Happy Valentine's Day!
The Planning & Development Department is celebrating 79 years as a department on February 14!
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Our Great Region Award
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| Regions Award Executive Director Chuck Wemple; Interim Planning & Development 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 has received an Our Great Region Award from the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) for outstanding involvement at a ceremony on January 11, 2019.
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 Acres Home, Gulfton, Second Ward, Near Northside, Third Ward and all of our partners! Click here for more info on the award, as posted on the Complete Communities page Mayor's
press release
.
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Homestead Exemptions Save on Taxes
Homestead exemptions can help you save on taxes on your home. Your principal home of residence may be applicable for one or more types of homestead exemptions. An exemption removes part of the value of your property from taxation, which lowers your tax bill. For example, if your home is valued at $100,000 and you qualify for a $20,000 exemption, you pay taxes on your home as if it was valued at $80,000. The most common types of exemptions that are available include: over-65, disability, over-55 surviving spouse, and 100% disabled veteran. If you do not currently have an exemption, you should file your homestead exemption application between January 1 and April 30. For more information on tax exemptions or to download the application form, click here or call the Harris County Appraisal District at 713-957-7800.
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Sister Cities Youth Talent Showcase
A Youth Talent Showcase is now organized by Houston Sister Cities, as a part of a wider Annual Young Artist Showcase of Sister Cities International. One young artist from Houston will be selected to represent our city in the Sisters Cities International Young Authors and Artists Competition. The organization is highly interested in involving more young people throughout various communities, and particularly the five communities that are participating in Mayor Turner's Complete Communities Initiative. The deadlines vary, and end soon. For details, click here to visit sistercities.org/YAAS.
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Murals Everywhere
Reginald C. Adams, a public artist, social entrepreneur and community developer, in partnership with Workshop Houston and Bank of America, will design and create one mural in each of the Complete Communities areas. The public art themes will consist of cultural heritage, neighborhood history, social justice, community service and civic engagement. All five murals will be complete in June of 2019. Public engagement meetings will be held over the next few months to discuss potential ideas and concepts for the murals. For additional information, contact Reginald C. Adams at 832-208-1549 or via email at reginald@reginaldadams.com.
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Community Highlights
ProjectGRAD: On January 9, Project GRAD Houston's GRADcafe was at the Houston Community College Acres Home Campus. They assisted with free college exploration and applications, financial aid applications, career exploration/planning, and resume building. More events will be hosted at the HCC Campus in the near future. Click here for updates.
Acres Home Super Neighborhood: Angeanette Thibodeaux was sworn in as Acres Homes Super Neighborhood Council President on January 17. President Thibodeaux would like to encourage all residents, churches, businesses and key stakeholders to get involved and become a member of the Acres Homes Super Neighborhood. The council is aggressively moving in a new direction with the key focus on being a true neighborhood support vessel for all residents. We are vastly growing and with that, our council is gaining more momentum. For more information, contact acreshomesSNC@gmail.com.
Young Adults Building Committees: On February 6, the first cohort of the Y-ABC (Young Adults Building Committees) program in Acres Home graduated and presented their capstone projects to a panel of judges. Judges included a representative from the Acres Home community, Acres Home Complete Communities team, and a representative from Council Member Jerry Davis' office.
Contact Information: The planner for Acres Home is Christa Stoneham. You can reach her at 832-393-6600 or CC_AcresHome@houstontx.gov.
Connect Community Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: On January 17, the Gulfton community honored Mohammed Ali Abdalla, a young boy struck and killed by a motorist in 2016 at the intersection of Tarnef and DeMoss Drive as he walked with his parents and siblings. KIPP CONNECT, YES Prep Gulfton, Etoile Academy Charter School, Las Americas Newcomer School and artist Shelbi Nicole designed the "Coming Together" street mural to bring more awareness to this heavy traffic area. The intersection mural will also serve as a symbol for Gulfton which is known for its culture, languages and people from around the world. The street mural and parklet was funded by a grant from KaBOOM! and Target through their "Play Everywhere" initiative.
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Eight Million Stories' Pierre with P&D staff |
Eight Million Stories: Our next "Eight Million Stories" provides support to previously incarcerated youth ages 16 to18, helping them stay out of prison and guiding them on a path to success. Under the program direction of Marvin Pierre, their mission is to transform the lives of youth involved in the juvenile justice system through education, skills training and employment. Click here to visit eightmillionstories.org to learn more.
Neighborhood Support Team
: Our next Neighborhood Support Team meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 27, 6-7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star Drive. If you would like to join a Gulfton workgroup committee, please clickhere.
Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council: The Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council meeting was held on January 28. Council Member Amanda Edwards was a guest speaker and talked about transit options and opportunity zones in the Gulfton area. Representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau talked about Census 2020. Also, Sandra Rodriguez, President and Edward Pollard, former Vice President of the Gulfton SNC, both announced their candidacy for City Council District J. Meetings are held every third Monday of the month. The next meeting is on Monday, February 18, at the Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star Drive, from 12 to 1 pm. If you are interested in becoming a member, contact the Gulfton Super Neighborhood at gulftonsnc@gmail.com.
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| Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council Meeting January 2019 |
METRONext Public Meetings: METRO has begun its second round of public meetings for the METRONext - Moving Forward Plan. METRO will share a draft of the long-range transportation plan, with input provided by the community at the meetings. The meeting in Gulfton was held on February 7. If you were unable to attend, you can click here to submit comments and get more information from METRONext.org.
Opportunity Zones & Community Impact Workshop
: The Local Initiatives Support Coalition, in partnership with Council Member Amanda Edwards, is hosting a workshop on Friday, February 15, from 10 am-12:30 pm at the Council on Recovery auditorium, 303 Jackson Hill Street, #1. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, please contact Clare Duncan at
cduncan@lisc.org.
Contact Information: The planners for Gulfton are Tonya Sawyer and Abraham Zorrilla. You can reach them at 832-393-6600 or CC_Gulfton@houstontx.gov.
Maker-Space at Marshall Middle School: Marshall Middle School is partnering with Northside High School and TXRX Labs to redesign its school library into a community maker-space. The proposed maker-space will provide afterschool programming opportunities for middle and high school students in Near Northside. A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 6 pm, at the Marshall Middle School library, 1115 Noble Street, to inform the Near Northside community about the project and collect some initial public feedback. There is a plan to have a design and programming workshop for the maker-space in April of this year. More information on the workshop will be shared soon.
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| 2019 Near Northside Health Summit |
Near Northside Health Summit: Avenue CDC hosted a community health summit on January 26 at the Leonel Castillo Community Center. Various health initiatives that are happening in the Near Northside were presented, such as upcoming plans and community efforts. Residents and partners who attended learned how to participate in these initiatives, and also participated in yoga demonstrations and other fun activities. Avenue partnered with Memorial Hermann, Houston LISC, Houston Health Department, University of Houston's Community Design Resource Center and The Health Museum for this event. Click here for more information from avenuecdc.org.
Second Ward
AT&T Career and Resource Fair: In partnership with Mayor Sylvester Turner's Complete Communities program, AT&T is hosting a Live + Work + Play Career and Resource fair in Second Ward at HCC Felix Fraga campus at 301 N. Drennan Street, on February 16, from 10 am to 2 pm. The fair will have workshops on resume building, interviewing techniques, and offer free professional head shot photos to help Houstonians land their dream job. The fair will also provide wraparound support services from our partners to help residents reach real lasting financial independence. Thank you to the numerous community partners that have contributed to making this event a success, and to AT&T for their generous partnership with Complete Communities! For the location of the Felix Fraga campus, click here.
Healthy Pets Healthy Streets: The City of Houston's BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions will have another Healthy Pets Healthy Streets free spay/neuter event in Second Ward on February 23, at Eastwood Park, 5000 Harrisburg Blvd., from 8 to 9:30 am. Please remember not to bring your pets to this sign up event; this event is to sign up for free voucher appointments only. There are a limited number of vouchers available, and appointments will be given on a first come, first serve basis. For more information, call 311 or visit
www.houstonbarc.com.
Contact Information: The planners for Second Ward are David Welch and Eriq Glenn. You can reach them at 832-393-6600 or CC_SecondWard@houstontx.gov.
Third Ward Health Summit: Kick-off the Third Ward Health Collaborative and help draft a way forward for expanding and improving health services in Third Ward. The intent is to assess the collective strengths and resources of individuals and organizations who are interested in improving health outcomes in our community. Have your voice heard and ensure that your ideas, services, and concerns are incorporated into our plans for the year! Lunch will be provided at the summit. It's on Saturday, February 23, at 10 am, at 3611 Ennis. Contact Phylicia Coleman or Hunter Ryan at 713-374-1200. Click here for tickets.
Houston Bikeways Community Meeting: Learn about a proposal to create safe, comfortable biking connections throughout Third Ward. We want to hear from you! The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 20, from 6 to 9 pm, at Trinity East Methodist Church, at 2418 McGowen St. For more information contact staff at
bikeways@houstontx.gov
or call 832-395-2700.
ULI 2019 Development of Distinction Awards:
The Ho
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Award Winning Emancipation Park |
uston District Council of the Urban Land Institute announced nine finalists for the 2019 Development of Distinction Awards. The prestigious award recognizes developments and open spaces that demonstrate best practices in design, construction, economic viability, healthy places, marketing and management and is modeled after the national Urban Land Institute Global Awards for Excellence. The expansion and renovation of historic Emancipation Park earned the award in the open space category. Congratulations Emancipation Park! To learn more about the park and the conservancy,
click here
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Money, Health and Wealth: Join classes brought to the community by the Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corporation. For answers to questions and to register, please click here to visit www.nrcdc.org or call 713-520-5232.
MONEY HEALTH & WEALTH FINANCIAL LITERACY SERIES: "For the Love of Money: Taking a Look at Your Relationship with Money" on Tuesday, February 19, 5-7 pm,
at Nubia Square Apartments Community Center, 3711 Southmore.
ASSET PROTECTION SERIES: "Reverse Mortgage Pros vs. Cons", on Saturday, February 23, 10 am - 12 noon, at Nubia Square Apartments Community Center, 3711 Southmore.
DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR HOMEBUYERS: Session is on Thursday, March 7, from 5 - 7:30 pm, at YMCA, 5202 Griggs Road.
SENIOR SECURITY SERIES: "Insurance, Social Security & Disability", on Thursday, March 14, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, at YMCA, 5202 Griggs Road.
Contact Information: The planners for Third Ward are Lynn Henson and Annette Mitchell. You can reach them at 832-393-6600 or CC_ThirdWard@houstontx.gov.
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Tips From the Toolbox
Road Map to Liveability: All towns, cities and neighborhoods want to be vibrant, engaging and livable. The AARP Roadmap to Livability: Economic Development Workbooks illustrates how livability principles benefit people, places and prosperity. Click here for details.
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