Builder asks commission to consider raising Friendswood residential lot‑coverage cap

Adam Hill, a local homebuilder, asked the Planning and Zoning Commission on July 24 to place an agenda item for discussion on the city's 35% maximum lot coverage rule. Hill, who identified himself as "Adam Hill, 812 Briarmeadow," said the city's 35% coverage cap is calculated from conditioned floor area plus garage and that Friendswood's setback requirements are "more stringent than any other city around." He asked the commission to consider increasing the cap by about five percentage points so one‑story homes with three‑car garages can fit inside the current setbacks. The request matters because Planning and Zoning controls local development rules that determine how much of a residential lot can be covered by buildings and driveways. Hill framed his request as aimed at enabling longtime residents and "empty nesters" to remain in single‑story homes with adequate garage space without increasing lot‑level density. Hill said he has built in nearby cities and cited example setbacks he said exist elsewhere: a 10‑foot rear setback in League City and a 20‑foot rear setback in Pearland. He said Friendswood's setback pattern (which he summarized as "10, 25, and 25") can be met but that the 35% cover cap prevents builders from "filling that envelope." He described one plan he brought as a 3,900 square‑foot single‑story house with a three‑car garage that would comply with setbacks but not the coverage cap. Hill also told commissioners he believed drainage had been accounted for at subdivision design and said he was not seeking greater density, only modestly more coverage: "We're looking for 5% more. We're not looking for any more density or anything like that." There was no formal action on Hill's request during the meeting. The chair told Hill public comments would be received and that, under the Open Meetings Act, the commission may not deliberate on items raised in public comment but could place them on a future agenda for discussion and possible action. What was and was not decided: Hill asked that the commission "put this on an agenda"; the transcript shows the request as public comment only and does not show commissioners directing staff to prepare an ordinance or report during the meeting. Additional context from the meeting: Hill referred to the ordinance's intent dating to about 1997 and said Friendswood's 90‑foot lots are a local characteristic; he also said neighboring jurisdictions monitor impervious cover differently. The commission took no policy vote at the July 24 meeting on lot coverage.