Planning staff outlines sweeping 'recode' rewrite; commission requests special briefings and more time

Planning staff presented a status update on a multi‑year effort to rewrite the City of Laredo’s land‑development code, a package the staff and consultant describe as a comprehensive “recode.” Staff said recent town‑hall recordings, the current draft and a comment spreadsheet are posted on the department website and that the project team has been incorporating stakeholder feedback.

Staff described the draft as substantial and explained that the project history includes multiple versions and pauses during development. At the meeting staff said the current draft runs roughly 600 pages and that the team has been capturing stakeholder comments on an itemized spreadsheet that shows how feedback has been addressed.

Commissioners unanimously asked for more detailed briefings — specifically a special, staff‑led (and consultant‑assisted) presentation that would walk the commission through substantive, line‑by‑line changes in key areas such as zoning use tables, parking formulas and new mixed‑use categories. A commissioner suggested a subcommittee or special session because recent commission membership has changed since the earliest draft and the document’s scale warrants a deliberate review.

Staff responded that the next steps include finalizing noticing language with the city attorney, preparing public hearings with the planning and zoning commission and then forwarding a recommendation to the city council. Staff said the department will reach out to schedule a special session and encouraged commissioners and stakeholders to review the posted materials in advance.

What to watch: the commission is likely to request targeted briefings on how the recode would affect specific use categories (for example, alcohol overlays, tire shops, and heavy vehicle uses) and on how the new code would interact with recorded covenants or other regulatory tools to manage potential incompatible uses.