Tag Archive for: Plat Tracker

What’s Going On in Your Neighborhood?

Ever drive down a road, see someone clearing land, and wonder what was going in? Every wonder what the boundaries of your Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) were? Do you know where the boundaries of your City, Council district, and the City’s Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) are?

Plat Tracker is Gateway to Understanding Developments Around You

Here’s a quick and easy way to find the answers to all those questions and more. It’s the Houston Plat Tracker website.

The colored parcels represent land being developed.

Clicking on any one of the colored parcels in the map pulls up information about it.

Clicking on the parcel shows plat application number, name and when it is being reviewed.
Turn layers on and off to see the boundaries of City Council Districts, the City limits, the ETJ, TIRZ districts, management districts, historical districts and more.

Plat Tracker also contains powerful measuring and drawing tools.

Zooming into that big purple area north of Huffman in the maps above and then outlining it, showed that the two developments, called Timbers and Los Pinos, comprise more than 6,000 acres!

Plat Tracker has a gallery of 29 different base maps. They include road maps, satellite images, and more. The possibilities are almost endless.

Plat Tracker satellite view. Notice how those two new developments will take advantage of the Grand Parkway as it goes in. Also notice how Colony Ridge in the upper right is getting as big as Kingwood.

Plat Tracker is one of the best ways I know of to see and understand the region’s relentless expansion. Check out all the features on the Plat Tracker website.

You can use what you find on Plat Tracker to get even more information on the City’s Planning Commission website as projects come up for review.

Other GIS Websites Offered By City of Houston

Also check this gateway to other GIS (geographic information systems) that the City offers. The City offers 26 GIS maps that show everything from pothole repair requests to flood hazards, parks, transportation, recreational facilities, land use, controlled airspace, and more.

Flood hazards in the upper Lake Houston Area.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/20/2021

1391 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Easy Way to Track New Developments Near You

If you live in the City of Houston or within its extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ), the City provides an easy way for you to track the progress of new developments near you.

Step One: Go To the Plat-Tracker Map

The City provides an interactive map based on geographic information system (GIS) technology. In your browser, go to a website called Houston Plat Tracker Plats. GIS maps translate database information into a familiar map format.

Houston Plat Tracker Map as of 3/17/2021. Look at the size of those two proposed subdivisions northeast of Lake Houston!
  1. After navigating to the site, scroll and zoom to your area of interest.
  2. Select a base map to suit your taste. Choose from satellite views, street maps, topographic maps and more. Do this by clicking on the four squares in the upper left hand corner.
  3. Turn on the layers that interest you. Choose from City Limits, Council Districts, Management Districts, TIRZs (tax increment reinvestment zones), ETJ, historical districts, and more. Do this by clicking on the layers icon next to the base map icon.
  4. With the tools in the upper right corner, you can draw on the map, measure distance and direction, print, bookmark and share.
  5. By now, the map should be populated with a mass of color-coded outlines.
  6. Click on any colored area to find background information about it, such as the developer and the application number. At the bottom of the informational pop-up box, there’s an interactive link to the City’s Planning Department website where you can learn more about the project.

Step Two: Look Up More on the City Planning Department Website

The City Planning Department website offers much more information about projects that may concern you, especially if they are coming up for a vote in the Planning Commission. Here you’ll find interactive and PDF spreadsheets that list which projects will be considered in the next meeting of the Planning Commission. The site also lists the:

  • Subdivision plat name
  • Application Number
  • When the developer submitted files
  • Subdivision Plat type
  • Whether a variance request exists
  • The location of the issue on the agenda
  • County, City, Council District, Precinct
  • Key Map code
  • Census Tract
  • Zip Code
  • School District
  • Address of the development.
  • TIRZ, Management District, Historic Districts if applicable
  • Super Neighborhood Council
  • Park Sector
  • Proposed Land Use
  • Property Size
  • Number of Lots
  • Appraisal District ID
  • Developer
  • Applicant Company
  • Applicant’s Name
  • Applicants Phone
  • Subdivision Plat with flood zones, if any, superimposed

The Houston Plat Tracker Plats website contains future and past agendas, the planning commission calendar, and development regulations. It also contains a design manual and a host of other tools in case you feel something is amiss.

Finally, it lets you set up an account so you can get notifications of what future meetings will consider.

Possible Step 3

If you find something disturbing, sign up to express your concerns at the Planning Commission, or call your city council person’s office.

You can also request copies of the drainage analysis and construction plans at a certain point in the project.

Informed citizens keep everyone conscientious. No one cares about your home like you! So keep your eyes open for new projects in your neighborhood or upstream.

To learn more about 15 other GIS maps that the City makes available online, visit this start page. You can find fascinating information about land use, demographics, flood hazards and more. Good luck.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/17/2021

1296 Days since Hurricane Harvey