Harris Well being is in search of to safe 8.9 acres of land inside Hermann Park so as to add 100 beds to Ben Taub Hospital’s capability. The proposal has ignited sharp neighborhood concern as a result of simply two years in the past, Harris County voters permitted a $2.5 billion bond for Harris Well being with the clear understanding that the growth would happen throughout the present Ben Taub campus.
Now, Harris Well being is pursuing a distinct route—one which requires condemning parkland from certainly one of Houston’s most cherished public areas.
Whereas Harris County Commissioners are at the moment contemplating the request, critics argue that the transfer not solely contradicts what voters permitted in 2023 but in addition raises critical considerations about flood danger, parkland safety, and long-term planning for public well being providers.
A query of voter respect
On the coronary heart of the controversy is the bond language voters had been requested to assist. Rice College professor and environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn says that language was express.
“After we voted for the $2.5 billion bond situation, the language clearly stated the growth could be throughout the campus of Ben Taub,” stated Blackburn, a member of Rice’s Baker Institute. “That isn’t what is occurring at present with the condemnation of Parkland being deliberate for this growth.
“Bond situation language needs to be revered. In the event that they need to condemn Hermann Park land, they need to put it earlier than the voters.”
Group activist Tomaro Bell echoed that concern, pointing to what she views as a sudden shift by Harris Well being management.
“Now, Ben Taub is proposing to take 8.9 acres out of Hermann Park to place within the 100 beds we voted for in 2023,” Bell stated, including that Harris Well being CEO Dr. Esmaeil Porsa reversed course final summer season by saying the beds might now not be added on-site.
Bell framed the state of affairs as a part of a broader sample Houstonians know too effectively.
“The disingenuous nature of bond language, our neighborhood is kind of aware of,” she stated, referencing previous college district and county bonds that didn’t ship what voters had been promised.
Floodplain risks
Past the bond situation, critics warn that the proposed web site lies throughout the mapped 100-year floodplain of Brays Bayou—an alarming prospect for a Degree I trauma middle.
“We don’t want a trauma middle that can’t be reached by ambulances in the course of the most certainly emergency in Houston, which is a serious hurricane or flood,” Blackburn stated.
Bell described the combat as one which impacts residents far past the Texas Medical Middle, tying it to years of environmental modifications alongside Brays Bayou. She known as the concept of constructing hospital beds in a floodplain “an absolute public betrayal.”
“How are you constructing within the floodplain for sick folks?” Bell requested. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Even proposed mitigation methods elevate questions.
“They are saying they’ll elevate the constructing out of the floodplain,” Bell stated. “Okay, however how are folks alleged to get there? All of the streets round it are nonetheless within the floodplain.”
In accordance with Bell, Harris Well being has said it can’t construct atop the present Ben Taub construction or demolish the parking storage to make room. She believes an alternative choice exists: The “outdated” Ben Taub constructing subsequent door, a glass tower constructed within the Sixties, which she says has not been critically mentioned in public conferences.
The Defender reached out to Harris Well being for feedback, nevertheless it had not responded by the point this text was posted.
Defending irreplaceable parkland
Blackburn additionally strongly objects to the lack of parkland itself.
“We should always by no means take away parkland as soon as it has been established, besides in essentially the most dire of circumstances,” he stated. “These circumstances don’t exist right here.”
Bell agrees and says she has been disturbed by claims made in personal discussions.
“I’ve been advised they’re saying parks are for the wealthy and rich,” she stated, noting that Hermann Park attracts greater than six million guests yearly. “Houston is park-poor. We don’t have any parks to lose in any respect.”
Hermann Park’s historical past provides one other layer. Donated in 1914 by philanthropist George Henry Hermann, the land is ruled by deed restrictions that require it to stay a park. Bell says Harris Well being initially underestimated these restrictions.
“They thought they might simply take it,” Bell stated. “They didn’t perceive that the land was donated and that the deed restriction was a covenant.”
Due to that covenant, any try and take away parkland might set off monetary and authorized penalties involving each town and Hermann’s descendants.
For Bell, the park’s worth is deeply private.
“Hermann Park is the place you might have the zoo, household picnics, and the golf course common folks can use,” she stated. “That’s our park.”
Beds wanted—however the place?
Blackburn doesn’t dispute the necessity for extra hospital beds. As an alternative, he questions whether or not increasing deeper into the Texas Medical Middle floodplain is the best answer.
“I’m involved that is about securing the long-term growth of Ben Taub on this floodplain web site,” Blackburn stated, “reasonably than taking a tough look across the county at the place the well being deserts are and finding growth outdoors the floodplain in areas that want well being care so badly.”
Officers reply
Solely two Harris County Commissioners responded publicly to Defender inquiries.
Commissioner Lesley Briones emphasised the pressing want for capability, noting that Ben Taub is the county’s solely public Degree I trauma middle.
“Including extra capability to Ben Taub is crucial,” stated Briones.
She additionally careworn the significance of “sturdy, clear neighborhood engagement” and expressed confidence that options might be discovered to each defend inexperienced area and meet healthcare wants.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis struck the same tone, saying healthcare entry and inexperienced areas are each important and that ongoing dialogue might result in an equitable final result.
Bell is asking on Houstonians to rally round Hermann Park and make their voices heard. She plans to host a city corridor assembly and is urging residents to share private recollections on-line.
“Put up your photographs and feedback concerning the glad instances you’ve had at Hermann Park,” Bell stated. “Ship some like to Hermann Park Conservancy. That’s our park.”
