A Dickinson resident told the City Council that public testimony and Planning & Zoning questions were effectively sidelined when the Sanctuary Section 2 preliminary plat was approved at a recent Planning & Zoning meeting.

Ed Schroeder, who lives at 1991 Saint Edmonds Crossing, said he and other neighbors raised concerns about drainage and flooding and that the commission was told the agenda item had reached a statutory time limit that left commissioners only one option: to vote yes. “Do we put up signs? Yes. Do we do mailings? Yes. Do we have a public testimony? Yes. But it was all irrelevant,” Schroeder said during the council’s public-comment period.

A staff member responded at the meeting by explaining the limits on local discretion for plats. “If a plat is filed and that plat complies with all of the state law requirements in the chapter 212 of the local government code, it complies with all of our plat requirements in our UDC, there is no power to say no,” the staff member said, adding that Planning & Zoning has a 30-day review window and a plat is deemed approved under state law if not denied within that period.

Why it matters: Neighbors said existing drainage problems in St. Edmunds Green have produced flooding in recent events; they opposed a proposed connection between the new subdivision’s retention pond and their neighborhood pond. The distinction the staff member described between a ministerial plat approval (which is decided by whether the submitted plat meets technical code requirements) and discretionary land-use approvals (which allow a body to weigh compatibility or other policy concerns) determines whether local officials can lawfully deny or delay a plat on policy grounds.

Council members and staff told speakers that additional engineering, environmental and flood studies are required before construction can begin and that plat approval is an early, technical step rather than permission to start building. A member of the council who attended the Planning & Zoning meeting told speakers he had asked staff to confirm the procedural limits and that further meetings would occur as the development proceeds.

The public comment reflected frustration about process and communication rather than a concluded land-development decision. Schroeder said the community felt the public meeting was “for some bureaucrat to check off the boxes” because, in his view, comments appeared to have no effect on the outcome. Council members and staff said the plat process includes later approvals and required studies and does not permit immediate construction absent those subsequent clearances.

The council did not take a formal vote on the plat at the city council meeting. Council members asked staff to continue explaining the steps that follow plat approval and to keep the public informed of future hearings and technical reviews.

For now, neighbors remain concerned about drainage connections between the proposed Sanctuary Section 2 retention pond and existing neighborhood infrastructure; staff reiterated that engineering and flood-control approvals remain outstanding and are required before any dirt can be turned.