Plano — Two recently approved Texas Senate bills will change how the city of Plano can regulate certain housing types, and city officials are reviewing what the laws mean for local zoning and development, Steve Stoler, host of Plano City News, said on the cityproduced newscast.

The changes matter because they limit local control over standards that shape neighborhood form and the amount of housing. "Now Senate Bill 840 allows multifamily housing to be constructed in commercial areas throughout Plano. It also reduces the city's ability to regulate density, parking, height, lot coverage, and setbacks for all multifamily and mixed use housing throughout the city," Stoler said. He also said, "Senate Bill 15 will have less impact but allows small lot single family development on properties that are 5 acres and larger, have never been platted and are zoned for single family homes." The broadcast said the bills take effect in September; the year was not specified.

According to the newscast, the state laws apply only to 19 Texas cities that meet population and county-size thresholds; 10 of those 19 cities are in North Texas, including Plano. The city is "working to assess the impact of this legislation," Stoler said.

What the newscast reported
- Senate Bill 840 (as read on the newscast) was described as authorizing multifamily housing in commercial zones across Plano and reducing the city's ability to set rules on density, parking, building height, lot coverage and setbacks for multifamily and mixed-use projects.
- Senate Bill 15 (as read on the newscast) was described as permitting small-lot single‑family development on parcels of 5 acres or larger that have never been platted and are zoned single family.

City response
The newscast said city staff are assessing how the statutes will affect local codes and permitting processes. No specific city actions, ordinance drafts or effective implementation steps were reported on the broadcast.

What was not specified
The newscast did not provide the full bill texts, bill numbers beyond the names read on air, the precise effective date beyond "Sept.," or details about how the city will change its permitting or zoning maps in response. It did not quote any Plano elected official, planning staff, developers or community members beyond the newscast host. It did not report votes or formal actions by the City Council regarding implementation.