El Campo council approves final plat for Prairie Park Estates with one approved undersized lot

The El Campo City Council approved a final plat for roughly 8.047 acres in Prairie Park Estates (Plat 202503) during its July 28 meeting, allowing development on Frankie Street and retaining a variance for one undersized lot. City planning staff said the plat, submitted by prospective buyer Edward Valejo, was recommended by the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) board and that the required variance for one parcel had been approved by the Board of Adjustments. "This particular plat also required a variance for one of the parcels," staff said, adding the variance and P&Z recommendation are included in the council packet. The staff presentation said the property has been undevelopable in its current condition since it was platted, citing streets and a landlocked retention pond as development challenges. Staff said the proposed approach splits the plat into two phases: Phase 1 would create nine lots on Frankie Street; Phase 2 would later add single-family lots and potentially a cul-de-sac. A planning staff member said the undersized corner parcel measures 35 feet at the back, short of the 70-foot dimension normally required, but that it remains developable and meets minimum lot-square-footage requirements. "It is still developable with that smaller... It is over the minimum square footage size, so it is still developable," the staff member said. Council action: A council member moved to approve Resolution R2025-38 to accept the final plat; a second was made and the motion passed by voice vote. The meeting record shows no recorded roll-call tally. Why this matters: The plat approval clears a procedural hurdle for a small single-family subdivision on Frankie Street across from Friendship Park and is intended to enable redevelopment of a parcel the staff said has been a recurring maintenance issue for the city. Staff indicated the development will add entry-level single-family homes, with house sizes discussed as likely in the 2,000–3,000-square-foot range. The applicant and staff also discussed driveway and setback constraints related to Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) requirements for access on Wharton Street.