Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Burleson staff seeks to align comprehensive plan with I‑35 zoning to allow apartments; council raises traffic and school concerns
Loading...
Summary
Staff proposed updates to Burleson’s comprehensive plan to reflect existing I‑35 overlay zoning that allows apartments by right, while councilors expressed concerns about traffic, school capacity and infrastructure and asked for targeted siting and stakeholder outreach.
Planning staff told council the comprehensive plan needs wording that reflects what current zoning already allows along the I‑35 overlay and Chisholm Trail corridor—and that updating plan language will guide where the city wants multi‑family development.
"In this, our zoning code in our I 35 overlay today, right now, if you came in to do ... an apartment complex, it's allowed to use by right," Planning staff said as part of the midpoint update discussion. Staff recommended highlighting parcels with adequate infrastructure and connectivity as suitable locations for apartment development and adding corresponding zoning districts to align plan guidance with current practice.
Councilors pushed back on traffic and service‑capacity questions. "It's just bumper to bumper traffic," one councilor warned about peak travel on I‑35 and nearby arterials, asking whether the city should plan for schools and road expansions alongside any density increases. Staff and counsel noted that while the city shares development information with school districts and TxDOT, school siting authority rests with the independent school district and road capacity with TxDOT.
The meeting also considered converting overlays into zoning districts and simplifying Planned Development (PD) rules so PDs are used only for genuinely unique proposals. Staff said the code modernization would include graphics, tables and supplemental regulations (landscaping, signs, screening) and that refined drafts are expected in June–July, with a public hearing already scheduled on some items.
Councilors and staff agreed to continue stakeholder outreach with developers and agencies before formal adoption; no final vote was taken at this meeting.
