West Alabama Street
As of July 21, he said his team has finalized a draft response to questions, which he said will be posted on the TIRZ website after review by the Public Engagement Committee. He said many questions were related to the community's desire for bike lanes, safe crossings and driveway widths.
Ali and other board members addressed several questions from residents and public commenters during the board meeting.
Joanna Hitchcock, a Montrose resident, asked the board why it wasn't possible to bury the power lines along West Alabama Street as part of the project, which the Upper Kirby TIRZ is doing for its portion of the reconstruction. Ali said it is due to the Montrose area not having a management district.
"Upper Kirby has a program with their management district, the city and Center Point to bury their utilities," he said. "Unfortunately, we do not have a management district, so we cannot do that. It has to be a tri-party agreement. I don't like overhead utilities either; it's an eyesore. If we could bury it, it would make a lot of sense, but we just do not have that in Montrose."
Alex Spike, a longtime Montrose resident, said that the engagement leading up to the open house for the West Alabama Street reconstruction project was inadequate, with only a seven-day prior notice and a public comment period that ended after the July Fourth holiday weekend. His sentiment was echoed by other public speakers.
"I really worry about what public engagement looks like at this TIRZ board, and if it's acting in good faith," Spike said. "I hope that there is change going forward."
Montrose Boulevard
As part of the project, portions of the intersections at West Dallas and West Clay Street were closed July 10 for reconstruction. Floyd Mastener, president of the North Montrose Civic Association, said the board provided inadequate signage and a lack of direct communication of the closure, and a detour sign was not installed at the intersection until July 21.
"I'm not criticizing the need for these closures to accomplish the goals of the project," Mastener said. "However, the TIRZ board, its public engagement committee and MC2 have dropped the ball when it comes to communicating with its residents and drivers. We want to know when these intersections will be reopened or when they will be further impacted by the project."
Montrose board officials discussed ways to address the communication issues raised for both projects, with the consensus to potentially start providing weekly or biweekly updates on the TIRZ website and social media pages.
Latest updates
A detailed progress report was also shared during the meeting on the current status of both projects.
As of July 21, Ali said the eastbound lanes of the Montrose Boulevard project will be closed for another two to three weeks, with a goal to finish the underground utility work before Houston ISD's first day of school Aug. 12.
According to the latest construction information on the TIRZ website, the Montrose Boulevard sidewalk from West Dallas Street to Allen Parkway will also be closed until July 25 for removal and replacement. A temporary asphalt sidewalk was put in place further from the roadway in the meantime.
For the West Alabama Street project, Ali said the next step is to finalize and submit the report to the Public Works Department by the end of July. Design is expected to continue through fall 2026, with construction set to begin in late 2026.
