Houston Planning Commission holds Major Thoroughfare update; Walnut Drive applicant withdraws request

The Houston Planning Commission met Aug. 22 at the City Hall Annex to receive updates on proposed changes to the Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP). Chair Lisa Clark opened the meeting at 1:00 p.m. and emphasized that no commission action would be taken at this session: “we will not be taking action today, that this is just an update meeting,” she said.

Brandon Mosley, a planning and transportation staffer, summarized the 2024 amendment cycle and said seven applications were submitted; staff planned deeper updates on four items and will return with recommendations at the Sept. 19 action meeting. Von Tran, the commission’s secretary and director of the Houston Planning and Development Department, opened the session with a brief director’s report identifying the meeting as the MTFP update.

On Tuckerton Road (application presented by LJA Engineering), staff described a revised alignment proposed after public hearing opposition from an adjacent developer. The revision would realign the proposed minor collector just east of proposed House Hall Road to about 1,400 feet west of Katie Hockley Road and would delete a southwestern loop of the unnamed collector. No members of the public spoke on Tuckerton during the update.

Staff reported Walnut Drive (submitted by M. Lanza Engineering) has been withdrawn by the applicant. The project had sought a realignment from the Azalea District/Red Bluff Drive to FM 1314; staff and the applicant coordinated with Montgomery County and area residents but could not secure support, and the applicant chose to withdraw from the MTFP process. Chair Clark confirmed to the audience that “the entire application has been withdrawn by the applicant” and that there would be no further action on that item at this time.

For Burnham Woods Boulevard (submitted by the Community Association of Carmody), staff said Montgomery County revised its own MTFP map in 2021 to remove a connection over Spring Creek and downgraded the existing segment; Harris County registered no objection to removing the connection. Staff proposed deleting the specified Burnham Woods segment from Houston’s MTFP and reclassifying Vernon Woods from Browning Pine Drive to Rayford Road as a major collector to align maps across counties.

The Kirimare/Kermer Road application originally sought to realign a proposed road and delete an east–west minor collector. Staff noted opposition from Harris County related to a detention pond and cited a 2022 local agreement affecting the land; developer Jeb Colby told commissioners he had since coordinated with stakeholders — including the Coastal Prairie Conservancy, Water Control Improvement District 164, Harris County Precinct 4 and the Harris County Flood Control District — and said those groups now supported the revised request: “after discussing with all the stakeholders, we've got support from Coastal Prairie Conservancy, water control improvement district number 164, Harris County precinct 4, and Harris County flood control district,” Colby said.

Mosley reminded the commission that this meeting was intended to surface remaining questions before staff prepares formal recommendations. He said staff will return to the commission on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 1:00 p.m. with a recommendation either to approve or deny the requested amendments. A commissioner thanked staff for the advance update format, calling it a helpful “heads-up” before the action meeting.

Chair Clark opened the meeting for final public comments; hearing none, she adjourned the session.

What’s next: Staff will present formal recommendations on the MTFP amendments at the Sept. 19 Planning Commission action meeting; Walnut Drive is off the docket unless the applicant re‑files.