3. An Integrated Plan
Houston s expanded waterfront is defined by grand promenades along the Bayou edge from Bagby Street to Jensen Street. WaterView District is planned to extend along the Bayou edge as the low foreground of Houston s dramatic Skyline District the re-emerging center of town as vibrant as in the days of settlement around Allen s Landing. It can be as fresh and appealing in its human dimensions and detail. With low and mid-scale buildings on mid-sized blocks it can be popular as a pedestrian-oriented, richly diverse place to be, to work, shop, live and visit. WaterView describes an amalgam of residential, live-work, cultural, and recreational opportunities along lively streets, where passages and cross-block arcades will invite window shopping and exploring on foot. Anchored in regional destinations, from Gable Street Place to Sam Houston Park, WaterView will open new possibilities of retail growth intermixed with cafes, restaurants, galleries, and gathering places. There is considerable residential capacity to attract well-scaled developments on these now-underutilized blocks, using apartments and studios above street level shops. The WaterView plan expands the Historic and Theater Districts with a new mix of attractions, and it looks out toward Bayou Island where, behind the County Court campus, there is space to accommodate an expanding Arts District.
On the grand promenade at Gable Street Landing, the view south looks down Crawford Street toward Minute Maid Field, home of the Houston Astros, and beyond to the Convention Center. Gable Street Power Station, visible in the foreground at left, has potential for restoration. The site opposite, at the end of Baker Street (currently warehousing) would offer a prominent and visible location for a cultural institution.
Gable Street Landing and Promenade are envisioned as a north-south axis looking toward the ball park and Convention Center.
Gable Street Power Station, visible but rarely seen from end of Baker Street. 45