Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Weslaco commission follows planning board, denies PUD rezoning for 1609 Southwest Gate after residents cite traffic and school overcrowding
Summary
Residents told the commission a proposed 94‑unit planned unit development at 1609 Southwest Gate Drive would worsen traffic, stretch water and school capacity; commissioners followed the Planning & Zoning recommendation and denied the rezoning request.
The Weslaco City Commission voted Nov. 18 to deny a rezoning request that would have changed 11.572 acres at 1609 Southwest Gate Drive from single‑family zoning to a planned unit development to allow a 94‑unit neighborhood.
Residents who live adjacent to the site urged denial during the public hearing, telling the commission the neighborhood already faces congestion and stressed school and emergency‑service limits. “Anyone that travels down Westgate during the morning or evening hours finds themselves waiting in line stretching well over a half mile long,” said Ramon Resendiz, who identified himself as a nearby resident. He warned that adding the project’s units “will worsen the situation for the only two elementary schools that service the area.”
Other speakers echoed those concerns. Barbara Hill said turn lanes and a proposed signal would not resolve bottlenecks and raised complaints about existing low water pressure in the neighborhood. “A phase unit development of tiny homes crammed together is not our idea,” she said, urging the commission to preserve the area’s single‑family character. Nurse and parent Maries Camilla described overcrowded school events and called the addition of dozens of housing units a safety and congestion liability.
Developer representatives asked for an opportunity to provide an infrastructure presentation during the consideration phase; planning staff noted the Planning & Zoning Commission’s split vote and its eventual recommendation of denial. City commissioners debated drainage, water‑treatment capacity and how to balance growth with infrastructure upgrades, with several saying development will occur but should wait until systems are prepared.
After discussion, a motion to follow the Planning & Zoning denial passed by voice vote.
What happens next: the first reading of the associated ordinance had been scheduled as part of the public hearing process; with the commission following P&Z’s denial, the rezoning will not move forward as presented. Staff and proponents indicated additional engineering and public‑outreach work would be necessary before a revised proposal could return to the commission.
