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Round Rock planning staff report growth surge, zoning work and new state rules to monitor
Summary
Planning staff told council the city saw an estimated jump of more than 6,000 people in the past year, described permit and inspection volumes, noted development trends (data centers, light industrial, missing-middle housing) and warned two new state laws may change local zoning and parking rules for cities above 150,000 residents.
Planning and Development Services staff updated the Round Rock City Council on recent growth, permit activity and policy work at Tuesday’s meeting.
Staff reported the city’s June 2025 population estimate is based on certificates of occupancy and showed what staff called an unusual increase of more than 6,000 residents in the last year, compared with a historical growth rate of about 2,000–4,000 annually. For the year running from last June through this past May staff said the department issued 720 single-family building permits and completed 28,918 building inspections.
The department also noted development trends: pre-submittal meetings rose to 50 from 39 in the same period last year, multifamily projects are pausing or shifting to lower density because of higher construction and financing costs, the office market remains slow, and light industrial and data-center interest remain strong.
Staff described ongoing work on the downtown zoning project and other strategic-plan items, and said they are finalizing full draft amendments for a public hearing later this summer.
On state legislation, staff highlighted two bills that could affect Round Rock if the city crosses the 150,000-resident threshold. One would allow or require mixed-use and multifamily development by right in commercial or office zones with a minimal parking requirement (noted in the presentation as roughly one space per unit). The other, identified as Senate Bill 15, limits minimum single-family lot sizes to 3,000 square feet for jurisdictions above the population threshold; current city SF3 minimums are 5,000 square feet. Staff said Round Rock should monitor how other cities implement the bills and plan code updates to comply while balancing local objectives.
Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about how the state rules apply to single-family homes, parking expectations, and potential local incentives or impact-fee adjustments to address outcomes. Staff replied these changes may be focused on greenfield sites and that the development community will shape how the law affects actual building outcomes.
Separately on land-use matters, staff presented a future land use map amendment (H1) and a rezoning (H2) for 0.469 acres at 802 East Palm Valley Boulevard to allow mixed-use redevelopment and small-lot development; Planning & Zoning had unanimously recommended approval. The applicant said the plan would include retail on the ground floor with a coffee bar/restaurant and beauty services upstairs. With no public opposition, the council approved the land-use map amendment and rezoning on first reading and dispensed with the second reading.
