Should Houston Name A Street After Local Legend Mattress Mack?
If you had been living under a rock and had not heard of Mattress Mack before Hurricane Harvey, you surely heard of his efforts after the storm.
A local man has started a petition to name a street after the Houston legend, which would be a hard road to hoe. For a public street, a written petition signed by at least 75% of the property owners abutting the street is required. For a private street, that threshold is lowered to 51%. The real kicker though? To use an individual's name as a street name, the City of Houston requires the individual be deceased.
Those details have not stopped J.R. Alvarenga, who launched a Change.org petition in honor of Gallery Furniture owner Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale. Alvargena said Mack stepped up to help rally the city through Hurricane Harvey (sheltering evacuees in a Gallery Furniture store during and after the storm) and during the Houston Astros' journey to the World Series. Mack paid thousands of dollars on Game 6 tickets and flights for 75+ lucky Houstonians and first responders, after gambling on an Astros World Series win with customers, which cost him $10M. This Thanksgiving, Mack will open the same store that housed thousands after Harvey to serve a Thanksgiving Day feast to anyone who shows up.
"We want to get together as a community and be grateful that we’ve gotten through this storm together," Mattress Mack told ABC News.
If naming a street is not an option, the petition recommends giving Mack a key to the city or gifting him an honorary World Series championship ring.
