Georgetown leaders launch process to rewrite zoning rules, form steering committee and press state on traffic studies

Georgetown City officials met in a joint work session on Sept. 23, 2025, and agreed to form a joint steering committee to begin targeted updates to the city's zoning ordinance and related development standards. The meeting also produced a direction for staff to explore changes to how traffic impacts are measured and to pursue conversations with state transportation officials and elected representatives about predictive traffic studies.

The decision grew out of a broader review of the city's Goals and Objectives (adopted Jan. 2023) and the Comprehensive Plan (adopted 2024), documents staff said guide future land use, annexation and development decisions. Holden Fleming, director of planning, told council and the planning commission that the agenda items tie directly to a 2024 future land use map and an implementation matrix of roughly 51 items that the city should use to align zoning with the community's stated goals.

Why it matters: The work could change what kinds of housing and commercial development get approved, how annexations are evaluated, and what developers must do to mitigate off-site impacts such as traffic. Council members raised worries about road capacity, emergency services staffing, and the limits of local authority when developers seek zone changes or variances.

Council and commission leaders outlined the scope and next steps. Mayor Bernie Jenkins and staff asked for a steering…