What happened?
If approved, the land would have been rezoned from residential single family to a planned unit development with about 4.3 acres of low-density multifamily and 1.7 acres of local commercial zoning districts.
Rachel Lowder, representing the applicant, said the development, called The Garden District in the Park, would include up to 60 dwelling units, including detached condos around 1,350 square feet priced lower to help first-time homebuyers get started.
Property owner Larry Parker said he’s been approached by city staff about buying the property. He said he is under the impression officials are trying to use eminent domain to buy the property at half its price and incorporate it into the nearby San Gabriel Park.
Parker said the city was no longer interested in purchasing the land after hearing his price.
“There is a group of people that want this to be part of the park,” Parker said. “I'm still willing to sell it to be part of the park—for what it's worth.”
Breaking it down
Lowder’s presentation stated property representatives began meeting with city staff in September 2021 and resubmitted their application a total of seven different times, the latest of which was in March.
According to city documents, the current application does not comply with nine out of 11 UDC requirements, but it received approval May 20 from the Planning and Zoning Commission in a split 4-3 vote.
“How are we still sitting at an application after all of these iterations, that really two of the criteria in our UDC comply?” District 1 council member Amanda Parr asked.
Lowder said it’s not compliant with several criteria because the application does not state it will dedicate right of way to the city on FM 971, a road which will eventually become a six-lane major arterial from SH 130 to Gann Street, according to Georgetown's future mobility plan.
At the May 20 Planning and Zoning meeting, Georgetown Senior Planner Ryan Clark said when a development has a future mobility plan roadway adjacent to the site or running through it, the city’s UDC requires ROW dedication, or transferring a portion of private land for public use.
Lowder said they plan to reserve—or not build on but maintain ownership of—the portion of land officials plan on expanding FM 971 to. On May 20, Clark said this means the city will need to purchase the ROW at a later date.
The discussion
City staff received zero comments in favor of the rezoning and 186 letters in opposition as of the time the June 10 meeting agenda was posted. During the meeting, Georgetown residents cited traffic, safety and the obstructed view of San Gabriel Park as concerns for the possible development.
Shelley Bland, North Old Town Neighborhood Association secretary, said the neighborhood believes service-oriented businesses would be a more appropriate use of the space since the area has “slated enough multifamily.”
Georgetown resident Alan Neumann said the cemetery situated within the proposed development needs recognition and protection, and asked council members to preserve the “history in this park.”
“This is not a park,” Parker said. “It's not part of the park. If the city wants it to be part of the park, then the city needs to acquire it as part of the park and not keep using zoning sources to keep this property from being developed.”
Realtor Robert Fischer said he’s worked with the applicant before, and said the single family detached condos proposed in the development plan are “amazing” and fit the needs of people seeking smaller, more cost-effective homes.
“I think a lot of people fear multifamily in certain ways, for whatever reason,” Fischer said. “You're bringing [in] people that are either first-time homebuyers ... retired, or they're your workforce. They need a place that they're proud of.”
The bottom line
Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Pitts said while he likes the proposed housing type in the property, there is no guarantee the developer will build commercial properties based on the site’s road access plans, which is something other applicants have misled council members on before.
“In my 10-11 years of looking at these applications where we're promised commercial with some multifamily, we get the multifamily [and] we never get the commercial,” Pitts said. “I don't believe that they really intend to build the commercial.”
Additionally, Pitts said he would prefer if the applicant’s plans incorporated more commercial development.
“There's a lot out of whack on this application from what we typically see on these PUDs, and I can't support it for that,” Pitts said. “Hopefully, the applicant decides to try to come up with a different draft based on the feedback.”
