Harris County CDBG – Mitigation

Public Notice

PUBLIC NOTICE

HARRIS COUNTY HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT PROPOSED FOR FUNDING THROUGH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FOR MITIGATION (CDBG-MIT) PROGRAM

The United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has allocated funding through the CDBG-MIT program to the state of Texas. The Texas General Land Office (GLO) has been designated to administer the CDBG-MIT funds on behalf of the state of Texas. Harris County is a direct recipient of CDBG-MIT funds from the GLO.

The Harris County Housing and Community Development is preparing one (1) project application for the following planning study project;

City of Seabrook: Zoning Ordinance Re-Write Update Project

This project totals $250,000 through the Community Development Block Grant for Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Program. The project will comprehensively revise the city-wide zoning regulations to shape future growth with a clear community vision. The City’s zoning ordinance is critical to maintaining the character and growth of the city. The update to the Zoning Ordinance is to comprehensively revise the city-wide zoning regulations to shape future growth with a clear community vision. Updating the City’s Zoning Ordinance will serve as a regulatory foundation to manage land use and development in a manner that promotes the safety and well-being of its residents.

This project, as well as upcoming CDBG-MIT projects, will be available on the Harris County Housing and Community Development Project Recovery website at https://www.harrisrecovery.org/CDBG-MIT or onsite at the Harris County Housing and Community Development Department (HCHCD), 1111 Fannin Dr., 9th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002, on business days between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

This notice serves as an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the intended proposed project.

Written comments must be submitted to the Harris County Housing and Community Development (HCHCD), 1111 Fannin Dr., 9th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002 or by email to drplancomments@harriscountytx.gov, during the 15-day public comment period beginning on May 29, 2025 and ending on June 13, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

For additional information, please contact drplancomments@harriscountytx.gov or (832) 927-8200.

(Public Notice - Seabrook 5.29.2025 - English)

(Public Notice - Seabrook 5.29.2025 - Spanish)

(Public Notice - Seabrook 5.29.2025 - Vietnamese)

(Public Notice - Seabrook 5.29.2025 - Chinese)

Infrastructure Program: Project Status

The initial proposed project list for CDBG-MIT applications were submitted to Harris County Commissioners Court in August 2023 and were approved unanimously. Formal applications will be submitted to the GLO on a rolling basis beginning in February 2024. The GLO must formally review and approve the proposed projects. Please see project list below:

Substantially Complete Project Applications:

North Forest (Precinct 1) Project Overview

Ralston Acres (Precinct 1) Project Overview

Pine Trails (Precinct 2) Project Overview

Cypress Creek (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Dowdell Woods (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Barwood (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Tower Oaks (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Chimney Rock / Anderson Park Project Overview

Upcoming Project List:*

Evacuations Routes & Signal Improvements (Precinct 4)

*Applications for the project above are still under development with the GLO. Once they reach a level of that is substantially complete they will also undergo a Public Notice at a future date.

Planning Study Program: Project Status

The CDBG-MIT planning study program was developed through the MOD process in order to help Harris County move toward a more holistic plan for resiliency. Each planning study will produce a public document and/or other key deliverables to lay out community findings for future success, as well as specific identified issues, solutions, high impact projects for implementation, and funding strategies. The proposed project will help promote sound, sustainable mitigation planning informed by the evaluation of flood hazard risk. The initial proposed project list for CDBG-MIT applications was submitted to Harris County Commissioners Court in September 2023, updated July 2024, and were approved unanimously.¹ This effectively allocated $29.5 million to be used to help facilitate an organized County-wide effort to analyze planning activities that will enhance programs, operations, and knowledge for recovery, resiliency, and mitigation.

Formal applications will be submitted to the GLO on a rolling basis beginning in April 2024. The GLO must formally review and approve the proposed projects. Please see project list below:

Substantially Complete Project Applications:

Recover Plans: Update to Emergency Support Function

Spring Stuebner Road Critical Transportation Corridor Study (from Hwy 99 to IH 45)

Louetta Road Critical Transportation Corridor Study (from Hwy 249 to IH 45)

Harris County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan

Master Drainage Plan

Evacuation Routes Study

Cypress Creek Overflow Analysis

Winfield Basin

Halls Bayou Watershed Flood Risk Analysis Study

NE Harris County Neighborhoods Assessment

Upper Brays Bayou Watershed Feasibility Study

Spring Branch Sub-watershed Feasibility Study

Clear Creek Watershed Tributary Feasibility Study

Upper Greens Bayou Watershed Tributary Feasibility Study

Hunting Bayou Watershed Feasibility Study

Lower Cypress Creek Watershed Tributary Feasibility Study

White Oak Bayou Watershed Feasibility Study

Slims Bayou Watershed Tributary Feasibility Study

City of Seabrook: Zoning Ordinance Re-write Update Project

Upcoming Project List:*

Environmental Monitoring, Testing, and Environmental Justice in Low-Moderate Income Enhancement Study

Harris County Resident Resiliency Study

Langham Creek (@Clay Road) Flood Study

PCT4 Flooded Intersections

*Applications for the project above are still under development with the GLO. Once they reach a level of that is substantially complete they will also undergo a Public Notice at a future date.

CDBG-MIT Background

Following the devastating impacts of flooding from the 2015, 2016, and 2017 extreme weather flooding events, the state of Texas received an allocation of Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

CDBG-MIT funds represent unique opportunity to provide assistance in areas impacted by recent disasters and carry out strategic and high-impact activities to mitigate disaster risks and reduce future losses in areas impacted by recent disasters. HUD defines mitigation activities as: “Those activities that increase resilience to disasters and reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of loss of life, injury, damage to and loss of property, and suffering and hardship, by lessoning the impact of future disasters.”

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) has been designated to administer the CDBG-MIT funds on behalf of Texas. GLO’s CDBG Mitigation Action Plan: Building Stronger for a Resilient Future (the Action Plan) outlines the use of funds, programs, eligible applicants, and eligibility criteria for these CDBG-MIT funds.

GLO’s Mitigation State Action Plan

Method of Distribution

On March 31, 2022, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved Harris County’s Method of Distribution (MOD) for the allocation of $750,000,000 in CDBG-MIT funding to help mitigate and increase future resilience from the adverse impacts posed by hurricanes, tropical storms and depressions, flooding, wind and other hazards to develop disaster-resistant infrastructure. The approved CDBG-MIT MOD includes the amount of funding for eligible entities to carry out risk mitigation projects.

Approved CDBG-MIT Method of Distribution

Developing the Method of Distribution

Developing-MOD-Figure-1024x1024

On November 1, 2023, a contractual amendment was signed between Harris County and the GLO which effectively repositioned a portion of the original $750 million allocation directly to the Harris County Flood Control District. As a direct recipient, the Harris County Flood Control District directly administers $502.5 million in CDBG-MIT and $302 million in CDBG-DR towards eligible Flood Control District Projects. For more information, click here: Harris County Flood Control CDBG Projects

Citizen Participation Plan

CDBG-MIT Project Application Citizen Participation Plan

If you are interested in being included on the ‘Interested Party’ emailing list, please send an email to drplancomments@csd.hctx.net or call (832) 927-8200 to request being included on the list.