Comments on: How Houston Regulates Land Use

By: Robertarvid Johnson

Robertarvid Johnson — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 18:14:00 +0000

Houston’s climate and topography was great for agriculture. Owners and voting residents made an early unique choice about urban planning. The flat poorly drained topography was subject to rare flooding by incursions of once-every-50-year tropical storms. Nature’s occasional reminder of this threat could if not mentioned be ignored, increasing profits from arriving buyers. Bottom lands of little value were sold to developers after protective land-zoning had been rejected by sellers voting on the choice. Now, investors and residents, with homes, improvements and roadways suffer and pay the cost of those who profited from that earlier choice of no planning nor zoning.

By: Eric Miller

Eric Miller — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 18:40:00 +0000

Any discussion on eliminating the mandating of off-street parking?

By: Vincent

Vincent — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 21:32:00 +0000

I wonder how it will all look when we get self-driving cars

By: david crossley

david crossley — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 18:49:00 +0000

Quick comment about parking: the picture of downtown and all the parking lots is a picture of the one part of the City where there is no parking mandate. The Central Business District exists free of the Chapter 42 and many other development regulations. It’s more or less what the Free Market does.

By: Flakker

Flakker — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 08:26:00 +0000

A very good rundown. I was harder than I should have been on your last Houston article, but this kind of just-the-facts rundown is welcome when so many articles about Texas and Houston in particular are fact-light boosterism.

By: stars0414

stars0414 — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 04:57:00 +0000

brilliant analysis. keep up the good work Nolan. as a native islander off the exotic island of Galveston, i understand that the development and planning of Houston does not meet criteria for increased density, and rather for more sprawl.

By: Nolan Gray

Nolan Gray — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 21:49:00 +0000

That’s my only complaint with all the neat townhouse development going on in downtown Houston: the parking mandates require in most cases a front-facing garage on the ground level and creating a less pedestrian friend environment. Thank goodness for the shared driveway workaround, but even then it’s unfortunate that the parking mandates exist.

By: kclo3

kclo3 — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 20:25:00 +0000

It’s interesting that Houston’s single family zoning is approaching something like Philadelphia rowhouses, whose predominant single-family zoning (RSA-5) is similarly generous among American cities. While minimum lot size is 1440 sq ft compared to Houston’s 1400 sq ft and there is a 38 ft. height limit, minimum lot width is only 16′ and there are no overtly significant setbacks to deal with. Lack of parking minimums for single-family houses also ensures that facades aren’t marred by front-loading garages and that there are few to no front driveway setbacks that kill street life, something that Houston zoning really has to work on if the housing typology will ever be truly urban. Also, Houston’s frequent use of front-yard fences is utterly oppressive and should be banned immediately.