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Ennis commission approves planned-development rezoning for 16-acre site after debate over lot-size and parking variances
Summary
The Ennis City Commission voted June 4 to rezone roughly 15.978 acres near Golden Spike Drive and Baker Drive to Planned Development (PD 24.0416), allowing about 103 townhomes and a five-building assisted-living component; commissioners raised concerns about reduced lot sizes and on-street parking before approving the measure with one dissent.
The Ennis City Commission on June 4 approved an application to rezone a 15.978-acre tract near Golden Spike Drive and Baker Drive from R10 single-family to Planned Development (PD 24.0416), clearing the way for about 103 townhomes and a five-building assisted-living facility.
Mark Richardson, the city’s chief building official and director of planning and development, told the commission that staff sent 29 notices to property owners under state law and received four letters of support and seven protests, representing 7.99 percent of the affected area — below the threshold that would require a supermajority vote. The staff recommendation and a 3–2 favorable recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission formed the basis of the application.
Reagan Martznick, the developer, described the proposal as a mixed community intended to be walkable and to add housing variety. “This is a development we’ve been working on with the city for three or four years now,” Martznick said, noting a plan that pairs rear-loaded townhomes, central green space and an assisted-living pocket adjacent to a creek.
The developer requested several departures from the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO): a reduction in minimum lot size for some townhome lots to 2,000 square feet (the UDO minimum is 2,500), an increase in allowable lot coverage to 80 percent (up from the UDO’s 70 percent), and a parking plan the developer said balances garage, driveway and on-street capacity. The assisted-living component was described in staff slides as five buildings with a proposed 40 parking spaces; staff said that exceeds the state requirement of one parking space per four residents but falls short of the UDO parking formula.
Several commissioners questioned whether the requested variances were appropriate and whether approving them would set a precedent. The city attorney and staff said a planned-development district is designed to bundle mixed standards and that the commission retains discretion to approve tailored rules for a PD. One commissioner argued that the commission should not routinely relax UDO minima; that member ultimately recorded the lone dissenting vote.
The commission voted by voice; the mayor announced the motion carried with one dissenting vote from Commissioner Jones.
What’s next: The rezoning approval is a land-use decision; site development, building permits and any further variances will follow through the city’s permitting process. The commission asked staff and the developer to continue coordination on parking details and HOA governance that will appear in project documents.
