Planning commission postpones draft comprehensive plan, appoints subcommittee to review

The Lago Vista Planning and Zoning Commission voted on May 8 to postpone action on a draft update to the city’s comprehensive plan and created a three-member subcommittee to review the document and return recommendations.

Commissioner Rachel Rich, who served on the citizen advisory committee that helped produce the draft, said the version in the packet did not fully reflect CPAC’s input and that commissioners and residents had too little time to review the 400-plus page document. Planning staff said the draft is an extensive update and that the version in the agenda packet is intended as the working document; the consultant who helped compile the draft had a scheduling conflict and was not present to present details.

The commission voted to form a subcommittee of three commissioners — Rachel Rich, Linda Herrick and Jeff Hubert — to review the draft, gather materials and propose changes. The commission then voted to postpone the item “until further notice” so the subcommittee could complete its review. Commissioners and members of the public raised recurring concerns about: numeric density ranges (for example, whether “low density” should be 1–4 versus 1–6 units per acre), the draft thoroughfare plan and where the Bonanza extension is shown, and the classification of large properties (including a Shoreline Ranch parcel) that some owners say has been mischaracterized in the draft land-use map.

Ending: Staff was directed to work with the subcommittee and return a consolidated recommendation and any redlined edits; the matter remains on the commission’s work plan for follow-up.