Midlothian council approves 38‑lot planned development with revised fencing, garage placement rules

The Midlothian City Council voted 4-0 to approve a planned development zoning for 16.24 acres in the Martha Brenham survey that will allow 38 single‑family lots and about 1.5 acres of open space.

City planning staff told the council the proposal includes lot sizes ranging from about 10,000 to 12,000 square feet for 34 lots and larger 24,000‑ to 32,000‑square‑foot lots for four parcels, for an overall density of about 2.34 dwelling units per acre. The ordinance adopted standards for anti‑monotony building elevations, tree and landscape easements along McAlpin and South Fourteenth Street, and a requirement that at least half of the homes employ side‑entry garages or similar configurations so the garage does not dominate the front façade.

The council and the applicant negotiated several design clarifications before the vote. Planning staff said the Planning and Zoning Commission suggested increasing privacy fences along the western property line from 6 feet to 8 feet after a neighboring property owner raised concerns; the council adopted that change. The council also approved a recommendation to limit masonry screening walls along Fourteenth Street and McAlpin to a run that begins at the front of one lot pad and ends at the front of the next pad, with decorative steel fencing used in front yard areas and around cul‑de‑sacs to break up continuous masonry.

Todd Winters, the applicant’s representative, told the council that the houses adjacent to Fourteenth Street “will not back up to it,” and that the development will include a landscape buffer and street right‑of‑way dedication consistent with the thoroughfare plan. Staff said McAlpin Road and South Fourteenth Street are designated minor arterials with roughly 90 feet of right‑of‑way and that median openings and left‑turn lanes will be provided at the time of construction.

Councilman Weaver moved to approve the ordinance with Rogers’s recommended screening‑wall change and a friendly amendment requiring single‑story homes along the McAlpin frontage; Sheffield seconded. The motion passed 4-0.

The ordinance also requires that garages be set behind the primary front plane of the house (with limited exceptions, such as a third bay set well behind the façade), and that homeowners association easements will cover a 30‑foot wall easement plus a 15‑foot landscape easement where specified. Staff said 31 property owners within 200 feet received mailed notice and one neighbor spoke at the Planning and Zoning hearing with concerns that were addressed in the revised provisions.

What’s next: The ordinance was adopted and will move to final plat and construction permitting stages; staff said dedications and improvements will be provided at the time of planning and development.