February 2021

Historic Preservation Officer Offers Tips To Weatherize Your Historic Home The devastating freeze from Winter Storm Uri brought Houston to a shivering standstill. Residents across the state experienced burst pipes and extensive home damage. For many Houstonians, it was a crash course in learning about residential plumbing.  We talked with Roman McAllen, associate architect, and Houston’s Historic Preservation Officer, about the storms impact on old houses. With plumbers across the city spread thin, McAllen was the go-to guy among his family, friends and neighbors with urgent leaks and burst pipes. He offered a few tips to help Houstonians be prepared for future freezes.  Read more..

Livable Places Continues Discussions on Residential Buffering During the Feb. 9 virtual meeting, the Livable Places Action Committee established consensus on garage screening and lighting standards related amendments to the residential buffering ordinance. During the March 9 meeting, the Committee will discuss buffering amendment options related to physical separation distance. Learn more and view meeting details at https://www.letstalkhouston.org/livable-places.

Walkable Places Development Projects Take First Steps Forward Since the Walkable Places and Transit-Oriented Development Ordinance became effective on Oct. 1, the Planning and Development Department has received plat applications and seen significant interest in new development/ redevelopment projects in the three designated Walkable Places and along the designated TOD Streets. Many developers and applicants have provided positive feedback on the ordinance. Stay tuned for future updates as project details develop. To learn more about the Walkable Places and Transit-Oriented Development Rules, refer to the Users’ Guide for Walkable Places and Transit-Oriented Development.

GIS Map of the Month: Houston BCycle Stations The Planning and Development Department was awarded a $3.7 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration to expand the Houston BCycle Program in 2015. Houston BCycle had 33 bike stations and 225 bikes in its fleet when the expansion project kicked off in January 2017. With the assistance of grant and public/private sponsorships, the fleet has more than tripled in size, and now operates 121 bike stations with 800 bicycles across Houston. In 2020, Houston BCycle added 15 stations and 535 bikes to the bike share network, including 100 electric bikes. Eleven bike stations will be added this spring and will conclude the grant project. Click the image to view the full map.

Preservation Staff To Present Q&A for Glenbrook Valley Residents The Historic Preservation team will present a Q&A session to residents of the Glenbrook Valley Historic District on the topic, "What does it mean to live in a historic district?" The virtual event will be hosted by the Glenbrook Valley Civic Association on March 18 at 7 p.m. Glenbrook Valley is Houston’s largest and most intact neighborhood of Ranch and Mid-Century Modern homes. It was designed by the famous landscape architecture firm Hare and Hare. That firm also designed River Oaks and many of Houston’s city parks. Glenbrook Valley received national attention when it was built. It was featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Watch for meeting links and details on the historic preservation website and on PD social media channels.

Vision Zero Houston Gets National Attention The Vision Zero initiative is moving into the plan implementation phase, and the program has recently captured a few headlines. Shortly after the presidential inauguration, Mayor Sylvester Turner joined the chorus of voices urging President Biden to adopt zero as a goal for nationwide traffic fatalities. Watch the video. Mayor Turner was also featured in the Vision Zero Network "People Behind the Progress" series. Chief Transportation Planner David Fields was also recently interviewed by KTRK ABC 13.

MTFP Amendment Application Deadline is March 5 Annually, the City produces the Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP). The City listens to developers and neighborhoods about issues including congestion, mobility and future development plans and identifies sections of roadways that are in need of expansion, either by lengthening or widening. The Transportation Division began accepting applications for the annual Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP) Amendment process on Jan. 7. Applications are due by 5 p.m., March 5, 2021. For more information please visit the MTFP website.

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