Council approves SUP allowing ground‑floor residence at 249 South Main

Clute — The Clute City Council voted Nov. 13 to grant a Specific Use Permit (SUP) allowing a ground‑floor residence at 249 South Main Street, a nonconforming house located in a commercial corridor.

The owners, who said they purchased the property believing they could live there, described learning after closing that the property sits in a commercial zone and that permits for residential occupancy require an SUP. “They sold it to us as a home,” the applicant said, asking the council to allow the family to obtain building permits and restart water service. Planning staff explained that certain Main Street properties were rezoned decades ago and that residences that predated the zoning may remain as nonconforming uses while the original owner resides there; when ownership changes, an SUP is typically required to reestablish residential use.

Planning & Zoning recommended approval under standard SUP criteria. Council discussed the history of downtown zoning, the city’s livable‑centers plan that targets corridor reinvestment, and the desire to balance commercial revitalization with protecting longtime residents. Following discussion, council approved the SUP; several council members abstained from voting and one opposed per roll‑call recording, but the motion carried.

The ordinance approved includes standard SUP language restricting transferability: the permit is tied to the owner and, as staff explained, would lapse if the property were sold and the new owner sought a different use. Staff said the SUP will allow the homeowners to obtain the building permits they need for renovation and utilities while preserving the city’s long‑term downtown redevelopment goals.

The council instructed staff to ensure the SUP contains the usual conditions and to record the nontransferable status in the ordinance.