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Leander planning commission approves Leander Business Center short-form plat and grants variance for Mockingbird Hill access
Summary
The Leander Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday approved a short-form final plat for the Leander Business Center and granted a variance allowing use of a 50-foot reciprocal access easement on Mockingbird Hill instead of a public right-of-way; staff required reciprocal access to adjacent properties at the time of site-plan application.
The Leander Planning and Zoning Commission approved a short-form final plat and a related variance for the Leander Business Center, a roughly 10.251-acre parcel at 80 Mockingbird Hill in Williamson County.
The vote cleared two items: a variance asking not to require a public right-of-way through the development, and the short-form final plat for SFP-22-00002. City planning staff recommended approval of both items, with the condition that the applicant provide reciprocal access to the properties east and west at the time of site-plan application.
City planning staff member Dale said the short-form filing was “the final step in the subdivision process, per section 45 of the subdivision ordinance,” and described the variance proposal: rather than build a public street through the site the applicant proposed to meet the ordinance’s intent by granting reciprocal access via the existing 50-foot Mockingbird Hill right-of-way easement. The application packet identified the subject property by Williamson Central Appraisal District parcel R031713 and showed nearby subdivisions Homestead and Deerbrook for orientation.
Commissioner Morales raised concerns about the plat’s statement that surrounding properties were unimproved, noting duplexes appeared along the southern property line and that the plat did not show setbacks from residential uses. “If I was living in one of those houses, and you're building a commercial or industrial property right behind me, I would hope that the plat would have included a setback from residential to commercial,” Morales said. Dale responded that setbacks are set by zoning and would be applied at permitting—the plat itself does not define setbacks.
Vice Chair Coloma moved to approve the variance; Commissioner Mahan seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Coloma then moved to approve the short-form final plat; Mahan seconded, and that motion also passed unanimously. The commission recorded the measures as approved with the staff condition that reciprocal access be provided to adjacent properties at site-plan review.
Next steps for the project include completion of the site-plan review process, where the applicant must demonstrate the reciprocal access arrangements and comply with applicable zoning setbacks and other development standards.
Key details
- Case numbers: short-form final plat SFP-22-00002; variance VA-22-00001. - Address/parcel: approximately 80 Mockingbird Hill; Williamson Central Appraisal District parcel R031713. - Acreage: approximately 10.251 acres. - Variance: allows use of a 50-foot reciprocal access easement of Mockingbird Hill in lieu of a public right-of-way; staff required reciprocal access agreements to adjacent properties at site-plan application. - Vote: motions to approve both the variance and the short-form plat passed unanimously.
