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John Harp                                 Ed De La Garza 
Jason Caesar Consolacion     Jim Parsons

The Westheimer Street Festival is dead -- for now.

The city turned down Westheimer Street Festival Corp. President John Florez's request for a May 6 and 7 festival, leaving planners wondering what will happen next. Florez is set to appeal to City Council today, but council members are not expected to reverse the decision, particularly after hearing hours of testimony on how the biannual festival damages the Montrose neighborhood.

George Bravenec, assistant director of the city's Department of Public Works and Engineering, said his decision to deny the festival permit was based on the idea the festival would "disrupt the use and enjoyment of residential and commercial properties in the Lower Westheimer area."

That can't be argued. Montrose residents -- at least those who don't attend the festival -- frequently complain about the crowding that 300,000 people bring to the area. Streets close, parking is next to impossible and behavior is often boisterous, to say the least.

At first glance, it may seem the things that made the festival fun are what doomed it. But that's really not the case, as Bravenec said: "This decision is based upon evidence of spillover effects rather than upon the conduct of the festival itself within the boundaries along Westheimer Road."

It was the lack of parking, the rowdy behavior and the litter that made people complain -- not, for the most part, the festival itself. But you can't have one without the other, and as Montrose continues to see an influx of wealthy new residents, such impositions are less likely to be tolerated. It's not the freewheeling neighborhood it once was, man.

The proliferation of businesses in the area also contributed to the festival's demise, and understandably so: An event that virtually shuts the neighborhood down for the weekend can't be considered a boon for merchants.

In any case, it doesn't seem likely the festival will continue, at least not in its present form. But that does not mean the event has to stop altogether. Perhaps organizers will be able to find a better, more suitable location for the festival -- a park, for example, which could provide better facilities, efficient crowd control and more room overall for the festival to grow.

And don't worry about the festival losing its unique flavor. You may take the festival out of Montrose, but you can't take the Montrose out of the festival.