Cibolo planning commission backs Old Town UDC exemptions for parking, drainage and small expansions

The Cibolo Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend that City Council consider amendments to the city’s 2024 Unified Development Code (UDC) to ease certain requirements for properties inside the Old Town District, including exemptions from mandatory platting, on‑site parking requirements and some drainage study triggers.

Commissioners said the changes are intended to help owners of small, preexisting properties in Downtown Cibolo convert or expand buildings for commercial use without the high upfront cost and delay imposed by current UDC rules. Commissioners voted to forward the draft ordinance with additional language requested by the commission, including a list of acceptable alternative paving materials, limiting approval authority to the planning director and city engineer, and clarifying drainage expectations.

City planning staff described the package as an interim accommodation while the UDC rewrite and Old Town master plan proceed. The draft ordinance would exempt existing structures in Old Town from certain requirements “unless the cumulative square footage of all existing structures is increased by more than 30%,” a threshold…