Monthly Planner
Updates from your City of Houston
 

 
March 2019
Great Region Award Presented to Complete Communities
  
Regions Award Executive Director Chuck Wemple; Interim Planning & Development Department Director Margaret Wallace Brown, Lynn Henson, and Jennifer Ostlind with the City of Houston; and Jeff Taebel with Houston-Galveston Area Council

Mayor Sylvester Turner's Complete Communities initiative recently received an Our Great Region Award from the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) for outstanding involvement. The Our Great Region Awards recognize outstanding projects in the region that are advancing the goals and strategies identified in the Our Great Region 2040 plan.
 
Complete Communities received The Reach Award, which honors a project that demonstrates exemplary public participation. As the first sustainability plan for the Houston-Galveston area, Our Great Region 2040 will be consulted for years to come as the region works to meet its sustainability goals. Thank you to all of our partners! Click here for more info on the award.  
 
UrbanPlan Workshop
  
The Planning and Development Department (P&D), in collaboration with the Urban Land Institute (ULI), hosted the UrbanPlan for Public Officials Workshop on February 7. Workshop participants included representatives from the Super Neighborhood, Planning Commission, P&D, Houston-Galveston Area Council and more.




 Participants were part of a conceptual development team to become more familiar with various aspects of land development. During the workshop, the participants responded to a request for a proposal from the fictional Yorktown Redevelopment Agency, to redevelop the City of Yorktown's Elmwood District. Teams built a mock site plan and entered the plan into a proforma. Teams presented their proposals to "City Council" made up of ULI members and were asked challenging questions about the plan to learn how these plans shape and affect the built environment in the real estate development process. Click here for a video about this memorable professional development event.  
Real Places Historic Conference

Houston Planners Matt Kriegl and Sarah Fanelli (rear) joined other Historic Preservation Planners at the 2019 Real Places Conference
Members of the Planning Department's Historic Preservation Office attended the Texas Historic Commission's Real Places 2019 Conference in Austin in February to learn about best practices, and other preservation programs and initiatives throughout the state. Our Historic Preservation team attended various workshops and networked with other preservation professionals, including the City of San Antonio, which is currently the largest historic preservation office in in Texas.

The team also learned about other Houston programs and preservation efforts, such as the Emancipation Community Development Partnership and the Apollo Mission Control Center restoration project. For more information about Texas preservation, visit www.thcfriends.org
Program Updates
 
Complete Communities: Learn more about Mayor Sylvester Turner's signature program and the Complete Communities neighborhoods: Acres Home, Gulfton, Third Ward, Near Northside and Second Ward Complete Communities. Get your neighborhood updates in the latest issue of the Complete Communities Newsletter.   
  

Transportation Planning team hosts an annual MTFP open house for affected property owners
Major Thoroughfare and Freeways Plan:
P&D is still accepting applications for amendments to the 2018 Major Thoroughfare & Freeway Plan (MTFP). The submittal deadline for formal applications regarding proposed changes is March 15, 5 pm. A pre-submittal meeting is required. The 2019 MTFP meetings will begin on May 9 and continue through the summer. Visit the MTFP page for more information. 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
Southeast Houston Mobility Plan:
The mobility plan study is nearing completion and will be used to guide the City of Houston's short, mid and long-term multimodal mobility planning efforts. The plan will identify implementation projects that will improve mobility and access in the Southeast Houston Sub-Area. If you were unable to attend the public meetings held last month, you can still provide input on the plan by visiting the Southeast Houston Mobility Plan page .



Houston BCycle: Two Houston BCycle stations were installed last month at Memorial Park, bringing the total number of stations in the bike share network to 88! The stations, Memorial Park Picnic Loop and the Memorial Park Running Center, are located at the Memorial Park Running Center near the METRO bus stop at Memorial Dr. and Picnic Ln. These two stations are already popular with over 250 checkouts in the first few weeks! The ongoing  BCycle expansion project is funded by a federal grant. Get out and ride a BCycle today!
 
Walkable Places: The Walkable Places Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 6, from 4-6 pm at the City Hall Annex Chambers, 900 Bagby, 77002. The proposed agenda includes further discussion of transit station analysis, and the revised ordinance framework to promote pedestrian-friendly development in the city. For more information and meeting agenda materials, visit the Walkable Places web page.
 
Visit the Planning Department's website at www.houstonplanning.com for complete updates on projects. 
Planning & Development

611 Walker Street, 6th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 832.393.6600