DEVELOPMENT Master plan nears completion at WillowWaterholeGreenway
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ
However, events would still be able to take place even when the site takes on water following a storm event, she said. “Those things can keep going, resting assured they still have access to their portion of the site, and they won’t have a soggy site,” she said. The detention would be created in a way that serves as an amenity to visitors and supports wildlife, Leonard said. Natalye Appel—owner of Natalye Appel and Associates Architects—said she has high hopes for what the area can become. At the Feb. 21 meeting, she said no drilling was conducted at the site when Shell worked on it. Instead, Shell used the site to test ttings and other more physical items related to drilling, Appel said. “But the really interesting thing, I think … is they also tested processes for green energy and cleanup of the environment,” Appel said. “Just as we’re interested in bringing forth new ideas about clean energy and the sustainability of the site, some of these things were already going on.” Some of the testing infrastructure still on-site could be converted into a museum, Leonard said. An elevated walkway could allow people to get close to and learn about what went on at the site under Shell and the technologies they used. During the study process, Lion- heart looked at other industrial sites that were converted into mixed-use developments, including the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio, she said.
Plans are being workshopped for how to use a site formerly occupied by the petrochemical company Shell in the Willow Waterhole Greenway and could include an outdoor performance venue, sports elds and a skate park. The greenway is a 300-acre network of lakes, prairie, marsh and park amenities along Brays Bayou in southwest Houston. At a Feb. 21 meeting of the Brays Bayou Associ- ation, o cials working on the site’s master plan told attendees that a public open house is being planned for late April to present details. “We need to have people who love this site as much as the people who worked on this site loved it,” said Rebecca Leonard, CEO of Lionheart Places—the rm brought on to draft the plan—at the Feb. 21 meeting. The land was bought by the city of Houston in 2019 to be converted into a detention basin, but the city later tasked the Brays Oaks Management District with redeveloping the site into a community amenity. The man- agement district—which is a munici- pal group composed of residents and property owners—then sought out Lionheart, which is working on the master plan alongside Natalye Appel and Associates Architects. The site is proposed to house the Levitt Pavilion, an outdoor theater, and signi cant portions of it will also be used for detention, holding roughly four feet of water during heavy rain events, Leonard said.
A former Shell plant at WillowWaterhole Greenway is slated to be redeveloped with community amenities. (Courtesy Brays Oaks Management District)
Guiding the greenway
Work on a master plan is ongoing, but some ideas for the site were shared at a Feb. 21 meeting.
Sports eld
Dog park
Skate park
Outdoor cafe
Playground
Outdoor market
Performance space
Rentable private event space
Outdoor classroom
Picnic area
S. WILLOW DR.
GASMER DR.
WILLOW WATERHOLE GREENWAY
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SOURCE: LIONHEART PLACES COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Planners said they are gathering more public feedback on the ideas. Other possible plans for the site include pedestrian walkways that connect into Willow Waterhole trails, an outdoor cafe, a skate park, a rentable private event space and an outdoor market space. Another proposed space at the site could include a library, o ce and classroom space. The theater group Company OnStage has expressed
interest in having a long-term home on the site, Leonard said. Other remaining questions plan- ners are looking to get more public feedback on include ways to connect visitors with nature and what kinds of community events are most in-de- mand. O cials expect to get a better sense of the cost and timeline of the project as design work continues. A capital campaign to raise funds could launch in mid-2022.
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