Council approves Rockride Mixed-Use PUD with commercial occupancy triggers for multifamily buildout

The City of Georgetown on Jan. 28 approved on first reading a Planned Unit Development (PUD) rezoning for roughly 14.99 acres at the southwest corner of Sam Houston Avenue and Rockride Lane, titled the Rockride Mixed-Use PUD, and the council attached binding commercial-occupancy triggers as part of its approval.

Travis Baird, assistant planning director, described the proposal as a mixed-density PUD with three subareas: Area A (local commercial/C1), Area B (higher-density multifamily/MF2) and Area C (lower-density multifamily/MF1). Baird said staff found the proposal “partially consistent” with the comprehensive plan because the proposed multifamily density—about 23 units per acre as presented—did not meet the minimum density expected for the planning area, though staff concluded the PUD provides an appropriate transition to neighboring single-family development. He said Planning and Zoning recommended approval 7–0 and listed several conditions, including requiring condominium plat recordation under Texas Property Code chapter 82 and limiting restaurants and bars in the MF2 area to special-use permits.

Amanda Brown, representing the applicant (HD Brown Consulting), described the project as vertically and horizontally mixed-use, with ground-floor commercial in portions of the multifamily buildings, enhanced pedestrian connections and amenitized, screened detention features. Brown said the PUD requires 6,000 square feet of commercial to be complete before the 100th apartment receives a certificate of occupancy under the draft PUD language. Council discussion focused on strengthening the commercial requirement: councilmember Ben May (identified in the record as Mr. May) proposed a substitute trigger to require 16,000 square feet of commercial occupied by the time the first 100 multifamily units are occupied, and an additional roughly 17,000 square feet occupied by the time 200 multifamily units are occupied. The applicant indicated willingness to revisit those figures before second reading if council adopted the motion.

After a motion and second to add the commercial-occupancy triggers and approve the PUD as amended, council voted in favor and the motion passed. Staff noted the PUD incorporates transition standards intended to limit height, windows and balconies where multifamily uses back up to existing single-family lots; for the southern transition the PUD limits buildings to two stories and 30 feet maximum within a 125-foot transition area and applies interior window-sill height and no-balcony standards modeled on Old Town design guidelines.

The ordinance read for council would amend the official zoning map to rezone the described parcels from Agriculture (AG) to a PUD with base districts of C1, MF2 and MF1, and includes a severability clause and an effective date. Planning staff and the applicant said the condo-plat requirement will follow Texas Property Code Chapter 82 options. Council adopted the rezoning with the commercial-occupancy trigger language in its motion.