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Council approves first reading for 122‑acre 'Orchard' mixed‑use PD after public hearing
Summary
Pearland City Council gave first reading to a rezoning that would allow a 122‑acre mixed‑use development called the Orchard at Lower Kirby, advancing the project after a detailed developer presentation and lengthy council Q&A about flood mitigation, a proposed hotel and public‑safety plans.
Pearland City Council on March 16 approved first reading of an ordinance to rezone roughly 122.07 acres for a mixed‑use project named the Orchard at Lower Kirby, advancing a plan the developer says will create a walkable town center with retail, waterfront dining, housing and a potential hotel and conference center.
The proposal, filed by Plan Community Developers on behalf of Pearland Lifestyle Center LP, would replace the previous promenade shops plan development with a new PD that divides the site into multiple districts — waterfront walkable mixed‑use, conventional mixed‑use fronting State Highway 288, and a flex district that can include high‑density single‑family and multifamily housing. Staff summarized the PD’s chapters on administration, zoning standards, design, streets and signage and recommended approval; the Planning & Zoning Commission voted 7–0 to recommend the change.
Developer Don Jansen told council the team intends the Orchard to be ‘‘a pedestrian‑oriented urban center where residents and guests can live, work, play, stay and shop,’’ emphasizing adaptability to shifting market demand and coordinated community engagement. Architect and planner Blake Coleman outlined a design focused on a waterfront boardwalk, plaza spaces, and a central hotel/conference site that would act as a regional draw.
Council members focused their questions on stormwater and floodplain mitigation, the feasibility and financing model for the hotel and conference component, public‑safety plans for increased density, traffic and phasing of residential versus commercial components. In response, the development team said they will raise areas with off‑site detention and that they are negotiating with a performance‑based partner for a hotel that would be reimbursed as it performs rather than being an immediate general‑fund obligation.
Wendy Buckley, managing partner for the master developer, described governance tools the team plans to use if approved: restrictive covenants, design standards and separate residential and commercial POAs to manage common areas, events programming and security. The developer also agreed in the presentation materials to cap multifamily across the entire project at 1,100 units; staff reiterated the PD includes minimum commercial requirements tied to early phases so residential development cannot proceed without a base amount of commercial square footage.
Mayor Pro Tem and several council members said they supported the project’s overall vision but asked that future requests for city financial participation be explicit and that any public funding requests not expose the general fund without full council review. After the presentation and questions, council voted 7–0 on first reading of ordinance 200M‑281; subsequent public hearings and final readings will be required before the PD becomes effective.
The next procedural step is a subsequent reading and ordinance adoption at a future council meeting, at which time any conditions or deviations requested by the developer would be resolved and recorded in the final ordinance.
