Houston's Growing Pains

City officials are hosting a series of public workshops to gather ideas from residents regarding the development of the city's rapidly changing core.

"For much of its history, Houston's growth has proceeded with little government intervention, driven by prosperity and an abundance of available land. In the past few years, however, public officials and community leaders have sought ways to control the impact of growth on the environment and quality of life."

Planners will use the ideas generated in the workshops "to draft development rules appropriate for the affected areas, Gafrick said. The city might require wider sidewalks, for example, to facilitate projects that allow people to walk among homes, shops and workplaces.

Houston's last overhaul of its development code, known as Chapter 42, came in 1999 with an ordinance that limited housing density inside Loop 610 to 27 units per acre — a compromise that satisfied neither developers, who wanted a higher limit, nor neighborhood leaders, who pushed for a lower one.

In 2003, city officials drafted an 'area plan' ordinance that would have empowered management districts or similar entities to write development standards unique to those areas. The idea drew strong opposition from developers and was never presented to the City Council."