NO VOTE BY BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL ON RESIDENTIAL ZONING CHANGES, BUT SEVERAL COMMENTS

  

No action was taken by the Brenham City Council today (Thursday) regarding changes to R-1 single-family residential zoning, but several members of the public came forward to voice disapproval of those changes.

Councilmembers opted to table an item that would allow duplexes and twin homes on lots of at least 7,500 square feet in areas that are zoned R-1, but only if they receive specific use permits from the council and Planning and Zoning Commission.  The decision to table was so the matter could be reviewed further.

Five people spoke on the item, and all were against approving it.  The residents who spoke cited concerns about the impact to property values and how bringing in multi-family residential could break up standard neighborhoods.  Some also said they would feel insulted if they bought or built a house in a single-family area and abided by the rules of doing so, only for the city to change those rules later.

Mayor Atwood Kenjura said he is worried that the city would be creating density issues by passing the changes, noting that the community survey results for the development around the Brenham Family Park indicated that kind of density was what people wanted to avoid. 

Councilmember Shannan Canales said she does not feel this solution is the way to go about resolving Brenham’s housing problem, because she expects it will turn into a situation similar to previous issues concerning affordable housing, where people say, “We need it, but not in my neighborhood.” 

City Manager Carolyn Miller said at a recent Texas Municipal League conference, communities were encouraged to be mindful of how these changes can affect infrastructure and to put the planning together with the operations.  As an example, she said the City of Bastrop did away with any minimum lot size for development two years ago, but is now struggling to support new developments with the necessary water/wastewater infrastructure.  She said it is important to not “create a problem when you’re solving a problem.”

The item was split into one of two ordinances to be considered, following initial approval during the council’s meeting on September 21^st.  Since the R-1 provisions were separated from other ones pertaining to R-2 mixed residential zoning, the noise ordinance and variance conditions, the R-1 ordinance was re-presented for consideration before the council’s decision to ultimately table the matter.

The other half of the ordinance changes were approved on their second reading.  They adjust R-2 mixed residential zoning to allow accessory dwelling units and twin homes as permitted uses, rather than specific uses, and include parameters for twin home and townhome developments; delete information on noise regulations that duplicates or contradicts the city’s noise nuisance ordinance; and remove provisions that allowed conditions to be placed upon variance requests.

Also at today’s meeting, the council:

• Accepted a proposal for restroom and locker room improvements at the Blue Bell Aquatic Center.  The proposal is from Collier Construction totaling $387,000.
• Approved the purchase of a freightliner dump truck for the city’s wastewater construction department through The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS).  The purchase price is $109,641.
• Approved a financing proposal from Bank of Brenham for the purchase of a freightliner dump truck for the city’s wastewater construction department.  The proposal is in the amount of $109,641 with a five-year note and an interest rate of 6.875 percent.
• Approved a temporary resale amendment to the system water availability agreement between the city and the Brazos River Authority.
• Approved a water supply resale agreement between the city and Dow Chemical Company related to the temporary resale of water.  The company is requesting the purchase of 774 acre-feet of the city’s excess water.  Due to the continued drought conditions, the city is willing to sell 387 acre-feet of the requested amount.  The company will pay $36,184 for the specified amount of water. 
• Passed an ordinance on its first reading amending the city’s 2023-24 adopted budget.  The city is considering using $488,259 in budget savings from the 2022-23 budget to address critical capital and maintenance needs.
• Approved an interlocal agreement relating to the operation and maintenance of the Brazos Valley Wide Area Communications System (BVWACS).
• Approved the third renewal of the interlocal agreement for the construction, acquisition, implementation, operation and maintenance of BVWACS.
• Held executive session discussion regarding Aviators Plus, LLC v. City of Brenham, Cause No. 37896, 21^st Judicial District Court, Washington County; and Victor Martinez v. Arch-Con Corporation and City of Brenham, 335^th Judicial District Court, Washington County.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Thursday's meeting.