Monthly Planner Newsletter: January 2025

January 2025

New & Improved PlatTracker: The Countdown Is On

A comprehensive relaunch of the PlatTracker development application portal is anticipated to go live in March.

PlatTracker enables:

land planners, civil engineers and surveyors to submit subdivision plat applications for review and presentation to the Houston Planning Commission;
applicants and the public to track the progress of plat applications ;
the public to keep up with land development proposals in their neighborhoods;
regional agencies that have an interest in land development in Houston and Houston's extra territorial jurisdiction to share files and communicate with staff.

The new PlatTracker continues to serve the established purposes and will additionally:

improve efficiency with a dashboard information display
streamline the application process
provide an intuitive user interface that is easy to navigate
allow users to build a personalized workspace
improve routine task workflow for Planning staff
improve the integration of external systems such as payments and geographic information systems
optimize cloud file storage and enable remote access, sharing and exchange of notes

Improvements and staff training for the Houston Preservation Tracker relaunch are also underway. The new Preservation Tracker is expected to go live in Spring 2025.

GIS Map of the Month: Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones

Our Geographic Information Systems team shared a recently updated map of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ). Click the map for a detailed view. As of November 2024, there have been three annexations: T17 Memorial City, T20 Southwest Houston, T25 Hiram Clark/Fort Bend Houston. Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZs) are special zones created by City Council to attract new investment in an area. These zones help finance costs of redevelopment and promote growth in areas that would otherwise not attract sufficient market development in a timely manner. Taxes attributable to new improvements (tax increments) are set-aside in a fund to finance public improvements within the boundaries of the zone. Learn more about TIRZ in Housto n.

Preservation Staff Picks:

A Valentine to Houston Historic Landmarks

We asked our historic preservation planners to show their love for landmarks, and to share their favorite Houston historic spots. Follow our social media posts throughout February for more details and reflections.

Roman McAllen loves the Style in Steel Townhomes, Protected Landmark, 1968.

Yasmin Arslan loves the 1940 Houston Municipal Air Terminal, Protected Landmark.

Samantha de Leon loves the Julia B. Ideson Building, Landmark, 1926.

Cara Quigley loves the Magnolia Brewery Cafe Taproom, Protected Landmark, 1912.

Taylor Valley loves the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, Landmark, 1875.

Congratulations to Dipti Mathur for earning the prestigious certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners. Dipti serves as Deputy Assistant Director of the Planning & Development Department's Development Services Division. She started her career with the City of Houston in 2006. AICP certification signifies a commitment to high professional standards, ethical conduct, and continuing education in the field of city planning.

In accordance with City of Houston policy, most permit, license, and registration fees increased by 2.9367% effective January 1, 2025. This percentage was based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

See the full announcement from the Houston Permitting Center. For a complete list of City fees, refer to the

City Fee Schedule.