Bee Cave planning commission conditionally approves replat for Pearl Townhomes, tables site plan until replat recorded

The City of Bee Cave Planning and Zoning Commission on April 1 conditionally approved a replat of Block B, Lot 4 and Lot 5 of the Hill Country Gallery Subdivision to create the Pearl Townhome Subdivision at 13216 Bee Cave Parkway, and tabled action on the project’s site and nonpoint-source (NPS) plan until the replat is recorded.

The commission’s action responds to a staff recommendation that the replat be approved only after several outstanding platting and easement issues are resolved. "Our recommendation this evening ... is a recommendation of conditional approval," said Laura Sok Sakaras, urban planner with Friese and Nichols, during the meeting. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the conditional replat and to table the site and NPS plan.

Why it matters: the replat is a prerequisite for final site-plan approval under Bee Cave code, and the commission’s votes require the developer to complete and record legal easement documents and plat language changes before the site plan can return for formal approval.

What the commission approved and why: The motion approved the replat of Block B, Lot 4 and Lot 5 as presented to create the Pearl Townhome Subdivision, subject to the conditions outlined in the staff report. Sakaras and city engineering staff said the project is subject to Plan Development District (PDD) Ordinance No. 480 (approved July 2022) and review under Chapter 30 of the city code. Sakaras summarized outstanding items staff identified in review letters spanning multiple rounds of submittals, and recommended conditional approval while those items were finalized.

Substantive outstanding items the developer must address include vacating or otherwise accounting for antiquated electric and telephone easements as required by the platting code; final drafting, review and recordation of an access easement that will implement the PDD’s shared vehicle access requirement; and amendment of a recorded drainage easement so it aligns with the new replat. Staff also asked for a plat-note language change so the document dedicates only a portion of property for public use rather than "all of" the property as currently worded.

City engineering notes and legal limit on site-plan action: John Carlo Patino, identified in the meeting as a city engineer working with Friese and Nichols, told the commission that under city code the site plan cannot be approved until the property is platted. Patino said the site plan and NPS review showed compliance with PDD and city code provisions for water quality, impervious cover, access and parking, but legal counsel advised the commission not to approve the site and NPS plan until the replat is approved and recorded. The commission therefore voted to table the site and NPS plan and to revisit it after the replat is finalized.

Public comment and engagement: The commission opened public hearings for both the replat and the site/NPS plan; no members of the public spoke during either hearing. Commissioners asked a small number of technical questions about drainage locations and whether water-quality measures include re-irrigation. Staff answered that the water-quality facility will treat developed impervious area on-site and that two designated re-irrigation areas will handle treated runoff, while the triangular detention area accommodates water quality and detention facilities.

Votes at a glance: The commission unanimously approved the consent agenda (minutes from the March 18, 2025 regular session); unanimously approved the conditional replat for the Pearl Townhomes (motion by Commissioner Loomer, second by Commissioner Vickery); and unanimously voted to table the Pearl Townhomes site and NPS plan until the replat is approved (motion to table by Commissioner Loomer, second by Commissioner Schmidt).

Next steps: Staff and the applicant must finalize and record the required easement and plat documents called out in the staff review. Once the replat is approved and recorded with the required amendments and easement instruments, the applicant may return to the commission for final action on the site and NPS plan.