East Aldine unveils dynamic improvements
By Alan Bernstein
HOUSTON — Making it harder to maintain its status as “the best kept secret in Houston,” more than 125 members of the rapidly strengthening East Aldine community today celebrated the grand opening of dynamic public amenities at its Town Center.
Proud residents, elected officials, East Aldine Management District staff and other partners cut a ceremonial ribbon at a three-story office building, a commissioned lobby mural called “Building Community: The Story of Aldine;” an amphitheater and audience lawn; and outdoor recreational features next to the giant Keith-Wiess Park. The project anticipates the needs of the long-overlooked area, just south of Bush Intercontinental Airport, that increased its hard-working, family-rooted population by 63,000 in the last decade, twice the prior number.
The community’s growth, demographics and location make it ripe for further commercial, industrial and retail development, especially as distribution centers and other enterprises take advantage of the area’s availability of land and proximity to the airport and highways.
New segments of the Town Center join a Lone Star College branch, BakerRipley and HOPE Clinic non-profit centers and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center as neighbors. Phase Three is for commercial development and is expected to include a supermarket; private commercial property across Aldine Mail Route has already been developed in response.
The growing Town Center is the product of a $100 million investment by private and public entities, David Hawes, executive director of the management district, explained to the audience, referring to the area as “the best kept secret in Houston.”
“The people in this community have wanted a better life for so many years,” said management district Board Chair Joyce Wiley. “It’s been full speed ahead, and the people are enjoying it.”
“All this area is really transforming,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. “So I look forward to seeing what’s happening here.”
“This is one of the best examples of a true partnership,” State Sen. Carol Alvarado said. “We have the private sector, you have multiple layers of entities of the public sector, and we ought to celebrate these types of partnerships.”
State Rep. Armando Walle, who grew up in the area, added, “For us it’s so important that the investment stays in the community. Those efforts will pay dividends with the human capital we are trying to create.”