Pharr planners approve rezoning for townhome development near Nolana despite resident objections

The City of Pharr Planning and Zoning Commission on a voice vote recommended rezoning a 17.196-acre property at 4300 North Sugar Road from Agriculture and/or Open Space District (AO) to Townhouse Residential District (RTH) to allow a proposed townhome development. The motion to recommend approval carried after a public hearing and brief discussion.

Joe Garza, assistant planning director for the Development Services Department, told the commission that Melden and Hunt Inc., representing owner Homero Rivas, filed the rezoning request. Garza said the property "is 17.196 acres, more or less, out of Lot 106 Kelly Farr Subdivision, Pharr, Hidalgo County, Texas," and reviewed surrounding zoning and the land-use designation.

Garza told the commission that the site fronts North Sugar Road, a 70-foot minor collector, and that the property was zoned AO on annexation in 1990. He said 30 letters were mailed to property owners within 200 feet and a legal notice ran in the Advanced News Journal; staff received one call in opposition and one informational response. Development Services recommended approval, saying the property "meets all requirements to lot area specifications, complies with surrounding nearby residential uses, and provides significant ingress and ingress to the accessibility." (Staff presentation excerpt.)

Edgar I. Garcia, director of Land Development for Mountain Hunt, told the commission the proposal would include "approximately 145 townhomes. There is a detention lot and we are leaving the commercial, fronting sugar." He said townhomes are what the market is showing and that sidewalks, pavement and utilities would be provided during the subdivision construction phase. When asked if the development would be gated, Garcia said, "as far as today, it's not, intended to be gated." (Applicant comments.)

A surrounding property owner who signed up to speak opposed the scale of the project, asking the commission to require more study and buffers. The speaker said, "I respectfully oppose the up proposed 150 townhouses. Absorb such density and it will negatively affect traffic, school capacity, and environmental balances behind our home. I urge the city to conduct a full impact study and involve the neighborhoods and discussions about alternatives." The resident asked for a reduced scale and a greater buffer, suggesting single-family homes directly behind existing houses and townhomes set further back. (Public comment excerpt.)

After closing the public hearing and a short discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend approval. Commissioners voted by voice; formal roll-call votes were not read into the record. The staff noted the item will appear before the Pharr City Commission on June 16, 2025, at 4 p.m.

Why it matters: The rezoning would allow a medium-density townhouse project adjacent to existing single-family neighborhoods and multifamily development. Neighbors raised concerns about traffic, school capacity and privacy, while the applicant and staff said the site meets subdivision and infrastructure requirements and would provide additional housing variety in Pharr.

Looking ahead: The City Commission will consider the rezoning request on June 16, 2025; any conditions or changes imposed there will determine the project's final scope and timing.