[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6215711,"mediaKeyId","3656539-3f85f2ba7edc76b102dbcdedf91985b3","parentId",3656539,"title","City staff urge code update, warn of new state rules on manufactured housing and other land-use items","audioSeconds",1191,"startMs",2120000,"endMs",3311000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3656539-3f85f2ba7edc76b102dbcdedf91985b3&start=2120&end=3311","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3656539-3f85f2ba7edc76b102dbcdedf91985b3/thumbnail_2120000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6215711/Commerce/Hunt-County/Texas/City-staff-urge-code-update-warn-of-new-state-rules-on-manufactured-housing-and-other-land-use-items","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6215711-3286be349d6166d20d2fd52d196bc293/orig.mp4?Expires=1775429514&Signature=BJAY~VFuhTCT646xKD9785oGeNSsCoS8H4fn~hC51ul3vTOu6q4W9YFqefEhGTTR7DkQAPpcs1AExjDyKPNp6BTS~wMPZ7h2c2PZsGaqQcuk1aB4SNBemDG~qzQ4HAXd5BxfCn~9QFTTLT~-13C5ydwHbdnxBMi9JEY6aDDRViOVUvHxSoMnMuUMrJkElSvgmf6w4YKlqYS5fHhBz8Spw8dacrR7Dv6T9LwWH1pRaNMsTf1t2at7acv7bmT~Hmpf~uN5hcF7xs5reQNcHL--3rKDZC7f5yme7nWZLkcrzhgpM0frzmd7HQLoO3wQtUXjrFqLuJ1DAutgTJ~DolY0-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Commerce, Texas","date","2025-06-04T17:04:36.243Z","article","Commerce — City planning consultants and staff at a June 3 workshop urged the council to pursue a focused zoning and subdivision code update and reviewed recent state legislative changes that affect local land-use rules.

David Jones of Freese and Nichols, who led the workshop's code discussion, said a code diagnostic is the first step to identify conflicts between the draft comprehensive plan and the city's existing development regulations. He described the diagnostic as an analysis that produces a prioritized \u001ctreatment plan\u001d of code changes and recommended conducting zoning and subdivision updates together where possible to avoid conflicts between public improvements and private development standards.

Consultants and staff recommended hiring an outside consultant to lead the code rewrite. City staff said the last meaningful review of the city's zoning and subdivision ordinances was in February 2009; consultants estimated a full code update would likely take roughly nine to 12 months and could be labor intensive for city staff.

The workshop included a review of recent state legislation. Presenters discussed Senate Bill 840 (SB 840), which consultants said aimed to expand residential options in commercial districts; SB 15, which was discussed in the workshop as a larger-law context but whose numeric details only apply to larger cities; and state changes involving HUD-code manufactured housing. The consultant described the adopted manufactured-housing change as requiring cities to allow HUD-code manufactured homes in at least one existing residential district rather than only inside manufactured-home parks. Presenters said that change does not require allowing manufactured housing in every residential district.

Staff also briefed the council on occupancy regulation authority. A bill discussed during the session would have limited cities' ability to regulate unrelated-person occupancy limits in single-family zones; an amendment adopted on the House/Senate floor narrowed the bill so it applies only to certain home-rule cities with universities that enroll more than 20,000 students — a threshold Commerce does not meet. Consultants said Commerce may continue to regulate occupancy consistent with the community's existing standard (as discussed in the workshop).

Presenters noted other bills tracked during the legislative session did not pass or did not apply to small cities. They warned of a recurring legislative theme: proposed changes that would reduce or remove governmental immunity under the Texas Tort Claims Act for certain local actions. Consultants urged the city to use a consultant and a thorough diagnostic so the city does not miss statutory changes that could expose it to increased litigation risk.

No formal motions or votes were taken during the workshop. Consultants recommended the council consider consultant-led code work and further legislative debriefings at future meetings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","June 3, 2025 - Comprehensive Planning Workshop","oneSentenceSummary","Consultants recommended a code diagnostic and a likely consultant-led code rewrite to implement the comprehensive plan. Presenters summarized recent Texas legislative changes that affect local zoning authority, manufactured-home rules, and occupancy regulations; many bills tracked by staff did not apply to Commerce or did not pass.","taxTitle","Commerce, Hunt County, Texas","taxId",64417,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6215716,"Commerce workshop outlines transportation, parks and implementation steps for 20-year comprehensive plan",3325,295000,3620000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3656539-3f85f2ba7edc76b102dbcdedf91985b3&start=295&end=3620","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3656539-3f85f2ba7edc76b102dbcdedf91985b3/thumbnail_295000.jpg","/articles/6215716/Commerce/Hunt-County/Texas/Commerce-workshop-outlines-transportation-parks-and-implementation-steps-for-20-year-comprehensive-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6215716-b7ed608247f7890a55a577c1c418ad88/orig.mp4?Expires=1775429514&Signature=UB5nJRhazpSfbBFMm~p1OTSrfMQpgHJj4p-nU46RCtFh2u1BL8PVl5f7OjzwV4F1Prkx4OVtbOWWRxDXCylyEV-VPBrAe4hH2oEn~jNrRfgeLJpdbD9S-t7QuGoepeJVnlYZPHe-jJCcXrrT0pG6283hAw0wvFn1UTmVncs2IJy0-fHoYo-Bi1kaW9uflCkq2wyPpNkIUkRJLSlORyE5mDONMaqVAISOT3WD0Kk8UofS5cz3v-WE2bacpHOxSrj0PY5xH~QxF7VC7BMBuRh3lJXJ2LKTwwoWHMvZzxaoi4pAeBrZrfml5sXXMimQV~E-gMPMmocv7Kg5RHhhofENVQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commerce — City officials and planning consultants on June 3 reviewed the transportation and parks chapters of the city's draft comprehensive plan and described next steps for adoption and implementation.

Consultant project manager Wilson Kerr of Freese and Nichols told the City Council workshop the comprehensive plan is intended as a 20-year guide and that the city is nearing the end of a yearlong planning process. He said the plan will go to the Planning and Zoning Commission in July for a recommendation and will return to the council as an ordinance, with a first reading planned in July and a second reading in August before adoption and implementation begins.

The transportation chapter presented at the workshop groups streets into functional classifications and links those classifications to design standards and likely maintenance responsibility. Consultants said arterials that bring traffic into and through Commerce — for example Highway 24 and portions of Culver — will typically require Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) involvement, while collectors and local streets are primarily a city responsibility. The consultants identified east–west movement and several collector corridors, including Charity Road and parts of Sycamore/MLK, as areas requiring attention if growth continues along those routes. Pritchard Road was identified as an important north–south corridor for future planning.

The parks presentation described a separate Parks Master Plan that will be certified with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The parks plan uses demand-based, standards-based and resource-based analyses. Consultants said they received 125 community survey responses and mapped areas that lack park access within a 10-minute walk. They discussed potential trail connections to regional amenities such as the Northeast Texas Trail and highlighted creek corridors that could link City Park and Centennial Park.

The implementation chapter compiles recommendations from all plan chapters into a matrix with short-, mid- and long-term priorities and an assigned responsible entity column. Consultants recommended annual audits of the implementation matrix so the council and public can track progress and identify budget needs. The plan calls out updating the zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations as a top implementation priority to ensure the city's codes align with the plan's goals.

City staff and consultants emphasized that some street cross-sections and design standards will require right-of-way acquisitions or partnerships with outside agencies and will need to be reflected in subdivision regulations and engineering standards. Consultants recommended developing clear, consistent street profiles for neighborhood, collector and arterial streets and conducting targeted traffic studies before imposing one-way street patterns in narrow blocks.

Next steps outlined at the workshop include Planning and Zoning review in July, two council readings (first in July, second in August) and adoption thereafter. Consultants said staff will prepare handouts summarizing chapter recommendations and offered to provide PDF copies for the city's distribution. No formal votes or ordinances were adopted during the workshop.","City staff and consultants reviewed the transportation chapter, a Parks Master Plan to be certified by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the implementation matrix that will guide code updates and budget planning. Planning & Zoning review is scheduled in July with council ordinance readings planned for July and August.","actionData","errors"]

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City staff urge code update, warn of new state rules on manufactured housing and other land-use items

Commerce workshop outlines transportation, parks and implementation steps for 20-year comprehensive plan