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Commission reviews Maker's District history, developer interest from Thompson & Hansen
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Summary
At a Sept. 11 workshop the commission reviewed background for the Maker's District (UBT) zoning, discussed small lot patterns and utility easements, and heard that local firm Thompson & Hansen has concepts and interest in advancing an "urban farm"/destination redevelopment on property it owns.
The Planning & Zoning Commission devoted the first of two Sept. 11 workshops to the Maker's District (UBT) -- a compact commercial area near the Loop and Westpark -- reviewing its planning history, current land uses and several redevelopment concepts presented by property owners.
Staff and consultants traced the district's origins to a 2008 town-center study and a 2009 transit-oriented plan that anticipated a light-rail station and denser development. Commission members heard that the Bellaire side of the district totals roughly 30 acres, is divided into many smaller parcels and is constrained by large utility easements and freeway ramps.
Thompson & Hansen concept and property status
Staff said Thompson & Hansen, a local landscape/architecture firm that owns multiple parcels and operates gardening/commissary uses on the site, has circulated conceptual renderings that emphasize an "agricultural" or makers-theme destination with a central lawn, event space and smaller-scale commercial buildings. Staff said Thompson & Hansen uses an on-site lot for gardening classes and is interested in advancing a redevelopment concept when zoning permits; the firm's representatives did not present in person due to short notice but staff said Thompson & Hansen is ready to meet with the commission at a future meeting.
Site constraints and development context
Commissioners and staff reviewed maps showing small lots, an existing bridal mart, medical-office buildings along the Loop and areas of open paved acreage that appear to be used as informal parking under a CenterPoint utility easement. Staff noted that some parcels are legally nonconforming and that assembled redevelopment may require plan-development review depending on zoning and lot assembly.
Staff said the district's comp-plan vision allows a wide range of uses but envisions lower scale and intensity than a downtown transit hub; the commission discussed how redevelopment might balance parking, drainage and adjacency to single-family homes.
Next steps
Staff said it will contact Thompson & Hansen about scheduling a presentation at an upcoming meeting. Commissioners asked staff to circulate the 2022 submittal and any renderings the firm has provided, and to continue the Maker's District discussion at future workshops as draft zoning language is shaped.
Ending
Staff and commissioners agreed to continue Maker's District workshops; staff offered to provide additional property-ownership and parcel-size details to help the commission evaluate whether plan-development provisions or special district requirements should apply.
