The Planning & Development Department (PDD) recommends City Council approve the amendments to the 2017 Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan, as submitted in Attachment 1, and authorize publication of the 2018 MTFP map, as submitted in Attachment 2.
The City of Houston Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP) identifies transportation corridor alignments and establishes the required rights-of-way for major roadways in the City and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Chapter 33 (Section 33-37) of the Code of Ordinances requires that the Planning Commission prepare and submit the MTFP annually to the City Council. In developing the annual amendments to the MTFP, the Commission may consider deleting, realigning, or reclassifying streets designated on the plan or adding one or more streets to the plan. An amendment approved by the Commission is not effective until the MTFP is approved by City Council.
The MTFP was initially adopted in 1942 as a way to plan for and preserve a long-term transportation network that would support the rapidly growing city. In 1966, the plan was expanded to include the ETJ. Today, the MTFP uses street classifications identifying the preferred right-of-way width dimensions as well as the rules governing development along the right-of-way. Classifications include Freeways/Tollways, Major Thoroughfares, Transit Corridor Streets, Collector Streets (Major Collectors and Minor Collectors), and Local Streets.
The MTFP is important for several reasons:
- It identifies long-term roadway needs for Houston and the ETJ;
- It ensures that development and re-development activities dedicate adequate roadway right-of-way to maintain a well-connected street network as the area grows;
- It helps govern development that takes place along each of the specific classifications on the map;
- It provides a coordinated plan that is used by public agencies when making decisions related to transportation within the City of Houston and its ETJ;
- MTFP classifications are used within HPW’s Infrastructure Design Manual (IDM) to define how roads will be designed and constructed; and
- It provides officials and the general public useful information when making land acquisition decisions.
PDD is responsible for administering the nine-month public review process for MTFP amendments. The annual process includes multiple opportunities for soliciting and incorporating public comments on proposed amendments. The 2018 MTFP amendment review process included the following milestones:
- A pre-application meeting with applicants, a thorough review of all applications by PDD staff, and coordination with agency stakeholders, including City of Houston Public Works and Engineering Department and Harris County Engineering Department (January 3, 2018 – March 2, 2018).
- A workshop with the Planning Commission for preliminary review and discussion about the applications (May 10, 2018).
- A public open house at which the public was encouraged to view and comment on the applications and staff and applicants were available to answer questions (June 13, 2018).
- A public hearing before City of Houston Planning Commission (July 26, 2018)
- A Planning Commission discussion and vote on each amendment (August 23, 2018).
This year PDD processed an unscheduled MTFP amendment for the Ellington Bypass, as requested by the COH and the Houston Airport System. The process for this review included the following:
- A workshop with the Planning Commission for preliminary review and discussion about the applications (October 11, 2018).
- A public open house at which the public was encouraged to view and comment on the applications and staff and applicants were available to answer questions (October 16, 2018).
- A public hearing before City of Houston Planning Commission (October 25, 2018).
- A Planning Commission discussion and vote on each amendment, (November 8, 2018).
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Margaret Wallace Brown
Acting Director
Planning and Development Department