McAllen commission disapproves Jonco townhouse rezoning, denies downtown boarding‑house rezoning; approves Trenton Road rezoning

The McAllen City Commission on Jan. 28 rejected a rezoning request for a townhouse development at 512 Jonco Avenue, voted to disapprove a rezoning request for a property at the southwest corner of South Seventh and Westlake (around 600 South Seventeenth Street), and approved a separate rezoning for 2121 Trenton Road.

The decisions will change how the three sites may be developed: the Jonco Avenue request to rezone a roughly 0.8717‑acre parcel from R‑1 to R‑3 (townhome zoning) was disapproved after residents and several commissioners said the project would change an established single‑family neighborhood. The commission also voted to deny a request to rezone a downtown building from C‑3 to R‑3A after staff reported multiple recent complaints and a prior injunction related to hotel/boarding‑house operations. By contrast, commissioners approved a rezoning for property at 2121 Trenton Road from R‑1 to R‑3T; the Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval.

Why it matters: The votes shape where higher‑density housing can be built in McAllen and reflect ongoing tension between adding housing supply and preserving long‑established single‑family neighborhood patterns. Several commissioners emphasized the need to balance housing demand against neighborhood character and infrastructure access.

Esteban Flores, the project applicant for 512 Jonco Avenue, told the commission he is a real‑estate developer and lives across the street from the lot. Flores said the townhouse plan would address housing affordability and reduce vacant‑lot problems. "This townhouse project is a win for the city and for the neighborhood, and it will address traffic concerns, improve property values, generate revenue, and provide much needed affordable housing," Flores said. He estimated the design could yield roughly eight to 10 townhome units and said townhomes would sell for under $300,000 compared with single‑family prices he put at $400,000–$500,000 in the area.

Two houses from the lot, Enrique Mian said during public comment, oppose opening the cul‑de‑sac and adding the development. "It will increase traffic," Mian said, adding neighbors did not consent to removing the turnaround and allowing more vehicular flow through their small, quiet street.

Planning staff told the commission the Jonco parcel had been rezoned for condominiums in 2008 but that prior rezoning had been disapproved by neighborhood vote. At the Jan. 7 Planning & Zoning meeting, the board discussed staff’s recommendation for a lower R‑2 classification; the applicant said he would accept R‑2. Planning & Zoning ultimately recommended disapproval of the R‑3 request. The commission moved to disapprove the rezoning request; the motion carried.

On the downtown property at or near 600 South Seventeenth Street, staff reported multiple recent complaints to Code Enforcement and a history of noncompliance with hotel‑occupancy rules that earlier prompted an injunction. "This item comes to you with a recommendation for disapproval," staff said, noting the Planning & Zoning Commission also recommended disapproval. The commission voted to disapprove the rezoning request.

By contrast, the commission approved a request to rezone property at 2121 Trenton Road from R‑1 to R‑3T. Staff said the request conformed with the Envision McAllen plan’s "complete communities" designation and that Planning & Zoning recommended approval 4‑0 with one abstention. Staff explained the property’s only practical access likely will be an extension of North 20th Street; the applicant must dedicate right‑of‑way as part of any subdivision.

Commissioners stressed different priorities. Commissioner Zamora said McAllen must weigh growing demand for multifamily housing against preserving longstanding neighborhood character: "While it is true across the alley, you do have an R‑3A, but that's facing away from this neighborhood... I think you're encroaching on an area where we're looking at strictly R‑1," Zamora said.

Votes at a glance: the commission moved and carried motions to disapprove the Jonco Avenue rezoning request and to disapprove the C‑3 to R‑3A downtown rezoning; the commission moved and carried a motion approving the Trenton Road rezoning.

Looking ahead: staff and developers may return with altered proposals (for example, an R‑2 plan for Jonco) or formal subdivision layouts; commissioners noted the city’s recently adopted Unified Development Code will prompt further zoning requests across the city.