The Hollywood Trail Project - A New Vision Reconnecting Old Communities

Supporters of the Hollywood Park Vision (updated July 2024).

Contact bayou@friendsofwoodlandpark.org to add your name!

NOTES ON LITTLE WHITE OAK BAYOU AND THE FIVE PRINCIPLES:

1) Reconnection. Reconnecting the communities along Little White Oak Bayou,

including more / improved parks and greenspaces, would be of great benefit to

those communities.

Notes: The construction of I-45 in the 1950’s-60’s resulted in the fragmentation of

established neighborhoods such as the Heights, Germantown, predominantly Hispanic

Northside, and historically Black Independence Heights, and introduced barriers to

social and economic connections within and between the affected communities. These

impacts continue to shape the dynamics of these neighborhoods today, influencing

issues such as urban development, access to greenspace, transportation, and

community identity.

Connecting greenspace between communities creates larger, interconnected areas that

are more accessible to residents, potentially reducing opportunities for crime and

improving overall public safety, and property values in those areas may increase, which

can attract investment and contribute to economic development.

2) Natural Gem. Little White Oak Bayou and its green spaces represent a valuable

ecological gem that deserves to be protected and enhanced.

Notes: These spaces are distinctive for both their biodiversity (e.g. the 170+ bird species

documented within the Woodland Park Nature Preserve) and their proximity to dense

urban centers (e.g. the fact that the Nature Preserve’s border lies just one mile from

Houston’s downtown).

It is also a place of rare natural beauty inside the Loop, featuring serpentine river

bends shaded by native trees. The 70+ guests who joined for the annual Hollywood

Trail walk from Woodland Park to Moody Park in February 2024 commented extensively

on the changes in elevation, river bends, and wildlife that contributed to a striking and

surprising natural beauty.

Conversely, Little White Oak Bayou has historically been one of the most polluted

bayous in the state per TCEQ, based on bacteria counts. It also suffers from solid

waste/trash/illegal dumping. By expanding greenspace between communities and

improving waste / trash infrastructure in the process, communities can enhance their

overall ecological resilience and create a more sustainable and beautiful urban

environment.

Woodland Park Nature Preserve, home to over 170 bird species.

3) Historical Value. Little White Oak/Hollywood Bayou has a distinctive history

within the city of Houston that is worth preserving, acknowledging and honoring,

Little White Oak Bayou and its green spaces represent a valuable ecological

gem that deserves to be protected and enhanced, with remarkable biodiversity

including 170+ species of birds and beautiful riparian scenery.

Notes: Arthur Comey’s landmark 1912 Houston parks plan specifically mentions

Hollywood Bayou as one of his top 3 bayous for parks planning.

Woodland Park is Houston’s second oldest park; its opening by the Houston Electric

Company, to promote their electric trams running from the “city” of downtown to the

“country” in Woodland Heights, was attended by 5,000 Houstonians on July 4, 1903.

Woodland Park, early 1900s (note reflections in Hollywood Bayou at lower right)

On a sadder note, the Moody Park Riots of 1978 took place along Little White Oak

Bayou, and the story of how this event affected the local community is deserving of

greater recognition.

The trail passes along Historic Hollywood Cemetery, the resting place of over 30,000

souls including many prominent Houstonians, ranging from Houston’s first female

lawyer to the founder of Houston’s beloved Shipley’s Donuts.

Hollywood Trail would pass through the Independence Heights neighborhood -

established between 1905-1915 by some 600 African American people seeking a better

life – an independent municipality known as the first city incorporated by African

Americans in the State of Texas.

4) Diversity and equity. Better connection and greenways along Hollywood Trail

would be particularly beneficial because they would provide greater

connectivity, exercise, and outdoor recreation for communities representing an

especially diverse range of neighborhoods in terms of race, ethnicity, income,

and language.

Notes: Little White Oak Bayou passes through a wide variety of neighborhoods on both

sides of I-45, representing very different + diverse communities. These neighborhoods

include (north to south) Acres Homes, Northside, Independence Heights, Sunset

Heights, Near Northside, Germantown, Norhill, and Woodland Heights.

By sharing recreational areas, trails, or parks, residents from different neighborhoods

have opportunities to come together, build relationships, and strengthen community

bonds.

5) Flood mitigation. A cohesive greenway, created in tandem with thoughtful

hydrological study and design, should and will better protect adjacent

neighborhoods from flooding. The bayous are Houston’s natural drainage system and critical to addressing the risks

of catastrophic flooding.

Along Hollywood Bayou, Independence Heights in particular has suffered from

repeated, terrible flooding driven in part by drainage issues caused by how Hollywood

Bayou’s watershed was altered by freeways and other infrastructure. A successful

Hollywood Trail should address these issues, and (per principle 4 above) pay particular

attention to ensuring that risks affecting diverse and/or historically disadvantaged

communities are addressed.

As the Greens Bayou Coalition has successfully demonstrated, a bayou greenways

initiative + coalition can play a major role in improving flood mitigation for a large and

diverse swath of Houston; GBC has now helped to catalyze over $120M in flood

mitigation efforts.

6) Anti-displacement. Any Hollywood Trail greenway should be explicitly designed

+ developed in such a way that it helps maintain affordability and preservation

of local character in adjoining communities.

Many parks projects over the last 30 years have revealed the risks of “green

gentrification,” in some cases pricing out communities that have been part of a given

neighborhood for generations. Design of a Hollywood Trail should take note of lessons

learned from past projects and explicitly make provisions to preserve affordability and

local character, in consultation with these communities themselves.

7) Houston at Large. Better connectivity and extensive greenways along

Hollywood Bayou would be of great benefit to Houston at large, making it more

livable, more attractive, more resilient, and a greater draw to companies, jobs,

and talent from across America and the globe.

Notes: Joining greenspace between disparate communities promotes community

cohesion, improves access to nature, provides environmental benefits, increases

property values, reduces crime, and enhances quality of life. By creating

interconnected green areas, Houston can foster more inclusive and resilient

communities where residents can thrive.

Furthermore, in an increasingly interconnected and mobile global economy, talented

young people have a wide variety of choices in terms of which city to make their home.

The Parks By You and Bayou Greenways initiatives have already shown that bayou

greenways, connectivity and access make Houston a more attractive city to young

people from across the world.