Monthly Planner
Updates from your City of Houston
 

 
December 2018
In Memoriam: Patrick Walsh
 
The Planning & Development Department is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Planning Director Patrick Walsh after a battle with cancer. For the past five years, Director Walsh worked tirelessly to make Houston a better place. We will miss his generous leadership style, great energy, and enormous optimism for the city we all love. We will never forget his wry humor, his suave dance moves, or his deep love for his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Lindsey, Julian, and the entire Walsh family. Details for services have not been released yet.
100 Resilient Cities Workshop
  
Photo Courtesy of 100ResilientCites.org
The 100 Resilient Cities Network, a $164 million global effort to build urban resiliency around the world, is now working in Houston! As a participating city, Houston anticipates that this program can help us better prepare for both chronic issues, such as homelessness and traffic, as well as a "one-off" events, such as a Hurricane Harvey weather incident or cyber-attack. An initial agenda setting workshop was held
on November 8 to discuss Houston's resilience priorities and begin to develop a shared resilience agenda. The Office of Resilience will complement work conducted by the City's Flood Czar Office and other ongoing efforts across the city to achieve flood resilience in our region.

For more details on this effort, read Mayor Sylvester Turner's  press release or visit the 100 Resilient Cities website.
Staff Highlights from 2018
  
It's been an busy and productive year in the Planning & Development Department. Here are just a few highlights provided by staff for 2018. More details on our projects will be forthcoming in our annual report, slated for release in February 2019.

 
Sharon Moses-Burnside assisting a resident at the North Houston Highway Improvement project

 
Sharon Moses Burnside: Having only been here 6 months out of this year, for me, the challenge of the implementation of the 50 miles of high comfort bike lanes stands out.  We, the transportation planning team, have been fortunate enough to be included in the implementation of historic change for the City of Houston. We are on the verge of a paradigm shift regarding alternative sustainable transportation modes, and as planners we are right in the thick of it, setting a new standard for mobility.

Eriq Glen (seated, left) and staff at Complete Communities University

 

  
Eriq Glenn: A highlight of my work in 2018 has been Complete Communities University. It's a work shop I helped brainstorm with the team as an intern and got to work on to make a reality as an employee. A close second is being a Planner for the Second Ward Complete Community and working with Lead Second Ward Planner David Welch on the implementation of the ambitious Second Ward action plan. I'm also a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) and it's been great having the support of the department.

Joel Casas (right) with members of the GS team at the Houston Emergency Center

 

 
Joel Casas: I now work at the Houston Emergency Center on the Planning & Development Department's Geographic Information System team. This year, I've been focusing on adding new roadways into the system so the public and all departments can know where actual physical roadways are located. It's also exciting to work with some other Departments to map their vehicle monitoring systems. Especially in an emergency, this data is of prime importance.

 

 
Program Updates
 
Please visit our web site at www.houstonplanning.com for complete updates on our projects. 
 
Complete Communities: Mayor Sylvester Turner's signature program has received a funding boost from Houston Endowment. The Mayor's Office is establishing an Office of Complete Communities with dedicated staff to facilitate implementation of the community action plans adopted by City Council in August 2018! We appreciate the support of the Houston Endowment toward improving Houston's diverse neighborhoods. Details on the program and the action plans themselves can be found at the Complete Communities website.  
 
Historic Preservation: Chapter 33 revisions to facilitate tax exemptions for qualified historic properties and enhance enforcement measures will be considered by the Houston Archeological and Historic Commission (HAHC) at an upcoming meeting. These revisions were recently presented to the City Council Quality of Life Committee. Click here for more information on our Historic Preservation efforts.

Houston BCycle Expansion: Four Houston BCycle stations were installed at the Texas Southern University (TSU) campus in November as part of the City's BCycle expansion project that is funded by a federal grant. TSU joins Rice University and University of Houston campuses to feature new bike stations that provide an easy and cheap commuting option for students to get to and around campus. University of Houston-Downtown is also slated to receive new bike stations in 2019. Ride a BCycle today!

University Towers
University Courtyard Apartments
Recreation & Wellness Center
Student Center East

Congratulations!
  
The Planning & Development Department would like to extend congratulations to our own Dylan Osborne, who will be leaving us this month after being elected Harris County Treaurer! Dylan is leaving the City after almost 9 years, serving under two City Council Members, a two-year stint in the Finance Department, and almost three years here at Planning & Development. We are very proud to see Dylan win his first election and move on to elected office.
 
  
The leadership and staff of the Planning & Development Department wish you joy and good  health as we look forward to the next year. Happy holidays and best wishes for 2019!
 
Planning & Development

611 Walker Street, 6th Floor
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 832.393.6600