Branding of Near Northwest has begun
A vision of the future for a band of neighborhoods in Near Northwest Houston has taken its first step in the form of 16-foot district markers and bus shelter wraps.
Each feature a new icon for the area, a circular logo of a tree with sprawling limbs, reaching over land and water.
In this growing area just north of the Heights and Oak Forest, the Near Northwest Management District has been working to change public perception to draw in businesses and improve life for residents.
The signs and bus shelters are the start of a multilayered rebranding initiative.
“What’s unique about the Near Northwest Management District, is that while typically a management district is a business-driven force, the push for a management district here was largely resident-driven,” said Wayne Norden, president of the district.
“We’re focused on not only making this area appealing to businesses, but we’re also committed to making this a great place to live, and that begins with changing the public perception of the region.”
Norden said a management district uses tax dollars collected from businesses to promote and develop an area as a supplement to existing services. A management district does not collect any tax dollars from private residences. He said that in 2015, the budget for the district was $1.5 million.
Norden said 15 percent of the 2016 and 20 percent of the 2017 budget will be put into rebranding projects. The overall budgets have not yet been determined for these years as the funds are derived from business taxes, but he said the 2015 budget was $1.5 million.
The total scope of the project includes 14 district gateway markers installations, each either 16-feet tall or an alternate horizontal design, and all lighted and landscaped, featuring the words “Near Northwest” with the new logo.
The markers will flank the main thoroughfares into the district along Texas 249 and West Montgomery Road, T. C. Jester, Pinemont and Hollister.
The unveiling of the first batch of these markers was held on April 4, and was attended by three Houston city council members, each of whom represent neighborhoods within the district — mayor pro tem Ellen Cohen of District C, vice mayor pro tem Jerry Davis of District B and councilwoman Brenda Stardig of District A.
All three council members said they were excited for the changes they’ve already begun to see in the area.
Cohen said the markers symbolize a change for the better in the area, and Stardig said that the new brand will “remind Houstonians why this area is so special.”
On the interior of the district, 11 smaller district markers will display the logo on a circular sign, 18 bus shelters will be wrapped to match, and branded intersection approach signs will denote 21 key intersections.
The time line for completion of the rebranding roll-out is not definitive since the district works on an available cash basis.
Norden said they tackle each phase as fast as the money is available, though they hope that as the new brand takes shape and more businesses come in, the working budgets will increase in step and speed along the remaining portions of the project.
“Upper Kirby, the Energy Corridor, Downtown — those are all management districts with a recognizable identity, a brand,” he said. “We want the Near Northwest Management District to be just as recognizable, and just as desirable.”
A Livable Centers Plan study conducted in 2010 identified branding as a top issue for the 49 subdivisions that make up the istrict. The NNMD is a 16 square mile region northwest of the 610 Loop, following along U.S. 290, and includes the Greater Inwood and Candlelight neighborhoods.
“This really is a great area to live and work in, and public perception is key,” said Eileen Egan, Business Development Director of the NNMD.
Egan said the study identified Cole Creek, Vogal Creek and the White Oak Bayou as main regional waterways, and highlighted numerous parks and potential future park grounds as the key features of the region that would need to be highlighted as part of a desirable Near Northwest “brand.”
Details: For more information on the Near Northwest Management District, visit www.nnmd.org