Blue Star Program

The Management District is working with the Houston Police Department to encourage local multifamily residences and apartments to participate in the Blue Star Program www.houstontx.gov/police/multi_family. This program is designed to bring apartment complexes and multifamily residential units into compliance with current city codes and to promote safety for the residents of these facilities. The benefit for the property owner is a more valuable and desirable property which may work to reverse the trend and increase profitability by encouraging good tenants while weeding out the criminal element.

Constable Patrol

The Spring Branch Management District has contracted with Harris County Precinct One Constable Abercia’s office www.co.harris.tx.us/conpct1 to provide supplemental police patrols within the borders of the Spring Branch Management District. These patrols target commercial areas and major thoroughfares and are used to supplement the existing services provided by the Houston Police Department, Spring Branch ISD Police and other law enforcement efforts in the area. A monthly report of the constables activities are reported in the Director’s Report.

Graffiti Removal

One of the first programs designed to positively impact the quality of life in the Spring Branch Management District is the removal of unsightly graffiti from public, and private property. At no additional cost, the Spring Branch Management District provides removal of graffiti from businesses, public property and other private property. This service is provided through a contract with the East End Management District who offers a low cost graffiti removal program which not only removes the graffiti but often restores the property to its original condition. This program helps to reduce the likelihood of future graffiti but also removes the graffiti “Scar.” (Those blotches of grey paint on the sides of buildings.)

Landscape Maintenance / Bandit Sign Removal

Bio-Landscape company currently provides supplemental landscape and heavy trash removal from certain areas of the district which are commonly overlooked by city of Houston services. In addition to cutting esplanades and right of ways along a number of commercial roadways, Bio-Landscape also removes heavy trash from ditches, helping to keep the Spring Branch area cleaner, safer and more attractive to current and potential businesses and the communities which surround them.

Additionally, Bio-Landscape provides a person who regularly and routinely drive the district and removes “Bandit Signs” (Those little homemade signs which adorn the intersections of so many other parts of the city) which clutter intersections and detract from the aesthetic appearance of a well maintained neighborhood.

News Rack Enforcement

This is a new program to take advantage of a newly available city ordinance designed to clean up the random appearance of various free newspaper publications on city right of way. The ordinance creates a more uniform appearance and requires specific criteria to be met.

Code Enforcement

The District employs a part time Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) to aggressively pursue health code violations. The result of this program has been that mobile vendors in Spring Branch are cleaning up their act. The trash associated with these services is being put in waste cans; there are no more tables, chairs, or tents outside of mobile vendor stands. Supplies and equipment are no longer being stored on the ground. Required paperwork and City of Houston medallions are up to date and, most importantly, mobile vendors are actually going to commissaries as required by code.