"The trees along Montrose are critically important to the neighborhood, and we are committed to resolving this matter." That line appears on the Montrose TIRZ 27 project page for the Montrose Boulevard rebuild. It was posted on a project that is close to finished.
The concrete is down. The page says construction is "wrapping up over the next few weeks," and the streetlights are "progressing towards being turned on." Many of the young trees planted along the corridor are not doing well, though, and the contractor will replace the affected ones this fall. The neighborhood already argued about trees before construction started. It is now arguing about them again on the projects that come next.
What Half a Mile of New Boulevard Includes
The rebuild covers 0.5 miles of Montrose Boulevard, from Allen Parkway to just south of West Clay Street. It is a four-lane concrete road with a median, sidewalks, signals and new plantings. Most of the cost went into parts a driver never sees:
- Pavement built to last. The old asphalt and concrete were replaced with 11-inch concrete pavement, designed to last at least 50 years.
- Drainage underneath. The old 48-inch and 54-inch storm pipes were replaced with 10-foot by 10-foot concrete box culverts. Together they can hold roughly five acre-feet of stormwater, about 1.6 million gallons.
- Sidewalks that change width along the way. From Allen Parkway to West Dallas, the east side has an 8-foot sidewalk and the west side keeps its existing landscape buffer and mature trees. From West Dallas to West Clay, both sides have 6-foot sidewalks that narrow to 4 or 5 feet around existing trees.
- Crossings and light. There is a HAWK pedestrian signal at West Clay near Wharton Elementary, an upgraded signal at West Dallas, no-right-on-red signs, high-visibility crosswalks, and City-owned Davit double-luminaire streetlights.
The road was also built to carry METRO's BOOST 56 high-frequency bus service. METRO lists the Allen Parkway to White Oak Drive segment of that project as complete in design and construction.
The schedule slipped late in the project. The TIRZ's August 2026 progress report said to "expect final completion in September." In the September 2026 report, the contractor was still "waiting on materials to complete final punch list item." That leftover punch-list item is a minor issue. The trees on the same page of that report are the bigger one.
Why the Trees Are Being Replanted
The September report traces the problem to the ground and the hose. "High soil water absorption and inadequate summer watering resulted in severe stress of many trees." It adds that some trees were to be replaced in October. According to the TIRZ project page, every tree along the corridor has been evaluated. The contractor will replace the affected trees this fall under the project warranty at no cost to the TIRZ, and the maintenance program is being strengthened, also at no cost to the TIRZ.
The planting plan used Live Oaks to go with the existing live oaks kept along the road. North of West Dallas it added Lanana Cypress, a choice that came out of community input and is meant to lead visually toward Buffalo Bayou Park. The TIRZ also committed to watering the trees and replacing any that fail for four years after planting. This fall's replacements fall within that four-year commitment, in the first year.
The trees get this much attention because of the project's history. When the plan was first presented, KHOU reported that more than 4,000 people had signed an online petition to save trees on the boulevard. The project called for removing 57 trees and planting 137 new ones, and the TIRZ said no healthy live oaks would be removed. The same report described residents on both sides, with some asking for the plans to be reevaluated and others welcoming the wider walking path and added shade. The 137 new trees are the part of that plan now being replanted.
Every Project After the Boulevard Has a Tree Plan
The TIRZ's next projects range from new sidewalks along Mandell Street to 9.1 miles of sidewalk network, and each one includes some form of tree protection or tree preservation. Here is where each stood in the latest TIRZ and local news reports.
| Project | Limits | What gets built | Timing | Trees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherryhurst Sidewalk Improvements | Bounded by Dunlavy, Fairview, Westheimer and Yupon | New 5-foot sidewalks, wheelchair ramps, driveways | Substantially complete Sept. 3, 2026; punch list continuing | Individual tree-protection plans |
| Montrose Safe Routes to School Connections | Neighborhood-wide sidewalk network | 9.1 miles of sidewalk reconstruction, HAWK signals at Stanford/W. Gray and Stanford/W. Dallas, mid-block crossing on Columbus | Construction planned to begin October 2026, one-year duration | Individual tree-protection plans |
| Mandell Street Sidewalks | US-59 to Westheimer | 5-foot sidewalks, ADA ramps, mill and overlay, restriping, streetlight upgrades | Expected to start late October or early November 2026 | Individual tree-protection plans |
| West Alabama Reconstruction | Shepherd Drive to Spur 527, about 1.6 miles | Full roadway rebuild, larger storm sewers, new signal at Hazard | Design advancing to 75% as of September 2026 | Preserve trees, add new where possible |
On Cherryhurst, Community Impact reported in late September that the contractor was still working through ADA-related and other punch-list fixes and expected full completion by mid-October. The Safe Routes to School project is the largest of the group. Its 2025 presentation estimated about $9.4 million, paid for with federal funds. Its October start depended on City plan approval, so the actual construction date depends on that approval.
One more crew working in the area is not part of the TIRZ program. A City of Houston Public Works project is resurfacing Montrose from West Clay to Westheimer and replacing ADA ramps, spot sidewalks and storm inlets. The TIRZ says that project is not affiliated with it and directs questions to 3-1-1. On the boulevard, construction south of West Clay may look like the TIRZ rebuild continuing, but it is the City's resurfacing project.
West Alabama Comes Next
West Alabama is the next corridor-scale rebuild, and the debate over it is already underway. The TIRZ page lists an $11,149,937 grant from H-GAC, with TIRZ funds covering the rest. In August, the TIRZ's progress report said tree-protection design was in progress, with a goal "to preserve trees to the maximum extent feasible."
On October 13, Community Impact reported that a coalition of 76 Montrose organizations and businesses, organized through Friends of the Boulevard, had asked the City and the TIRZ board for more pedestrian measures. Coalition spokesperson Alexander Spike told the outlet:
"West Alabama is a civic spine for Montrose, connecting homes, businesses, schools, parks, libraries and cultural institutions. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a street that works safely for everyone."
The coalition asked for pedestrian islands, a safe crossing every 500 to 600 feet, and sidewalks at least 6 feet wide, widening to 7 or 8 feet "where mature trees and available space allow." The current City and TIRZ design calls for two 11-foot travel lanes and a center turn lane, a new signal at Hazard, leading pedestrian intervals at seven signalized intersections, three pedestrian-activated rapid flashing beacons, and 6-foot sidewalks where possible, offset from the curb. It ends with "preservation of many trees." A spokesperson for the City and the TIRZ said the design "attempted to include as many requests as possible in a limited right-of-way."
The coalition's request and the official design both mention mature trees, which means the trees will help set how wide West Alabama's sidewalks can be. On the boulevard, sidewalks already narrow to 4 or 5 feet around existing trees, so that tradeoff has a precedent.
What You Can Walk to Now
From the north end of the rebuilt stretch, these places are already open:
- The Ismaili Center, 2323 Allen Parkway. Entry to the building and gardens is free. It is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Guided 45-minute tours can be booked ahead.
- Buffalo Bayou Park. The Buffalo Bayou Partnership lists lighted areas as open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. FLORA at Lost Lake is at 3422 Allen Parkway. The Johnny Steele Dog Park at 2929 Allen Parkway was listed as temporarily closed because of storm impacts when the Partnership's page was updated in September.
- The pedestrian bridge over Allen Parkway. This one is still in progress. Built with Downtown TIRZ 3, it is planned as a roughly 95-foot shared-use path on the east side of Montrose. The TIRZ page still describes it as being installed, so plan on using the existing crossings for now.
The TIRZ says updates on the boulevard, including the tree replacements, will keep going up on its project page.
At The LaRose Kaileh Group, we follow these Montrose projects block by block. If you would like to talk about how the boulevard, Mandell or West Alabama affects your street, Request a Private Consultation.
