Planning & Development
Planning News
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Anna Sedillo, Chief of Staff
Anna.Sedillo@houstontx.gov
832.393.6578
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News / Press Releases Archive
- December 18, 2024 -- City Council Approves Five New Historic Landmark Designations
- November 14, 2024 -- City Council Approves Walkable Places, Special Parking Area Designations for Park Eight Place
- October 22, 2024 -- Eight-Part Public Meeting Series on Sidewalk Ordinance Changes Starts Oct. 22
- July 05, 2024 -- Mayor Whitmire Names New Director of Planning and Development Department
- June 14, 2024 -- Houston BCycle to Close June 30
- April 10, 2024 -- Planning & Development Department Resumes In-Person Only Meetings for Commissions, Boards & Committees
- December 11, 2023 -- Vision Zero Progress Continues: Safer Streets, Actions Complete
- November 20, 2023 -- Vision Zero Houston Hosts Ceremony to Honor Victims of Traffic Crashes
- September 27, 2023 -- City Council Approves Transition Support & Funding for Houston BCycle
- September 27, 2023 -- Livable Places Initiative Drives Ordinance Revisions to Improve Walkability, Affordability & Equity
- September 22, 2023 -- ADU | HOU Design Contest Concludes with Free Downloadable ADU Plans
- August 30, 2023 -- City Council Approves 15 New Historic Landmark Designations
- August 9, 2023 -- Vision Zero 2022 Annual Report Shows Decrease in Total Crash Fatalities
- May 15, 2023 -- City Hosts Annual Bike To Work Day Downtown Ride on Friday, May 19
- April 25, 2023 -- City of Houston Joins USDOT Allies in Action, Reinforcing Commitment to Roadway Safety
- April 5, 2023 -- City Council Approves Conservation Districts as a Tool to Preserve Historic Character of Six Pilot Neighborhoods
- February 28, 2023 -- City of Houston Awarded Federal Reconnecting Communities Planning Grant for Gulfton and Beyond Study
- February 1, 2023 -- City of Houston Awarded Federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant for Bissonnet Corridor Project
- January 26, 2023 -- Council Approves Updates to Residential Buffering, Lighting, Garage and Dumpster Screening Standards
- January 26, 2023 -- City Amends Ordinance to Establish Fee In Lieu of Sidewalk Construction
- November 21, 2022 -- Road Traffic Victim Vigil Serves as Reminder for Safe Holiday Driving
- October 18, 2022 -- Proposed Residential Buffering Ordinance Survey Closes October 30
- October 18, 2022 -- City Celebrates Decade of Bike Share Making Houston More Bike Friendly
- October 18, 2022 -- City Council Approves Redistricting Plan to Establish New Council District Boundaries for Nov. 2023 Election
- August 11, 2022 -- City of Houston Awarded RAISE Grant Funding for Telephone Road Project
- July 18, 2022 -- City Extends Redistricting Public Comment Period to July 29
- July 6, 2022 -- View Proposed Redistricting Plan & Give Feedback at 3 Public Hearings
- May 5, 2022 -- Annual Bike to Work Day Ride Returns to Downtown Houston on May 20
- April 18, 2022 -- City Council Redistricting Town Hall Meetings Begin April 19
- March 7, 2022 -- City Seeks Community Feedback on Equity Indicators Survey
- January 27, 2022 -- City Council Approves Creation of Brunner-Harmonium Historic District
- January 21, 2022 -- ADU Design Book Showcases Small Homes with Big Possibilities
- November 12, 2021 -- Rice Architecture Graduate Students Win Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Contest
- October 5, 2021 -- Mayor Announces Public Voting for Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Contest
- September 28, 2021 -- Learn the Steps to Build an Accessory Dwelling Unit at Free Virtual Workshop
- August 17, 2021 -- Planning Department Kicks-Off Series of Workshops Focused on ADUs
- August 12, 2021 -- Mayor Turner's Statement on New 2020 Census Data
- August 11, 2021 -- Planning Department Awarded AARP Grant to Fund Accessory Dwelling Unit Design Contest
- July 21, 2021 -- Mayor Turner's statement on TxDOT's I-45 NHHIP survey
- June 16, 2021 -- Mayor Turner Announces Freedmen's Town as City's First Heritage District
- March 15, 2021 -- First Street Patio Opens as a Part of More Space: Main Street Program
- March 8, 2021 -- Council Member Abbie Kamin and Planning Department Bring Street Safety Improvements to Montrose and Midtown Neighborhoods
- December 16, 2020 -- City Council Votes to Strengthen the Hazardous Enterprises Ordinance
- December 16, 2020 -- Mayor Turner launches Vision Zero Action Plan to eliminate traffic deaths in Houston by 2030
- December 10, 2020 -- Mayor Sylvester Turner Announces City Council Support for Phase 2 Complete Communities Action Plans
- December 8, 2020 -- Mayor Turner sends letter to TxDOT on the North Houston Highway Improvement Project
- November 19, 2020 -- More Space: Main Street Program Aims to Boost Business, Outdoor Dining Spaces for Downtown Restaurants
- October 29, 2020 -- Halloween Bike Lane Demonstration Rolls Through Gulfton
- October 5, 2020 -- City of Houston and Resilient Houston Recognized with Top Awards for Planning and Resilience
- September 16, 2020 -- New Livable Places Initiative to Create More Opportunities for Walkability, Affordability and Equity
- August 6, 2020 -- City Council Approves Walkable/TOD Ordinance Changes to Encourage Walkable Development
- August 5, 2020 -- City of Houston Announces the "More Space" Program
- June 12, 2020 -- City Launches New Slow Streets Pilot Project
- January 30, 2019 -- Mayor's Complete Communities Initiative Wins Award for Public Involvement
- March 15, 2019 -- Mayor Announces Director of City's Complete Communities Initiative
- March 26, 2019 -- Mayor Turner Establishes Complete Communities Improvement Fund to Accelerate Initiative’s Progress
- April 17, 2019 -- Mayor & Together For Safer Roads Coalition Launch Safer Streets Push for Gulfton Neighborhood
- June 20, 2019 -- Mayor Expands Complete Communities Initiative to Five More Neighborhoods
- June 25, 2019 -- Court Upholds Houston Historic Preservation Ordinance
- June 27, 2019 -- Mayor's Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Decision Blocking Citizenship Question on Census
- July 19, 2019 -- Harris County Judge Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Turner to Announce 2020 Census Plan and Complete Count Committee
- August 13, 2019 -- Mayor Turner Signs Vision Zero Executive Order to Eliminate Traffic Fatalities and Injuries
- September 26, 2019 -- Mayor Appoints Director of City Planning & Development Department
- Cheek-Neal Coffee Company Building designated City Protected Landmark
- Seven Properties Receive Historic Designation
- Howard Oil Company Seedhouse and Weingarten House landmarks recall an important part of Houston’s past
- Historic designation bestowed upon the David House, the Heights Theater, the James A. and Margaret Wiess Elkins House and 308 Main
- Magnolia Cemetery receives historic designation
- Five unique noteworthy structures receive historic designation
- Historic designation bestowed upon the American Brakeshoe Company and the Langdon-Cummings House
- Houston neighborhoods will be featured at upcoming National conference
- Hermann Estates building, Fire Station No. 2 and three distinctive homes receive historic designation
- General Plan efforts underway
- High First Ward Historic District Established
- Childress House and McFarland House receive historic designation
- Patrick Walsh confirmed as Planning Director
- East End building line and lot size protection meeting
- Starkweather designated as historic district
- Jeff Davis Hospital, Etchison House, Garrison House, Thornbury House, and Brown House receive designation
- West House, Woodson House and Eyssen House receive historic landmark designation
- Department receives Award from Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association
- Four River Oaks area homes receive historic designation
- Phoebe Tudor recognized with Mayor’s Award for Preservation
- Five River Oaks area homes receive historic designation
- Houston selected as host for 2015 Neighborhoods USA Conference
- Houston Office of Preservation plaques to mark Houston’s designated historic structures
- Houston Office of Preservation Fair set for May 18 at City Permit Building, a Protected Historic Landmark
- Chapter 42 Community Meetings Set
- City approves changes to land platting subdivision ordinance Chapter 42
- Input needed for Heights-Northside and Northwest Mobility Studies
- Pech House and Montgomery-Reynolds House receive historic designation
- An adventure in historic preservation
- Council designates 6 remarkable homes as historic landmarks
- City Council designates Germantown as a city historic district
- Houston's Census challenge pays off
- Eller Wagon Works-Pittsburgh Plate Glass and Western Electric Company buildings given protected status
- Registration is open for Community U
- Walter F. Daly House, Helm-McDonough House, and D.W. Hovey House receive historic designation
- Architects Staub, Briscoe homes' named historic
- McHenry House in River Oaks and Duke/Shapiro House in Riverside Terrace receive historic designations
- Volunteers lauded for preservation efforts of historic cemetery
- This old farmhouse is now a historic landmark
- Rufus Cage Elementary declared protected site
- Fore-Blaine House added to list of historic properties
- Historic approval: Carroll House, one of Independent Heights’ first homes and Donig House, an Amish replica
- Shepherd House and Fennekohl House in River Oaks are historic landmarks
- Residential Buffering Requirements Adopted
- Urban Land Institute provided $25,000 grant for Redevelopment Toolkit
- Historic status for homes in River Oaks and Riverside Terrace
- City recognizes Lazybrook/Timbergrove Super Neighborhood Council
- Seven Noteworthy Homes Designated as Historic
- City Honors Neighborhood Matching Grant recipients
- City Adds Five Notable Homes to Historic Inventory
- City’s GIS Group Receives Special Achievement Award for Exceptional Application of Geospatial Technology
- Landmark Historic Status for River Oaks Homes and First Ward Artist Studio
- Five Protected Landmarks Added Including the "Last Concert Café"
- Heights South, Woodland Heights and Glenbrook Valley Are Officially “Historic”
- Jail Public Information Website Receives Unit Citation
- Houston Counts Recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Communications
- City Designates the Holley-Mengden House and the Loggins-Hughes Building as Historic Landmarks
- City Recognizes the Downtown Super Neighborhood Council (SN #61)
- City Recognizes Sharpstown Super Neighborhood Council
- Urban Land Institute’s Rose Center Fellows Addresses Key Land Use Challenges in Houston
- Westchase and Near Northwest Achieve Super Neighborhood Council Status
- Millane Building and Shipp House Receive Protected Historic Status
- City of Houston grants historic designation for the Baker-Meyer Building, Casa a la Punta House and Hilliard House
- City Recognizes Clear Lake Super Neighborhood Council
- Magnolia Park City Hall, Playhouse Theater and Strickland-Lasater-Thomas House Receive Historic Designation
- St. John Missionary Baptist Church Designated a Protected Historic Landmark
- Temporary Rules Established for Historic Districts
- Houston Designates First Montrose Commons, City’s 16th Historic District
- City Recognizes Museum Park Super Neighborhood Council
- Houston Renames Street Eleanor Tinsley Way
- Shaw House and William Fairchild House Receive Historic Designation
- Notable Star Engraving Building Now A Protected Landmark
- Lackner House, Stokes-Farnsworth House and Wilson G. Saville House Designated Historic Landmarks
- Boulevard Oaks Designated as City’s 15th Historic District
- Historic Designation Bestowed on the John and Marie Etta Garrow House and the Scientific Barbershop
- “My City – Houston” Brings Wealth of Information to the Public
- City recognizes Eldridge/West Oaks and Memorial Super Neighborhood Councils
- Houston Designates Frost Town as City’s First Archeological Site
- Sidney Sherman Brady House Received Historic Designation
- Montrose Named One of Top 10 American Neighborhoods
- Six Properties Receive Historic Designation
- William L. Clayton House Designated a City Protected Historic Landmark
- City Council Approves Landmark Transit Corridor Ordinance
- City Recognizes Briar Forest Super Neighborhood Council
- Two Noteworthy Historic Landmarks Given Protected Status
- Four Homes Receive Historic Designation
- Houston Designates Audubon Place as a Historic District
- Three Homes Added to Protected Historic List
- City of Houston Designates Three Homes in River Oaks as Historic
- City of Houston Designates Two Protected Historic Landmarks in Midtown/Neartown
- Two Heights Protected Landmarks
- Three Historic Warehouse Properties
Monthly Planner Newsletters
2025
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Activity Reports - Plat and Permit
Platting Update Newsletters
2024
- Platting Updates: Expect a New and Improved PlatTracker in the New Year New system may require applicant action
- Platting Updates: September 30, 2024: Join Us for Useful Tips and Information on Development and Platting in Houston
- Platting Updates: June 5, 2024: Spanish Virtual Workshop: Chapters 42 & 26 Ordinance Changes
- Platting Updates: March 15, 2024: Chapter 42 & 26 Changes
- Platting Updates: May 20, 2024: Plat Tracker payments will be temporarily unavailable
- Platting Updates: May 24, 2024: Plat Tracker payments will be temporarily unavailable
2023
2022
2021
- Platting Updates: November 24, 2021: Recordation Appointment Scheduling
- Platting Updates: April 2, 2021: Ch 42 Amendment Comment Period is Open
- Platting Updates: February 16, 2021: Planning Commission Cancellation
- Platting Updates: February 12, 2021: Recordation Cancellation Fee
2020
- Platting Updates: November 6, 2020: Recordation and New Harris County Clerk
- Platting Updates: October 27, 2020: Recordation Tax Certificates
- Platting Updates: October 9, 2020: Recordation Appointments Availability
- Platting Updates: October 6, 2020: Plat Tracker Payments & Link
- Platting Updates - September 23, 2020 – Plat Tracker Maintenance
- Platting Updates: September 21, 2020: Walkable Places and Transit-Oriented Design (TOD)
- Platting Updates - August 18, 2020 – Composite Tax Receipts and Mylars for Corrections
- Platting Updates - July 17, 2020 – Platting Updates Flood Prone Areas
- Platting Updates - March 13, 2020 – COVID 19
2016
- Platting Updates - February 17, 2016 – Fees and Notices
- Platting Updates - February 29, 2016 – Solid Waste Collection Plans
- Platting Updates - January 21, 2016 – Fees and Expedited Site Plan Review
2015
- Platting Updates - December 21, 2015
- Platting Updates - November 17, 2015
- Platting Updates - November 3, 2015 - November 3, 2015 – C2, Recordation Docs
- Platting Updates - October 2015 - October 2015 – Amending Plats, Additional Parking
- Platting Updates - August 2015 - August 2015 – Solid Waste Collection Plans