The City of Friendswood Planning & Zoning Commission on Aug. 28 asked staff and its ordinance subcommittee to study a proposal to raise maximum single-family lot coverage from 35% to 40% after nearby residents warned the change could increase neighborhood flooding.

The request for study grew out of public comment and a developer’s application tied to the Klein property. David Townsend, a 45-year Friendswood resident and representative of the Sun Park Estate Homeowners Association, told the commission he was “primarily concerned about the impact of Sterling Builders new subdivision on flooding to the Sun Park Estates subdivision.” Townsend said roughly two-thirds of runoff from the Klein parcel drains through a city drainage easement along Sun Park Estates and that the easement and an undersized storm sewer under Sunset Drive have not been well maintained.

Staff told the commission that current single-family residential lot coverage in the city code is a 35% maximum “under roof only” and that changing the figure would require drafting an ordinance, a public hearing before the commission, and readings before City Council. Aubrey, a staff member, said cities interpret lot coverage differently and that the city’s 35% rule dates to 1997. She noted that engineering uses 55% total impervious cover as the standard for detention calculations on new subdivisions.

Developing the Klein property, developer Adam Hill said the new plan returns “far less” impervious cover than previously existed on the site and that engineering and the drainage district would not permit designs that harm neighboring properties. He told commissioners, “we're not gonna hurt anybody. We don't wanna hurt anybody. We wanna be good neighbors.”

Commissioners raised design and neighborhood-character concerns as well as drainage questions. Commissioner Phillips highlighted a perceived tension between larger home footprints for single-story “forever homes” and residents’ desire for lower yard maintenance. Commissioner Rush suggested limiting any higher coverage allowance to single-story houses with additional controls on building height and design to avoid excessive “massing.” Several commissioners asked staff to consult the city engineer and the local drainage district and recommended speaking to other cities that have changed their lot-coverage rules.

Aubrey provided illustrative math for typical lot sizes: on a 90-by-130-foot lot, the buildable area inside setbacks is about 11,700 square feet, and a 35% limit corresponds to roughly 4,060 square feet while 40% would allow about 4,640 square feet; on a 120-by-130-foot lot, 35% is about 5,460 square feet and 40% about 6,240 square feet. Staff also reiterated that older subdivisions were built under different drainage criteria and that modern subdivisions use detention ponds and formal drainage calculations.

The commission did not vote to change the code. Instead, members asked staff to return with further research and possible ordinance language at a future meeting and agreed the ordinance subcommittee could work on the item. Aubrey told commissioners, “we'll do some more research and bring you some proposals for the next meeting.”

Next steps include additional engineering review, consultation with the drainage district, and draft ordinance language and public hearings if the commission chooses to pursue a code amendment.