400 Mercury Dr, Houston, TX 77013
HERMAN BROWN PARK MASTER PLAN
BACKGROUND
A master plan has been finalized for the 901-acre acre Herman Brown Park located at 400 Mercury Dr., Houston, TX 77013. This park, along the nearby Hunting Bayou Greenway, is extremely valuable for habitat protection, wildlife conservation, and continued public use.
Houston Parks and Recreation Department was the primary partner in the master planning effort as the park is city-owned.
Concurrent with the master plan process, HPARD engaged in efforts to preserve more greenspace through the Nature Preserve Ordinance. The purpose of this ordinance is to preserve city-owned natural areas for the protection of ecological communities and native wildlife and for the ecosystem services they provide to the City of Houston. 670 acres of Herman Brown Park will be preserved under the ordinance as a nature preserve area.
For the master plan, Houston Parks Board served as the project manager, Clark Condon served as the Landscape Architecture firm, and Black Land Collaborative conducted the ecosystem assessment.
The Brown Foundation generously provided funding for the master plan.
MASTER PLAN PROCESS AND TIMELINE
The first step of the master planning effort was to identify, evaluate and consider the park’s current facilities, conditions, natural qualities, constraints, and opportunities.
The evaluation identified the following: topography, floodway/floodplain, wetlands, drainage issues, open space, park landscape quality, habitat preservation potential, enhancement opportunities, wildlife, and existing and possible connections for both the public and wildlife.
Herman Brown Park was also evaluated for ecosystem services provided to the region (wildlife, water quality, air quality, heat island reduction, carbon sequestration, etc.) and flood control planning with Harris County Flood Control District.
Outreach to stakeholders and community members was a critical component of the master plan. Over the course of six months, from November 2022 to April 2023, the design team completed an open house and community meeting, along with a survey of permitted park groups. A bilingual outreach approach bridged communication barriers, which helped to receive input from a diverse range of park visitors. Over 200 people attended the open house and community meeting, and 232 responded to the survey. In addition, the team visited the park a variety of times to observe uses and conducted targeted meetings with partners who use the park or have projects near it. The input was factored into the final master plan and corresponding documents, which can be accessed below.
Master Plan Executive Summary – English
Master Plan Executive Summary – Spanish
Master Plan Full Booklet – English
Master Plan Appendix – English
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Or just want to provide input? Email info@houstonparksboard.org anytime.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND EVENTS
All community outreach has been conducted for the Herman Brown Park Master Plan. We appreciate everyone who participated!
PREVIOUS COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND EVENTS
Herman Brown Park Community Meeting | Wednesday, February 23, 2023
On Wednesday, February 23, 2023, Houston Parks Board, in coordination with Houston Parks and Recreation Department, hosted a community meeting for attendees to see how their input from the November 2022 open house was factored into concepts for the Herman Brown Park Master Plan. At the end of the meeting, attendees voted on their preferred concept.
To view materials from the meeting, including a PDF of the presentation, the concept boards, and a community meeting summary in English and Spanish, click here.
Herman Brown Open House | Wednesday, November 9, 2022
On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, community members spent an evening under the stars at Herman Brown Park to provide input on the future of this park.
Attendees enjoyed a free dinner, door prizes, homework help for the kids, music, and much more.
Community members answered a series of questions about their use of the park as well as expressed their desires for any changes.
