October 2025

From left to right: Houston Police speak at Sunnyside National Night out; Fifth Ward community and Houston Police gather at the community garden.

Sunnyside:

National Night Out in Sunnyside was held at the JJ Robertson Family Life Center. The community heard from speakers on many topics ranging from illegal dumping to estate planning. It was great to see so many community members of all ages, learning and having fun together.

Fifth Ward:

National Night Out in Fifth Ward was a wonderful evening at the community garden, bringing neighbors together for great conversation, music, and laughter. The raffle added an extra touch of excitement, and it was inspiring to meet so many people committed to keeping the community connected and vibrant.

From left to right:

Top row: Kenneth Calhoun, Akhila Bigi, John Cedillo

Second row: Maria Tobar, Robert Williamson, Vonn Tran

Third row: Dorianne Powe-Phlegm, Devin Crittle, Adesoji Adeseyoju 

You can view all 401 photos here: PSEFI 2025

Photos by: John Cox

The City of Houston’s 2025 Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP) amendment requests were approved during the October 15th City Council meeting.  

The MTFP is a long-range right-of-way plan to preserve adequate ROW for the orderly and efficient expansion of the transportation network. The purpose of the MTFP is to preserve mobility and ensure safe and efficient development of the roadway system.

GIS Day: November 19 - 21

What is GIS Day? GIS Day happens during Geography Week, which usually takes place in the fall. It’s celebrated all around the world with different organizations hosting their own events. The City of Houston will have a table set-up during this event at University of Houston-Clear Lake - Bayou Building 2700 Bay Area Blvd.

For more information, visit: Houston Area GIS day

The Houston Office of Preservation in conjunction with Stantec, City's consultants on the project, present the plan to survey a 4 block portion of Lyons Avenue to some residents of the Fifth Ward community. The meeting was held on July 31 to inform the residents of what it means to be nominated for a National Register of Historic Places. The residents were engaging with staff and informed the Houston Office of Preservation about other areas of the neighborhood that they would like to have considered in the future. Stantec has completed the draft of the nomination for National Register of Historic Places. The Texas Historical Commission is currently reviewing the submitted draft to make comments and suggestions about the nomination. For more information, visit Historic Preservation: Lyons Avenue

Norhill Design Guidelines

Gladys Lopez, Assistant Planner, is a graduate from University of Houston and has a Bachelor of Architecture.

Hobbies include:

• traveling
• trying new foods
• watching movies and shows

Marco Chapa, Assistant Planner, is a graduate from University of Houston and has a Master of Architecture and an undergraduate in Political Science.

Hobbies include:

• supporting city sports teams
• playing basketball
• fishing
• 3D design

Enrique Baruca, GIS Technician, is a graduate from Texas A&M University and has a Bachelor of Science in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST).

Hobbies include:

• model building
• playing video games
• reading books
• cooking

We welcome them once again and look forward to working with them!

Customer Service Survey h

The City of Houston can’t function without great employees. We’re always on the lookout for talented, caring people to join us. At this time, our department has two openings in the GIS Division. Click the link to learn more: City of Houston Careers

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611 Walker Street, 6th Floor,

Houston, TX 77002 

832-393-6600

www.houstonplanning.com

planningdepartment@houstontx.gov