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Action Plans Transforming into Implementation
The Complete Communities initiative is developing Action Plans in five pilot neighborhoods. They are community-driven plans that identify vision, goals and actions to address community priorities. Residents, business owners, non-profit organizations, schools, churches, and more, are invited to attend upcoming sessions.
 Each of the pilot Complete Communities' action plans are being derived from substantial community input. These plans include goals and actions from other planning processes that are occurring or have occurred in the five areas. Even though Hurricane Harvey disrupted normalcy for so many Houstonians in 2017, the Complete Communities are forging ahead to transform visions into concrete accomplishments that will showcase opportunities that can be duplicated across the city over time.
Each action plan will be posted for public comment on our
website after being presented to the community and additional comments will be accepted for a period of one week. If you cannot attend any of the community based meetings, this electronic forum provides an alternative method to have your voice heard.
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Community Highlights
Acres Home
Recent Meeting and Activities: Acres Home's last planning meeting was
January 30 at
Carver Magnet High School. The draft action matrix was presented at that time. The community stakeholders provided comments and identified potential partners for implementation.
Action teams were also established for nine topics: Infrastructure, Housing, Civic Engagement, Education, Economy and Workforce, Health, Parks and Community Amenities and Safety. The action teams will work together to help implement the projects from the plan in collaboration with the City of Houston and/or outside partners.
If you are interested in joining an action team, please
sign up
.
See the program page for updates about the next meeting and steps at the Complete Communities website
.
Acres Home Action Team Survey by Friday, February 16:
The action teams will work together to help implement the projects from the plan in collaboration with the City of Houston and/or outside partners. The teams will establish roles and responsibilities and a timeline for execution of the project(s).
We have created a survey of some of the top projects for each topic from feedback to date, but feel free to suggest one from the plan.
Please fill out the survey
relevant to your team. You can also contribute to another topic. Survey input should be completed by February 16.
Upcoming Mayoral Event:
Mayor Sylvester Turner needs your assistance again on Saturday, April 14 to celebrate our communities and families! The event is planned to take place at Sylvester Turner Park, 2800 W Little York Rd, Houston, TX 77091. Volunteers are needed!
To help put Houston's best foot forward, we invite you to volunteer and spread the word to your friends, family members, churches, and/or organizations to make this a fun and easygoing celebration. Assignments can include assisting as festival greeters or tending any of the many booths that make up the festival's infrastructure. In return for your time, volunteers will be treated to world-class entertainment, free parking, prize drawings, great refreshments, and more. We hope to see you on April 14th! To become involved this year please visit www.houstonspecialevents.org or call Melissa Tatum at 832-393-0863. This event is in partnership with Greater North Houston Youth Alliance and produced by the Mayor's Office of Special Events.
Houston Police Department's
Positive Interaction Program's (PIP) meetings will be held in the Acres Home community this month. Increasing police presence within Acres Home was identified by the community as an item of high importance. Attending these PIP meetings will provide an opportunity to engage with HPD and learn more about the department's divisions and programs.
- HPD North Division Apartment Managers & Business Community PIP Meeting February 15, 11:30 am, HPD North Command Station, 9455 West Montgomery Rd.
- HPD North Division Community PIP Meeting February 20, 7 pm, HPD North Command Station, 9455 W. Montgomery Rd.
- HPD Acres Home Community PIP Meeting February 22, 7 pm, Acres Homes Multi-Service Center, 6719, W. Montgomery Rd.
Contact Information: The lead Planners for Acres Home are Christa Stoneham and Arica Bailey. You can reach them at
CC_AcresHome@houstontx.gov.
Next Meeting: Gulfton's next planning meeting is Saturday, February 17, 10 am- Noon, at the Burnett Bayland Community Center, 6000 Chimney Rock Road, Houston, TX 77081. Attend this public meeting to provide input and recommendations for Gulfton's action plan! It will be followed by a Health & Safety Fair from Noon-2 pm. Tickets for raffle prizes will be given to local community members that attend this meeting! See the Gulfton Complete Communities
website for more information.
Open House: Once all comments have been received and incorporated into the draft Action Plan, Gulfton will present the draft to the community at its Open House. Join the Open House on Tuesday, March 20, to comment, ask questions, and review goals, actions, priorities, and metrics. The meeting will be held at the Southwest Multiservice Center, 6400 High Star Dr., 77074, from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Planning Department staff will present the draft action plan which has involved numerous community planning efforts, countless hours of surveys, and hundreds of participants.
Will Preparation Assistance:
As part of the Complete Communities initiative, the Houston Lawyers Association is partnering with the City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods (DON) to prepare free wills for those living in the Gulfton area. The Complete Communities Gulfton Wills Preparation Clinic
will be
held on Saturday, February 24, 8 am - 1 pm, at Baker-Ripley 6500 Rookin Street, Houston TX 77074. All applicants will have to complete a screening application over the phone.
To apply call 713-228-0735.
Contact Information: The lead Planners for Gulfton are Tonya Sawyer and Abraham Zorilla. You can reach them at CC_Gulfton@houstontx.gov.
Next Meeting: Near Northside's next public meeting is Tuesday, February 20, 6:30-8:30 pm, at Clemente Martinez Elementary School, at 901 Hays St., Houston, TX 77009. The draft action plan for Near Northside will be presented. Join this open house meeting to comment, ask questions, and review goals, priorities, and metrics.
Neighborhood Support Team: A
nother successful Neighborhood Support Team (NST) meeting was held last month in Near Northside at Holy Name Catholic Church. Residents and stakeholders came together to provide their feedback on draft lists of goals and projects relating to topics of their interest. These goals and projects will further be incorporated into the community's action plan.
The Mayor's Office of Education hosted a community meeting in partnership with Avenue CDC at Clemente Martinez Elementary School on January 18th. Various topics such as early childhood education, physical and mental health, youth workforce, and after-school programs were discussed at this meeting. Participants identified key issues in the school districts and barriers that prevent students from achieving educational success. Solutions for overcoming these barriers were also discussed.
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| Council Member Karla Cisneros, Avenue CDC Deputy Director Jennifer Wagley, and Clemente Martinez Elementary School Principal Rita Sotelo spoke at the education community meeting. |
Contact Information: The lead Planners for Near Northside are Chris Andrews and Davonte Caldwell. You can reach them at CC_NearNorthside@houstontx.gov.
Second Ward
Upcoming Meeting: Second Ward's next public meeting is Monday, February 26, from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, at East Early College High School, 220 N. Milby Street, 77003. The purpose of the meeting is to get feedback on the draft action tables. Visit the program webpage for updates.
Neighborhood Support Team: A productive NST meeting was held in January. The attendees discussed potential partners and function sources for the actions. After each action plan is uploaded to the
program page, public comments will be received for a period of 10 days following the meeting.
West Belt Freight Rail Improvements:Second Ward residents are all too familiar with the rail lines that intersect the community. Safety concerns where tracks meet streets and sidewalks were identified as a priority at Complete Communities meetings. The Gulf Coast Rail District has been working on this issue for many years and shared planned improvements to the freight rail line known as the West Belt. The planned improvements include a reconstructed underpass on Navigation Boulevard, a new underpass for Commerce Street, and an underpass on York Street for two-way traffic. All three projects are funded and construction is scheduled to begin as soon as 2020. Thank you to the Gulf Coast Rail District for leadership on this important issue in the Second Ward Complete Community.
BakerRipley's
"Community Voices" program is March 7. Contact BakerRipley at 713-667-9400 for details, or check their website
.
Technology:
Houston Community College is offering a free educational program on technology for seniors. Visit their
site
or call 713-718-7000 for information.
Contact Information: The lead Planners for Second Ward are Misty Staunton and David Welch. You can reach them at CC_SecondWard@houstontx.gov.
Third Ward
Action Plan Open House: Third Ward held its open house to present the draft action plan for public comment. The meeting was held Wednesday, February 7, from 6 pm - 8 pm at the Third Ward Multi-Service Center. Numerous people attended the meeting from all segments of the community. Participants were encouraged to comment on projects, action steps, metrics, partners, potential programs and to sign up for work groups. If you were not able to attend the Open House, you may view and comment on the Action Plan's tables until February 22 by visiting the Third Ward Complete Communities
website.
Safer Streets: The Safer Streets program looks at unsafe intersections with the goal of investigating temporary fixes. Once installed and proven to be effective, the temporary solutions are intended to be made permanent. "Bulb outs" were recently placed at the corner of Tuam and Hutchins to slow the traffic at the northeast corner of Emancipation Park. Additional traffic safety tools, including street crossing striping (paint) and bike lanes, will be added in the coming weeks.
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| Temporary traffic measures can be transformative |
Contact Information: The lead Planners for Third Ward are Lynn Henson and Annette Mitchell. They can be reached at CC_ThirdWard@houstontx.gov.
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Tips From the Toolbox
New Carport Brochure is Available:The Development Services Division has released an updated brochure on carport guidelines for construction. The brochure is printer-friendly and is meant to help homeowners begin the permitting process for constructing or updating their carport. Click here to see the new tri-fold brochure.
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STAY CONNECTED
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