Jersey Village City Council adopted several changes to its existing zoning ordinance Dec. 16 following a presentation from consulting firm Kendig Keast Collaborative.

The city brought in KKC to help adjust ordinances in preparation for residential tear-down and rebuilding projects that could be keyed in on in a comprehensive plan update. The concept of residential tear-downs involves encouraging property owners to tear down old residential infrastructure and rebuild new developments in its place.

"We had a few objectives for this, including keeping it simple and not discouraging reinvestment in your existing single-family neighborhoods," said KKC's vice president Gary Mitchell. "It is good to allow homes to expand. However, as homes get older, if someone decides to tear down and rebuild, that is generally good for the neighborhood."

KKC looked at current ordinances, took input from the community and area builders and looked at what happened in other cities, Mitchell said. He went through several workshops with the city's planning and zoning committee as well as City Council before the hearing and final consideration stage.

The updates passed Dec. 16 applied to Jersey Village's District A—a largely single-family residential area between Jones Road and Beltway 8. The updates applied to lot sizes, garage heights and setbacks and driveway widths, among other areas.

The changes do not just apply to tear-downs, but to new buildings built in existing vacant lots or for buildings lost to fire damage or similar situations, Mitchell said.

Other aspects of the comprehensive plan—including how to prepare for Hwy. 290 construction and how to attract more businesses to the area—are still being discussed, city officials said. Having been operating according to the comprehensive plan passed in 1989, City Manager Mike Castro said city staff will benefit from having something fresh to work with, which will benefit the city itself.

"If we have an overall goal in mind, we can coordinate all the activities of the many different stakeholders that are going to be involved in that development," he said. "I think getting everyone on the same page will benefit Jersey Village greatly."

The updated ordinances deal with new construction from residential tear-down and rebuilding projects as well as add-on construction to existing residences.