Harris Health is seeking to secure 8.9 acres of land within Hermann Park to add 100 beds to Ben Taub Hospital’s capacity. The proposal has ignited sharp community concern because just two years ago, Harris County voters approved a $2.5 billion bond for Harris Health with the clear understanding that the expansion would occur within the existing Ben Taub campus.
Now, Harris Health is pursuing a different route—one that requires condemning parkland from one of Houston’s most cherished public spaces.
While Harris County Commissioners are currently considering the request, critics argue that the move not only contradicts what voters approved in 2023 but also raises serious concerns about flood risk, parkland protection, and long-term planning for public health services.
A question of voter respect
At the heart of the controversy is the bond language voters were asked to support. Rice University professor and environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn says that language was explicit.
“When we voted for the $2.5 billion bond issue, the language clearly said the expansion would be within the campus of Ben Taub,” said Blackburn, a member of Rice’s Baker Institute. “That is not what is happening today with the condemnation of Parkland being planned for this expansion.
“Bond issue language should be respected. If they want to condemn Hermann Park land, they should put it before the voters.”
Community activist Tomaro Bell echoed that concern, pointing to what she views as a sudden shift by Harris Health leadership.
“Now, Ben Taub is proposing to take 8.9 acres out of Hermann Park to put in the 100 beds we voted for in 2023,” Bell said, adding that Harris Health CEO Dr. Esmaeil Porsa reversed course last summer by saying the beds could no longer be added on-site.
Bell framed the situation as part of a broader pattern Houstonians know too well.
“The disingenuous nature of bond language, our community is quite familiar with,” she said, referencing past school district and county bonds that failed to deliver what voters were promised.
Floodplain dangers
Beyond the bond issue, critics warn that the proposed site lies within the mapped 100-year floodplain of Brays Bayou—an alarming prospect for a Level I trauma center.
“We do not need a trauma center that cannot be reached by ambulances during the most likely emergency in Houston, which is a major hurricane or flood,” Blackburn said.
Bell described the fight as one that impacts residents far beyond the Texas Medical Center, tying it to years of environmental changes along Brays Bayou. She called the idea of building hospital beds in a floodplain “an absolute public betrayal.”
“How are you building in the floodplain for sick people?” Bell asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Even proposed mitigation strategies raise questions.
“They say they’ll raise the building out of the floodplain,” Bell said. “Okay, but how are people supposed to get there? All the streets around it are still in the floodplain.”
According to Bell, Harris Health has stated it cannot build atop the current Ben Taub structure or demolish the parking garage to make room. She believes another option exists: The “old” Ben Taub building next door, a glass tower built in the 1960s, which she says has not been seriously discussed in public meetings.
The Defender reached out to Harris Health for comments, but it had not responded by the time this article was posted.
Protecting irreplaceable parkland
Blackburn also strongly objects to the loss of parkland itself.
“We should never take away parkland once it has been established, except in the most dire of circumstances,” he said. “Those circumstances do not exist here.”
Bell agrees and says she has been disturbed by claims made in private discussions.
“I’ve been told they’re saying parks are for the rich and wealthy,” she said, noting that Hermann Park draws more than six million visitors annually. “Houston is park-poor. We don’t have any parks to lose at all.”
Hermann Park’s history adds another layer. Donated in 1914 by philanthropist George Henry Hermann, the land is governed by deed restrictions that require it to remain a park. Bell says Harris Health initially underestimated those restrictions.
“They thought they could just take it,” Bell said. “They didn’t understand that the land was donated and that the deed restriction was a covenant.”
Because of that covenant, any attempt to remove parkland could trigger financial and legal consequences involving both the city and Hermann’s descendants.
For Bell, the park’s value is deeply personal.
“Hermann Park is where you have the zoo, family picnics, and the golf course regular people can use,” she said. “That is our park.”
Beds needed—but where?
Blackburn does not dispute the need for more hospital beds. Instead, he questions whether expanding deeper into the Texas Medical Center floodplain is the right solution.
“I am concerned this is about securing the long-term expansion of Ben Taub on this floodplain site,” Blackburn said, “rather than taking a hard look around the county at where the health deserts are and locating expansion outside the floodplain in areas that need health care so badly.”
Officials respond
Only two Harris County Commissioners responded publicly to Defender inquiries.
Commissioner Lesley Briones emphasized the urgent need for capacity, noting that Ben Taub is the county’s only public Level I trauma center.
“Adding more capacity to Ben Taub is imperative,” said Briones.
She also stressed the importance of “robust, transparent community engagement” and expressed confidence that solutions can be found to both protect green space and meet healthcare needs.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis struck a similar tone, saying healthcare access and green spaces are both essential and that ongoing dialogue could lead to an equitable outcome.
Community action call
Bell is calling on Houstonians to rally around Hermann Park and make their voices heard. She plans to host a town hall meeting and is urging residents to share personal memories online.
“Post your photos and comments about the happy times you’ve had at Hermann Park,” Bell said. “Send some love to Hermann Park Conservancy. That is our park.”
