SPOTLIGHT
Important Meetings and EventsComments or Questions? Use this Contact form. I send out eblasts about once a month and would be happy to add you to the list. Thanks!
- You may sign up for public comment in advance or at the meeting
- Town Hall Rules of Procedure
Board of Adjustment – Agenda for May 19, 2022 @ 7 PM – request to expand Lot Coverage on Pine St. CANCELLED
Find Current Agendas for Council and all Boards and Commissions Here
Residents can attend most meetings in person or via U-verse Channel 99, Comcast Channel 16, or on the City’s Facebook page
Find the City Manager’s Weekly Memos here
Website Redesign Survey Please take the time to help the City staff better understand and improve the City website.
You can send comments to City Council and request public records here
FY2022 COB Adopted Budget
FY2022 Consolidated Financial Statement
Tax Rate Remains $0.4473 per $100Mosquito Spray Program Information Here’s a “No Spray Request” for citizens who do not want the spraying to occur near their home. “No Spray Request Form”
Problems with stray cats? If you are in Bellaire borrow a live trap from the BPD. Check with SNAP for low-cost spay or neuter https://www.snapus.org/houston/. Friends for Life https://friends4life.org/programs-and-events/fixhouston/ HOPE https://www.homelesspets.net/feral-cats/TNR Houston site: https://www.houstontx.gov/barc/trap_neuter_return.html and PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THESE ORGANIZATIONS.
Wonder what happened to your flood insurance discount? Find out here.
New Bellaire High – Expected Completion in 2022
Construction on the new Bellaire High school began in 2018. The original building was demolished during the week of July 13-17, 2021. Find a Quick update here.
The ne
w school was financed by the 2012 HISD bond election and completion is expected in 2022.
100 Years of Bellaire History!
Click on the Trolley to view the Table of Contents for Lynn McBee’s history of Bellaire. Great information on your Home Town!
And for a terrific photo history check this out: www.bellairebook.com
Our Environment
Recycling, organic gardening, less pesticides – all win/wins for our kids and our community. So are reusable bags!
Find informative articles here.Left Overs From the 2016 Bond Issue
Spruce and Fifth Streets –
Now the subject of a lawsuit, the $3.2 million in contracts for this project called for completion by February 15, 2020. A drive through the area feels as though you’re in a rundown fun house. Here’s some background on this project.
Houston Metro is planning a circulator routefrom the Gulfton area to the Westpark Transit Center. This C
enter also connects the Silver Line to the Northwest Transit Center.
Bolivar – What has happened to this quiet tree-lined cul-de-sac?
At a cost of amost $2 million more in bond funds.!
No More City Of Homes?
According to the City manager and staff our longtime City logo, representing Bellaire as a City of Homes, will soon be gone, thanks to City Council and the $50,000 branding study. Read more here.
Author Archives: Jane McNeel
How Are Things Going In The UV-D District?
UPDATE: Portions of the recently completed 5200 block of Spruce are under demolition and reconstruction due to improper installation of electrical conduit and irrigation lines. Another problem is ponding and poor drainage. The good news is that the cost is … Continue reading
Bellaire P&Z’s Discussion About Questionable Zoning Ordinances
Apparently some of our zoning ordinances aren’t in line the the Comprehensive Plan, and the Planning and Zoning Commission is tasked with review of those “inconsistencies”. Although the Comp Plan is just that, a plan, and one that is constantly … Continue reading
Discussion On Flood Mitigation At The April 4, 2022, City Council Meeting
Councilmember Gordon made a compelling presentation on flood mitigation in Bellaire at the recent Council meeting, which in turn sparked a lively and informative discussion on past floods and future possibilities. Find the PowerPoint Presentation here and a link to … Continue reading
Urban Renewal? PDs For 4800 Fournace & 5901 South Rice Avenue Are Approved
UPDATE 3/30/2022: The last meeting on these PD applications, styled as Bellaire Place, was held on March 21, 2022, when a portion of the PDs was approved. Here’s a link to that meeting. After a Public Hearing in January and … Continue reading
P&Z Hearing March 10, 2022, For 5201 Bellaire Blvd
UPDATE 4/18/2022: The application was approved by a 5-0 vote from P&Z. The application will now move to City Council. Find a Summary below from the Agenda for a hearing for a new food establishment at 5201 Bellaire Blvd. Several … Continue reading
ChristChurch Presbyterian in Bellaire Is For Sale
UPDATE: At the P&Z meeting on February 10, 2022, the commission members discussed the current residential zoning and the apparent intent by the owners or the real estate agents to market the Church property as commercial. They requested that City … Continue reading
Why Are We Really Losing City Staff? What Should We Expect From Management and City Council?
In the last 6 months of 2021 numerous mid-level and high-level employees left the City of Bellaire’s employ. A recent claim of the Mayor and his candidates in the 2021 City election was that City employees are unhappy and leaving … Continue reading
City Council Election And More Possible Changes At City Hall
The election for Mayor and three members of City Council is over. A slate of candidates has been elected: Winfred Frazier, Ross Gordon, and Brian Witt, who ran as a slate and were supported by the Mayor, who ran unoppposed. … Continue reading
P&Z Wll Consider 3 PD Applications For The NBSDD, The Former Chevron Site
Update 11/24/2021: P&Z essentially approved the three applications at the November 18th meeting, with an agreement to add some clarifications or conditions. The Chairman will draft a written agreement for approval. Once the P&Z process is complete the applications will … Continue reading
Trying To Deconstruct The Bellaire City Budget
UPDATE: The City of Bellaire Budget FY2022 was adopted on September 20, 2021. Interpreting the budget doesn’t get any easier. Please take some time to review these pertinent items. Better yet, grab a cup of coffee and review the Adopted … Continue reading
Any Thoughts On Short Term Rentals In Bellaire?
UPDATE 8/3/2021: A vote on the agenda item was postponed after it became apparent that only Councilmembers Lewis and Hotze felt the ordinance was justified at this time. Towards the end of the meeting Bellaire’s City Attorney, Alan Petrov, confirmed … Continue reading
Some Thoughts On The Orations By Members Of City Council Re The Proposed NBSDD
UPDATE May 25, 2021: The new zoning ordinance was approved by a 4 to 3 vote on May 24, 2021. The May 3, 2021, the City Council meeting ended after almost 5-1/2 hours. The proposed language for the new zoning … Continue reading
UPDATE on Public Hearing Before City Council – Proposed Zoning For The Old Texaco/Chevron Property
UPDATE May 25, 2021: The new zoning ordinance was approved by City Council on a 4 to 3 vote on May 24, 2021. UPDATE 5/5/2021: After another 5 hour marathon session on May 3rd, this matter has been postponed. A … Continue reading
Bellaire City Library’s 70th Anniversary!
In May of 2021 the Bellaire City Library will celebrate 70 years of service to Bellaire residents. In January of 1951 a committee was named from the Bellaire Women’s Civic Club for the formation of a Bellaire Library. The Friends … Continue reading
The Parking Lot At 4300 Bellaire Blvd Will Soon Be Gone!
The City of Bellaire has reached an agreement with the developers of Southside Commons regarding the parking lot illegally permitted and built on the CenterPoint property at the entrance to the City. The lot will be removed by our Public … Continue reading
Bellaire’s Timeline For Water Service + CenterPoint Update 2-19-2021
The City distributed this information on the lack of City water on February 17, 2021. Frozen pipes were not the main problem, and this information was helpful: We are aware that there has been a lot of confusion regarding the … Continue reading
Why Would Bellaire Pay Over $400,000 For Building Officials?
What Happened To Our Building Officials? Update 6/10/2021: The City has hired a new building official,building official, and plans examiner. Development Services should be fully staffed. For some reason the City of Bellaire has chosen not to hire, or even … Continue reading
Is Bellaire Ready For The Cost, Uncertainty Of Turning Over Wastewater Treatment To Houston And Demolition Of Our Wastewater Treatment Plant?
UPDATE 1/25/2021: Updates On Current Events UPDATE 10/21/2020: City Council voted 5-2 to approve a 1% match in the $65 million dollar CDBG-MIT grant application at the October 19, 2020, meeting. The application includes the demolition of our wastewater treatment … Continue reading
HISD Baseball Field Layout and Conditions – November 2, 2020
This is from the Mayor’s blog, 11/10/2020. A modified design and 20 conditions:
A Lawsuit, HISD Fields, Our WWTP.2, The Siemens Contract, And Evelyn’s Park. Good grief!
The action never stops, no wonder we ordinary Bellaire citizens can’t keep up! Read this post item by item, or drop down to your area of interest. All of this affects our future.
What’s The Point Of Our Urban Village-Downtown?
On August 20, 2020, Bellaire’s Board of Adjustment voted NO, 4 to 2, on a request from O’Reilly’s Auto Parts for a variance in the zoning of the UV-D to construct a new one-story building at their current location at … Continue reading
P&Z Hearing 8/13/20 – Update 9/4/20 – The Parking Lot At 4300 Bellaire Boulevard
UPDATE 9/4/2020: A Public Hearing was held on Thursday, August 13, 2020, before the Planning and Zoning Commission, for the parking lot at 4300 Bellaire Blvd. I counted twenty speakers opposed the zoning request, no one spoke in favor. The … Continue reading
Not Interested In Bellaire’s Proposed FY2021 Budget? How About A $6 Million Dollar Dog Pound?
Bellaire’s Municipal budgets are dry and hard to digest. Lots of verbiage, numbers, graphs, etc. It’s understandable that most residents don’t spend time reviewing them, and so may have missed the $6 million dollar Dog Pound that was added to … Continue reading
51 Trees May Be Removed From The Gordon Elementary Campus
UPDATE 11/11/22020: Council has approved the 2-field plan but with numerous conditions. Find those conditions and the new layout here. UPDATE: The public hearing by City Council for this application has been postponed to sometime in August 2020 or whenever … Continue reading
A Status Construction Owner Spoke At City Council
Public Comments at the July 6, 2020, Council meeting included a call from Raquel Boujourne, the owner and president of A Status Construction LLC, the contractor responsible for the Spruce/Fifth project. Ms. Boujourne stated that her company has been blamed … Continue reading
Bellaire After The Virus Shutdown – In Transit and On Hold
City of Bellaire Economics in 2020 – A New Paradigm The economic damage from the current health crisis is alarming, and the City of Bellaire anticipates a decrease in revenues FY2020. At the April 6, 2020, City Council meeting Council … Continue reading
Open Letter – Bolivar, A Double Standard. Is It Time For A Change?
February 17, 2020 Dear Mayor Friedberg and members of City Council, The City Manager’s weekly memo of 2/14/20 … Continue reading
Bellaire City Council – A 5 Hour Marathon
The January 27, 2020, council meeting, the second of the year, was eventful – and long. After discussing and approving various ordinances, some passing after minor tweaks, the meeting moved on to Items for Consideration.
Bellaire City Manager Addresses A Problem With Fraudulent Surety Bonds
In a recent weekly memo on 1/10/2020 Bellaire City Manager Paul Hofmann explained that last Fall it was discovered that the surety bonds provided by A Status Construction, LLC for three (3) City bond projects, totaling over $6.5 million dollars, … Continue reading
ARKK References For A Status Construction – We Have A Problem!
On January 30, 2019, Bellaire’s City engineer James Andrews of ARKK Engineers recommended a company new to Bellaire, A Status Construction, LLC, as qualified to run several construction projects funded by the 2016 bond issue, including the $2.5 million Spruce/Fifth … Continue reading
Hopes For A New Year And A New Bellaire City Council
It’s time for some thoughtful reflection on our recent City Council elections. I believe the election results revealed that our Mayor and recent Council members had lost the trust of both residents and local businesses while following the lead of … Continue reading
P&Z – HISD Sport Fields and AT&T Bissonnet @ 6400 Loop 610 – UPDATE
UPDATE 12/31/2019: Notice of public hearings on January 9, 2020, for applications from HISD for revisions to the proposed sports fields at the old Gordon Elementary site on Bissonnet and from Cushman & Wakefield, on behalf of Southwestern Bell Telephone … Continue reading
A Quick Update On The November 5th Election and December Runoff
UPDATE 12/14/2019: The results of the Bellaire Runoff Election are in. The new City Council members are Nathan Wesely for Position 4 and Jim Hotze for Position 6, joining Catherine Lewis on City Council in January, 2020. Here’s the Agenda.
Why Has Bellaire, Our City of Homes, Become A Target For Commercial Developers?
Scan the most recent posts on this site. You’ll find articles on developer requests to rezone numerous Bellaire properties. Not requests to construct developments that comply with current zoning, but to change it. These developers want more, in essence to … Continue reading
4800 Fournace Place – P&Z Meetings – UPDATES
UPDATE 12/17/19: No decisions at 12/12/19 on SLS Properties, 4900 Fournace. The next step is the meeting in January, 2020. Environmental issues are still a high priority with residents, as well as the scale of the proposed development. Click for … Continue reading
Bellaire Council’s Careless Oversight – $6.5 Million Dollars of Bond Funds
UPDATE: March, 2020 – Still no actual list of responses to reference checks from the City of Bellaire. A logical deduction: perhaps none were made, no one was contacted, or perhaps the responses were not positive. An Open Letter to … Continue reading
If Bellaire Can Afford A $280,000 EMS Ambulance, Why Not A Ford Pickup Truck?
Is anyone else curious about the disparity between the proposal to purchase a new EMS ambulance for $280,000, and the fact that Bellaire leases other City vehicles instead of purchasing them?
The Sky’s The Limit! At Least For Now…
Two Bellaire residents spoke at the City Council meeting on Monday, October 21, 2019, expressing their concern about a new residential construction in their area that is elevated about 10 to 12 feet off the ground. See the photo at … Continue reading
Did Bellaire Voters Miss The Fine Print in the 2016 Bond Election?
My Comments at City Council on September 16, 2019: Good Evening, Mayor and City Council, I realize that you would prefer that we simply support you in your approval of this budget. That we hand you and the City Manager … Continue reading
Where Do We Stand On The $12.8 Million Siemens Contract?
Have you received notification of the free Aquahawk Alerting system? Dealt with a water leak not far from your new water meter? Do you even know that you have a new water meter? Or what an Aquahawk is?
Bellaire – Back to Basics? Sounds Like A Plan!
“The plan takes care of “the basics” by repeatedly reinforcing the fundamental importance of neighborhood integrity in the City of Homes, as well as the priority residents place on parks and recreation opportunities, safe streets, and preservation of a small-town … Continue reading
Bellaire Budget FY2020 – And The City Manager’s Hit List!
Apparently the sky’s not really falling, since the proposed budget FY2020 presented by the City Manager increases expenditures in every major area and includes a million dollars for him to use to plan the next bond issue. Including the proposed … Continue reading
Bellaire’s Future & the Status of the 2016 Bond Funds
Click the graphic at left to review the 8 page draft of the end product from the recent City Council Workshop. It is a 5-year priority plan distributed by the City Manager, and a lot for citizens to digest. For most … Continue reading
Council Meeting March 4, 2019 – “Vote No Bonds” and A Raise For City Manager
The Council meeting on March 4th was a quiet affair with one highlight – local resident Dan Sebesta registered his objections to having his engineering qualifications questioned by the the City Manager. The highlight of his talk was his sign: … Continue reading
Cost Savings Won’t Lower The City’s Debt – See A Debt Comparison Courtesy Of The Texas Comptroller
Cost Savings and Future Costs Council sang the praises of city staff at the January 7, 2019 council meeting for some cost savings – the cost for change orders for the Municipal Facilities was reduced to $302,516. So far the … Continue reading
About Those Bids for Spruce and Fifth + Maple and Bolivar
UPDATE 2/18/2019: Find the breakdown for the final proposed cost of $5,200,890.50 for the Spruce/Fifth ($2.5 million) and Maple/Bolivar ($1.76 million) projects – plus $1 million to the engineering companies. About 10% of the 2016 bond issue. The project was … Continue reading
A Sidewalk Petition and Some Fireworks at the January 28th Council Meeting!
The January 28, 2019, City Council meeting went off like a rocket and just kept climbing. A link to the video of the meeting is available at the end of this article. Please watch the video, you’ll find it interesting.
A New Addition To The Menu: Our Environment
Find information on Bellaire’s recycling program. The wrong items in our recycle bins cost us money! Find tips on other forms of recycling via the Our Environment tab on the menu. A Holiday Note: Did you know that MOST wrapping paper is … Continue reading
2019 Budget is Adopted – Future Bond Program Planning Session – A Possible $47 million Bond Issue in 2019
The Bellaire City Council, City Manager, and City staff discussed the possibility of another bond issue in 2019. The amount proposed by City staff is $47 million. A second bond issue in 2022 was also mentioned, at this point … Continue reading
Answer The Call For A Referendum on Sidewalks
Call for Referendum To Require a Vote on Sidewalks! SidewalkChoice was founded by a group of Bellaire residents who feel the $55 million dollar 2016 Bonds for Better Bellaire bond issue left out important facts about how the funds would … Continue reading
What Happened To That $54 Million Dollars?
In response to requests for a printed version of my comments at the October 15, 2018 Council meeting I am posting it below: Good Evening Mayor, City Council, and Citizens,