Planning and Development

Programs : Planning and Development

Central Houston leads or assists in comprehensive planning advocacy, working closely with the Houston Downtown Management District, City of Houston, METRO, Harris County and area development associations.  The following are planned or anticipated downtown or downtown-adjacent projects.  Projects are closely aligned with implementation goals of the 2004 Houston Downtown Development Framework. 

• Development – Dynamo Stadium.  Support role to stadium design and construction development, including LRT construction and operations, access from East End, and prospective mixed-use development south of Stadium. 
• Development – Regional Tourism Center | Reconfigure Avenida de las Americas. Support role to the City of Houston for a reconfigured block between GRB Convention Center and Minute Maid Park, to house a Regional Tourism Center including relocation of the two historic houses. North- & south-bound lanes to be reduced from four- to two-lanes at 600 block of AdlA, with 700 block used for lane transitions.
• Development – 806 Main Street Hotel.  Collaborating with developer, City and METRO to review proposed hotel and LRT operations at Rusk and Main. Investigating street design options to assist with hotel traffic.
• Downtown High School.  Participate in confidential negotiations with HISD Trustees and Administration to identify downtown site for HSPVA.
• Development – Convention Hotel and International Zone.  Support role to private development for hotel and mixed-use development east of GRB Convention Center and SH-59 at Polk and Chartres streets.
• Development – Convention Center Hotel | Block 99.  Support role in ongoing conversations for future hotel development, particularly in regards to LRT construction and GRB Convention Center plans for expansion.
• Residential & Mixed-Use Planning – Warehouse District, Northeast Quadrant and Southeast Quadrant.  Prepare “neighborhood sketch plans” to initiate activity and inform comprehensive downtown master planning or guidelines for a refreshed framework, integrating the projects with related projects such as the H-GAC Livable Centers study.
• Master Planning - UH Downtown.  Support the University’s planning efforts in their development of master plan; collaborate with University’s planning team to provide information for future expansion.
• Master Planning – Mixed-use Retail Core Area.  Project in the first half of 2011 to develop conceptual design to re-vitalize downtown’s Shopping District.
• Master Planning – George R. Brown Convention Center | 25-Year Planning.  For the City, lead master planning project with Gensler to develop master planning documents for future expansion of GRB.
• Master Planning – Downtown | East Downtown Livable Centers.  Work with numerous entities and the design consultancy team for a nine-month master planning transit-oriented development project of 168-block area bounded by Preston, St. Charles, Pease and Austin. Coordinate multiple projects and consultants within study area.
• Bayou Improvements – Austin Street Portal Repairs and Maintenance.  At blocks 6 and 7, substantial repairs to a guardrail separating surface parking and Buffalo Bayou. Guardrail was damaged during a drunk driver incident in November 2009.
• Bayou Improvements – Buffalo Bayou North Channelization.  Participating as a stakeholder in the Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Master Plan and working with the Harris County Flood Control District, long term planning for channeling the bayou including street, bridge and bayou path improvements. Short-term coordination with HCFCD and downtown businesses to assist with cost benefit analysis of channelization.
• Bayou Improvements – Sesquicentennial Park to Travis Portal.  Engineering design project to suspend a bayou path bridge from street bridge as the link along a discontinuous portion of the hike and bike trail.
• Bayou Improvements – International Coffee Building.  Serving as the funding recipient for TXDOT providing match grant to Buffalo Bayou Partnership for historic renovation to the ICB.
• Tranquility Park.  Provide ongoing stakeholder involvement for future redevelopment of Tranquility Park, based on 2008 conceptual planning. Collaborate as a leading stakeholder with Parks & Recreation in all phases of future work.
• Jones Plaza.  Provide ongoing stakeholder involvement for future re-development of Jones Plaza, based on 2010 Visioning Meeting as led by Gensler for Convention & Entertainment Facilities.
• Pocket Parks & Pets.  Identify parcels and ownership who may consider development of pocket and / or pet parks distributed throughout district; goal is to provide more neighborhood park amenities to downtown residents.
• Lighting Improvements – LED Street Lighting Pilot.  After testing fixture performance and evaluating economics during a pilot phase, make a recommendation to Board for phased upgrading to street lights on certain thoroughfares.
• Lighting Improvements – Main Street OCS Pole Lighting Pilot.  Based on past performance and low-level lighting output of “sail” fixtures along Main Street, south of Texas, select with CenterPoint new street lights to be mounted to METRO OCS poles.
• Lighting Improvements – Theater Pole Relocation to Northwest Quadrant.  Based on development of area south of Minute Maid Park and due to METRO | LRT construction on Capitol & Rusk, existing theater pole street lighting to be removed and relocated to new areas to be identified in areas north of Texas Street.
• Lamar Street Pedestrian Lighting Pilot.  As a test pattern, install 10-12 light fixtures on south side of Lamar from Crawford to Austin. Based on fixture performance, develop plans for pedestrian lighting particularly within the “Z-Corridor” linking Convention Center, hotels, retail, Main Street and Historic District.
• Sidewalk Improvements – Travis to Fannin from Clay to Jefferson.  Support and overview of current project design and anticipated construction in expending currently allocated TIRZ funds.
• Sidewalk Improvements – Southeast Quadrant.  Support and overview a project to design and construct sidewalk and related amenities (landscape, lighting) per downtown guidelines. Coordinate improvements with property owners. Leverage right-of-way design for future developments.
• METRO | LRT – Capitol & Rusk Streets (plus Hamilton, Texas and Buffalo Bayou).  Ongoing stakeholder leadership on the downtown segments of Southeast Line, including tree mitigation coordination, station and transfer station design, garage access, owner representation, and construction coordination.
• Street Improvements – Crosswalk and Intersection Paver Repairs and Maintenance.  With long-term maintenance issues related to 2004 construction on downtown transit streets, particularly at intersections surrounding Main Street Square, work with engineering consultant to develop and test alternative installations of pavers within roadway.
• Street Improvements – Dallas from Crawford to Caroline.  Streetscape modifications including wider sidewalk at south side of Dallas, new landscaping, new pedestrian lighting, new street lighting, underground electrical utilities from current overhead; continuation of previous street improvements from Bagby to Caroline linking hotels with Convention Center.
• Bike Share Program.  Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) pilot project to develop a public bike share program based on downtown’s density.  Following testing phase, program to be implemented in other areas of Houston region.
• Neighborhood Connections – Elysian Viaduct New Bridge and Roadway.  Continue design studies related to Elysian Viaduct and connections between downtown and near northside.
• Neighborhood Connections – Hike & Bike Trails / East Downtown to Buffalo Bayou.  Collaborate with adjacent management districts and Buffalo Bayou Partnership to improve recreational and modality connections through downtown; integrate with HARC bike share program.
• Wayfinding Improvements.  At street level, comprehensive upgrade to primary, secondary and street-level kiosks signage, including lighting and painting maintenance. Planning for an additional 30 kiosks to supplement the current 20 kiosks. Coordinate wayfinding improvements with adjacent districts.  At tunnel level, as-needed updates to tunnel signage to incorporate new developments and tunnel connections. Comprehensive upgrade to tunnel map kiosks.

HOUSTON DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK
A new framework for future development guidelines is being developed using similar processes, scope of work and stakeholder / community involvement as utilized in 2003-2004 Framework.  The result will be a 25-year master planning document as a vision resource for downtown Houston through 2036.  The anticipated completion of the document is August 2012, and the working title is The Bicentennial Plan.

For reference, the 2004 Downtown Development Framework is provided here, in addition to the following white papers developed as part of the Framework:  Downtown Progress Overview Paper, Downtown Office and Employment Overview, Downtown Retail Overview, Downtown Residental Overview, Downtown Access and Circulation Overview, Downtown Public Realm and Open Space Overview.