Planning commission recommends rezoning and plat for 85‑lot Partridge Creek addition; neighbors raise concerns about build-to-rent

The City Planning Commission on July 15 voted to recommend the city council approve a rezoning and the preliminary and final plat for the Partridge Creek Addition, a proposed 85‑lot single‑family neighborhood filed by Meridian Mortgage LLC.

Assistant City Planner Bridal Cameron told the commission the applicant requests a rezone from Transitional to Residential Low Density 3 (RLD 3) to facilitate single‑family development. Cameron said the Transitional district is a placeholder for annexed, formerly agricultural parcels and that the RLD 3 district “aligns with existing and planned future developments of the area.” She said the preliminary and final plat are contingent on the conditions in the staff report plus one additional condition requiring additional easements where backyard areas currently show five‑foot easements; those must be increased to 10 feet for drainage purposes.

Cameron provided dimensional details: the proposed lots meet RLD 3 minimums, average about 4,000 square feet, and have roughly 40 feet of frontage — “that is the minimum you can go in that zoning district,” she said. She also said the developer proposes detached homes on the lots, while nearby Prairie Parkway first‑edition lots were planned for twin homes and detached homes. Cameron noted the larger Prairie Parkway second edition was approved in February 2024 and that the Partridge Creek addition sits south of that development.

Members of the public raised concerns. A nearby resident, Amber Du, asked whether any of the homes will be “build‑to‑rent.” Cameron replied, “We do not know that at this time.” Du also criticized Meridian based on her experiences in an adjacent neighborhood, saying renters and maintenance complaints had reduced perceived property quality; a commissioner reminded the audience the planning commission is a recommending body and encouraged neighbors to document complaints for the city council’s review. Brian Patengill of Houston Engineering, representing the project engineers, said the plat meets the minimum lot dimensions, that about one‑fifth of lots are 45‑foot widths and the rest average near 40 feet, and that additional easements will not affect the buildability of lots.

Commissioners moved separately on the rezoning and the plat. The commission voted in favor of the rezoning recommendation and then voted to recommend approval of the preliminary and final plat, subject to the four conditions in the packet plus the additional easement condition. The actions are recommendations; the city council will make final determinations.