May 10, 2000

The Honorable Mayor Lee Brown
P. O. Box 1562
Houston, TX 77251-1562

Dear Mayor Brown:

On behalf of stakeholders and delegates of Spring Branch West Super Neighborhood, I am taking this opportunity to thank you, the members of your staff and all employees of the city who have made this program a reality. We foresee great opportunities for significant improvements in our community. In our development, the appointment of a city liaison is a critical step due to the importance of the role this person is to perform in assisting us in development of our community’s action plan. Positive results must be achieved quickly and consistently to nurture the growth of Spring Branch West Super Neighborhood and the increased involvement of more members of our community.

With this in mind, although funding of a Long Point Road feasibility and related improvements for the combined Spring Branch area is our primary objective, we ask that you assist us in rapidly achieving some “initial minor successes.” A list of our initial projects and/or objectives is attached. We are looking forward to working with our liaison and proceeding with not only the development of the plan, but the hopefully quick implementation of some of these items.

The outstanding efforts of Ms. Victoria Herrin of the Planning Department must be emphasized. Her assistance, cooperation, understanding and grace have significantly facilitated rapidly pulling our community together. The first combined meeting for all of Spring Branch was November 18, 1999, and within six months, you are now formally recognizing three super neighborhoods resulting from that initial meeting. Much of the credit for this, at least from the perspective of the City of Houston, should be attributed to Ms. Herrin and her many talents.

This program has great potential and we are eager to proceed. Please do not hesitate to contact me by mail at 10128 Brinwood, Houston, TX 77043, phone at 713-465-7084, or preferably by e-mail at ray@shasteen.com if you have any questions or comments.

As always,

Ray Shasteen
President
Spring Branch West Super Neighborhood

Attached:  Spring Branch West Super Neighborhood Action Plan Initial Projects and/or Objectives (2pgs.)

Spring Branch West Super Neighborhood Action Plan 
Initial Projects and/or Objectives 
May 10, 2000

These items are in addition to those listed on the District A Capital Improvements Projects (CIP) and Candidate Projects for Fiscal Year 2000-2004, and Council Member Tatro’s list of Recommended District A -Capital Projects for the same period. 

These items are classified as:  	
	A – Short Term (0 – 1 yr)	B – Mid Term (1 – 5 yrs)	C – Long Term (5 – 10 yrs)

Short Term Items:  0 to 1 year

1A - Traffic control and flow issues:

	a) 	Projects along I-10 (possibly requiring TXDOT approval):

		1)	Clean/Regrade/Landscape I-10 intersections in Spring Branch at Gessner, Conrad Sauer, Witte, Bunker Hill, and Blalock. These major entrances to Spring Branch West are in pathetic condition. With the removal of the railroad tracks, the City of Spring Valley has improved and landscaped the entrances at Bingle and Campbell. Improvements at the suggested intersections will dramatically improve safety, traffic flow and visual blight at each entrance into Spring Branch West.

		2)	Increase the turn radius at Conrad Sauer and the Katy feeder, or possibly put in a turn lane. This intersection is actually a high volume access to the new HCC campus at Beltway 8 and I/10, and historically sees heavy traffic due to the Spring Branch West neighborhoods, along with traffic created by businesses such as Home Depot, U-Haul, Spring Branch Honda, Friday's and Bennigans. Development of this section of Old Katy Rd with the new Sam's Warehouse and other retail facilities will further complicate the safety and efficiency of this intersection, to say nothing of the negative retail impact, so much so that item 3 below, a new access to the feeder should be constructed as soon as possible.

		3)	Add crossover access from Old Katy to the feeder, west of Conrad Sauer (near Home Depot).This would offload Conrad Sauer traffic and accommodate most of the business interests on this section of Old Katy Rd.

	b)	Two lanes, rather than the planned four, for Conrad Sauer between Westview and Long Point Roads. We believe that four lanes of Conrad Sauer from Westview to Old Katy Rd will be sufficient and will minimize cut through traffic through adjacent neighborhoods.  Additionally, we believe the much needed drainage work planned for Conrad Sauer south of Westview could proceed faster and with lower cost without the additional right of way acquisitions needed to four lane Conrad Sauer between Long Point and Westview.  Jim Bielstein in Public Works is familiar with this issue.

	c)	Left turn sensors and computerized light timing along major Spring Branch thoroughfares. Examples of needed left turn sensor deployments include Witte/Long Point, Gessner/Long Point and westbound Westview at Blalock.  Synchronized light timing is needed on most Spring Branch West thoroughfares including Gessner and Blalock.

	d)	Metro Bus pullover’s on Long Point Road to ease congestion. Bus drivers are parking in the street on both sides of Long Point Road to take bathroom and refreshment breaks, effectively reducing the street to one lane on the side where they park.

2A - Declaration of Interstate 10 from Loop 610 to Highway 6 as a Scenic Zone to eliminate billboards.

3A - Increased enforcement of bandit sign regulations and increased funding for enforcement of those regulations and for the removal of bandit signs.  (Non-CIP item)

4A – A parking lot for Haden Park.

5A – Unobtrusive lighting for Knob Hill Park to complement the recent facelift of the park including the jogging trail.

6A – Funds for a Signage Specific study and an Image Study. How can we deter weekend peddlers sleeping under the freeway overpasses and bandit signs that clutter our area?

Mid Range Items:  1 to 5 years

1B – Diversion of traffic off Long Point Road to Westview at or east of Gessner.

2B – Widening of Bunker Hill; I-10 to Pine Lake – including bridge improvements (near new shopping center).

Long Range Items:  5 to 10 years - Note that the both of these items should be funded immediately and the work completed before the I-10 construction begins

1C – Funding of feasibility study for enhancement of the Long Point Road Corridor from Hempstead Highway to Conrad Sauer, specifically addressing the increased traffic flow projected during the I-10 construction.

2C – Road and traffic flow improvements accomplished before the Interstate 10 construction begins.

Immediate

In addition to the above, we must stress the urgency of completing the Conrad Sauer detention and drainage projects as quickly as possible. Not only are many curb and gutter projects in our area pending and contingent upon completion of these projects, but immediate relief from potential home flooding will be provided with the accelerated completion of these projects.