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Elgin council approves rezoning of 10-acre parcel despite neighbor flood concerns
Summary
The City Council voted to rezone a 10-acre parcel on Clouse Lane from R-1 (single-family) to R-2 (single-family and duplex) after a public hearing in which a nearby resident raised flooding and density concerns. Council members discussed collector-road requirements and code constraints that will limit development options.
The Elgin City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance amending the official zoning map to rezone a roughly 10-acre parcel (Travis County Appraisal District Parcel 248221) from R-1 single-family dwelling district to R-2 single-family and duplex dwelling district.
The change was approved by a 6-3 vote after a public hearing and extended staff presentation. Councilmembers voted: Crim, Brazier, McShane, Kosnovsky, Swayne and Rodriguez — yes; Gibson, Love and Saint Pierre — no. The motion carried.
The rezoning matters because R-2 allows smaller lot sizes and duplexes; staff and speakers said the change could enable denser development than the current R-1 designation. The property is in a location that the city’s thoroughfare plan designates for a future collector road that will extend existing neighborhood connections. That collector alignment and existing city setback and fire-code requirements will limit how much density can be built on the tract.
During the public hearing, Diane Dunnigan, who said she lives two doors down from the subject property and spoke on behalf of an absent neighbor, told the council the land floods and that allowing duplexes would increase density and risk for adjacent properties. “I looked at the plat … it would squish in there. I know that lot very well. And there’s an issue of flooding right across the little one-lane Clouse Lane … the whole land floods,” Dunnigan said. She referenced Zone A flood designations on maps and urged the council to consider protection for the area rather than a single developer’s interests.
City staff and the planning presenter, Mister Perry, described the zoning vote as a decision about allowed land use rather than approval of a specific project. Perry explained that R-1 requires roughly 9,000 square feet per lot while R-2 permits lots of about 7,500 square feet and that the city’s codes for setbacks and street connections apply regardless of the zoning change. “You’re not voting on a specific project,” Perry said. He added that because the thoroughfare plan calls for a 70-foot collector right-of-way to continue through the parcel, that infrastructure requirement will reduce the number of buildable lots and limit potential density.
Perry noted that the property has previously been discussed by the Planning and Zoning Commission and that the commission’s recommendation and staff analysis informed the council’s decision. He said if a developer seeks variances or wants a more detailed agreement on design and conditions, the city would recommend a planned development district (PDD) so council could review a negotiated, site-specific plan.
Council members asked staff about engineering and flood approvals; staff said any development that affected Clouse Lane or runoff would require Travis County approval for work in that county right-of-way and county review of floodplain impacts. Staff also said civil site plans must demonstrate compliance with the city’s stormwater and floodplain standards and that zoning alone does not exempt a property from those engineering reviews.
The ordinance adopted amends Chapter 46 (zoning) of the City of Elgin Code of Ordinances to change the parcel’s classification to R-2. The council’s action does not approve any specific subdivision or site plan; subsequent preliminary and final plats and site development plans would be required before construction.
Opponents argued the change could permit more rental units and worsen flooding for adjacent homeowners; supporters and staff pointed to the thoroughfare plan and code constraints as limiting factors. The council’s vote ends the rezoning item and sends future development to standard plat and engineering review processes.
Details recorded in the council packet show the parcel is approximately 10 acres and identified in public materials as Travis CAD Parcel 248221. The council made clear that engineering approvals, the thoroughfare plan alignment and county reviews for Clouse Lane will govern whether and how the site can be developed.
