Neighbors of the recently approved Houston Botanic Garden (HBC), designed by New York–based West 8, oppose the plans, saying that the to-be-built garden will increase traffic in their neighborhoods and prevent neighbors from criss-crossing the site on foot, as is local custom.
Right now, the 120-acre site, in the southeastern area of Houston, is home to publicly-owned Glenbrook Golf Course. “The Park Place Civic Club is taking the position of formal opposition,” President Larry Bowles told The Houston Chronicle. “Members feel that the garden will disrupt the neighborhood environment that we’re used to here and that the open space that the current Glenbrook Golf Course provides will be in essence taken away.” The HBG organizers are planning to lease the site from the city, which means that there’s extra imperative to keep the public engaged.
West 8’s plans respond to community desires for connection to the bayou, shady walking paths, access to the outdoors, and space for community events. The master plan will connect the two “precincts” of the garden, named the Island and the South Gardens, with a bridge over Sims Bayou, one of the few bayous in its natural state, that defines the northern border of the proposed park.
The bridge over the bayou is part of “Botanic Mile,” a wending drive that will take visitors to the heart of the park, an arrival plaza in the South Gardens. The design had to be hurricane- and flood-proof: Landscaping will elevate the site’s topography to bring it outside of the 100-year floodplain.
Rounding out the program are a classic glass conservatory for exotic plants, as well as amenities like a cafe, visitor’s center, lecture hall, and events pavilion.
With a goal of opening in 2020, the group has raised $5 million already, and aims to raise $15 million through 2017. Construction on the project’s first phase is expected to begin in 2018.
Tomorrow, a public meeting will be held to discuss plans for the HBG. Adriaan Geuze, co-founder and principal of West 8, will be on hand to answer residents’ questions.
