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Laredo Planning and Zoning Commission recesses hearing on ordinance to define 'block length' and 'block width'
Summary
The commission recessed a public hearing to April 16 on a proposed amendment to the City of Laredo subdivision ordinance that would add measurement definitions for block length, block width and dead-end (cul-de-sac) blocks to resolve inconsistent interpretations across departments.
The Laredo Planning and Zoning Commission on April 2 recessed a public hearing and agreed to continue consideration of an amendment to the City of Laredo subdivision ordinance that would add formal definitions for “block length” and “block width.” Staff said the change is intended to resolve inconsistent measurement practices among departments and engineering consultants.
A staff presenter said the proposed language adds explicit measures: “Block length shall be measured from property corner to property corner along the block face having the greatest dimension or along the block face which the greatest number of lots face, whichever is greater,” and that width would be measured from property corner to property corner along the face with the least dimension or fewest lots. The presenter also described how dead-end streets and cul-de-sacs should be measured—from the point where the nearest intersecting street centerlines converge along the center line of the dead-end street to the center point of the cul-de-sac.
The change responds to examples in which departments had measured block dimensions from centerline to centerline of streets, producing inconsistent results and the frequent observation that many blocks would never meet an existing 300-foot minimum when that rule was applied to both length and width. A commissioner noted that the new wording would treat as the block’s length the face that contains more lots and the width as the shorter face.
Staff said the subdivision ordinance requires the commission to recess tonight’s public hearing and continue the hearing to the next scheduled meeting before forwarding a recommendation to city council. The commission unanimously moved, seconded and carried a motion to recess the public hearing and continue it to April 16.
No members of the public spoke in favor or opposition during the hearing. Staff said the item will return to the commission on April 16, when commissioners may vote on a formal recommendation to city council.
