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Council agrees to begin public engagement on consultant's proposed downtown form-based code pilot
Summary
After extended debate about size, parcel counts and outreach, the City Council gave staff the direction to begin community engagement on the consultant-proposed form-based code pilot area downtown, with staff noting the boundary may be narrowed after public input.
Council members debated the proposed boundary and outreach approach for a downtown-area form-based code pilot during the Jan. 7 afternoon session, ultimately directing staff to start the public engagement process using the consultants' recommended boundary.
Council Member Boxall raised concerns about the proposed pilot area's size and suggested extending it east along Abram Street to Stadium Drive; others worried a larger area could increase the number of property owners who receive individualized notices and thus raise the risk of legal challenges or delay. Several council members urged a smaller pilot to reduce staff hand-holding and speed implementation. Planning staff and the project consultant said the area proposed is larger than ideal for a first pilot but includes the downtown core and adjacent environs to create synergy; they told council the boundary has been redrawn multiple times and that public engagement would likely contract the map.
Richard (Planning staff) and consultant remarks explained form-based codes rely on transects (levels of intensity) and that the consultant plans to draft a set of three transects that could be transferable to other areas, including parts of Abram Street, later in the project. Staff noted the notification requirements under SB 929 (the 2023 Texas statute requiring individualized notice where nonconforming uses may be created) and said the project team will emphasize community education before required statutory notices are mailed.
Council members also discussed the workload for planning staff and the communication materials that would accompany required statutory notices; staff said some statutory language is mandatory but they will add introductory language emphasizing voluntary participation and incentives. Several council members said they prefer to proceed with the consultant's proposed boundary and use the public engagement process to refine it; Mayor and multiple council members indicated staff are comfortable managing the proposed pilot area. The council therefore authorized staff to begin community engagement on the proposed boundary and return with refinements after public input.
