Sims Bayou, one of nine bayous being transformed under the Bayou Greenways 2020 initiative, celebrated its ribbon cutting for the Sims Bayou Greenway on June 8. This new stretch of bayou greenway is 1.8-miles long with a hike and bike trail extending from Heatherbrook Drive to Hillcroft Avenue.
All photos by F. Carter Smith, courtesy of Houston Parks Board.
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Bayou Greenways 2020 is an ambitious parks project that will eventually transform 3,000 acres of land along Houston’s bayous. -
Bayou Greenways 2020 will create a network of connected parks and trails. -
Bayou Greenways 2020 will allow Houstonians to enjoy 3,000 acres of greenspace along our bayous. -
We already have 70 miles of trails along the bayous, and Bayou Greenways 2020 will add more than 80 new miles of trails for a total of 150 miles of hike and bike trails. -
Bayou Greenways 2020 will create a continuous parks system along the major waterways of the Bayou City. -
The June 8 ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by the Houston Parks Board, Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, among others. -
Beth White, president and CEO of the Houston Parks Board, was in attendance. -
Also present for the ribbon-cutting were Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Council Member Larry Green, District K, and the Harris County Flood Control District. -
The Houston Parks Board is leading the transformational $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020 initiative. -
When Bayou Greenways 2020 is complete, it is estimated that about 60 percent of Houstonians will live within a mile and a half of a Bayou Greenway. -
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Houston Parks Board is handling the private fund-raising and is managing the acquisition, design and construction of the Bayou Greenways 2020 Project. -
During the 2012 election, Houston voters approved a major bond referendum providing $166 million in parks funding, -
Of that major bond referendum, $100 million was set aside for Bayou Greenways 2020. -
Houston Parks Board is responsible for raising the remaining $120 million needed. -
Houston Parks Board will find the money through private funds, federal and state grants and other sources. -
When we last checked in (February 2016), more than $90 million had been raised towards this initiative. -
That included a historic $50 million donation from the Kinder Foundation. (Thank you, Kinder Foundation.) -
The Bayou Greenways 2020 project will provide places for us to hang out, celebrate and recreate in a free and welcoming environment. -
We’ll get to explore nature, get fresh air and exercise, and develop our appreciation for ecology and the environment. -
Arthur Comey, a visionary urban planner, first had a dream for connecting Houston with a park system organized around its bayou corridors. -
The Bayou Greenways 2020 initiative will fulfill this 100-year-old vision.
