The Bryan City Council voted to postpone action on a rezoning request for a 162.32-acre tract known as Verona, asking the developer and city staff to provide more detailed planned-development standards before returning to the council.

Council members opened a public hearing for RZ 23-23, a request to change zoning on the tract north of the State Highway 21/John Sharp Parkway intersection from a mix of Innovation Corridor (IC) and Innovation Corridor High Density Residential (IC HDR) to a Planned Development Housing (PDH) district that would allow a layered mix of townhomes, multifamily and detached single-family housing. Martin Zimmerman, the city’s director of Development Services, described the site plan and said the applicant proposed two planning areas: higher-density attached housing nearer the highway and lower-density detached single-family to the north, including a minimum 6,000-square-foot lot size for the detached lots.

The council’s questions centered on infrastructure, drainage and how the proposal would preserve commercial frontage along Highway 21. Several council members said the PD language lacked sufficient detail on building materials, streets, landscaping and other standards that would remain binding on the property if the rezoning were approved. Council members also pressed the applicant and staff on access points, secondary access and fire-code requirements for subdivisions.

Developer and applicant representatives told the council they have discussed the project with staff since 2022, that the full master-planned development will likely include layered densities and commercial at the frontage, and that some engineering and feasibility work would follow rezoning to support detailed subdivision design. The applicant’s representative and the developer said they build masonry-faced homes, landscaping and homeowners associations in prior projects, and expressed willingness to add more specificity to the PD.

After a period of debate, a council member offered and the council approved a motion to postpone consideration of the rezoning for up to 90 days to allow the applicant and city staff to return with a more detailed PD that addresses council concerns. The motion carried on a voice vote with no roll-call recorded.

Why it matters: The 162-acre tract sits within the city’s Innovation Corridor area near the RELLIS campus, a location council members described as strategically important. Council members said they want zoning that creates a high-quality, multi-phase master plan rather than a by-right rezoning that yields few guarantees about long-term design, materials or public amenities.

What’s next: City staff and the applicant will work on additional PD standards and may return to the Planning & Zoning Commission before coming back to council. The postponement was limited to 90 days but the council allowed the item to be returned sooner if the applicant could provide the requested details.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this report appear in the article’s speakers list.