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Rowlett planners outline 'Recode Rowlett' timeline to unify zoning rules
Summary
City staff and the Recode Rowlett committee reported progress toward consolidating conflicting zoning rules, collapsing multiple residential and commercial districts into fewer categories and planning public outreach this fall.
Derek Cole, director of community development for the City of Rowlett, told a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 30 that the city’s“Recode Rowlett” effort aims to eliminate conflicting zoning rules and replace them with a single, simpler code.
Cole said the recode effort — started in April 2025 after an initial consultant assessment — has reviewed all residential and commercial districts and sought to consolidate and clarify purpose statements, dimensional standards and allowable uses. “We have to try to correct this inconsistency between two codes and then establish a basic zoning ordinance that is simple to enforce,” Cole said.
The recode committee has met eight times and has proposed consolidating many existing residential categories into a smaller set of districts intended to capture “the essence of the neighborhood” while reducing legal nonconforming uses. Cole said staff and the committee favor a “toolbox” approach that gives developers a defined set of options, with planned development (PD) remaining available for unique cases.
Cole outlined immediate next steps: finish remaining district reviews (institutional uses, special use permits and planned developments), reconcile conflicting standards such as tree preservation, draft transitional-use standards for edges between different zones, update the zoning map, and prepare recommended amendments to the use table. He said the committee expects to finish district reviews by late October or early November and then begin community outreach and formal public hearings at Planning and Zoning and City Council.
Deputy City Manager Christophe Bauer and members of the Recode committee — including Councilmember Reeves and Mayor Pro Tem Shupp, and Planning and Zoning representatives — were acknowledged as participants in the committee. Cole said clarifying the code is particularly important for code enforcement staff, who currently must apply different standards when properties fall under the Rowlett Development Code or the city’s form-based code.
Cole also noted that recode is not a comprehensive-plan update; the recode focuses on zoning and development regulations. He said staff will run community meetings before formal hearings to explain proposed changes and to reduce confusion that could generate many calls to elected officials.
No votes were taken. Stakeholders will have further opportunities to review draft language and maps before staff brings ordinance language for formal consideration.
