Monthly Planner May 2020
City of Houston Planning & Development Department
A Bright Spot in My Day: Many Hands, Light Work
The old adage that many hands make light work has never been more appropriate to the Planning & Development Department than the past few weeks. Moving three public commissions from in-person to virtual formats is no small feat and the many hands that worked long days and weekends to make it happen did an amazing job.
Thanks to cooperative collaboration from our City’s Information Technology Department, the City Attorney’s office, HTV in the Mayor’s office, the Planning team accomplished what several weeks EARLIER was thought impossible.
Public meetings are the lifeblood of our organization and we take them seriously.
We want to ensure that our Commissions, and our other activities such as our Bicycle Advisory Committee, the Vision Zero Committee and a myriad of meetings with our partners and colleagues happen in the light of day, open to you, our true stakeholders.
Have you made the jump with us? If so, I look forward to joining you in a virtual meeting sometime soon.
Stay home or wear a mask when you go out, and stay safe Houston!
Sincerely,
Margaret Wallace Brown, Director
Planning & Development Department
2020 Census Survey Extended!
The 2020 Census is underway and more households across America are responding every day. More than 70 million households have responded to date, representing over 56.6% of all households in America.
In the City of Houston, 47.3% have self-responded as of 5/03/2020. Census Post cards are being delivered to residents at meal distribution sites, such as City parks and NRG stadium.
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau is adjusting 2020 Census operations in order to:
-Protect the health and safety of the American public and Census Bureau employees.
-Implement guidance from federal, state and local authorities.
-Ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities.
The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March. Steps are already being taken to reactivate field offices beginning June 1, 2020, in preparation for the resumption of field data collection operations as quickly as possible after June 1.
In-person activities, including all interaction with the public, enumeration, office work and processing activities, will incorporate the most current guidance to promote the health and safety of staff and the public. This will include recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing practices.
Once 2020 Census data collection is complete, the Census Bureau begins a lengthy, thorough and scientifically rigorous process to produce the apportionment counts, redistricting information and other statistical data products that help guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector spending per year.
In order to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau is seeking statutory relief from Congress of 120 additional calendar days to deliver final apportionment counts. Under this plan, the Census Bureau would extend the window for field data collection and self-response to October 31, 2020, which will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to the President by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.
Help us continue to boost participation by reminding your network that it has never been easier to respond. Paper questionnaires continue to arrive in mailboxes now. You can also self-respond by taking the 2020 Census survey online at my2020census.gov or call 1-844-330-2020.
Thanks for participating in the 2020 Census!
Transformative: NHHIP Update
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) for I-45 is one of the largest infrastructure projects the City of Houston will see in a generation. To ensure this project meets our goals, Mayor Sylvester Turner asked City of Houston Planning & Development Department (PD) to lead a Facilitation Group to elevate the community’s concerns and recommend ways to improve the project.
Over the past year, the PD Facilitation Group has listened to the public by hosting nine public meetings and reading through 1,130 written comments received to date by the City and TxDOT. Using this feedback and working with City departments, Harris County and METRO, they have developed a conceptual vision for the project.
Read Mayor Turner’s full letter to H-GAC’s Transportation Policy Council. Click for more information from the NHHIP program web page.
Historic Sites: Stories of Diversity
Houston's historic preservation efforts see an uptick in urban communities, according to a City Savvy article featuring the Planning Department's Preservation Officer, Roman McAllen.
Our Historic Preservation Office is constantly on the alert for opportunities to preserve places that matter and are open to recognizing the historical significance of places that might have not been recognized in the past.
McAllen reports that his team fields daily calls from residents, guides them through the nomination process, and administers certificates of appropriates that allow residents to modify both protected properties or properties in protected neighborhoods.
“Houston is a special place that is a melting pot of many cultures and people,” McAllen says. “If we do the job of historic preservation right, then we have helped to tell that story.”
Read more about Historic Sites from the April 27, 2020 issue of Houston Savvy.