By Anne Marie Kilday
The Bellaire City Council will hold a public hearing on an update to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which includes a new Parks Master Plan, at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 3
The public hearing will be followed by a regular meeting of the council at 7 p.m
The lengthy revision of the Comprehensive Plan notes that there is a possibility for slight growth in landlocked Bellaire in the next 25 years. The updated plan notes that the average household size in Bellaire has increased from 2.58 person to 2.78 persons since the 2000 Census.
“This likely reflects Bellaire’s ongoing role as a great place to raise children. This is also one way that population may grow in Bellaire even without a substantial increase in housing units,” according to the plan update written by Gary Mitchell of the Kendig-Keast Collaborative.
In addition, the plan cites a Regional Growth Forecast from the Houston-Galveston Area Council that shows Bellaire passing the 19,000 population mark by 2040
The plan also notes the “residential renewal” in Bellaire — the replacement of the original Bellaire bungalows by much larger residential structures. By the year 2012, about 50 percent of the city’s original homes had been torn down.
Another key provision in the revised plan relates to future economic development and redevelopment in Bellaire.
The plan clarifies that: “The City Manager and Director of Development Services “are primarily responsible for economic development as part of their overall duties and—in close collaboration with the Mayor and City Council—can speak on behalf of the City and advance its interests in this area.”
The revised plan is as partial “wish list” of residents’ desires, as demonstrated by its section on transit and regional mobility. Bellaire residents continue to push for the removal of the Metro Transit Center in the center of the city.
“An overarching concern related to public transit—expressed by a wide variety of residents—involves crime and security issues. In particular, most who provided input to this plan, many stated their desire to see the METRO Transit Center removed from Bellaire’s City Center area at Bellaire Boulevard and South Rice Avenue. This sentiment remained pertinent as of the 2015 update of this Comprehensive Plan,” the plan notes.
The consultants concluded, however, that might be “possible” as the Uptown District and METRO are planning a new Transit Center along Westpark. That project “could lead to the removal of the current Transit Center on Bellaire Blvd.” the plan states.
During its regular session, the Bellaire Council is scheduled to vote on whether to issue a specific use permit for Crosstown Church to build a new Youth Center next to its church campus on Bellaire Blvd. and Avenue B. The council has already held a public hearing on that permit, which was recommended for approval by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
The council also will consider a new schedule for picking up garbage and recycling in the city.
The proposed changes are aimed at improving service to residents and allowing for a holiday schedule that would minimize service interruptions for Bellaire residents.
The details of the proposed new schedule can be viewed at: www.bellairetx.gov/SWChanges.
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