Upper Kirby District Street Talk
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Kirby Drive Richmond to US 59 Construction
Project For Public Spaces: The Upper Kirby Civic and Community Center Project
The Upper Kirby District Center
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Non -Profit Office Space Available!
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September in the Upper Kirby District
Kirby Drive Construction: Richmond - US 59 to Begin September 7
constructionThe Kirby Drive Paving, Drainage and Streetscape Improvements Project between Richmond Avenue and US 59 is scheduled to begin construction September 7th.   Primarily a paving and drainage improvements project of the Upper Kirby District TIRZ No. 19, the work along this stretch of Kirby Drive will also entail overhead utility burial and a complete streetscape renovation overlaid by Harris County Improvement District No. 3.

*Note: Crews will begin mobilization and site preparation over the coming weekend, however, roadway construction and associated traffic impacts will not begin until September 7th.

Schedule:
The total project duration is anticipated to run from September 2010 to September 2011 including a period from Thanksgiving to New Years when work will pause to allow for full holiday access.

Between September 7 and Thanksgiving, crews will be installing underground duct banks along the east side of Kirby Drive that will ultimately house all current overhead utility lines. Over the holiday break, utility companies will work to transfer services from overhead to underground. All utility transfers must be completed before roadway construction can resume, so the final schedule is subject to change depending on how fast the overhead transfers can be made.

Once all overhead utilities are underground and utility poles are removed, pavement and drainage construction activities will resume.

Traffic Impacts:
During construction, Kirby Drive between Richmond and US 59 will effectively be reduced from three through lanes in either direction to two lanes in either direction with a center turn lane. The eastern most side of Kirby Drive will be closed for the first phase of work and traffic will be shifted to the west.

Northbound motorists should anticipate the shift to occur at the northern US 59 frontage road and should expect to return to three northbound lanes at Colquitt Street. Southbound motorists on Kirby Drive should expect the outside lane to become right-turn-only at the Richmond-Kirby intersection allowing for the transition to two lanes southbound to occur just north of Richmond.

For more information on the reconstruction of Kirby Drive between Richmond and US 59 and for issues and concerns as construction progresses, contact Travis Younkin at 713-524-8000 or email [email protected].
Project for Public Spaces to Begin Community Engagement on the Proposed Upper Kirby Civic Complex
Public Meeting
This October, Upper Kirby and Project for Public Spaces will begin a 4-month study of  approximately 5 acres of land adjacent to Levy Park at the corner of Richmond and Wakeforest to determine the most beneficial community use of the space.

Upper Kirby has studied needs ranging from family recreation and wellness facilities and fine arts space to open gathering areas. This process will engage community residents, businesses, employees and nonprofit agencies in an exercise in placemaking to fine-tune the direction of this valuable public land.

Project for Public Spaces will hold a Placemaking Workshop, open to the public, on October 13 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at the Upper Kirby District Center at 3015 Richmond Avenue. Additional stakeholder meetings, interviews and focus groups are also being planned for October, so keep and eye out for further updates.

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. They have completed projects in over 2500 communities in 40 countries and all 50 US states.

For more information on PPS, click here.

For more information on the public workshop and planning events, contact the Upper Kirby District at 713-524-8000.
The Upper Kirby District Center
Serving Houston's Non-Profit Community Since 1998
The Upper Kirby District Center opened its doors in 1998 in response to the need for affordable office space for nonprofit charitable organizations.
 
To further meet the needs of small and startup nonprofit organizations, the Upper Kirby District Center has recently converted a large single-user tenant space into eighteen "incubator" offices. Rental rates range from $225 to $700 per month.
 
The Upper Kirby District Center's location adjacent to Levy Park and its close proximity to US 59 between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway makes it an ideal setting to grow your nonprofit organization.

For more information, please call 713.524.8000.
If you have a new business, development or community event that you would like included in the monthly Upper Kirby news, please contact us at 713.524.8000 or submit to [email protected]
 
Requests will be posted subject to space availability and appropriateness of content.
Upper Kirby is a constantly evolving urban area marked by an outstanding location, great shopping, unique residential neighborhoods, smart development and a small town feel. It is an area of successful businesses, involved communities and a synergy between the public and private sectors. It is the heartbeat of Houston and everywhere you want to be.