Temple council workshop reviews Split P Road rezoning, developer agrees to density and buffering conditions

City staff briefed the Temple City Council at its March 6 workshop on a developer-led rezoning and planned development concept for roughly 20 acres near Split P Road and Prairie View Road.

The presentation said developer Josh Welch’s plan would set aside 3–5 acres for neighborhood-service uses and use multifamily-1 (MF-1) zoning on the remaining roughly 15 acres with a binding cap of no more than 12 dwelling units per acre — a limit the applicant agreed to even though MF-1 allows up to 15 units per acre. Under that cap the draft plan development would allow about 204 total dwellings and calls for construction of townhouses rather than traditional large apartment buildings.

City staff described a package of conditions attached to the PD: limiting building heights along the site perimeter, requiring an 8-foot masonry or precast concrete wall (described in the presentation as a sound-attenuating precast panel) where the project abuts single-family yards, requiring private-yard tree plantings to secure screening, and specifying sidewalk locations and street connectivity. The presentation also said the developer agreed to provide 2.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit as the required parking ratio and to limit front-driveway coverage to 52 percent of lots to reduce front-yard pavement. Lots in the development would be a minimum of 25 by 100 feet, the presentation said, compared with 20-foot lots to the north.

Neighbor questions and staff responses

A nearby resident identified as David Lopez asked several detailed questions about the proposal’s effects on adjacent properties: whether the 8-foot wall would sit on the property line, whether a cul-de-sac and neighborhood streets could safely accommodate fire apparatus if cars parked on both sides, and whether sewer service would be available to reach his house. Staff members said the wall would need to be on private property rather than encroaching onto neighbors’ yards, and that the fire department had reviewed the concept and found the design could meet cul-de-sac and access standards at the plat stage. City staff said sewer extension and any upsizing would be a developer responsibility and that the layout would not preclude a property owner from extending service to an individual home if they chose to do so.

Staff emphasized that the PD layout shown in the workshop presentation is binding except for minor adjustments, and that detailed elevations and site plans would be reviewed through the city’s Engineering Review/Construction (ERC) process and, for traditional multifamily, would have to return to planning and zoning and city council.

State bill referenced

During discussion Council members and staff raised a new legislative concern: a pending state bill described in the presentation as Senate Bill 15 (name of sponsor not specified in the workshop). Staff said the draft legislation would limit local standards the city can require for residential lots — for example, restricting local ability to regulate wall articulation/elevation articulation, stack height, parking minimums above one space per house and certain setback requirements. Staff warned that, if adopted, the legislation could constrain tools the city uses to manage design and neighborhood impacts.

Next steps

Staff said the plan development conditions and a more detailed site plan will be brought forward for public notice and formal action through Planning & Zoning and then City Council. The presentation listed specific PD conditions to be included in the zoning ordinance and indicated the developer had already submitted a detailed site plan for staff review.

Ending: The workshop discussion closed with staff asking neighbors with further questions to contact the planning department for follow-up; no formal motion or vote was taken at the workshop.