In a nutshell
Council members agreed the maximum height restriction for residential buildings in the TRG and San José neighborhoods should be 25 feet and 20 feet, respectively. Current zoning states that residential buildings in the two communities should not exceed 35 feet, according to city documents.
“We are changing that through this process,” Mayor Josh Schroeder said.
The new height restrictions will be upheld in the city’s unified development code, which officials are actively updating, Georgetown Planning Director Sofia Nelson said.
Additionally, the TRG neighborhood plan calls for nonresidential properties to have a maximum height of 35 feet and mixed-use and multifamily developments not to exceed 40 feet, Nelson said. The San José neighborhood plan does not have commercial or mixed-use height recommendations, according to city documents.
Depending on the roof and mechanical layout of a home, a 25-foot height restriction would not prevent a house from being two stories, Georgetown Chief Building Official Glen Holcomb said.
How we got here
City Council originally approved steering committees and small-area plans for the TRG and San José neighborhoods in March 2022 and April 2021, respectively.
The plans were organized in an effort to help the multigenerational and historical neighborhoods voice representation in the city’s 2030 plan, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
“The highest level of visioning is the 2030 plan,” Nelson said, “As we start getting more focused on neighborhoods, such as the San José and the TRG neighborhoods, we are able to look at a smaller area and get more fine tune visioning ... on what they would like their neighborhood to be.”
Public input
Several neighborhood residents spoke during the meeting’s public comment period. Some expressed disappointment over the possibility of increasing the neighborhood’s height restriction.
Christina Calixtro, president of the San José Neighborhood Association, said she represents over 70 multigenerational working class homeowners invested in preserving the community’s integrity.
“Increasing the building height would disrupt the established landscape, contribute to overcrowding and [the] potential displacement of long-term homeowners,” Calixtro said.
The takeaway
Council members expressed support for the 25-foot and 20-foot residential height restrictions. District 1 council member Amanda Parr represents the area the neighborhoods fall within.
“These are unique neighborhoods, and they have a sense of what would fit best within their neighborhoods,” Parr said. “I have heard you loud and clear.”
