The Texas Legislature created the Harris County Improvement District #3, also known as the Upper Kirby Management District, which governs the Upper Kirby area.[2] In 1999 the Houston city council created the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 19, which covers 15 acres (61,000 m2).[6] Prior to the formation of these districts, the area did not have a distinct identity. The usage of the British decor and the name were calculated to give the area a specific identity. At one time the red phone booths were operational, and there was a double decker bus that shuttled patrons to various restaurants.[7]
In 2006 the Upper Kirby district had plans to establish a "teen center" at Richmond at Wake Forest geared towards students at Lamar High School, Lanier Middle School, St. John's School, and other Upper Kirby schools and schools near Upper Kirby. Funding issues have delayed establishment of the center.[8]
Cityscape
In 2017, about 53% of the housing units were constructed post-1999.[7]
Economy
Several businesses are located in the district. The studio for KTRK-TV ABC 13, the ABC station for the Houston area, is located at 3310 Bissonnet Street.[3][9]Solvay America has its headquarters in the district.[3][10]cPanel has its office in Upper Kirby.[11][12] Restaurants Acquisition I, L.L.C., the operator of Black-eyed Pea restaurants in Texas,[13][14] is headquartered in Upper Kirby.[15][12]
The Upper Kirby Management District is headquartered in Suite 250 in the Upper Kirby District Center at 3015 Richmond Avenue.[17]
Upper Kirby is a part of the Houston City Council District C.[18] Upper Kirby also makes up a large portion of Harris County Precinct 139, which is the smallest political subdivision in Texas. The current Precinct Chair of Upper Kirby/River Oaks is Louis Molnar (D), and Mr. Molnar also serves as the Presiding Judge of Precinct 139.[19]
The community is within the Houston Police Department's Central Patrol Division,[20] headquartered at 61 Riesner.[21]
County, state and federal representation
Two Harris County precincts, 3 and 4, serve sections of Upper Kirby.[22] As of 2008 the precincts are represented by Steve Radack and Jerry Eversole, respectively.[22][23] Patrol services are contracted to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office.[2]
Katharine Schilcutt of the Houston Press said that the founders of the district desired to "forge a connection with the U.K. based solely on sharing the same initials and installing anachronistic red phone booths on random street corners".[29]
The Upper Kirby YMCA Extension is located in Upper Kirby [1] [2].
Upper Kirby is also home to Levy Park, operated by the City of Houston.[30] Leon Levy gave the land that became Levy Park to the city government in 1941.[31] The Upper Kirby district implemented a two-phase renovation project. The first, completed in 2003, included the installation of a community garden. The event to celebrate the completion of Phase II was held on September 30, 2006.[32] Another $15 million renovation was completed in a two year period, with a grand reopening on February 25, 2017.[31] The park also includes a dog park and a softball field. The park is located in the Greenway Plaza area.[32]
Constructed in 1939, the historic Alabama Theatre was a primary entertainment venue of the district until it was closed and later reopened as a Bookstop bookstore. Barnes & Noble acquired the Bookstop chain and, decades later, closed the story in 2009.[33] The theater is now a Trader Joe's.[34]
Most restaurants in Upper Kirby are chain restaurants. Shilcutt said that the restaurants in Upper Kirby were one of the aspects of Upper Kirby that she liked, that "there are some wonderful independent Houston restaurants in the mix, too" and that "while many of the restaurants are some variation on plain Jane American food [...] there's a good variety of ethnic restaurants for the adventurous."[29]
Residents in Upper Kirby are zoned to schools in the Houston Independent School District.[3] Upper Kirby is divided between Trustee District V, represented by Dianne Johnson as of 2008, and Trustee District VII, represented by Harvin C. Moore as of 2008.[36] Johnson will no longer serve as a board member after 2009.[37]
The community is served by the Adele B. Looscan Neighborhood Library of Houston Public Library.[45] The current Looscan Branch building opened in September 2007. The former Americans with Disabilities Act non-compliant library, which was established in 1956, closed on August 27, 2005 and was demolished in February 2006.[46]
The previous Looscan branch had around 61,000 visitors in the fiscal year 2005. The original plans for Looscan called for the library to get a $5.37 million renovation. An Upper Kirby group proposed a new site near the Upper Kirby YMCA. Around that period the group Friends for Neighborhood Libraries began raising funds.[47] The replacement library, with a cost of $6.2 million, had twice the staff and two and one half times the size of the previous facility. Friends of Neighborhood Libraries had raised $1 million in four months, and around $2.5 million in total to help fund the new library; the group spent about $30,000 for the expenses.[45]
^"Midtown neighborhood in Houston, Texas (TX), 77002, 77004, 77006 subdivision profile - real estate, apartments, condos, homes, community, population, jobs, income, streets". www.city-data.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
^ a b c"Harris County Improvement District #3 Archived 2008-10-30 at the Wayback Machine." (see map Archived 2013-04-16 at archive.today) Upper Kirby. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
^ a b c d e"Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone - 19 Archived 2008-05-01 at the Wayback Machine." Upper Kirby. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
^Mulvihill, Jim. "Upper Kirby plans flood relief / While residents hope for other projects, funds remain scarce Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Chronicle. July 27, 2006. ThisWeek 1.
^"Jobs at ABC13 Archived 2009-10-29 at the Wayback Machine." KTRK-TV. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
^"Solvay News & Press Regional contacts Archived 2011-08-08 at the Wayback Machine." Solvay. Retrieved on 5 July 2011. "Solvay America, Inc. 3333 Richmond Avenue Houston TX 77098-3009"
^"Franchise Tax Certification of Account Status - Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts". Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. "CPANEL, INC. " "Mailing Address 3131 W ALABAMA ST STE 100 HOUSTON, TX 77098-2030"
^ a b c d"District Map Archived 2014-04-07 at WebCite" (Archive). Upper Kirby District. Retrieved on April 7, 2014.
^"Via Certified Mail Return Receipt No.: 7009 0080 0002 2564 9981." (Archive). Liberty Mutual / Wausau Insurance. Retrieved on April 16, 2014. "Restaurants Acquisition I, L.L.C. (d/b/a Black-Eyed Pea)."
^"NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING SESSION MARCH 22, 2011 T.W. “TURK” CANNADY-CEDAR HILL ROOM 285 UPTOWN BLVD. – BLDG. 100 CEDAR HILL, TEXAS Archived April 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine." City of Cedar Hill (Texas). Retrieved on April 16, 2014. p. 33. "Trade Name of Location Black-eyed Pea[...]Mailing Address 3601 S Sandman, Ste. 211 City Houston State TX Zip Code 77098-" (a scan of a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission On-Premises Prequalification Packet L-ON (11/2010) - The restaurant discussed is in Cedar Hill, Texas so the mailing address must indicate a corporate office
^"Clinic/Emergency/Registration Center Directory By ZIP Code". Harris County Hospital District. 2001-11-19. Archived from the original on 2001-11-19. Retrieved 2021-04-08. - See ZIP codes 77005 and 77098. See this map for relevant ZIP code.
^ a bShilcutt, Katharine. "Top 10 Restaurants in Upper Kirby Archived 2012-07-05 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Press. Wednesday March 31, 2010. Retrieved on July 25, 2012.
^"Our Parks G-N Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 7, 2010.
^ a b"Levy Park attracts nearly 7,500 for its grand re-opening". Houston Chronicle. 2017-03-07. Archived from the original on 2017-03-10. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
^ a b"Levy Park Archived 2010-05-30 at the Wayback Machine." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 7, 2010.
^Foster, Robin. "Bookstop to close Sept. 15; Barnes & Noble opens Sept. 16 Archived 2014-04-11 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Chronicle. August 3, 2009. Neighborhoods >Heights news. Retrieved on April 7, 2014.
^Kaplan, David. "Trader Joe's to open Friday in the former Alabama Theater Archived 2012-10-23 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Chronicle. September 18, 2012. Retrieved on April 7, 2014.
^ a bDowning, Margaret. "Judging Books and Their Covers." Houston Press. August 21, 2007. 1 Archived 2011-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.
^Downing, Margaret. "Judging Books and Their Covers." Houston Press. August 21, 2007. 2 Archived 2008-08-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.
^"Contact Us Archived 2014-02-08 at the Wayback Machine." Jewish Herald-Voice. Retrieved on April 7, 2014. "Delivery: 3403 Audley St. Houston, TX 77098"