail lighting, water features and pedestrian bridges. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide-ranging tours and events that attract thousands.

Tags: Buffalo Bayou, Buffalo Bayou East Sector, Buffalo Bayou News, Buffalo Bayou Park, Buffalo Bayou Parntership, Community Meetings, East Downtown Houston, Fifth Ward Houston, Houston East Downtown, Houston News

For press inquiries, email Karen Farber, BBP VP of External Affairs, or call 713.752.0314 ext. 353.

News Coverage

  • Walk with us through Houston's new - but very short - East Downtown Trail Houston Chronicle, June 17, 2022
  • Beat the heat with bee crafts and mud art Houston Chronicle Preview, June 15, 2022
  • Saving a Texan Bayou, ‘16 Bottles’ at a Time The New York Times, June 14, 2022
  • 2021 Was . . . ? These Works of Art Help Make Sense of It. Texas Monthly, December 22, 2021
  • Six Art Galleries in Unexpected Places Smithsonian Magazine, December 15, 2021
  • Houston's best runs: 8 beautiful places to get fit and enjoy nature Houston Chronicle, December 9, 2021
  • Single for the holidays? Celebrate in style at these 13 Houston events Houston Chronicle, December 3, 2021
  • Texas bats eat thousands of pounds of insects nightly Victoria Advocate, November 18, 2021
  • These Simple Design Schemes Can Help Combat Climate Change for Coastal Cities Architectural Digest, November 18, 2021
  • On Crisp Fall Night, Friends of Buffalo Bayou Gather Outdoors to Toast Riverside Development Houston City Book, November 16, 2021
more

Press Releases

  • Light Up the Night Along Buffalo Bayou East March 15, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Time No Longer Wins International Art Award September 22, 2021
  • Three Houston Parks Team Up to Celebrate the Legacy of Jazz in Houston with Free Concerts and a Series Spectacular Featuring Mavis Staples August 6, 2021
  • Houston Endowment Awards Buffalo Bayou Partnership $10M Grant December 9, 2020
  • Immersive Installation by Anri Sala in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern November 23, 2020
  • Houston Celebrates Texas Arbor Day by planting 600 trees at Buffalo Bend Nature Center November 10, 2020
  • Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales (En Español) September 28, 2020
  • A “musical scavenger hunt” with ROCO and Buffalo Bayou Partnership September 21, 2020
  • Artful Anniversary: A series of virtual and visual arts events through the month of October to celebrate 5 Years of Buffalo Bayou Park September 10, 2020
  • Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales September 3, 2020
more

Monthly Newsletters

  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - June 2022 June 2, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - May 2022 May 4, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - April 2022 April 6, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - March 2022 March 2, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - February 2022 February 2, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - January 2022 January 11, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - December 2021 December 2, 2021
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - November 2021 November 1, 2021
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - October 2021 October 8, 2021
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - September 2021 September 1, 2021
more

Banking on Buffalo Bayou

  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2021 June 2021
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2020 January 2020
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2019 May 2019
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2019 January 2019
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2018 July 2018
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2017 August 2017
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2017 March 2017
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2016 December 2016
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2016 July 2016
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2016 March 2016
more

Categories

  • Art
  • Awards
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Board Members
  • Buffalo Bayou Park
  • Construction
  • East Sector
  • Español
  • Johnny Steele Dog Park
  • KBR Kids Day
  • Other Nations: A Naturalist's Blog
  • Press Releases
  • Staff
  • The Dunlavy
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates

Archives

Calendar

June 2022
M T W T F S S
« May    
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  

Get Involved

There are plenty of ways to get involved with keeping our parks and trails growing and the bayou flowing! Check out our Volunteer Opportunities or become a Buffalo Bayou Partnership Member today.

Membership Volunteer

Stay Connected

Buffalo Bayou Boutique

Looking for a unique gift? Shop our Buffalo Bayou Boutique!
Shop Now
  • Home
  • Visit
  • Support
  • Plans & Programs
  • About Us
  • News

1019 Commerce Street, Suite 200
Houston, TX 77002

t : 713.752.0314    f : 713.223.3500
info@buffalobayou.org

© 2022 Buffalo Bayou Partnership.
website by CORE Design Studio. Log in

Back to Top Events & Tours