The director of Houston’s Planning and Development Department, Robert Litke, is stepping down:
Longtime City of Houston Planning & Development Department Director Robert Litke is retiring at the end of August.
Litke, who has been director of the influential city department for 10 years, will be replaced by current deputy director Marlene Gafrick.
Litke has been with the department for 14 years. He plans to return to his native state of New Jersey post-retirement.
“Bob Litke is highly respected and has served this community well during several administrations,” Houston Mayor Bill White said in a prepared statement. “He played a critical role in the Super Neighborhood Program in the (Lee) Brown Administration and in rewriting the city’s land development ordinance in the (Bob) Lanier Administration.”
During his tenure as director, Litke oversaw the first major rewrite of Houston’s land development ordinance, known as Chapter 42, to create new rules for urban development.
