In-Person Public Meetings Resume September 2 |
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The September 2 Planning Commission meeting will be conducted with both in-person and virtual options via Microsoft Teams. Planning Commission meetings have been held virtually since April 16, 2020 to comply with pandemic health and safety recommendations. Texas Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551 provisions that allowed public meetings to be held solely virtually during the pandemic have been discontinued by the State of Texas.
In accordance with State law, all Planning Department public meetings will resume in person as of September 2. This applies to Planning Commission, Tower Commission, the Historic Commission and Appeals Board, and committees, such as Livable Places. Though Commissioners, board and committee members and city staff are required to conduct meetings in person, the Planning Department is finalizing plans to give the public the option to attend in person or participate virtually via Microsoft TEAMs or by telephone. Visit www.houstonplanning.com for updates about public meeting participation options, locations, dates and times.
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ADU/HOU Design Competition Seeks Creative ADU Submissions |
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The Planning and Development Department is seeking architects and design professionals to submit schematic designs and concepts for an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) under the City of Houston’s current building code and development standards. The ADU/HOU Design Competition will ultimately provide a set of plans available for Houston homeowners to build an ADU on single-family residential lots where development regulations and deed restrictions allow.
Register for the contest by Friday, Sept. 3. All submissions are due by Monday, Sept. 13.
Qualifying designs will be entered into an online poll for a public juried voting period. Qualifying designs will also be featured and fully credited to the participating designers and teams in a virtually accessible ADU design book. All submissions must be original designs. The design competition winner will be awarded $3,000, provided by the AARP grant, to produce construction documents.
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The winning design will undergo a preliminary plan review process by the Houston Permitting Center. These plans will then be made available to all Houston homeowners wishing to construct an ADU saving the homeowner time and money.
ADU/HOU is open to all design professionals, architects, senior or graduate level college students studying architecture, urban planning, and/or community development. Registration is open to groups of three or less, design firms, or individuals. Individuals and teams must register prior to entering their final submissions.
The Department is also hosting a series of workshops for the public to learn more about
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Houston BCycle Station Finds New Home at 611 Walker |
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It’s official, the newest Houston BCycle station is located on prime time real estate, at the Bob Lanier Public Works Building, 611 Walker! The installation of the Louisiana & Walker bike station took place on August 24, and some of our planners were able to see first-hand the delivery and set up of a BCycle station. The Louisiana & Walker Bike station is solar-powered and can dock 13 bikes at full capacity.
The Houston Permitting Center will also be getting a bike station in the fall. The two bike stations will provide an important connection between the two facilities and allow city employees and customers to commute back and forth on a bike, and bypass the hassle of driving and parking. The bike station formerly located at City Hall will be relocated to Bagby Street and Walker in October, which is the estimated timeline for completion of the Bagby Street improvements.
The City’s Houston BCycle program has made huge strides over the last few years, growing from three stations in 2012 to 138 stations and 1,088 bicycles.
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Houstonians really love their bike share, even in August. None of this would be possible without the Houston Bike Share team, the City’s program operator, who work to keep our stations in tip top condition, including our bike advocates and sponsoring partners. Everyone plays a crucial part in making our bike share program the best in the country.
For more information on the city’s bike share program, visit the Houston BCycle website and #KeepHoustonRolling.
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Sidewalk Summit Addresses Challenges, Pedestrian Experience |
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Join Council Members David W. Robinson and Sallie Alcorn for a virtual Houston Sidewalk Summit on Sept. 21. The Sidewalk Summit will bring together decision-makers and stakeholders for a candid discussion of current sidewalk regulations, municipal policies, and critical investments being made in Houston. We’ll also discuss new ideas for addressing the city’s sidewalk challenges and improving the overall pedestrian experience.
The summit will be broken up into a series of panels, each focused on different policies and investments related to sidewalks, with opportunities for public input and discussion. Planning and Development Department Director Margaret Wallace Brown and Houston Public Works Director Carol Haddock will start the program with an overview of the state of sidewalks in the city.
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Houston’s Complete Communities Director Shannon Buggs and Chief Transportation Planner David Fields will discuss the role sidewalks play in our communities and transportation network. City staffers will also speak on how sidewalks tie into our resiliency, sustainability, and accessibility initiatives. Smart Growth America, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, AARP, LINK Houston, and other organizations in the transportation sphere have also been invited to participate.
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Humans of Houston Shares Story No Parent Wants to Tell |
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Vision Zero partners in Planning and Development and Houston Public Works launched Humans of Houston, a strategic communications campaign that humanizes the losses and impacts of traffic deaths and serious injuries through a series of personal testimonials.
Participating Houstonians shared how traffic violence has affected their lives. The campaign aims to overturn the mindset that Houston is a car-centric city; demonstrate that Houstonians use all modes of transportation; eliminate speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors and achieve safe and accessible streets for everyone.
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This month one of our participants shares a heartbreaking story of when his son was killed while riding his bike. Read his story.
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Interactive Map Allows You to Browse Census 2020 Data |
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Recently released Census 2020 data shows that Houston's 2020 population is 2,304,580, representing an increase of 9.8% (205,129) from the 2010 Census; this is also an increase of 7.5% (145,820) from the previous decade. Of the top 10 largest cities in 2020, Houston had the second-highest population increase by percentage (9.8%) after Phoenix (11.2%). The Planning Department's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) division created this interactive story map to visualize the Census 2020 data and at the same time compare it with the 2010 data to understand how variables like race/ethnicity, voting age population and housing units have changed over a decade. This web app enables users to interact with two web maps simultaneously in a single scalable view. The map works best when viewed on Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge internet browsers, and is not compatible with Internet Explorer.
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AIA Houston Hosts Historic Wood Window Workshops in October |
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AIA Houston will host workshops on Saturday, October 2 and Sunday, October 3 for historic homeowners and preservationists to learn how to restore and care for historic wood windows. The workshop will be led by a preservationist and craftsman, Steve Quillian. Through demonstrations and hands-on experience, participants will learn about the basics behind window restoration methods, including various skills needed to confidently repair and maintain wood windows. Attendees can choose to attend the Basics Workshop or the MicroSkills Workshop.
Register early through Sept. 20. The workshops will be held at Project Row Houses, 2521 Holman Street. Register early through Sept. 20.
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Our social media outreach has hit a new milestone. @HoustonPlanning is reaching 10,000 Twitter followers. Thank you to everyone who is engaging with us online. If you haven't joined the conversation yet, follow us at @HoustonPlanning.
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Department Calendar and Information
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611 Walker Street, 6th Floor,
Houston, TX 77002
832-393-6600
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