A freehand sketch of New Hope Dale Carnegie, a 170-efficiency unit affordable housing development. The apartments will be near the Gulfton and Sharpstown neighborhoods, some of the areas most prone to gentrification in Houston, according to a new Rice University study.
Researchers found parts of Houston’s Third Ward, Denver Harbor, Fifth Ward and Gulfton neighborhoods are among the most likely to gentrify, with a more than 90 percent probability. Also, virtually all neighborhoods on Houston’s east side within the 610 Loop are susceptible, the report found.
Third Ward is a historic African American community southeast of Downtown Houston. The area has fought over the decades to prevent gentrification from stripping away the cultural essence of Juneteenth Parades at Emancipation Park and the prominence of black-owned businesses. The city spent $34M to renovate Emancipation Park and has declared the stretch an economic corridor. A number of developers are building condos in place of ramshackle single-family homes. H-E-B recently broke ground on a 90K SF store at North MacGregor Way and Highway 288. Third Ward is home to two major universities, Texas Southern and the University of Houston. It is also centrally located with a light rail to Downtown Houston and the Texas Medical Center.
Key Development Opportunities Restaurants with fresh foods to increase access to healthy foods. Redevelop vacant lots near Emancipation Park, which recently received a $33.6M renovation, into mixed-use and multifamily housing. Majority of the neighborhood is within a designated opportunity zone.
This reminds me of being in the Computer Security field. When the Air Force would send us their procedures on how to lock down the network, it would literally deny access to everyone and no one could login. From a computer security standpoint, the only safe network is one that no one can access.
That’s not long. I grew up in Houston in the 60-70’s and the Heights was just okay. Now you can’t get a house for less than half a mill. The Third Ward area near UH would benefit just by knocking down a few of the eyesores that are falling down. The real development is coming. You’ll see.
There are a lot of those eyesores and houses no one should live in. Everyone should welcome development of comfortable housing that would allow people to have much better living conditions.
New homes don’t rent at the same price as the dilapidated ones.
Those dilapidated homes are renting for $1300/month in my neighborhood. If you’re making minimum wage, and can get 40 hrs a week, that’s only $1,160 before taxes. I know that not everyone is at minimum wage, but most in my neighborhood are at lower paying jobs like security guards, UPS, garbage truck drivers, nursing assistants. Tough to keep up with housing prices in those jobs.
There has been discussion and speculation that the Third Ward would be redeveloped since the 60’s / 70’s and most recently the rail line was going to be the catalyst for a wave of activity. How long has the rail line been completed? A couple of years? Has the development wave reached the Third Ward? Not so much… but if we keep waiting long enough I’m sure it will happen. Hope we live to see it.
I’d say the half million dollar homes and new homes in the Third Ward indicate that development wave has arrived. There are new businesses and/or buildings on Almeda, Blodgett, and Emancipation Ave.
I’d also say the new HEB on 288 qualifies too.
Redevelopment is a continuous process, not a single event. Look at decades of redevelopment in West U or the Heights.
As Timmy said, it has started already. Projects take time to develop and those things aren’t implemented over night. Patience. It is coming. The neighborhood has changed a lot from when I grew up there. This plan for the entire Houston area, per Metro when I was in school, was talked about since 1997…and I have seen a lot of changes Downtown, Thirdward, Heights and other areas since.
Its close to the med center and downtown and it didn’t flood. It is the next big real estate play. Only 20% of the the people living in the third ward own their property. So 80% are landlord owned.
My hope is that it keeps its most important but often forgotten history, which is music. It is one of the great historical blues areas in this country. Houston needs a “music” district. So as the high rise condo projects take hold, I hope a number of bars that specialize in local live music takes hold. I hope Houston plays that up.
Could you imagine a Saturday night that has Coog football and after going to hear great live music nearby. Could you imagine what that would do to sell kids on going to UH with that kind of nightlife nearby.
