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Staff proposes parks-overlay zoning to formalize protections and public hearings for park changes
Summary
Development staff proposed creating a parks overlay zoning district to put parks on the official zoning map, require state-mandated public hearings for major park changes, and allow expedited administrative approvals for maintenance and safety repairs; council supported protections but raised concerns about added process and staff workload.
Staff presented a proposed Parks Overlay Zoning District intended to give Addison's public parks a formal zoning designation and create a clear path for minor maintenance approvals and major park changes that require public hearings.
Leslie Knight, director of Development & Neighborhood Services, said the overlay would add a layer of rules on top of existing zoning, require Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council review for major modifications and allow staff to approve time-sensitive safety and maintenance work administratively under defined criteria. "The goals were to clearly identify our public parks on our online zoning map, and establish public hearings for significant changes to our public parks," Leslie said.
The staff framework distinguishes between minor modifications (examples: resurfacing fountains, replacing benches, maintenance funded through approved budgets, and safety repairs) and major modifications (examples: new park elements not listed in the PROS plan, CIP or bond-funded projects, or projects that exceed minor criteria). Staff emphasized that minor repairs tied to safety would not be delayed by the public hearing timeline.
Council members largely supported the goal of protecting parkland from incompatible rezoning, but some expressed concern that adding a zoning overlay could add staff time, professional-service costs and additional months on the schedule for large projects. Legal counsel and staff referenced Chapter 253 of the Texas statutes and the town charter in explaining that, once parkland is dedicated and used for park purposes, citizens generally must vote on converting it to non-park uses.
Staff said they would refine the draft to reduce unnecessary process where possible, return with final UDC language later this year and identify properties to include in the overlay district.
