Email the City, Walmart, and Ainbinder and let them know the plans should be released to the community.

Please voice your concerns to the following email Addresses:

Letter below.

Dear Walmart, The Ainbinder Company and Brown & Gay:

I am writing this letter to ask you to make public the drainage plans for the Walmart Supercenter that is planned to be part of the Washington Heights District development on Yale, St. in Houston, Texas.  Responsible Urban Development for Houston requested the drainage plans from the City of Houston but was told that Walmart may lodge an objection with the Texas Attorney General.  If Walmart does object and the Texas Attorney General upholds the objection, residents would never be able to review the drainage plans.  That is not acceptable considering that Walmart will be a beneficiary of over $6,000,000.00 in taxpayer dollars for this development.

This Walmart Supercenter is planned for a flood prone area near White Oak Bayou.  The development is supposed to use just over $300,000.00 of taxpayer dollars for onsite drainage detention.  Yet, there have been indications that there will be no drainage detention.  I am concerned that no drainage detention will mean additional flooding problems for the area and for residents downstream.  Accordingly, I am asking you to immediately and voluntarily make the drainage plans public and to forego objections before the Texas Attorney General.  If drainage plans are adequate, there should be nothing to hide.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

As you know, we have been working very closely with City officials to change the face of this development. There are safety and traffic concerns that are very real to our community and we are making progress in getting necessary changes. However, City officials are not the only players in this game. This project has a developer who stands to make a lot of money off this development. Isn’t it strange, then, that it is not featured on the Ainbinder Company’s website with the other projects they seem so proud of? Could it be because this project is nothing to brag about? Let’s email the developer and see if he can’t work with the community to create something we can all be proud of!

Because Walmart is also a player in this game and the size of their proposed store exacerbates traffic concerns to a high degree, we are including them on this email as well. Please feel free to personalize this letter as you see fit!

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mca@ainbinder.com, bld@ainbinder.com, lance.gilliam@moodyrambin.com, sfquinn@wal-mart.com, eduardo.castro-wright@walmart.com, jeff.gearhart@wal-mart.com, charles.holley@walmart.com, rjmcall@wal-mart.com, bill.simon@wal-mart.com, srobsonwalton@wal-mart.com, jack.sinclair@wal-mart.com, carl.muller@wal-mart.com, rob.bray@wal-mart.com, info@rudh.org

Dear Mr. Ainbinder:

As a resident of the neighborhood surrounding the proposed Washington Heights project, I recently visited the Ainbinder Co. website to see what I could learn about this development. I was surprised to find that, although you have listed numerous un-built projects, the Heights development and Walmart receive no mention on your site. I also took note that a number of your unbuilt projects were listed as “lifestyle centers” and “mixed-use” developments.

Is the Heights Walmart project so undesirable, even to your potential clients, that your company’s primary website will not associate with it? Why is our high-value urban site not appropriate for mixed-use development that you are pursuing with other projects?

With other Houston developers taking the lead in envisioning high-density, mixed-use development (i.e. West Ave on Upper Kirby), it’s time for the Ainbinder Co. to rethink this development and create something of high value to the neighborhood and the City of Houston. Better developments mean better tax revenue generation, a better lasting reputation for you, and something we can all be proud of.

Sincerely,

Answers to your questions still remain unanswered!  The City has failed to respond to us as promised!  Please email them and let them know you will not let the city blow you off!

Call CM Gonzalez: 832.393.3003

Dear CM Gonzalez:

Responsible Urban Development for Houston’s [RUDH] technical team met with Planning and Development Services representatives Andy Icken and Mark Loethen on Monday January 24,2011. At that meeting, RUDH outlined serious public safety concerns and asked for additional information and answers to assist in analyzing Kimley-Horn’s Traffic Impact Analysis for the Washington Heights development. The City promised answers to these questions by Friday, January 28, 2011, and promised that there would be no approval of the TIA until community concerns were addressed.

As of today, the City has not provided answers and calls left at your office remain unreturned. Over a hundred people stood before you at last weeks’ Public Meeting and stressed the need for the detailed data, answers to RUDHs queries and independent verification of the TIA to ensure that public safety does not take a back-seat to unchecked development.

Your constituents face the reality of failing bridges and intersections. Residents of the Heights, West End and Washington Corridor are expecting you to keep your word to act as a “watchdog” of this process.  We urge transparency and the release of answers and detailed data, today.

Sincerely,

It has been 12 days since the initial request for this critical meeting. There can be no more scheduling delays. There’s no time like the present to deal with critical public safety and failing traffic conditions.

Tell CM Gonzalez: SET THE MEETING!

(Letter content and addresses below)

SEND TO: districth@houstontx.gov

CC: info@rudh.org

Dear Councilmember Gonzalez:

It has now been twelve days since the initial request for a private, face-to-face meeting with City engineers and other appropriate parties in order to discuss serious public safety and congestion issues revealed in Kimley-Horn’s recently submitted Traffic Impact Analysis for the proposed Washington Heights.

During the Wednesday, January 19 Council session, Council members Lovell, Noriega and Jones affirmed that this meeting must take place. Roberto Medina at Public Works & Engineering has also graciously confirmed that his department is willing to attend a face-to-face meeting. We have been assured that no approvals can take place until these issues have been addressed and resolved.

Your constituents are relying on your prompt action to set this meeting – there can be no more delays. Our neighborhood must be afforded the same protections as given to residents of Southhampton as they fought against excessive traffic impacts. Our issues are, unfortunately, more critical in both volume of traffic and public safety. We look forward to your active representation to resolve these critical issues that can so gravely impact our quality of life in this historic neighborhood.

We will be pleased announce to our 8,000+ members, on and offline, that our Councilmember has initiated this private meeting to resolve these issues. RUDH supporters remain highly engaged with this development and are expecting a positive resolution to these negative impacts.

We also look forward to your attendance at RUDHs Public Meeting, Wednesday January 26^th at 6:30 at the Council of Alcohol and Drugs, 303 Jackson Hill Street, Houston, Texas 77007

Sincerely,

We have a new addition to our web site — a page dedicated to the RUDH Local Business Coalition! RUDH continues to support local businesses in and around the Heights. Our community’s diversity offers up so many choices – we can watch hand-made piñatas dry, get schooled in hardware, slurp some delicious noodles and buy locally grown produce, all in an afternoon.

If you’re a local business, contact RUDH! We’d love to introduce you to our friends. Let’s protect our investment in our community. Keep the Heights Local!

For more information email: LocalBusiness@RUDH.org.