P AND Z COMMISSION APPROVES NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS DISTRICT

  

Questions about parking dominated the public hearing before Brenham’s Planning and Zoning Commission Monday.  The Commission is considering changing the zoning of an area just south of the downtown area to become a new Neighborhood Business District.  The area has seen some interest the last few years from developers looking to buy the existing old building and repurpose them into different business.  Erik Smith, Development Services Director the city explained that changing the zoning would encourage development of the district by reducing the number of variances owner would have to get to change the use of their property.  Many of the lots are so small that they cannot accommodate both the proposed business and the required parking spaces.  The new zoning district would give the owners the option of paying into a city fund the amount they would have used to build parking and the city would then use that fund to build satellite public parking lots.  Erik Smith explains:

Several questions were also raised during the public hearing about existing business inside the district that would become a non-conforming use if the area was rezoned.  Smith explained that they would be grandfathered in and they could even sell their business to a new owner and it could continue to be grandfathered.  The grandfathering would only end if the property laid dormant for more than a year.  Gary Crocker of the Bank of Brenham, who’s annex is inside the proposed district, pointed out that the new zoning would make it difficult for them to expand because banks are excluded in the proposed zoning.  The Planning and Zoning Board decided to amend the zoning to allow banks and approved the Neighborhood Business District.  The proposal will next go before the Brenham City Council at their Thursday, June 1st meeting.  Another Public Hearing of the ordinance will be held during that meeting.