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Resident urges council to slow Chapter 78 revisions, warns PDF drainage review and tree preservation are inadequate
Summary
A Montgomery resident urged the council to delay adopting proposed subdivision standards, saying drainage reviews done from PDF files are ineffective and that the draft tree-preservation rules need substantial revision; the council has scheduled a public hearing on Feb. 25.
A local resident who identified himself as Fox told the Montgomery City Council he had reviewed proposed amendments to Chapter 78 (subdivisions) and urged the council to delay approval until practitioners with relevant experience weigh in.
"Anybody who's ever reviewed a drainage plat knows that doing so off a PDF is totally impossible," Fox said, urging the council to convene experienced reviewers before adopting standards. He criticized parts of the draft he described as written by people without field experience and singled out tree preservation rules as especially problematic.
Fox said development in areas such as Uphill Grange continues to create drainage problems and urged the council to require developers to fund thorough reforestation plans after construction. He said research from Texas A&M shows that properties with substantial vegetation can have higher long-term values.
The council placed the Chapter 78 amendments on the consent agenda and set a public hearing for Feb. 25, 2025; several councilmembers said they would receive updates prior to the hearing. Fox's remarks came during the public forum portion of the meeting and were not acted on as an ordinance that night.
