PLANNING COMMISSION

Houston Code of Ordinances ch. 33, art. II

in effect

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-14 Created.

Sec. 33-14. - Created. There is hereby created a commission composed of 26 members. Five of the 26 members shall be nonvoting ex officio members. The director or his designee shall serve as ex officio member and secretary to the commission. The four additional ex officio members shall be (1) the Director of Houston Public Works or his designee; (2) a designee of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas; (3) the Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District or his designee; and (4) the most recent former chair of the commission. In the event that the most recent former chair of the commission is unable or unwilling to serve as an ex officio member of the commission, any former member of the commission with five years' experience on the commission may be appointed by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council, to serve in the former chair nonvoting ex officio position. The director may request that directors of other city departments or their designees meet with the commission from time to time when the commission has business affecting their departments. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91; Ord, No. 05-14, § 1, 1-5-05; Ord. No. 05-994, § 1, 8-24-05; Ord. No. 2015-559, § 3, 6-10-2015; Ord. No. 2018-11, § 49, 1-10-2018; Ord. No. 2020-1093, § 2, 12-16-2020)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-15 Qualifications, appointment and terms of members.

Sec. 33-15. - Qualifications, appointment and terms of members. (a) Four members of the commission shall be ex officio members as specified in section 33-14 of this Code and do not need to be residents or qualified voters of the city. In addition, three members of the commission may be appointed, one each, from the membership of the Commissioners' Courts of Harris County, Texas, Fort Bend County, Texas, and Montgomery County, Texas, whether or not the appointees are residents or qualified voters of the city or residents of the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction. Two members of the commission shall be residents of the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction. The remaining 16 members shall be residents and qualified voters of the city. As far as practicable, these 16 nominated and confirmed members of the commission shall be representative of the ethnic and geographical demography of the city. The determination by the city council that the members of the commission meet the qualifications set forth in this section shall be final. (b) If a commission member, except for the ex officio members and any representative from the membership of the commissioners' courts provided in subsection (a) above, removes his or her actual residence from the city or the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, as applicable, during the term of his or her appointment, such person shall be disqualified to hold such position, and the position shall become vacant effective simultaneously with such change in residency. (c) The members of the commission, other than the ex officio members, shall be appointed by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council. All appointments will be for two-year staggered terms. Each commissioner shall continue to act after the end of his or her term until a successor is appointed and confirmed. (d) Within 12 months after the population within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction in Waller County exceeds 25,000 persons, according to the most recent federal census, one member of the commission shall be appointed from the membership of the Commissioners' Court of Waller County, Texas. At such time the number of commission members will be increased by one. (e) Within 12 months after the population within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction in Liberty County exceeds 25,000 persons, according to the most recent federal census, one member of the commission shall be appointed from the membership of the Commissioners' Court of Liberty County, Texas. At such time the number of commission members will be increased by one. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91; Ord. No. 92-1046, §§ 1, 2, 7-29-92; Ord. No. 05-14, § 2, 1-5-05)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-16 When county engineer to serve as member.

Sec. 33-16. - When county engineer to serve as member. A county engineer may serve as a member of the commission in the absence of the member representing his county commissioners court whenever a member of that court is serving as a duly appointed member of the commission. For purposes of this section, a "county engineer" shall mean the person officially designated as the county engineer or such other employee of the county engineering department who is designated as an alternate by the member representing his commissioners' court. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91; Ord. No. 99-1146, § 1, 10-27-99)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-17 Compensation.

Sec. 33-17. - Compensation. The members of the commission, in the performance of their duties as such, shall serve without compensation. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-18 Chairman.

Sec. 33-18. - Chairman. The chairman of the commission shall be selected from the commission and elected by a majority of the entire commission. An individual may serve for not more than eight consecutive years as chairman. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91; Ord. No. 95-105, § 1, 1-25-95; Ord. No. 2020-1093, § 3, 12-16-2020)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-19 Quorum.

Sec. 33-19. - Quorum. Eleven members of the commission shall constitute a quorum; however, in the event of vacancies on the commission, a majority of the members of the commission, or of the membership of the commission as expanded pursuant to section 33-15(d) or (e), which, in any event, may include the secretary of the commission, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91; Ord. No. 05-14, § 3, 1-5-05)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-20 Committees.

Sec. 33-20. - Committees. The commission may form committees, including persons not on the commission, to assist it in the discharge of its responsibilities. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-21 Absence from meetings.

Sec. 33-21. - Absence from meetings. Three successive unexcused absences from the regularly scheduled meetings, after due notice served by telephone or mail of the time and place of such meetings, shall ipso facto terminate membership on the planning commission. Absences may be excused only by a majority of the commissioners present and voting at any scheduled meeting. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91; Ord. No. 95-104, § 1, 1-25-95)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-22 General powers and duties.

Sec. 33-22. - General powers and duties. (a) The commission shall have all powers of a planning commission as set forth in Chapter 212 of the Texas Local Government Code. (b) Additionally, the commission shall have the power: (1) To review and consider studies and plans for the improvement of the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction with a view to its future development and welfare, and make recommendations for the adoption, amendment, or implementation of such studies and plans. (2) To act with and assist all other municipal and governmental agencies and especially the city council in formulating and executing proper plans of municipal development. (3) To select and recommend to the city council routes of transportation corridors and particularly to investigate and recommend the opening, widening or abandoning of streets, or the changing thereof to conform with the city's system, present and future, of streets, avenues, parks and parkways. (4) To investigate, consider and report to the city council upon the layout or platting of new subdivisions of the city or of property adjacent to or near the city when requested by the city council to do so, and to perform all duties imposed upon planning and development commissions by chapter 42 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas and the statutes of the state. (5) To recommend plans to the city council in agreement with the director of the parks and recreation department for improving, developing, expanding and beautifying the parks, parkways, bayous and streams in or adjoining the city and to cooperate with the city council and the other agencies of the city in devising, establishing, locating, improving, selecting, expanding and maintaining the public parks, parkways and places for public recreation. (6) In conjunction with the traffic and transportation division of Houston Public Works, or a city department charged with that responsibility, to make recommendations to the city council concerning traffic regulation and control which directly affect the proper functioning of the planning and development programs adopted by the city council. (7) Generally to investigate, consider and recommend to the city council all matters for the development and advancement of the city's physical layout and appearance. (8) To recommend to the city council such capital improvements or other programs as the commission shall consider necessary to accommodate the present or future parking needs of the city. (9) To conduct studies of the current or anticipated parking needs of the city or any locale as the commission shall deem necessary or advisable and to report its findings on such matters to the city council. (10) To provide a forum for input on present and future parking needs and related issues for stakeholders and other interested parties. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91; Ord. No. 93-514, § 53, 5-5-93; Ord. No. 2010-683, § 4, 8-25-2010; Ord. No. 2015-513, § 4, 6-3-2015; Ord. No. 2018-11, § 50, 1-10-2018)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-23 Rules, regulations and bylaws.

Sec. 33-23. - Rules, regulations and bylaws. The commission shall, subject to the approval of the city council, make such rules and regulations and adopt such bylaws for its own governance and designate such times and places for holding meetings as it deems proper. (Ord. No. 91-63, § 3, 1-9-91)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-24 Commission meetings.

Sec. 33-24. - Commission meetings. (a) The commission shall adopt a regular meeting schedule and shall give public notice of the meeting schedule by publication for three consecutive days in a daily newspaper of general circulation within the city and the area of extraterritorial jurisdiction. The commission may change this meeting schedule by the adoption of a new schedule, the effective date of which shall not be less than ten days after publication of the new schedule for three consecutive days in a daily newspaper having general circulation within the city and the area of extraterritorial jurisdiction. The commission may, by rule, designate the times and places for holding meetings as it deems proper. (b) The commission may hold a special meeting for any purpose except for the filing of any plats or replats pursuant to chapter 42 of this Code. (c) The commission shall hold at least one public hearing prior to the adoption of the major thoroughfare and freeway plan or any amendments thereto. The commission may establish rules governing the circumstances under which it will call public hearings and the reservation of time for speaking. All such rules shall grant reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard on matters within the jurisdiction of the commission. (Ord. No. 99-262, § 3, 3-24-99)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-25 Reserved.

Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH33PLDE_ARTIIPLCOFetched: 10/26/2026