The approach
During a Jan. 29 workshop meeting with KKC and Montgomery city officials, updates on progress and downtown interim ordinances were discussed.
Changes to downtown-related interim ordinances focus mainly on appearance, with an emphasis on parking and infrastructure, according to the Jan. 29 meeting presentation.
During a community meeting Jan. 30, Mayor Sara Countryman said the look of downtown will be “urban design and infrastructure with a historic feel.” New wayfinding signs will welcome people into Montgomery and help identify the downtown district, Countryman shared at the meeting.
Changes will also be made to McCowan Street’s streetscape including four concrete seat walls with benches, shade trees and two 14-foot-wide raised table traffic lanes decorated with Texas flag brick pattern work, Countryman said.
The design of buildings in downtown will be required to use historic precedent, with wood, brick and franchise/corporate architecture prohibited, according to the presentation.
Along Hwy. 105 and Eva Street, one parking space per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area and one parking space per 800 square feet of gross floor area will be required, according to the proposed changes.
If approved, downtown areas will also have amenity spaces, which are any portion of a site not covered by infrastructure that are designed to accommodate pedestrians, according to the presentation.
Other proposed interim ordinance changes include requiring one tree per 40 feet on street-facing areas of downtown, according to the presentation.
Some context
Montgomery officials hired KKC with the goal of modernizing city ordinances to reflect the current climate of the city, as previously reported.
The four main areas KKC is helping the city of Montgomery with, according to prior reporting, are
- Its future land use and mobility plan
- Interim ordinance updates
- An illustrated master plan
- A unified development ordinance.
Countryman said the changes to the ordinances are intended to allow Montgomery to keep its charm and manage the growth.
“One of our main priorities to get our arm wrapped around all of this growth is to have those interim ordinances [in place],” Countryman said.
By the numbers
Countryman said Montgomery has multiple active developments including:
- 7 developments in the planning/feasibility phase
- 6 developments in the design phase
- 6 developments under construction
- 5 developments approved civil plans
- 3 developments under warranty
The proposed interim ordinances updates are expected to be approved by the City Council during its Feb. 25 meeting, Countryman said.
