BRENHAM PLANNING AND ZONING TO CONSIDER AMENDMENT RESTRICTING METAL HOUSING
Brenham’s Planning and Zoning Commission could possibly act on an ordinance amendment to put restrictions on metal housing at its meeting Monday.
Recently, residential buildings completely made of metal were built on properties along Old Mill Creek Road, east of Highway 290 West. The city says that “preserving character and ensuring land use compatibility” are objectives of the zoning ordinance and Comprehensive Plan.
Staff finds that houses made completely of metal are not compatible within or next to neighborhoods with houses of brick, stone, or other nonmetallic exteriors.
Therefore, the city is recommending an amendment of zoning ordinance, setting a requirement that residences in select districts be built with a limited metal exterior. The districts with restrictions would be the R-1 (Residential Single Family), R-2 (Mixed Residential), and B-1 (Local Business/Residential Mixed Use) districts. However, homes in the R-3 district (Manufactured Home Residential) may be built with a full metal exterior.
The proposed amendment would dictate that a home in any of the restricted districts keep a minimum 75 percent non-metal exterior on wall surfaces facing the right-of-way, and 50 percent on walls not facing the right-of-way. In this case, non-metal is described as brick, stone, stucco, wood, vinyl, or fiber-cement siding.
In addition, the amendment states that accessory buildings over 160 square feet in area – on property less than an acre in size – needs to be built with at least 50 percent non-metal exterior on each wall, not including windows and doors.
Commissioners will also consider a request by John Hermann and Gregg Appel to rezone about 2.54 acres of land at 2412 South Market Street. The property owners are wanting consistent zoning on the tract of land, for future development.
Currently, the land is zoned for both mixed residential and commercial research and technology use. Staff recommend approval of the land being zoned for just commercial research and technology use.
The Commission will meet Monday afternoon at 5:15 p.m., at City Hall.
Brenham – seems like the city is starting to create an HOA is what out sounds like to me. What a shame let people build and live in what they can afford.
Heads up, folks, they are rental properties that are the issue. They are not homeowners. The huge increase of controlled subdivisions everywhere in decades past flourish because they offer what the majority of homeowners want, protection for their investment. All homeowners want these same protections but can’t afford to live in $250,000 plus homes. So we must rely on the city government WE pay taxes to for protection. Most of the negative comments about our cities attempts to provide protections come from folks who live in the country. And they don’t pay city taxes, and a great deal of them get Ag exemption tax reductions for leasing out for hay production. So, until you live in the city, you feelings about this issue are of little consequence.
it’s all about the money. the city wants your money. they want it to be expensive to live in the city. they don’t want poor people trying to live in economical housing they can afford.
This is an over step by planning and zoning. The exterior limitations by the zoning committee should be limited to the safety of the home. These homes are structurally safer that a frame home. Exterior design limitations should be handled in developments and neighborhoods thru deed restrictions so that you know the requirements when the property is purchased. Next thing you know they will be restricting the color you can choose to paint your house. What if I want to paint my house purple and put faces in the front yard? That would be my right as the homeowner.
That’s the exact reason I don’t live in city limits! I won’t be told what I can build or not, on MY PROPERTY! The further I live away the better from these individuals on a power trip.
Planner is a dictator who wants to control what your home looks like. But then pushes through a new ordinance that allows apartments in family neighborhoods at city council meeting last week. This is obviously a broken system of government.
Politicians approve rules and regulations without readiding what is appooved. I’m glad the local government manager and his groupies do not control the U.S. Constitution. At the rate Brenham government demolishes citizens rights we are being destroyed with bigger government, ridiculous regulations, and higher property taxes to fund this garbage.
Seriously?? I see nothing wrong with these buildings; nothing that a little landscaping couldn’t fix!
It’s a shame how they are dictating to people what they can build and what they can’t.
If the home is kept well landscaped and no thrashy there is nothing wrong with it in my opinion. Drive around in the city Limits and see what they are allowing people to keep.
If they don’t know where to look I will be willing to tell them.
Sounds like the horse is already out of the barn. (Wait till Alecandria,s housing for all goes into effect
What if my siding is metal that looks like brick, stone, or wood?
Why would any intelligent tax payer in Washington County allow a very small minority of people to take away their housing choices?
The more that the city dictates what and how you can build, the more it will cost everyone.
How about changing or updating some of the existing laws to help with the beautification of the neighborhoods to make ALL of Brenham more appealing to the eye.
Offer incentives to property owners to update or upgrade, rather then restrict what they can do.
There are many different ways to incentivise citizens to make their properties and homesteads look more appealing, without punishing them with new laws and ressrtictions.
Positive reinforcement, not negative.
I completely agree with you. Please ENFORCE the laws on the books. It makes no sense to me to create new laws when you don’t enforce the ones already in place. I know of homes in prominent places that are in severe need of upkeep. Please, from a taxpaying citizen, enforce the laws we already have before passing new ones. If you cannot enforce the ones already in place, how can you enforce new ones. God bless America.
So what about folks with older aluminum siding not modern Galvalume?