The city proposed renaming Orchard Street to Ruben Davis Drive[/caption]Ruben Davis Drive
The council voted 5-1 in favor of renaming the street, while Council Member Jerry Wyatt cast the opposing vote. Council Member Yolanda Ford was absent.
Wyatt said he wanted the council to approve a street-naming policy before renaming Orchard Street. As constable, Davis was employed by the county but was described by residents as helpful and friendly.
"Naming a city [street] for somebody who threatened to sue this city is wrong," Wyatt said, regarding complaints he said Davis filed during a previous election. He claimed that Mayor Allen Owen put the item on the council's agenda as a way to appease voters, while people in the audience criticized his argument.
“Ruben was a friend of mine," said Judge Joel Clouser, Fort Bend County justice of the peace for Precinct 2. "I felt so safe with Constable Davis’s services as a judge.”
City accepts playground grant
Quail Valley North Playground was damaged by arson.[/caption]The council also authorized City Manager Anthony Snipes to accept a $50,000 grant from the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation to replace the playground at Quail Valley North Park. The previous playground was destroyed by arson more than five years ago and few pieces remain at the site, according to meeting documents.
The grant will cover the cost of the equipment, which will be assembled by volunteers from the community, according to the city. City funds will be used to prepare the site by adding an access route to the playground, a weed barrier and artificial wood chips, according to meeting documents.
Quail Valley North Park serves 1,900 households, with 1,400 of those listed as households with families, according to meeting documents.
Residents object to planned apartments
At the start of the meeting, two city residents spoke against a request to rezone approximately 23 acres of land along Texas Parkway between Cartwright Road and Turtle Creek Drive for—among other uses—a senior housing complex and an apartment building. The residents said increased development on the site would lead to traffic, crime and environmental concerns.
Christian Bible Church is proposing to anchor the site with a 40,000-square-foot worship center, classrooms, offices and gymnasium, while two acres would be used for commercial retail space. The plan has been approved by the Missouri City Planning and Zoning Commission but the council has not voted on the site, Mayor pro tem Floyd Emery said.
