Code Enforcement Tour
Saturday, October 20, 2018 - 2:00pm to 6:00pm

CLICK HERE to pick your tour.

First come, first served. Space is limited

The workshop provides the opportunity to:
• Tour guide will be a Code Enforcement Officer to detail Houston’s enforcement process
• Tour refurbished commercial and residential structures
• Discuss code enforcement issues unique to frequently flooded neighborhoods

• City of Houston Public Works Building: Tour the refurbished Houston Public Works Building. The building was converted from a vacant building to LEED building standards. The tour will highlight various innovative aspects of the building including: The Green Building Resource Center used to educate Houston Residents on green building techniques, a raised floor system, water efficient plumbing fixtures, and energy efficient light fixtures. They have 50 displays of green building technology and materials. You can also take a tour of the roof to see the solar panels and wind turbines. {30-minute walk around tour}
• Elder Street Artist Lofts: Tour the former Hospital that was designated a dangerous building after decades of neglect. is property started as a cemetery and then become the Jefferson Davis Hospital. Jefferson Davis Hospital was replaced with a new hospital in 1938. The building was vacant for decades and fell into disrepair. The building has since been converted into 34 live/work units. The units provide housing and offices for local artists but retain many of the original building features. {30-minute walk around tour}
• Meyerland Subdivision: Tour the Meyerland Subdivision that was decimated during Hurricane Harvey. You will have the opportunity to discuss the innovative methods of raising existing residences to prevent future flooding damage. A representative from a home raising company will meet us at a residence to describe the process. {30-minute walk around tour}
• Former Dangerous Buildings: We will view numerous properties that were in violation of various City Ordinances including dangerous building ordinance violations. The properties were corrected of the deficiencies through our Code Enforcement Process. The dangerous building homes that we will drive by are located on Alberta, Palm and Walker streets.

CLICK HERE for the driving map link

CLICK HERE to pick your tour.

Land Use Tour A
Saturday, October 20, 2018 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

CLICK HERE to pick your tour.

First come, first served. Space is limited

Tour A will take you through some of the close-in neighborhoods where Houston is seeing redevelopment and economic growth, vibrant private-public partnerships and
Depart from the Hilton Hotel. We know you’re staying at the edge of Discovery Green, but this starts with a quick tour around the area as we start to head out from downtown.

TOUR GUIDES: Bill Baldwin, Houston Planning Commission & Margaret Wallace-Brown, Planning and Development Department

• Discovery Green – surface parking lots into a 11.78-acre downtown urban park
• Example of: Discovery Green exemplifies a successful public-private partnership between the City of Houston, the Houston First Corporation and Discovery Green Conservancy, the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that operates and maintains the park. The Conservancy produces hundreds of free events each year and receives no direct city funding. The City of Houston acquired a portion of the land in 2002. When the rest of the property went up for sale, a group of philanthropists led by Maconda Brown O’Connor of the Brown Foundation, and Nancy G. Kinder of the Kinder Foundation approached then-Mayor Bill White with their idea of turning the space into an urban park. The Mayor agreed and became a strong advocate of a public-private partnership. The City of Houston purchased the remainder of the land in 2004 and created the framework for the park’s construction and operations, including the role of the new organization, Discovery Green Conservancy, incorporated in 2004. When the Houston City Council approved the contracts to provide funding and support to the park, it also mandated that the “public at large” be engaged in the design and development of the park.
• Union Station Redevelopment Minute Maid Park 
• Example of: adaptive reuse of historic structure.
• Heading into EADO. East Downtown Houston, the Art & Soul of the City! EaDo is a vibrant neighborhood rich with history, interesting sites, thriving businesses and entertainment and the best of downtown living. Encompasses Houston’s Chinatown and a vibrant, largely Hispanic community undergoing rapid change and redevelopment, and taking efforts to retain its identity. 
• Example of: Metro Rail effect on nearby development of new housing; preservation of cultural identity, economic development actions from sports parks (soccer and baseball).
• Back into Downtown, we’ll talk about the impact of Buffalo Bayou on the different neighborhoods, examining flooding issues at various points, including the Courthouse, University of Houston Downtown
• Examples: retrofitting for flooding, housing initiatives, impact of rail, redevelopment of historic properties.
• East River Development
• City of Houston Permitting Center – The building has the Green Building Resource Center on the first floor. The building was constructed with energy conservation in mind. It has a raised floor system, water efficient plumbing fixtures, energy efficient light fixtures and A/C. 
• Example of: Vacant commercial building that was converted to LEED building standards after purchase by City. The Green Building Resource Center is on the first floor. They have 50 displays of green building technology and materials. You can also take a tour of the roof to see the solar panels and wind turbines. 
• Washington Corridor—A rapidly evolving mix of residences and businesses is present on this redeveloping corridor, which serves as a gateway into several historic districts and redeveloping neighborhoods. The mix of land uses in the area are some examples of the absence of land use districts. 
• Art Car house Art Car Museum, 140 Heights Blvd., Houston 77007
• Beer Can house 222 Malone St., Houston 77007
• Sawyer Yards – Is described as a creative campus spanning over 55 acres of industrial warehouses in First Ward. It has art studies, restaurants, breweries and galleries. 
• Example of: Historic First Ward neighborhood.
• Adaptive reuse of silos, warehouses.
• They will be preparing for Third Saturday Art Walk.
• Buffalo Bayou Park - Drainage ditch corridor transformation into 160-acre urban green space 
• Example of: TIRZ dollars at work, public private partnerships; planning for use of open space as floodplain management tool.
• Back to Discovery Green, which is preparing for Flea by Night, and Screen on the Green. Who needs softball?

CLICK HERE to pick your tour.

Land Use Tour B
Saturday, October 20, 2018 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

CLICK HERE to pick your tour.

First come, first served. Space is limited 

Tour B will take you to the sports stadiums and adjacent improvements where redevelopment and economic growth, vibrant private-public partnerships are the result.

Speakers: Andy Icken and potentially Bill Baldwin, a realtor and member of the Houston Planning Commission• Depart from the Hilton Hotel.
• Union Station Redevelopment Minute Maid Park (Baseball stadium – home of the Houston Astros)
• Regular season ends Sept 30th. If the Astros are not in the playoffs or World Series, we will tour the stadium.
• Example of: adaptive reuse of historic structure.
• Get out and enjoy the stadium.
• BBVA Compass Stadium (Soccer stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo).
• Example of: City of Houston land ownership, lease and 380 Agreement (economic development agreement)
• We’ll discuss, but not visit, the Houston Sports Park and Future Rugby Stadium
• Example of: Lease between the City and Houston Amateur Sports Park LGC, Inc. A second phase of construction is planned that will include a further 11 fields, restrooms, picnic facilities, trails, playground, and more parking.
• The City owns a tract of land comprised of 87.74 acres and subsequently acquired more land. By Resolution, the City authorized the creation of Houston Amateur Sports Park LGC, Inc. ("HASP LGC") to construct, manage and operate a regional recreational sports field and training facility on the land for public and community use. Pursuant to Ordinance No. 2010-0891, the City, as the landlord, and HASP LGC, as the tenant, entered a Lease, for developing said land into the Houston Amateur Sports Park (the "Sports Park"), an amateur sports park consisting of various sports fields and athletic facilities.
• Pursuant to the Sub-Ground Lease, as part of the development of the Rugby Facilities, the Strikers will construct, install or purchase certain public improvements, such as public parking lot, access roads, and water and sanitary sewer utilities (the "Reimbursable Public Improvements"). The City will reimburse the Strikers for the costs of the Reimbursable Public Improvements pursuant to the terms and conditions of a separate reimbursement agreement between the City and the Strikers.
• St. Arnold’s – Texas’ Oldest Craft Brewery
• Discussion on economic development tools and gentrification issues on Near Northside and EADO.

 CLICK HEREto pick your tour.

The Woodlands Tour
(CLE available)
Saturday, October 20, 2018 - 2:00pm to 6:00pm

First come, first served. Space is limited 

2:00 PM - Depart on a bus FROM Hilton Americas Downtown Houston for field trip

2:05 PM - Nancy Fairfield, Senior Assistant General Counsel for The Woodlands Land Development Company, presents "From Timberland to Hometown; Development Covenants For Raw Land That Meet The Plan"

2:35 PM - Bret Strong, Founder and Managing Shareholder of The Strong Firm P.C., presents "Our Hometown at almost 50; Ongoing Enforcement Action to Maintain The Plan"

3:00 PM - Robert Heineman, Vice President of Planning & Design for The Howard Hughes Corporation, presents "The Woodlands - An In Person Tour Of Planned Development; Examples of Leading Edge Master Planning"

4:00 PM - Westin Hotel - The Woodlands - Happy Hour on The Woodlands Waterway

5:00 PM - Bus departs for return Houston

CLICK HERE for Tour Map

CLICK HERE to pick your tour.