What Downtown Houston’s next park will look like

Like a lizard whose skin is slowly but surely transforming, downtown continues to go from gray to green. At least in spots.

The Downtown Redevelopment Authority has released design schematics for its next public greenspace project, which is squeezed into an L-shaped acre or so at 1500 Fannin.

Designed by Lauren Griffith Associates — the landscape design talents behind Discovery Green, Market Square Park, Sesquicentennial Park and other high-profile public spaces — the Southern Downtown Park project will help define what has long been a sea of parking lots as a neighborhood with a nice backyard.

“We’ve had to get pretty crafty with the design and layout,” said Angie Bertinot, the authority’s director of marketing and communications. “But we want to create something that will add character to the area.”

Lonnie Hoogeboom, the authority’s director of planning, design and development, said during public input sessions, area stakeholders wanted a lot of amenities, and the designers were tasked with “right-sizing” as many elements as possible in the tight space.

The priorities that made the cut include small- and large-breed dog play areas, a lush green environment with ample shade and sustainable plantings, safe pedestrian and bicycle connections, interactive water features, functional art and on-site food service.

A “rotating gateway art installation” is proposed near the corner of Fannin and Bell, where there also will be seating, bike racks and a bike repair station. The dog runs will occupy the park’s southern edge, along with a water feature and a vine-covered trellis with seating.

The park’s most prominent feature will be its 2,400-square foot fast-casual restaurant, which curves gently and organically around a large, central lawn flanked by trees and shade gardens. A lacy “roof monitor” atop the building will help fill the cafe with sunlight and shadow during the day and glow like a lantern at night. Walls around the edges will be raised and lowered for special events or climate control, and the eastern wall will double as a screen for outdoor films.

The authority expects to name a cafe operator by July. Construction of the park is slated for a March start and will take about a year to complete.

More than 1,500 new residential units have been built in the area since 2012, and Hoogeboom expects the park to spur additional development.

The southern end of downtown already has a sizable workforce, day-care facilities and churches. South Texas College of Law, a key area neighbor, owns the quarter of the block that will remain paved for its parking, but its students have expressed a desire for outdoor amenities.

And they aren’t alone. “Everybody is looking for that working/non-working space to be creative outside the office,” Bertinot said.

The park will be managed and programmed by the Downtown District.