Council approves Castle Rock PDD amendment to allow townhomes after safety concerns raised by residents

The College Station City Council voted Dec. 11 to approve an amendment to the Planned Development District concept plan for about 2.6 acres at the terminus of Castle Rock Parkway that will allow townhomes, reduce certain setbacks and add landscaping as a community benefit.

Garrett Seagraves, Planning and Development Services, told the council the applicant seeks two modifications: townhomes would not be required to face a public street, and setbacks would be reduced — rear setbacks from 20 feet to 8 feet and front setbacks from 25 feet to 20 feet. Staff recommended approval and noted the Planning and Zoning Commission had unanimously recommended the amendment on Nov. 20.

During public comment, neighbors raised concerns about flooding, lack of sidewalks and traffic safety. Marvin DuBois, a Castle Rock resident, said runoff and insufficient pedestrian connections worry nearby families and asked the city to build a sidewalk from Tammy Lynn to Victoria to improve walking access. “There’s no way today for anybody in Castle Rock to leave the addition walking or biking because there’s no sidewalk,” DuBois said.

Mary Catherine Holt, also a Castle Rock resident, urged the council to seek traffic-mitigation measures rather than accept additional trees as the sole community benefit. “It’s time to stop relying on hopes that drivers will use the secondary access road and instead respond to the actual predictable behavior of real drivers,” Holt said, urging speed-control measures and a future agenda item to revisit the thoroughfare plan.

Jason Schubert, Transportation Planning Administrator for Planning and Development Services, described Castle Rock Parkway as a minor collector — a two-lane roadway — and said recent construction included sidewalks on newly developed sections. Schubert noted the city maintains a traffic-calming program administered by public works and that residents may apply for neighborhood mitigation measures.

Devin Doyin of Schultz Engineering said drainage and runoff will be planned to meet the city’s drainage criteria during subsequent plat and site‑plan review. He told the council that site-level stormwater controls and city standards will govern drainage design as the project advances.

A council motion to approve the concept-plan amendment passed; the council recorded the vote as in favor, with one member absent or recused. Council members asked staff to monitor traffic- mitigation needs and reminded residents the PDD still must meet standard platting and site-design requirements before construction.

What happens next: With the concept-plan amendment approved, the applicant will proceed to plat and site-plan submittals, which must comply with the city’s drainage requirements and other development standards. Council members said they expect to review and consider traffic-mitigation requests through the public-works traffic‑calming program.