BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES CODE AMENDMENT PROPOSALS FOR MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENT, BUFFERYARDS

  

Brenham City Councilmembers received information and shared input last week during a work session on potential city code amendments for multifamily developments and bufferyard standards.

Two proposed amendments are being considered, one of which would clarify minimum lot area requirements for multifamily developments in the R-2 Mixed Residential District and Downtown Business/Residential Overlay District.  The other amendment, which drew the most discussion, would establish new bufferyard requirements to include how they are calculated, the amount of bufferyard required, the amount of landscaped area within the bufferyard, and new use categories.

While the first amendment is meant to simply provide more clarity on multifamily development, City Planner Shauna Laauwe told the council that the second amendment pertaining to bufferyards is designed to get out ahead of development where there are dissimilarities with nearby uses, like multifamily next to single-family residential.

For the minimum lot area requirements in R-2 zoning, staff is looking to add wording indicating the minimum site area for multifamily development must be 6,000 square feet or 2,000 square feet of lot area per multifamily dwelling unit, whichever is greater.  In the Downtown Business/Residential Overlay District, the minimum site area for duplexes would be at least 5,000 square feet and the minimum for multifamily development must be at least 6,000 square feet or 1,000 square feet of lot area per multifamily dwelling unit, whichever is larger.

The proposed changes to bufferyard standards would add use categories and associated requirements for townhome developments, both for townhomes that are two stories or less and ones that are greater than two stories; nonresidential uses like offices, on small lots less than 5 acres and large lots greater than 5 acres; and automobile-related services, like car washes, convenience stores with fuel sales, drive-thru food establishments and auto-lube facilities.  An additional amendment would call for a minimum landscaped bufferyard of 15 feet between dissimilar uses, except for industrials uses next to residential, where 20 percent of the bufferyard would need to be landscaped.

Councilmember Steve Soman was in favor of the ordinance overall, but suggested incorporating different types of non-vegetative screening in order to reduce water consumption.  He also was in favor of implementing stricter buffer requirements based on tiered impact – meaning a development like a gas station next to a house should have more bufferyard or additional screening, versus the impact of a house next to another house. 

Mayor Pro Tem Clint Kolby said bufferyard width is something very important for developers, as it makes it more financially unfeasible to do a project when usable square footage is taken away.  He said the goal should be to promote infill development within the community, and increasing the bufferyard width could have unintended consequences 

Laauwe said she hopes to bring an ordinance to the council for consideration within a month or two, with a goal of finding a happy medium that incorporates feedback from landscapers and developers.  Mayor Atwood Kenjura said the ordinance has an impact in many areas and encouraged her and staff to not rush anything. 

In other business, the council:

• Approved an amendment to the city’s professional service agreement with Talex Inc. for engineering and design services related to the replacement of a 30-ton HVAC unit at city hall, above Development Services.  The amendment authorizes the invoice to Talex in the amount of $54,552 for its services.  The council then approved an award for a Request for Proposals to Har-Con Mechanical to furnish all supervision, labor, materials and equipment to replace the rooftop unit, in the amount of $415,800.
• Approved a resolution in connection with a grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration related to various taxiways, roadways and stormwater projects at the Brenham Municipal Airport.  The city is looking to use funding from the Airport Infrastructure Grants program to extend Aviation Way and complete general civil site preparations to allow for future hangar construction.  The project is not expected to exceed $306,600.  The city will front the costs and receive reimbursement from the Texas Department of Transportation.
• Awarded a Request for Qualifications to Strand Associates for engineering, design services and construction administration to extend Aviation Way at the Brenham Municipal Airport in an amount not to exceed $292,000.
• Approved the purchase of handheld and office-mounted radios for the Electric, Water, Wastewater and Gas Departments in the amount of $79,871.
• Approved an amendment to the city’s 2025-26 Fiscal Year budget.
• Passed a resolution for the adoption of administrative policies to meet the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Compliance and Reporting Guidance.  The policies are needed in regards to the city’s acceptance of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funds.
• Received updates from the city’s Tourism and Communications/Public Relations Departments.

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