Houston Planning Commission approves eight amendments to 2025 MTFP, denies Chimney Rock downgrade

The Houston Planning Commission on Sept. 18 approved a set of nine proposed changes to the city’s 2025 Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP), granting eight amendments and denying one, and said it will forward its recommendations to City Council for final action.

The package addressed alignments, deletions and reclassifications across Harris County, the city of Houston’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and parts of Fort Bend County. Planning Department staff recommended approval of most requests, citing construction feasibility, existing network capacity and interagency agreement; the commission voted largely along staff recommendations except for a Chimney Rock Road downgrade requested by the Briarcroft Homeowners Association, which the commission declined.

Wilson Calvert, a Planning Department staffer who presented the amendments, told the commission this was the commission’s final action on the 2025 MTFP amendments and that “after this, we will be sending your recommendations to city council.” Calvert summarized staff findings and recommendations for each application and described technical and right-of-way constraints behind staff decisions.

Votes at a glance (each item was acted on individually and the commission forwarded the results to City Council):

- Northpointe Boulevard (Harris County ETJ): Request to realign Northpointe Boulevard and reclassify a 700-foot section from major collector to major thoroughfare. Staff recommended approval; the commission approved the amendment (motion seconded by Vice Chair Garza).

- Cypress North Houston Road, south of U.S. 290 (Harris County ETJ): Request to delete the undeveloped segment as a major thoroughfare because extension is impractical (drainage facility and rail corridor); the undeveloped portion is currently used as Stonegate Soccer Field. Staff recommended approval; the commission approved the amendment (motion by Commissioner Jones; second by Commissioner Colvard).

- Cypress North Houston Road west of 1960 / Salon Road / Greens Road (Harris County ETJ and city limits): Three related requests — delete a segment of Cypress North Houston because of a planned Harris County detention project; downgrade Salon Road from major thoroughfare to major collector; and delete Greens Road as a major collector. Staff recommended approval after coordination with Houston Public Works, Harris County and TxDOT; the commission approved the three amendments as presented.

- Mushki Road (Harris County ETJ): Request to delete Mushki Road as a major thoroughfare between Mound Road and North Bridgeland Lake Parkway; staff recommended approval citing construction difficulty across Cypress Creek, park land and land intended for detention; the commission approved.

- Humble Parkway (within Houston city limits, east of George Bush Intercontinental Airport): Request to delete Humble Parkway from Rankin Road to Greens Road. Staff recommended approval because of bayou, two pipelines and private ownership issues on the proposed alignment; the commission approved.

- Chimney Rock Road (Houston city limits, Chimney Rock between Westheimer and San Felipe) — Briarcroft HOA request: The neighborhood asked to downgrade Chimney Rock from a major thoroughfare to a minor collector to qualify for certain traffic-calming measures. Staff recommended denial, citing measured traffic volumes and the corridor’s role in the network. The commission voted to deny the requested downgrade; Commissioner Colvard recorded an abstention. During public comment, resident Mark Gardner urged more analysis and cited conflicting thresholds from the city’s infrastructure manual, saying, “We only have 16,000,” and arguing that the corridor’s land‑use context and pedestrian crossings support a downgrade. The commission discussed engineering limits to carving out small downgraded segments inside larger corridors and noted alternative remedies such as increased enforcement and signage that staff and the council member’s office are pursuing.

- East Tidwell Road (Houston ETJ, northeast Harris County): Applicant requested a new major thoroughfare extension to Sheldon Reservoir; staff recommended classifying the extension as a major collector to allow a gentler curve and reduced right-of-way while meeting future demand; the commission approved staff’s recommendation. Harris County Precinct 1, which operates the adjacent park, supported the request.

- Bathey Road (Houston ETJ): Request to realign Bathey Road to the south for a greenfield development; Harris County and the City of Houston supported the change and the commission approved staff’s recommendation.

- Unnamed east–west major thoroughfare / Blue Ridge Road / Huron Clark Road (Fort Bend County ETJ): Meta Planning and Design asked to delete or reclassify three alignments; staff recommended approval citing technical challenges including connecting to Fort Bend Parkway within a floodway. Fort Bend County earlier this year adopted the same changes; the commission approved the three amendments.

In discussion on multiple items staff noted interagency coordination with Harris County, Houston Public Works and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). For the Chimney Rock request the Planning Department reiterated that traffic measurements and corridor function drove its recommendation; staff also said it is working with Council Member Huffman’s office and Houston Public Works on enforcement and signage as non‑classification remedies to address neighborhood safety concerns. Calvert said staff had consulted the city’s design guidance and traffic engineers in making recommendations.

Director Von Tran publicly acknowledged Calvert’s work in explaining next steps and managing the MTFP process. Tran said the department will publish an updated map later in the year and that the amendment process will reopen in January, advising applicants to schedule a pre‑submittal meeting with planning staff.

The commission’s recommendations will be transmitted to Houston City Council, which will consider the package and adopt a final map and any changes to the MTFP. The Planning Department said it will publish the updated MTFP map and restart the annual amendment cycle in January.