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Chapter 42 Meeting in District J - March 1, 6:30 p.m., Sharpstown Community Center
 There will be proposed revisions to the City's Land Development Ordinance, Chapter 42 ("Chapter 42"). While the proposed changes to Chapter 42 involve a number of different issues, I want to particularly draw your attention to the changes that will expand the City's "Urban Area" designation beyond its current boundaries of Loop 610 out to Beltway 8. In short, that expansion will affect 95% of the neighborhoods in District J. Some of the reasons given for expansion of the Urban Area are that the provisions will allow for obsolete, commercial and multi-family areas to be redeveloped and provide a variety of housing styles and prices for new housing. However, there is an understandable concern that the changes to Chapter 42 will promote more densely populated development patterns by allowing for the subdivision of existing lots and properties into smaller development units. The City of Houston Planning Commission will be holding four (4) public hearings at the following locations, any one or more of which you are encouraged to attend however the more convenient location for the constituents of District J is on March 1, 2012 at Sharpstown Community Center located at 6600 Harbor Town Dr. from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The other locations include: Sunnyside Multi- Service Center on February 13; Northeast Multi-Service Center on February 23; and Trini Mendenhall SOAS Community Center on Marh 8. All the meetings are from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Your District J office looks forward to hearing from you about these matters.
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CIP Meeting - March 8, 6:30 p.m. at the Sharpstown Community Center
The City of Houston will conduct combined public meetings on the City's FY2012 Annual Operating Budget Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and 2012 Annual Consolidated Plan. Since 1984, the City has held public meetings to obtain citizen input before preparation of the operating budget and capital improvement plan. These meetings provide citizens the opportunity to participate in the budget process by contributing comments and suggestions about needed services and improvements. The City of Houston will provide reasonable accommodations to citizens with disabilities/special needs upon request. Citizens are encouraged to call the Citizens' Assistance Office at 832.393.0955 for arrangements. The District J meeting will be on March 8, 2012 at the Sharpstown Community Center from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. We hope to see you there. |
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Help Prevent Flooding
 Tips to help prevent and alleviate flooding in your area:
- Maintain storm drains: Keep drain grates, ditches and culverts clear of leaves, grass clippings, litter, and other debris.
- If you use a lawn service, ask them to take care to keep clippings and leaves out of the storm drains.
- If you think your street's storm drains are clogged, call 311 to request an inspection by Public Works. Do not attempt to clean inside the storm drains.
- Maintain gutters and downspouts. Direct flows from downspouts away from your home, but without discharging flows to adjacent properties.
- Take steps to prevent sand, dirt, silt, and other debris from construction areas from flowing into the storm drains.
- Assess your yard's grade angle. The area around your home should slope away from your house, draining water away from it. Re-grading your yard might help prevent water from entering your home.
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Camp Houston Fire - Applications due February 24
The HFD Sirens (Houston Fire Department's women firefighters) invite area female students to experience what it takes to be a firefighter by attending Camp Houston Fire from March 24 through April 1, 2012.
Application Packets are due Friday, February 24, by 4:00 pm and may be mailed to:
The Houston Fire Department
Attention: Laura Hunter
600 Jefferson, Suite 623
Houston, TX 77002
For more information, please go to www.camphoustonfire.com
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Corral the Grease!
Used cooking grease dumped down kitchen drains solidifies and accumulates inside the pipes, eventually restricting free flow of raw sewage on its way to the wastewater treatment plant. This overloads the collections system, causing sewage to overflow into streets, yards, and storm ditches, eventually polluting the bayous and Galveston Bay. The used cooking grease that blocks sewer pipes generally comes from two sources - commercial kitchens and residential kitchens.
Commercial establishments, such as restaurants, institutional cafeterias and other public kitchens, are regulated by City ordinance. They are required to install grease traps that must be cleaned periodically. Residents don't have grease traps. The best way to reduce grease from residential kitchens is for residents to prevent grease from entering the sewer pipes in the first place. This can be done as follows:
- Residents collect grease in containers (i.e. used cans, glass jars, etc,).
- Residents dispose of the hardened grease with their regular trash.
For questions or suggestions concerning the Corral the Grease website, please contact us via email at Corral the Grease. Or download a Corral the Grease Flyer. Or, you can view the Corral the Grease public Service announcement.
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February is a month full of important celebrations and events. It is