Design & Inspiration Today: Houston's Montrose Trees Live for Today & Tomorrow

Victory for the trees!  Montrose Live Oaks Saved! We are thrilled to announce that the City of Houston and TIRZ 27 have begun construction of the revised Montrose Boulevard Improvement Plan that will preserve all the trees on both sides of Montrose Boulevard (approximately 60 trees saved in Phase 1 and ~400 trees had the old design continued into Phase 2).  Moreover, the plan leaves the medians — and the trees within them — undisturbed,...

Apr 26, 2025

We are thrilled to announce that the City of Houston and TIRZ 27 have begun construction of the revised Montrose Boulevard Improvement Plan that will preserve all the trees on both sides of Montrose Boulevard (approximately 60 trees saved in Phase 1 and ~400 trees had the old design continued into Phase 2).  Moreover, the plan leaves the medians — and the trees within them — undisturbed, ensuring the protection of our treasured green canopy.

This outcome represents a major victory for the Montrose community — a true example of how thoughtful planning, civic engagement, and strong leadership can work together.

The revised plan includes:

• All of the drainage improvements originally proposed, plus additional sewer inlets installed even further along Montrose to address known ponding problems.
• User-activated, signal-controlled safe pedestrian crossings, improving safety for everyone who crosses Montrose.
• Sidewalk lighting that will enhance both the safety and aesthetics of this area.
• Maintains existing lane widths, ensuring critical safety for this major thoroughfare — the primary north-south connection for emergency vehicles accessing the Texas Medical Center.  
• Preserves the existing median width, protecting the live oaks' root systems and canopies from the severe damage that would have occurred under the original plan.
• Sidewalks widened to 6 feet wherever possible, with select areas narrowing to 4 feet to carefully navigate around major trees — ensuring both walkability and tree preservation.

While Bike Houston and other advocacy groups had pushed for 10-foot-wide sidewalks throughout the project, achieving that design would have required removing all the existing trees on both sides of Montrose — a loss the community was unwilling to accept.  This revised plan strikes a better balance — providing significant pedestrian improvements while saving every mature tree that defines Montrose’s character.

We extend special thanks to Mayor John Whitmire for listening, asking tough and thoughtful questions, and having the common sense and courage to make the right decisions. His leadership was instrumental in achieving a solution that balances progress with preservation.  

Please send Whitmire an email saying THANKS!  mayor@houstontx.gov

Copy savemontroseliveoaks@gmail.com

Finally, we thank every one of you — the neighbors, volunteers, and supporters — who stood up, spoke out, and stayed engaged.  This victory belongs to all of us! Together, we have proven that Montrose’s green heritage can be protected — and that our voices matter.

Stay tuned for more updates as the project moves forward — and thank you for helping Save the Montrose Live Oaks!

https://www.change.org/p/save-montrose-s-live-oak-trees-preserve-our-shade-canopy/u/33468614?cs_tk=Ay-wxoaMDHRcH_59FmgAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvDEwYTYzZDI2NjQ0MzkzM2Y1NWVlZTQyYTYwODVmMDQ0OGY2OGQxOTA4YzY0ZDlmOWM1NGUyZDE1NjYzZGYyMGY%3D&utm_campaign=8538b7c4581348ee8de675cb48b8c43a&utm_content=initial_v0_9_0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs