Pearland council OKs first reading to rezone 35 acres for Kelsey Seybold clinic; developers and neighbors seek detention and design protections

Pearland’s City Council voted unanimously on first reading to rezone about 35 acres along Pearland Parkway from single‑family residential (R‑2) to General Business (GB), clearing the way for a proposed Kelsey Seybold medical campus and related commercial development.

The zoning change, filed as Ordinance 2000M‑273, was requested by applicant Dunaway on behalf of multiple property owners. The council approved first reading and set the item to return for second reading as scheduled.

City staff told the council the request covers two tracts totaling about 35.19 acres located on both sides of Pearland Parkway near Shallow Creek Drive. Staff said the proposed GB zoning is consistent with the city’s mixed‑use center designation on the property’s side of Pearland Parkway but noted the land across the road is designated in the future‑land‑use plan for natural areas and outdoor tourism; that discrepancy was identified as the primary plan inconsistency.

Andrew Alemond of Dunaway, representing the property owners, told the council GB is a down‑zone relative to some other commercial districts and said the site’s large BDD‑4 detention facility will provide a substantial buffer from nearby homes. “The down zone GB is a protection in and of itself,” Alemond said, adding the detention tract “creates a natural separation between the neighborhood and us.”

Stewart Kahye, senior director of operations for Kelsey Seybold Clinic, described the project as part of a push to place a clinic within 10 minutes of more patients on Pearland’s east side. “One of our goals at Kelsey Seybold Clinic is to be within 10 minutes of every current patient,” Kahye said. He said the clinic footprint could be two to three stories; a two‑story facility would accommodate about 20 providers, a three‑story configuration would allow roughly 40 providers and an approximately 150‑person total staff. Kahye estimated build‑out costs around $22 million to $32 million.

Council members pressed developers and Kelsey representatives on several details: where off‑site stormwater detention would be located, whether the buyer would own the entire property, and whether to require special zoning or conditions to protect neighboring residences. Developers said the tract across Pearland Parkway is intended for an under‑highway detention pond tied to the larger site and that Kelsey plans to purchase the entire parcel and likely develop about five acres initially.

Staff and legal counsel explained that off‑site detention—because it would be across the roadway—would require a discretionary conditional‑use permit (CUP) if developed to serve the primary site. Legal staff said the CUP would provide a discretionary review point for council on the off‑site detention location and design.

Council members discussed delaying second reading until a later meeting to allow Kelsey to complete feasibility and closing steps; Kelsey representatives said they would not close on the land if the zoning were not approved. “If we get the zone change, we will close pretty soon. If we do not get the zone change, we will not close,” a Kelsey representative said during the meeting.

Councilors who voiced caution said they would prefer an outcome that ties zoning progress to concrete steps by the buyer. Legal staff said while the council could schedule the second reading later to allow more time, they would not recommend postponing second reading because of a change in ownership; instead they suggested using discretionary land‑use tools such as the CUP for the off‑site detention as a means of ensuring compatible physical development.

The ordinance passed first reading with a recorded vote of 7–0. The matter will return to council for second reading at the date set by council calendar.