Grapevine resident urges city to oppose state bills that would curb local zoning authority

Andrew Mures, co‑founder of the Texas Neighborhood Coalition and a Grapevine resident, spoke during the citizen comment period and urged the Grapevine City Council to resist a series of Texas Senate bills he said would remove local zoning authority and change single‑family neighborhoods.

Mures told the council that several bills now before the Texas Legislature would "fundamentally alter our neighborhoods," including measures he identified as Senate Bill 15, Senate Bill 845 and Senate Bill 673. He said some of the bills would allow multiple homes on single‑family lots, make it difficult for residents to protest upzoning near their homes, give commercial and religious property owners broader ability to build multifamily housing, and remove occupancy limits that could permit large, dormitory‑style rentals.

The public comment included a policy claim and a call to action rather than a request for immediate council action. Mures said his group delivered a petition with more than 1,500 signatures representing residents in over 40 cities and that coalition members had testified at recent committee hearings. He urged city leaders to "stand against this state overreach and testify in Austin," and asked residents to contact their state representatives.

Mures cited a 2023 Urban Institute study he said shows zoning reforms in 1,100 cities across eight metropolitan areas had "no impact" on affordable housing and argued that upzoning can instead incentivize replacement of lower‑cost units with higher‑priced housing. The coalition spokesman said the organization will continue testifying and mobilizing residents but did not request specific action from the Grapevine City Council at this meeting.

The council did not take formal action on the topic during the meeting. The remarks occurred during the public comment portion of the agenda and were recorded as citizen input only.