Planning commission recommends changes to Transition Zoning District rules, sends options to council

The Planning and Zoning Commission on March 6 voted unanimously to forward proposed amendments to the City of Southlake zoning ordinance (ordinance 480 GGGG, ZA25-13) that revise standards for the Transition Zoning District (TZD) and related procedures, while asking staff to refine language before City Council consideration.

City planning staff (identified in the meeting as Dennis) reviewed the TZD’s history and structure, including that the TZD was created following the Southlake 2025 land-use plan update and had been amended multiple times since adoption. Staff said the current formula sets a default maximum density of two dwelling units per acre but allows City Council discretion to approve higher densities.

Staff presented several options for revisions and asked the commission whether to change (1) how density is calculated (current practice divides proposed units by gross acreage of the requested district vs. alternatives that calculate density on the residential portion only), (2) how detention/retention areas count toward open space, (3) minimum lot-area or dimensional standards, and (4) whether to apply residential adjacency standards to TZD developments abutting existing neighborhoods.

Members of the public spoke during the item’s public hearing. Resident Steven Bartz said he could not find the proposed changes online before the meeting and asked what would happen to properties and allowable uses if current TZD lots sold or were rebuilt. Jay Behrens asked staff for a clear problem statement explaining why changes were needed. Curtis Young, who identified himself as a resident, urged the commission to preserve the TZD as a flexible tool for transitioning between higher-intensity corridors and nearby neighborhoods.

Commission deliberations landed on a set of directional preferences. The commission asked staff to draft language that: (a) calculates density on the gross residential portion of a TZD request (option 2), (b) sets a 10,000-square-foot minimum lot area for lots within TZD developments (staff to craft language consistent with that direction), and (c) excludes hard-engineered detention facilities from counting toward required open space unless they are designed as aesthetic, passive recreational amenities (option 1). On adjacency standards the commission preferred a tailored TZD-specific approach that could include setback and buffer-yard requirements similar to the overlay residential adjacency standards (direction aligned with option 2). The chair and staff noted this recommendation is advisory; City Council will consider any ordinance amendments on first reading in April following a March 11 SPIN meeting.

After discussion the commission voted 5-0 to forward ordinance 480 GGGG (ZA25-13) to City Council with the stated recommendations and with staff instructed to prepare refined ordinance language and to hold the SPIN meeting on March 11.

The public hearing and the commission’s deliberations reflected differing views: some residents urged crystallizing TZD approvals into permanent zoning consistent with built outcomes, while others defended the TZD as a flexible tool for infill sites and transition areas. Staff emphasized that existing approved TZDs are vested to the regulations in effect when they were approved and that proposed changes would typically affect only future requests or amendments to existing TZDs.