On April 11 (Thursday) at 12:00 PM, the monthly meeting of the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority TIRZ20 was held in the conference room of the Southwest Management Office to discuss and resolve or propose previous proposals and progress reports. Present at the meeting were TIRZ20 Board Chairman Welcome Wilson, Vice Chairman Dale Davidson, Southwest Management District Chairman Li Xiong, Directors Lin Fugui, Stephen Le, Jr., David Hawes, Naina Magon, Annie Trinh, Linda Clayton (Hawes Hill & Associates, LLP), Hu Qi Mei, Executive Director of the Chinese Cultural Center, Li Chengsui, Chairman of the Southern Bank, Li Jinxing, a key figure in the Harwin business district development, James Vick of SWA Design Company, representatives from SMC Landscape Engineering and several urban construction-related industry representatives, as well as community representatives.
The TIRZ (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone) Committee was created by the City Council to attract new investments to the area using the tax increment funds reserved in the fund to provide funding for redevelopment costs, with the aim of assisting and representing the city in fulfilling its governmental functions to promote the common interests and basic welfare of the area. TIRZ20 includes the “Houston Southwest Reinvestment Zone” and the “Houston Southwest District”, providing funding for major projects and improvement projects such as road reconstruction, pedestrian or bicycle pathways and enhancements, and infrastructure upgrades. These projects are often too costly for the management district to bear on its own, so in return, the management district is responsible for maintenance and management, aesthetic enhancements, safety, and other value-added aspects of these “improvement projects”.
During the meeting, SMC Landscape Engineering reported on street cleaning and fence repair projects; engineering representatives from COBB FENDLEY presented updates and recommendations for road improvements from Harwin to Gessner and Fondren; the Director of the Church Youth Activity Center (“The Garden”) expressed gratitude to SWA Design Company’s James Vick for the presentation of the “Welcome Gate” arch for Chinatown, the water tower mural on Bellaire Boulevard, and the tunnel lighting design in the form of presentation slides, eliciting questions and suggestions from attendees.
Li Xiong emphasized that the “Welcome Gate” arch is not just for Chinatown, but an important symbol of the multicultural diversity of the entire Southwest area, suggesting it should be located at the busiest traffic flow point, embodying cultural, impressionable, and community pride symbols, and becoming a tourist attraction. With the gathering of diverse cultural restaurants from different countries in the Southwest area, it is believed that the appearance of these multicultural landmark buildings will create more business opportunities and prosperity. Lin Fugui highlighted living in the Southwest area for 40 years, expressing excitement and anticipation for the construction of the arch, stating “This is my territory, this is my home”.
Welcome Wilson pointed out that with the projects implemented in the area, commercial and real estate opportunities continue to improve, leading to ongoing development within the TIRZ20 area; the extension from Rogerdale Road to Bellaire Boulevard to the Westpark Tollway creates new opportunities for commercial and office building developments; the Harwin business corridor and “Chinatown” as a hub for shopping and dining business investments continue to strengthen their status, partly due to the improvements on Bellaire Boulevard. The Board’s monthly meeting is held on the second Thursday of each month at noon and is open to the public, welcoming everyone to participate in building a perfect community.