Planning panel approves rezoning at 5601 Lago De Valle Drive; applicant says proposal reduces density

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval Friday of a zone change for about 1.59 acres at 5601 Lago De Valle Drive, moving the property from R-1A (single-family reduced area) to R-1B (single-family high density).

The recommendation, made at the commission's Jan. 2 meeting, follows staff support for the request and a public hearing at which the applicant's representative said the project would reduce, not increase, housing density originally approved under a prior PUD overlay. The commission closed the public hearing and approved staff's recommendation by voice vote.

Juan Salinas, the project's representative, told the commission the site was originally approved under a PUD overlay for about 24 townhome units. "What we're proposing to do was zone where we're going from and this sign was already up. So I think what happened is all the neighbors probably see the sign, and they see that we're going in with the zone change and they think that we're going from an R‑1A to the townhomes. We're actually going from the townhomes, which we already have approved. We're moving down to, 15 single family homes in the area. So it goes from the townhome to a but I think the residents, might have been, you know, they might have seen the sign and kinda assume that that's what it was for, but we're actually down zoning, technically," Salinas said.

During the staff presentation, planning staff reported neighborhood notice and public response numbers. The staff summary noted notice was mailed and indicated a mix of responses; the transcript records the outreach numbers as: "Letter sent for 43. We have 6 ins we have 6 against inside the 200 feet, and we have 33 against that are outside the 200 feet." The staff recommendation supported the zone change, citing prior city council and commission action related to a PUD in 2022.

Salinas also described proposed lot sizes, saying the average lot for the new single-family layout would exceed the R-1A minimum. "We're R‑1B, but our average lot size is over 4,700 square feet," he said, noting the R‑1A minimum is 4,500 square feet.

Commissioners moved to close the public hearing and to recommend approval subject to staff comments; the motion carried on a voice vote. The motion record in the meeting did not list individual roll-call tallies.

Why it matters: The change formalizes a residential layout the applicant says will be lower density than an earlier PUD-approved plan and adjusts the zoning map for a small neighborhood parcel. The commission's recommendation will go to the city council for final action if the city's process requires council consideration.

Provenance: Transcript excerpts introducing and concluding the item appear in the public record for the Jan. 2 meeting.