Pearland reviews plan for up to 300-unit apartment complex north of Magnolia Parkway

Pearland — City staff and elected officials on Aug. 25 heard a Plan Development (PD) workshop presentation from developer Travis Donnell of Rockport Ventures LLC on behalf of property owner Terry Opliger for a proposed multifamily development of roughly 15.0375 acres north of Magnolia Parkway and east of Manville Road. The applicant described a plan for approximately 300 apartments, 480 parking spaces (64 covered) and amenities including a pool, clubhouse, dog park and common open space; staff summarized requested deviations from the Unified Development Code (UDC) and identified landscaping detail as a key outstanding item.

The PD workshop is a preapplication step before a formal PD zoning change. “This is a request by Travis Donnell, Rockport Ventures LLC, applicant on behalf of Terry Opliger … regarding a development consisting of 300 multifamily units on approximately 15.0375 acres,” city staff member Katya said while reading the staff report into the record. Katya told the board staff is “partially supportive of the architecture” and “fully supportive of the various area regulations, stipulations, and parking reduction,” but recommended “stronger language be introduced in the PD related to landscaping regarding type, specific location, size, quantity, and amenities.”

Why it matters: the site is designated Mixed‑Use Center in Pearland’s future land use plan, the property was annexed in 1999 and has been repeatedly difficult to market for office or hospital uses. The developer and owner argued multifamily is the only commercially viable use at the site and said increased density is needed to pay for costly drainage and detention work required by the local drainage district.

Applicant and owner comments Travis Donnell, identified as the applicant and developer, framed the request as a continuation of the completed Delta project across Magnolia Parkway. “We’re extremely proud of what we accomplished … 100% complete, 92% leased,” Donnell said, citing strong rents and rapid lease‑up at the earlier project as evidence of local demand. Donnell described the proposed product as mirroring the Delta’s architecture, with an 85% masonry requirement on facades facing Magnolia Parkway and 50% masonry on other facades, and said the team can offer carport upgrades, a 230‑foot setback adjacent to an eight‑home HOA, and other buffering measures.

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