When the word “Sharpstown” is uttered, Greg Mitchell, like so many other Houston-area Blacks, thinks about the great mall that once was.
“But you best believe I stopped going there a long, long time ago; I value my well-being too much,” said the Hiram Clarke resident.
Houston City Council Member Edward Pollard (District J) is banking on a new project, giving Sharpstown’s reputation a major upgrade.
“I have a vision that this would be more than just a clubhouse or a standard community center, but more of a town center. A place where you could have fitness, you could have recreation, dining, banquet halls, business retreats; a one-stop-shop for anything that you may need from a community standpoint.”
Houston City councilman edward pollard
A little under a month ago, City Council passed an ordinance allocating $5 million as the city’s commitment to construct the Sharpstown Community Center at the neighborhood’s golf course.
For Pollard, this project will produce much more than a traditional community center.
“I have a vision that this would be more than just a clubhouse or a standard community center, but more of a town center,” said Pollard. “A place where you could have fitness, you could have recreation, dining, banquet halls, business retreats; a one-stop-shop for anything that you may need from a community standpoint.”
The property in question has been in the area since the mid-50s, serving originally as the Sharpstown Country Club. After ending operations in the mid-70s, the City purchased it and has run it since 1978. With two minor renovations, yet needing much more, the property somehow managed to remain a community pillar.
But not to the standard Pollard says his community deserves.
“When I would to go the outskirts, some of the more affluent areas, I would see that their communities were centered around the golf course. And at each one of their golf courses, they have a rec center or town center where everyone in that community can kind of converge on. Even if you don’t play golf, if you just want to bring your family to dine, they have that available to them. I said, ‘Why don’t we have that in District J? Why don’t we have a place where the entire community can come to one place and engage with one another and enjoy time out with family and friends?’”
With the $5 million from City Council, Sharpstown is well on its way.
The development is proposed to be a new state-of-the-art 37,300-square-foot facility to replace the existing community center at its original location. This new two-story building will incorporate a 23,068 square foot first-floor plan with a restaurant and bar with an outdoor dining area, including a full commercial kitchen and catering area.
The first floor will have the community center administrative offices, a two-story grand lobby with a public circulation corridor, and a banquet hall with an outdoor event area. The second-floor plan is 14,232 square feet and will have a golf club lounge with a bar and six golf simulator stations, as well as a fitness room and exercise equipment.
Though the current vision of the center is Pollard’s, he says public community meetings will be held before anything is finalized to ensure the residents have input on ideas.
The overall cost is estimated to be roughly $16 million, with $2 million of federal money thanks to Congressman Al Green, $5 million in partnership with Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones, and another $2 million from TIRZ 20, and will leverage the balance with private and mixed-use dollars.
Pollard touts the project as a real city-county partnership, and thanks former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner “for making this project a priority before his term ended.”
