Planning commission approves Shepherd’s Garden retail redevelopment; sign structure to be preserved if feasible

The Houston Planning Commission on Feb. 20 approved a variance and plat for the Shepherd’s Garden redevelopment (Item 114), allowing a 10-foot building line along North Shepherd Drive to accommodate a large retail project on the former Sears site and placing a condition that the existing Sears sign structure be preserved “if feasible.”

Staff told the commission that strict application of Chapter 42’s 25-foot building-line requirement would make the bulk-retail redevelopment invisible from North Shepherd Drive and that the applicant is proposing compensating pedestrian improvements, including a 19-foot unobstructed sidewalk and a 4-foot safety buffer between sidewalk and traffic. Planning staff recommended granting the variance and approving the plat subject to standard…