Bellaire City Council approved the amended 2023-24 Comprehensive Plan on April 1 after the plan was submitted to the city by Director of Development Travis Tanner.
The overview
Since an updated draft of the plan became available in January 2023, the city has hosted several workshops, community engagement sessions, public hearings and updates to bring the community a plan that will serve as a guideline for future development and redevelopment in the city for several years.
Recommended changes were made to the comprehensive plan before the approval of the final draft.
The specifics
The Bellaire Planning and Zoning Commission recommended six changes to the plan after a March 7 meeting and subsequent public hearing.
- Add a new Future Land Use and Character map designation and a corresponding map category description for the single property in the city zoned residential-multifamily to not recommend a city-initiated rezoning of the Pont Alba Apartments property.
- Broaden the description for the standards of the Urban-Village Downtown district regarding front yard areas.
- Consider adding an item to revisit the zoning of properties along Camellia Lane and across Mulberry Lane.
- Include additional references besides the city of Houston’s Planning and Development Department for feedback, and broaden language of Action 19 to “potential formation of a special assessment district” versus “business or public improvement district.”
- Remove the timeframes from the Action Agenda table and frame selected action items as most important to pursue after plan adoption.
Council accepted all of the commission-recommended changes and combined two items for a total of five amendments.
More details
City Council members also compiled a list of 21 recommended changes based on public comments during the March 18 council public hearing as well as council questions, comments and discussion that followed.
Some of those items included:
- Addressing Bellaire’s zoning to promote upgrades to existing small-lot housing without excessive procedure
- Adding a planned development option for townhomes in the suburban residential, general residential, and/or small-lot residential future land use categories
- Removing all references to “multiunit attached residential” so apartments are not allowed in any location in Bellaire
Council approved 19 of the 21 suggested items, including those noted above.
To see a complete list of all suggested changes, visit the April 1 agenda packet. Listed changes start on Page 173.
