Planning and Zoning Commission holds public hearing on proposed Corridor Mixed Use zoning changes

The Planning and Zoning Commission of Bellaire on Oct. 9 held a public hearing on city-initiated amendments to Chapter 24 of the city code that would change standards in the Corridor Mixed Use (CMU) district, including how multifamily housing can be added to mixed-use developments.

Why it matters: The CMU district runs along major corridors including Bel Air Boulevard and Bissonnet and abuts many residential neighborhoods; the proposed changes would change the review requirements, density limits and building-stepback rules for projects in that zone.

The commission’s staff planner, Monique, opened the public hearing on the proposed changes and described the process for the meeting and public comment. Gary Mitchell, the consultant presenting the proposal, said the city is the applicant and summarized the draft changes as a third round of zoning updates following work on small-lot residential and the Urban Village Downtown district.

Mitchell said the principal changes in the draft before the commission would: require that any mixed-use project that includes multifamily housing obtain plan-development approval (public hearings and additional review) rather than be permitted by right; reduce the maximum multifamily density for CMU from the prior 30 units per acre down to 20 units per acre; remove an administrative cap that had been expressed as a percentage of district floor area; and add a two-part threshold…