Lubbock council reviews draft zoning map analysis, staff proposes district-by-district rezoning and digital outreach

City planning staff presented a draft zoning map analysis to the Lubbock City Council on Sept. 23, outlining recommendations to bring roughly 1,250 parcels into conformance with existing land uses and the city's future land use plan.

The analysis, prepared with consultant SafeBuilt, implements the city's December 2018 comprehensive plan and the Unified Development Code, staff said. Director of Planning Kristen Sager said the review used a six-stage process and an interactive GIS website to identify parcels where zoning and land use differ.

Staff noted there are nearly 105,000 parcels in city limits and that the analysis narrowed the scope to about 1,250 parcels with recommended changes. Sager said maps were grouped into 16 area maps; she walked council through sample maps that showed industrial zoning adjacent to residential neighborhoods, commercial uses currently zoned SF-2, and annexed parcels with mismatched zoning.

Sager summarized outreach already completed: a six-week online survey, a town hall on Aug. 21, a Planning & Zoning work session on Sept. 4, and a media release on Aug. 11. She proposed taking recommended zone changes through the normal zone-case process and recommended notifying adjacent property owners within 400 feet, estimating the required notices would total a little over 4,200 letters. Staff also proposed including a QR code and link on legal notices to direct residents to an interactive map showing proposed changes.

Council members generally supported a district-by-district approach but raised concerns about whether mailed notices would attract attention. Councilmember Collins said residents might not view a broad mailing as an "imminent" change and asked whether landowners had been contacted; Sager replied staff had not reached out directly to the landowners recommended for rezoning and that there was low engagement in the town hall and survey to date.

Several council members urged using neighborhood associations, targeted town halls for affected districts, and digital outreach to make proposed changes easier to understand. Sager and council agreed to provide district-level maps and to work closely with council members to tailor communication for each area.

Staff said a sample timeline could begin in January, processing rezoning district by district once per month, and asked for council direction on whether to proceed. Council indicated support for moving forward while being careful about communication strategies and community engagement.

Next steps: staff will provide district maps and a proposed schedule for formal zone cases and will follow the legal notice process if council directs staff to proceed to Planning & Zoning and council hearings.