CITY OF HOUSTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADOPTED SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE 16-22 ADOPTED FEBRUARY 21, 2017 MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH ASSEMBLY ORDINANCE 17-019 CITY OF HOUSTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADOPTED SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE 16-22 CITY OF HOUSTON VIRGIE THOMPSON, MAYOR ADOPTED FEBRUARY 21, 2017 MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH ASSEMBLY ORDINANCE 17-019 PREPARED BY: R&M CONSULTANTS, INC. VAN LE, AICP, PROJECT MANAGER CITY OF HOUSTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVISION MAYOR’S MESSAGE Dear Citizens of Houston, It is with great pride that I, along with the City Council and the Planning Commission, present the City of Houston this Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan highlights our resources and development opportunities, which include jobs, economic vitality and revitalization, educational opportunities, safety, security and preservation of Houston’s unique character. The Comprehensive Plan is a living and breathing document which represents the future for Houston. Through its goals, objectives and policies, the plan will serve as our roadmap for the future. The Comprehensive Plan recommends specifi c actions and projects: but, more importantly, it gives the community a standard measuring tool to help evaluate proposals and plans for development. Having an updated comprehensive plan is critical to Houston’s future success. On behalf of the City Council, I wish to extend our thanks to R&M Consultants, Inc., specifi cally the project manager Van Le, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, the Planning Commission, staff and the citizens that participated in preparing this plan. Sincerely, Virgie Thompson Mayor 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS STEERING COMMITTEE R&M CONSULTANTS, INC. Len Anderson Van Le, AICP Lance Wilson Project Manager Ron Jones Taryn Oleson Gina Jorgensen Staff Planner & Public Involvement Christopher Johnson Coordinator Marc Frutiger, PE, PTOE CITY OF HOUSTON STAFF Transportation Engineer Rebecca Rein Lance Debernardi, PE Sonya Dukes Transportation Engineer Virgie Thompson Luke Boggess, GISP GIS Mapping Kristi McLean, LEED-AP+BC PLANNING AND ZONING Environmental Planner COMMISSION Katie Chan Len Anderson Graphic Designer Ron Jones Christian Hartley Rosemary Burnett MCDOWELL GROUP, INC. Steven Mistor Donna Logan Senior Economist CITY COUNCIL Garrett Everidge Mayor Virgie Thompson Economist Gina Jorgensen Chris Johnson KINNEY ENGINEERING, LLC Lance Wilson Jeannie Bowie, PE, PhD, PTOE Jim Johansen Traffic Engineer Paul Stout James Smith, PE Kathleen Barney Traffic Engineer PHOTO CREDITS: City of Houston, Christian Hartley, Virgie Thompson, Lance Wilson, Patricia Jones, Ron Jones, Rebecca Rein, R&M Consultants, Inc., Kinney Engineering, ARRC. 4 contents CHAPTER 1: CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCTION COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW OVERVIEW 7 11 29 9 Need And Purpose For Revised 13 Location 30 Population Plan 13 History, Development 32 Median Age Ethnicity and Community Make Up 9 Planning Context Patterns, Timeline Educational Attainment Relationship To Other Plans, MSB, 15 Physical Setting Zoning Regulations Soils 33 Economy 10 What Is A Comprehensive Plan? Waterbodies Household Income How Will This Plan Be Used? Wetlands Employment Trends 34 Houston Businesses How Will This Plan Be Implemented? Floodplains 36 Housing in Houston Plan Development Process 17 Land Use 37 Future Conditions and Land 20 Land Ownership Use Needs 22 Public Infrastructure Population Growth and Projections Parks and Recreation Facilities Future Housing Demand Projections Community Centers, Services and Libraries 24 Public Schools Public Safety Facilities and Services Utilities 25 Transportation System CHAPTER 4: CHAPTER 5: THE PLAN: COMMUNITY COMMUNITY GUIDELINES FOR GROWTH VALUE AND GOALS 51 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Goal Objectives 47 Policies Strategies 41 48 Vision and Charge 52 Environmental Goal Growth and Economic Goal Objectives 43 Community Involvement Objectives Policies 43 Community Assets Policies Strategies 44 Constraints and Challenges Strategies 53 Community Facilities Goal 45 Opportunities 50 Objectives Land Use Goal Policies 46 Community Values Objectives Strategies Policies 54 Transportation Goal Strategies Objectives Policies Strategies CHAPTER 6: CHAPTER 7: CHAPTER 8: LAND USE PLAN TRANSPORTATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 55 89 57 Relationship to Houston’s Municipal 91 Overview Code Title 10 Land Use Regulations 63 Community Design Standards and Zoning Map 65 Status Of The Transportation Regulatory Controls - Title 10 Land Amendments To The Land Use Plan System Use Regulations 57 Land Use Classifi cations The Parks Highway 92 Funding Strategies Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Residential Classifi cations City Of Houston Road Newtork Layout 66 Alaska Statewide Transportation 59 Non-Residential Classifi cations Road Functional Classifi cations Road Surface Conditions Improvement Program (STIP) Road Ownership And Responsibilities Public Private Partnerships (3P) Alaska Railroad 93 Additional Funding Sources 69 Pedestrian Pathways And Non- 94 Implementation Schedule Motorized Use Immediate Time Frame Public Transportation (0-6 Months) Freight 95 Short-Term (1-5 Years) 70 Relationship To Other Plans, Area 96 Mid-Term (5-10 Years) Long-Range (10-20 Years) Projects And Studies Matanuska-Susitna Borough Long Range Transportation Plan (MSB LRTP) 72 Alaska Department Of Transportation And Public Facilities Parks Highway Vision, 2006 74 Travel Demand Modeling And Transportation Planning Assumptions Knik Arm Bridge 76 Recommendations Bypass 77 Interchange 78 Congestion Management Access Management 79 Pedestrian Crossings Port To Parks 82 Local Road Network 85 Non-Motorized Users Public Transportation LIST OF FIGURES 14 Project Area 31 Houston Annual Population Growth 81 Parks Highway Bypass 16 Flood Zones and Faults Map Mat-Su Annual Population Growth Interchange 32 Houston Population by Age Category 18 Existing Zoning 37 Projected Annual Average Growth Rates 84 Local Road Network 19 Existing Land Use 62 Land Use Plan 86 Non-Motorized Transportation 21 Land Ownership 68 MSB Functional Classifi cation 88 Network Recommendations 23 Parks and Recreation 75 Projected 2035 Traffi c Demand 26 Transportation Network Transportation Recommendations 30 Houston Populations Mat-Su Borough Populations 79 Freight and Industry 7 CITY OF HOUSTON Comprehensive Plan CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Houston, Alaska is a growing rural Department of Transportation & residential community that has Public Facilities and Alaska Rail Road developed around the Parks Highway, anticipated in the Houston area in a National Highway Systems Highway the near future has become available. bisecting the community. A rural town With signifi cant development changes setting within 15 minutes of urban aff ecting the community’s qualities of amenities, Houston is at a crossroads for life anticipated, it has become crucial change and growth. that the City of Houston revise the 2003 Comprehensive Plan. NEED AND PURPOSE The Comprehensive Plan Revision seeks to describe the community’s FOR REVISED PLAN vision as it responds to future growth and development changes. It provides direction for development decisions In 2016, the City of Houston’s and future growth in Houston. The Plan Comprehensive Plan underwent a Revision validates the community’s core revision. Originally written in 1999 by values. They include accommodating the Matanuska- Susitna Borough and orderly growth; the need for enhanced amended in 2003, the City of Houston education, health, and governmental now assumed the responsibility of services; promoting local employment revising its Comprehensive Plan. and economic opportunity; and Comprehensive Plans are used as a tool maintaining a high quality semi-rural to guide future growth, development, residential environment. and change within a community. Emphasized by the experiences in other Matanuska-Susitna Borough communities, unplanned development creates numerous economic, social, and governmental problems. The City of Houston recognizes that these problems are largely preventable with proper planning and clear implementation strategies. PLANNING CONTEXT Population growth, with its increased demand for services, as well as major transportation infrastructure projects RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER underway within or adjacent to the PLANS, MSB, ZONING City of Houston, have prompted the REGULATIONS city to determine and thus capitalize Alaska Statute 29.40.020. requires on future opportunities. Such the submission of a comprehensive possibilities will arise from changes plan for the systematic and organized in the community’s infrastructure, development of fi rst and second class economy and development. Since the boroughs or cities. Alaska Statute adoption of the amended 2003 Plan, 29.40.030 outlines the requirements of multiple new sets of census data have a comprehensive plan. become available and a Community Impact Assessment is underway Although the City of Houston is its simultaneously with this eff ort. In own jurisdiction, this comprehensive addition, information on transportation plan is part of the overall Matanuska infrastructure initiatives by the Alaska Susitna Borough Comprehensive Plan. 9 Cities in the Borough are responsible to check in and revise plans if new PLAN DEVELOPMENT for the creation and updating of their information arises, such as updated PROCESS individual comprehensive plans. population and Census data. This The City of Houston’s Land Use Comprehensive Plan validates the Regulations, Title 10 of the Municipal community’s