What happened
Pearland City Council voted unanimously to deny a rezoning request to rezone two lots, totaling 9.2 acres at 3302 and 3306 Dixie Farm Road, from single-family residential to neighborhood services. The measure would have allowed low-intensity commercial uses such as service providers or offices.
The Planning & Zoning Commission voted 1-4 against recommending approval of the request at its Oct. 6 meeting. The commission received over 20 comments opposing the rezoning, according to city agenda documents.
Those in favor
The applicant, Julia Nguyen, wrote a letter to the city, noting that the property no longer functions well for residential properties due to its proximity to Walmart and being near a heavily commercial corridor, according to agenda documents.
Property owner Alex Nguyen, who purchased the property in 2021, said his family’s original intent was to build a home on the property, but no longer felt the area was suitable for that type of development.
Nguyen said his family’s original intent was to build a house on their lot, but after many attempts to make that work, they are requesting a zoning he said he felt was better for the property.
The second plot of land was last purchased in 2005, according to agenda documents.
City staff found the request met three of the four approval criteria to allow for the land to be rezoned in the city’s Unified Development Code—the fourth being that commercial development was not consistent with the future land use map’s plan for the area.
In their recommendation, staff cited the land’s proximity to Walmart and its location on a major thoroughfare. Staff also said that the rezoning would create a buffer between heavy commercial areas to the northeast and single-family residential properties to the southwest.
Those opposed
Greg Nelson, who lives near the subject property, asked city officials to keep the land zoned for residential use.
“The emails and residents' voices on this matter signal a clear message that we didn’t request this nor do we need any commercial development in that neighborhood,” Nelson said.
Several residents spoke at the meeting in opposition to the rezoning request, pointing out that rezoning the land for commercial use violated the city’s future land use map.
“Don’t break the covenant the city has with residents, which keeps residential areas residential and follows Pearland’s adopted comprehensive plan and future land use map,” Nelson said.
