[{"_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",6482884,"mediaKeyId","5602127-1cb7dcdcfcb6889cf14e5080e4877f80","parentId",5602127,"title","Planning and Zoning Commission recommends rezones for two Dickinson parcels after public hearings","audioSeconds",512,"startMs",1038000,"endMs",1550000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5602127-1cb7dcdcfcb6889cf14e5080e4877f80&start=1038&end=1550","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5602127-1cb7dcdcfcb6889cf14e5080e4877f80/thumbnail_1038000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6482884/Dickinson/Galveston-County/Texas/Planning-and-Zoning-Commission-recommends-rezones-for-two-Dickinson-parcels-after-public-hearings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482884-7137a91bd4aed82987614daeef0ffcf0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770877065&Signature=bHI50MoSiDvGHpPjPWQVUGOQ4PcPUt1vf7d4KxMSwR~8EWpgQEPpUaKX2m-JfYlyXwgA~c~uL45QA9B0Ds17VrYcBX9zBNKsCqFVv7pRJvVb1q-yIQn6UoKgEUkQ02OjcwyPyW5ot3B3LSa13DieLxphJQWw-6mp8ZtcZeI7Aai~h7xEkUJWm4P2uf1UqI6yBkcT2wDPCvPgswzjL4GPFU6LEV3GgGCWwiAKfyJhXu3hz~r7JRsf6zNDtxo2GZFXC0EPXPmAHyMcNkMnpx5IV2AV2t~pWclFx8TpwV9n9sYZADu7Wv9rll3ksBnEKymqydmoel9bLsisMX9NU3N67g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dickinson","date","2025-08-19T00:00:00Z","article","Dickinson Planning and Zoning Commission members recommended approval of two zoning map amendments during their Aug. 19 meeting after brief public hearings and staff presentations.

At about 6:10 p.m., the commission opened a public hearing on a request to rezone a parcel at 3532 Elm Drive (parcel 163404) from Auto Centric Commercial to Urban Transition. Planning staff said the lot is vacant and the applicant initially considered a multiplex but now plans a duplex; staff recommended approval because residential development would match the surrounding single-family neighborhood. Staff noted the site had been cleared without permits; the applicant subsequently provided an arborist report and applied for required permits. The applicant did not present additional materials. After brief commissioner discussion about permitted uses in the Urban Transition district and confirmation that the current application is for the zoning change (with any duplex plans to be reviewed later), a motion to approve the zoning amendment passed on a voice vote (motion carried, voice vote; tally not specified).

Later in the meeting the commission opened a public hearing on a separate rezoning request for a 1.336-acre parcel at the corner of Gum Drive and E. 517 East (parcel 375913), also moving it from Auto Centric Commercial to Neighborhood Conservation. Staff told commissioners the site fronts State Highway 517 and faces constraints including size and floodplain requirements tied to FEMA base flood elevations; staff said residential use would be easier to develop than commercial on this lot and recommended approval. Chris Harrison, identified as a local builder, described a layout that would create four lots and retain a larger lot toward 517; he said proposed houses would be roughly 2,000 to 3,000 square feet. No public commenters spoke during the hearing. Following discussion, a motion to recommend approval of the Neighborhood Conservation rezoning passed on a voice vote (motion carried, voice vote; tally not specified).

The commission also took a single voice vote to approve its consent agenda earlier in the meeting; the consent agenda items were treated as routine and were enacted by motion and second (voice vote; motion carried; items not read aloud and specifics were not discussed at the meeting).

Commissioners raised questions during the Elm Drive and Gum Drive hearings about how the city’s recent Unified Development Code (UDC) reclassifications — including the Urban Transition district — affect long-established residential neighborhoods. Multiple commissioners said parts of the city now zoned Urban Transition are largely built out as single-family subdivisions and that the reclassification creates uncertainty for property owners who had expected residential uses. Resident Yvonne De Leon of 3525 Elm Drive attended and asked whether the rezoning would affect her property; commissioners responded that the current application concerned the subject parcels and that they would work to avoid negative impacts on neighboring property values.

No roll-call tallies were read into the record for the votes on the two rezoning recommendations. The commission’s actions during the meeting were recorded as voice votes and motions carried, with no formal vote counts provided.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Dickinson - Planning & Zoning Commission","oneSentenceSummary","Dickinson Planning and Zoning Commission members recommended approval of two zoning map amendments during their Aug. 19 meeting after brief public hearings and staff presentations.","taxTitle","Dickinson, Galveston County, Texas","taxId",69479,"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},6482879,"Commission opens UDC review: directs staff to draft ADU language for single-family lots, requests joint workshop with council",678,2824000,2146000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5602127-1cb7dcdcfcb6889cf14e5080e4877f80&start=2824&end=2146","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5602127-1cb7dcdcfcb6889cf14e5080e4877f80/thumbnail_2824000.jpg","/articles/6482879/Dickinson/Galveston-County/Texas/Commission-opens-UDC-review-directs-staff-to-draft-ADU-language-for-single-family-lots-requests-joint-workshop-with-council","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6482879-ef86a87be02359ccc3806389ed1161c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770877065&Signature=PzXy11cFYVRyz1G-iGgFoTZsUc91~mlGbtRXTG-Y1SPpmxTj-thMVF3iDiGqIguqR4IK3nwylN0GdGpxvMRhhLTAiGOwzCF8RL4VqoKZYFrX36J0L86G75E2q8dbZJwbnOOqHSZHa~Sf2IVrvGPIS~1RMWGMUe38LkCTt5nJI-vXOQeT-rFh955lN-g71B2uoNVsF3QMZABHkSgYRmb7eeyV2HbKH0f4i-g6HkufqmspWWwCmrx6YAwLFqhZFwy82IEH~hAP6OUQCJlVg~eovhIdgzMcVa6HjfSjzlw3piT-9eJNaH5uNkGqxF3q4i9NzA95rJNdFGAT0bOaR9G4jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioners spent a substantial portion of the Aug. 19 meeting reviewing the city’s Unified Development Code and how it changed long-standing zoning patterns in Dickinson.

Travis, a planning staff member, summarized staff concerns and identified recurring procedural and policy issues in the UDC implementation. “This is one of the ones where we're kinda like, this fits in the planning goal, this fits in the staff goal, but does this fit for Dickinson? That's a hard call for staff to make,” he told commissioners. The conversation that followed focused chiefly on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and the Urban Transition zoning district.

Under the UDC as explained by staff, ADUs are prohibited in the Urban Transition district even though the previous municipal code allowed ADUs in several residential districts (with a common size cap of 600 square feet). Commissioners and members of the public described real-world examples: resident Yvonne De Leon said she has an ADU at 3525 Elm Drive that began as an efficiency unit and after later work is roughly 950 square feet; she said the structure functioned as a mother-in-law suite for her family. Several commissioners said they have denied ADU permits when the lot in question was newly assigned to Urban Transition by the UDC despite long-standing single-family use.

After extended discussion about density, neighborhood character and the practicalities of building ADUs, the commission reached informal consensus on a narrow policy direction: allow ADUs for lots that already contain a single-family dwelling located in Urban Transition areas (but not permit ADUs on multi-family or newly created multi-family lots such as quadplexes), and ask staff to prepare proposed ordinance language and to research appropriate size limits (commissioners discussed raising the existing 600-square-foot cap and staff noted other jurisdictions have used larger limits such as 900 square feet). Commissioners also asked staff to prepare a proposed change for the commission to consider at a future meeting.

Commissioners further requested a joint workshop with the city council to review the UDC and the city’s comprehensive plan, with several commissioners saying the UDC implementation affected many existing residential neighborhoods and merited a coordinated review. Staff agreed to arrange a joint session with council on scheduling that work. No formal ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting; the direction was to have staff return with proposed language and options for the commission and council to consider.

The discussion included policy and historical context: commissioners noted the UDC increased the number of parcels labeled Urban Transition compared with the prior zoning map and that the comprehensive plan and UDC were developed externally and emphasize increased density — a direction some commissioners questioned for much of the city’s historically single-family neighborhoods. Staff said they would draft proposed code language, collect comparative ADU size limits from other cities and return with a recommendation for the commission to consider.","Commissioners spent a substantial portion of the Aug. 19 meeting reviewing the city’s Unified Development Code and how it changed long-standing zoning patterns in Dickinson.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning and Zoning Commission recommends rezones for two Dickinson parcels after public hearings

Commission opens UDC review: directs staff to draft ADU language for single-family lots, requests joint workshop with council