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Council declines to advance rezoning for proposed office-warehouse park on Cullen Parkway; members urge a planned-development approach
Summary
A rezoning request to change 6.6445 acres at 2849 Cullen Parkway from General Business (GB) to General Commercial (GC) drew lengthy discussion; council members expressed concerns about permitted uses and finishing materials and signaled preference for a planned-development (PD) or PD-like assurances. A motion to proceed failed.
The Pearland City Council considered a request to rezone 6.6445 acres at 2849 Cullen Parkway from General Business (GB) to General Commercial (GC) but did not advance the proposal after debate over allowed uses and design protections.
The applicant, Faraz Himani for Mission Park Pearland LP, presented renderings and said the proposed development would be an 82,900-square-foot multi-tenant business park designed to house about 50 small businesses such as contractors, therapists, dance studios and local retailers that the applicant said currently lack affordable space on that side of Pearland. He urged the council that GC zoning would allow the flexible product needed to attract tenants and argued the project would be built to corridor overlay standards.
Resident Monique Harwell, whose home is adjacent to the parcel, spoke in support but also said she did not want large warehouses next door. Planning staff said the requested GC district is “not consistent with the comp plan” (business park designation) but noted compatibility could be addressed at site plan stage; Planning & Zoning had recommended approval 5-0.
Council members repeatedly raised the long-term risk of granting broad GC rights, because GC allows a wider array of uses than GB. Several council members urged the applicant to pursue a planned development (PD) or a development agreement that would lock in facade and finish standards; staff and the applicant discussed limits on enforcing facade requirements following recent state legislative changes. Member discussion also focused on whether CUPs could be used for individual tenants versus rezoning the whole parcel for flexible uses.
After discussion, council members indicated they would be more comfortable with a PD that prescribes building materials, finishes and allowable uses. A motion tied to the ordinance on the first reading failed on a subsequent vote labeled as a PD motion (the motion failed 0-6). Council members said they would work with the applicant and staff on next steps, including possible PD submittal.
Votes and next steps: Planning staff and the applicant agreed to work through PD requirements and expedited return to council if a PD is pursued. Planning & Zoning’s recommendation and staff’s analysis remain part of the record.
