Houston Mayor John Whitmire puts Montrose flood project on hold, citing doubts about actual flooding in area

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A group of Montrose residents who have been fighting for drainage improvements said they are tired of waiting for the mayor to agree flooding is a problem in their area. They’re worried about more forecasted wet weather to come.

“We have 60-year-old drainage infrastructure, so a little rain leads to a lot of flooding,” resident Mehdi Rais said.

Alexander Spike’s 90-year-old grandmother has been through it.

“Her car got flooded, and she was stranded in the vehicle,” Spike said. “She had to be rescued by some nail salon technicians who had seen it happen, and she sat there for hours and hours waiting to get rescued.”

Spike and Rais have both attended meetings in support of what’s called the Montrose Boulevard Improvement Project.

It was supposed to fix up sidewalks, remove trees, add bike lanes, and replace the outdated drainage system on Montrose Boulevard.

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Construction was scheduled to start in February, but that has yet to happen.

The Montrose Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, is a long name for a special tax-collecting zone that promotes growth in specific areas.

Tax dollars funded the $14.7 million first segment of the Montrose Boulevard project, but it needs mayoral approval because it’s a TIRZ.

Mayor John Whitmire has put the project on pause, along with several other similar city projects.

During a May interview, he told Houston Public Media, “It’s very disputable whether Montrose at its high elevation relative to Houston is a major drainage concern.”

ABC13 reached out to Mayor Whitmire’s office Tuesday but was told he’s tied up.

However, ABC13 knows that the plan is on hold and has yet to get a response about how long that will take.

“‘Under review.’ This is the mayor of transparency. I think that’s what he campaigned on. I don’t see the transparency,” Spike said. “Our concerns aren’t being heard, and our concerns aren’t turning into action. You know, I thought we built stuff here. Let’s get building. Let’s get to work.”

“Houston will continue to flood, and if we don’t aggressively go after drainage solutions, we have no opportunity to keep up with Mother Nature,” Rais added.

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SEE ALSO: ‘It’s been hell’: Montrose residents fed up over construction project causing them problems