Monthly Planner Newsletter: July 2022

July 2022

Bright Spot In My Day: From the Planning Director

I am excited to announce that this month, the Livable Places Action Committee (LPAC) has completed its initial review of development rule changes and is elevating its community engagement to a whole new level.

To recap, the LPAC is a group of stakeholders representing a diverse cross section of interest who have been helping our department improve our rules for development. The purpose of these improvements is to pave the way for more equitable, walkable, and affordable neighborhoods for all Houstonians.

A few of the specific recommendations from our committee include:

Improving the protections for residences from spillover parking garage lighting and from dumpsters
Reducing the parking requirements in neighborhoods with good access to existing transit and bike lanes
Creating a new development category for small, cottage style developments, often called pocket neighborhoods.

If what I’m describing is hard to picture, take a look at the neighborhood scenarios below that illustrate options for diverse housing needs in our diverse city. These changes originated from plans that you helped create, such as Plan Houston, Resilient Houston, and the Complete Communities Action Plans. This committee is putting your ideas into action.

Check out the work at www.letstalkhouston.org/livable-places. Post a comment or ask a question. If you want more detail, ask us to come talk with your neighborhood. Call

Suvidha Bandi or Tammi Williamson at 832-393-6600 or LivablePlaces@houstontx.gov to schedule a presentation.

Margaret Wallace Brown, A.I.C.P.

Director, Planning & Development Department

Livable Places Illustrated:

Creating More Housing Options for Houstonians

We want to hear what you think: Livable Places is updating city regulations to create more housing options in neighborhoods where deed restrictions allow. How would these options benefit you, your neighbors, friends and family? How might those needs change in 10, 20 years? View and comment on the proposed recommendations for small lot developments, small multi-family developments, accessory dwelling units, and lot access to public streets.

July meeting recap and September preview:

The July 12 Livable Places Action Committee meeting discussed standards for reserves and some minor changes to multifamily standards. From here, we will pivot to developing the code language and continuing public engagement to help public understand the recommendations. The Committee will break in August, but reconvene virtually at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept 6. Visit https://www.letstalkho uston.org/livable-places for more details.

Map of the Month: Proposed City Council Redistricting

The City is in the process of redrawing and adopting new City Council district boundaries using the information from the 2020 US Census. There is still time to comment on the map or submit a proposed plan. Email your comments or proposed plans to Rupesh.Koshy@houstontx.gov by June 29. Visit https://www.letstalkhouston.org/redistricting to view proposed redistricting maps and data tables. Click the map to enlarge the image.

Vision Zero Receives

Street Safety Donation

Vision Zero Releases

2021 Annual Report

Cyclists on Houston streets will be safer thanks to a generous donation of street safety equipment from TxDOT. Vision Zero Houston received 200 helmets for kids, 200 helmets for adults, and 200 bike lights to continue the effort to educate families across Houston about bike safety and traffic safety.

How has Vision Zero progressed since the Action Plan was launched? This report presents an update of 2021 Vision Zero-related data based on benchmarks identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan. Visit the Vision Zero website to download the report.

Complete Streets & Transportation Report 2021

A safe, reliable, and equitable transportation system will help Houston be a great place to live, work, and play, providing economic opportunities and high quality of life for all. Read the 2021 Houston Complete Streets and Transportation Report to learn more about Houston's multimodal vision and transportation highlights from 2021.

Historic Spotlight: Marshall-Calloway Building

This month, the Historic Spotlight is highlighting the Marshall-Calloway building, a City of Houston Protected Landmark built between 1943 and 1945. Located at 5303 Lyons, the building is a two-story, vernacular style mixed-use commercial and residential building located in the Fifth Ward. Fred Lee Marshall purchased 5303 Lyons and built the two-story structure that contained his print shop, along with office space and living quarters. The building was also historically used as commercial and residential rental space. Kenneth Calloway purchased the building in 1995 and owned it until he passed away in 2020. Calloway wanted to obtain a historic landmark designation for 5303 Lyons due to its association the Honorable Barbara Jordan. Her office was located on the second floor of this property during the 1970s to 1980s, when she was working for a local law firm. Current owner Sandra Calloway applied for protected landmark designation to carry out her late husband's

wishes to ensure that the building remains part of the historic housing stock of the neighborhood. The building continues to be used as a rental property. Tenants include Walton Henry Recruiting and 5th Ward Islamic Center for Human Development, a religious and community-based group.

Read the full landmark designation report. Learn more about protected landmarks.

Hardcover ADU | HOU Books Available To Order

The ADU | HOU Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Boo k is a practical and creative collection of small homes with big possibilities compiled from contestants to the ADU | HOU design contest. The book features 26 schematic Accessory Dwelling Unit designs from aspiring architecture students and architecture firms from Houston and around the country. The PDF is free to download, but sometimes, there is nothing like the feel of a book in your hands. You can now order a hardcover printed copy directly from the publisher. The Planning Department receives no revenue from book sales.

Celebrating Employee Years of Service

Join us as we thank and congratulate Planning & Development Department staff who are celebrating career milestones this year. Thank you for your years of service to the City of Houston!