Pearland commission approves variances and preliminary plat for Harmony Public Schools site

Pearland Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously April 7 to approve variances and a preliminary plat that will allow Harmony Public Schools to subdivide roughly 34.9329 acres north of Broadway Street into two lots for a proposed campus.

The actions clear regulatory hurdles for the project by approving a reduced lot width for one existing single-family parcel and permitting a flag lot and a double-frontage lot needed for the proposed school, City staff said.

Staff Planner Patrick Bauer told the commission the required lot width in the General Business district is 50 feet; the proposed widths are 43.44 feet for Lot 1 (an existing single-family residence) and 79.07 feet for Lot 2 (the proposed school). Bauer said additional variances were needed to create a flag portion to provide access and to allow a double-frontage configuration that addresses the site’s relationship to Roy Road and Reid Boulevard.

The commission approved the variance request (VAP 2025-0083) with three conditions: access to the property on Roy Road be restricted to emergency use only; the proposed school must adhere to the traffic impact analysis and the city traffic engineer’s direction for parent pickup queuing; and the applicant must install fencing along the Roy Road property frontage consistent with city recommendations. Commissioner Echols amended the motion to add the fencing requirement, and the amendment passed 5-0 before the final vote on the variance.

Civil engineer Michael Mazul, representing the applicant team, said the Roy Road access “will be gated” and that “that access will be closed off so that only emergency personnel can access the site.” He added the school will coordinate with city staff to prevent students from using Roy Road: “The school will work with the city to make sure that there is no access off of Roy Road.”

The preliminary plat (CPL 2025-0080) to create two lots on the same 34.9329-acre parcel was approved 5-0 in the same meeting. City staff said the preliminary plat allows for infrastructure work — including median improvements on Reid Boulevard and potential utility extensions — to be completed between preliminary and final plat stages via infrastructure permits. A commission member noted the project may need to tie into a forced sewer main from an adjacent parcel; staff said those utility details are still being reconciled.

No members of the public spoke for or against these items at the commission meeting. The commission’s approval sends the zoning/platting actions forward; city council is scheduled to consider the zoning case on April 28, 2025, according to staff.

Notes - Case numbers: VAP 2025-0083 (variance); CPL 2025-0080 (preliminary plat). - Site: approximately 34.9329 acres north of Broadway Street, west of Roy Road, east of Reid Boulevard (Pearland).

Who spoke on the record: Patrick Bauer, Planner II (city staff); Katja (city staff); Michael Mazul, civil engineer for the applicant; Commissioners Echols, Haskins, Nichols and Azenberg (motion/second recorded in the meeting).