Houston Planning Commission Meeting – January 22, 2026

The Houston Planning Commission convened at 2:32 PM on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at City Hall Annex (900 Bagby) with a quorum of 15 commissioners present. Chair Clark presided. The meeting covered approval of previous minutes, semi-annual reports on impact fees, and a lengthy consent agenda followed by public hearings on plat applications and variance requests. The meeting adjourned at 3:32 PM.

Consent Calendar

• January 8, 2026 Minutes: Approved unanimously.
• Capital Improvements Advisory Committee – Water/Wastewater Impact Fees: The January 2026 semi-annual report (reporting period May 1–October 31, 2025) documented $27,144,778 in revenue and interest from water and wastewater impact fees. The current fee of $4,286.93 per service unit is 38.60% of the maximum allowed. A total of 5,0841 service units for water and 723 service units for wastewater generated the fees; 647 single‑family residences below median housing price were exempt. The Commission authorized appropriation of the total revenue and interest to debt retirement. Approved unanimously.
• Capital Improvements Advisory Committee – Drainage Impact Fees: The January 2026 semi-annual report documented $822,851.24 in drainage impact fees purchased during the reporting period, with a total of $8,223,446 since program inception. Approved unanimously.
• Platting Activity – Sections A and B (Consent and Replat Items Not Requiring Notification): Items 1–29 (consent) and 30–70 (replat) were presented as one group. Commissioners abstained on items 4, 5, 14, 15, 24, and 26. The remaining items were approved as recommended by staff. The only contested item was Item 29 (Willow Parish), a private‑street development with 44 lots and 8 reserves in the Acres Home area. A speaker (Helen Ripple) requested tabling, arguing the plat did not conform to the general plan and would remove all trees with minimal landscaping. Staff responded that the plat is a “shall approve” under state law (Chapter 42) because it met all requirements; a variance for a 15‑foot right‑of‑way had already been granted. The Commission approved the plat unanimously.
• Extensions of Approval (Items 91–96) and other administrative items (Sections G–J): Approved unanimously with Commissioner Motes abstaining from Item 93.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke during the public comment period (Roman numeral 5).

Discussion Items

Plat Approvals with Public Hearings (Items 71–81)

All items were presented by staff and opened for public hearing. No speakers appeared for most items; all were approved on staff recommendation.

• Item 71 (Centenario Homes at Farmer) – Replat to create two single‑family lots. Approved.
• Item 72 (SIFAR Fire Station No. 15) – Replat for one unrestricted reserve in Harris County ETJ. Approved.
• Item 73 (Homewood Estates) – Replat to create two single‑family lots. Approved.
• Item 74 (Moore Street Living) – Deferred per applicant’s request to meet notification requirements.
• Item 75 (New Haven Villas) – Replat to create two single‑family lots. Approved.
• Item 76 (Plaza Estate at Noble) – Replat to create six single‑family lots and one parking reserve. Approved.
• Item 77 (Shadow Creek Estates, Lego Woods, Section 1, Partial Replat No. 1) – Replat for one single‑family lot in the ETJ. Staff noted one public comment but deemed the plat “shall approve.” Approved.
• Item 78 (Swiftwater Estate) – Replat for one single‑family lot. A neighbor (Melanie Erdialis) spoke in opposition, citing flooding concerns and asserting that deed restrictions limit lot size to 50 feet wide and prohibit a mobile home. She requested deferral. Staff legal counsel stated the original deed restrictions expired in 1997 and a renewal attempt was procedurally invalid, making the restrictions unenforceable. The Commission approved the plat. Commissioner Garza advised the speaker that she could pursue deed restriction enforcement in court and consider a minimum lot size application.
• Item 79 (Tidwell Square) – Replat for four single‑family lots; previously deferred to address deed restrictions. Applicant provided revised drawing meeting the restrictions. Approved.
• Item 80 (Windsor Place Edition Partial Replat No. 4) – Replat for one single‑family lot with a variance request for a 6‑foot building line (instead of 10·ft) along Haddon Street to allow a remodel connecting an existing duplex and garage apartment. A neighbor (Susan Kissler) objected, claiming the proposal had changed since a neighborhood meeting and that representations were not truthful. The applicant’s representative (Nathan Dietrich) confirmed the change – eliminating a planned fourth garage bay – and that the 6‑foot line matches existing conditions. Commissioner Motes noted a CenterPoint condition requiring a 10‑foot clearance for overhead facilities but acknowledged the existing structure already sits at 6 feet. The variance was granted and the plat approved on staff recommendation.
• Item 81 (Roxton Estates) – Replat to create two single‑family lots. Approved.

Subdivision Plats with Variance Requests (Items 82–90)

• Item 82 (City Place GP) – Approximately 660‑acre general plan in the ETJ requesting a variance to exceed maximum intersection spacing along the western boundary. Staff supported the variance; Harris County Engineering had no objection. Granted and approved.
• Item 83 (E Street at Carby) – 24‑acre unrestricted reserve in the ETJ requesting a variance to not require a north‑south and east‑west public street. Staff supported due to constraints (pipeline, flood control channel, low density). Variance granted and plat approved.
• Item 84 (Facio Villas) – Three single‑family lots off a shared driveway; originally requested a zero‑foot building line but later amended to meet Chapter 42 without a variance. Two public comments received (one opposing, one supporting). Approved without variance.
• Item 85 (Jubilee Section 22) – 64 single‑family lots in the ETJ requesting a variance to allow lots to front on a green space instead of a public street, with vehicular access from a 20‑foot public alley. Staff supported the design as pedestrian‑friendly. Variance granted and plat approved.
• Item 86 – No action taken; a 30‑day extension to February 5, 2026 had been previously approved.
• Item 87 (North Shore Partial Replat No. 1) – Two residential lots (each over one acre) requesting a variance to not extend multiple stub streets through the tract. Staff supported, noting sufficient exit points. Variance granted and plat approved.
• Item 88 (Quinn Meadows) – Variance request to allow residential lots to take access from a 20‑foot private alley. Deferred per applicant’s request.
• Item 89 (River Grove General Plan) – Over 136‑acre property in Kingwood area proposing a hotel‑type resort with marina access. Variance requested to not provide a public east‑west street. City Councilwoman Sally Alcorn requested deferral for further review and coordination with applicant. Staff also noted comments about flooding, wildlife (bald eagle exclusion zone), and design concerns. Deferred for two weeks.
• Item 90 (Wayne Beck Enterprises) – Nearly 12‑acre property in the ETJ requesting variance to not provide a north‑south street. Same variance had been granted in August 2025; a reserve change required reconsideration. Staff supported; Harris County Engineering had no objection. Variance granted and plat approved.

Establishment of Public Hearing Date

• The Commission set a public hearing for February 19, 2026 on the following plats: Claremont Place Section 1 Partial Replat No. 13, Concrete Dolphin Family Partial Replat No. 1, Darling Villas Replat No. 1, Montgomery Enclave, and Rose Hill Pines. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• All votes were unanimous with no opposition recorded.
• Variances granted for intersection spacing (Items 82, 83, 90) and lot frontage (Item 85).
• Variance granted for a reduced building line on item 80.
• Deferrals: Items 74 (at applicant’s request), 88 (at applicant’s request), and 89 (at Councilwoman’s request).
• Director’s Report announced that beginning February 1, 2026, all public notices from Planning & Development will be sent in postcard format, and a survey on the new plat tracker website will be conducted.
• Commissioners commended staff for professionalism and solution‑oriented work.