Monthly Planner July 2016

MONTHLY PLANNER

Your monthly updates from the

Planning & Development Department

In This Issue

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Houston's first ever 'Green Corridor'

City Council adopted Houston's first ever Green Corridor for Yale Street between 6th and 19th Street. The newly designated Yale Street Green Corridor will now enjoy additional tree protections for the tree canopy along that section. Read More

Revised Houston Bike Plan awaits Council consideration

After extensive public input, the revised Bike Plan is now available. An additional 133 miles of proposed bikeways was added to reach an even larger share of Houston's residents. The Plan now includes a long term vision of 1,789 miles of bikeways. Staff will present the revised Bike Plan to the Planning Commission in August. To learn more, visit HoustonBikePlan.org.

New Planning Commission Chair named

Left to right: M. Sonny Garza, Martha L. Stein and Mark Kilkenny

Martha "Marty" L. Stein was nominated as the new Chair of the Houston Planning Commission on June 9 and presided over her first meeting as Chair on June 23. Ms. Stein replaces Mark Kilkenny who stepped down due to term limits. Mr. Kilkenny served as Chairman of the Houston Planning Commission for six years and will continue to serve as a commissioner.

If you plan to submit subdivision plat mylars for recordation, please include the following signature lines:

Chair: Martha L. Stein

Vice Chair: M. Sonny Garza

Secretary: Patrick Walsh, P.E.

Open House - 2016 Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP) Amendments

On June 14, the MTFP Amendment Open House drew a large crowd of property owners interested to learn more about proposed MTFP amendments in their area. Representatives from the Houston Planning Department, Harris County and other entities were available to present their amendments and address any concerns. Read More

First meeting for the Lower Westheimer corridor study

On June 6, the Transportation Division held its first public meeting for the Lower Westheimer corridor study. The City is looking for public input for design ideas that complements and supports adjacent uses. Read More

Staff Highlights

Plan Houston won two Awards of Excellence from IABC Houston as part of their 2016 Bronze Quill Awards. Plan Houston was recognized for communication of a government program or project and for the website design. Plan Houston is the City's first general plan and was adopted last year. More information about the Plan can be found at PlanHouston.org.

Congrats to all P&D staff who worked hard on this initiative!

As mentioned in last month's newsletter, the department's Public Affairs Manager, Suzy Hartgrove, has retired. Please contact Patricia Benavides-Foley for public information requests. For media inquiries, please contact Sharnae Johnson.

Bala Balachandran, Chief Demographer/Senior Staff Analyst with the Planning Department, has been appointed by Mayor Turner to serve as a member of the Mayor's Advisory Council of International Communities (MACIC). As a member, Bala will assist City Council with Census data analysis, maps, and charts related to the immigrant and refugee population. Congratulations Bala!

Staff would like to thank all of the interns who chose to work in the Planning and Development Department over the summer. College interns from TSU include Janay Winston and Talal Alzahrani. Three interns employed through the Mayor's 'Hire Houston Youth Summer Jobs Program' include Daniel Mason, Denerik Pickett and Jarette Randle.