Missouri City council members urged city officials to revisit the community’s priorities as officials determine how the city’s remaining land should be developed.

The overview

Multiple rezoning applications came to Missouri City City Council for approval this spring, and council requested at the May 21 meeting that city staff consider updating the city’s comprehensive plan, which was last revised in 2017.

Council members said they've seen positive and negative recommendations for developments from city staff or the Planning and Zoning Commission that contradict each other. This has left City Council members to “pick winners or losers” based on their feelings on particular developments, council member Jeffrey Boney claimed.

“I believe we should consider putting a brake on these types of decisions until we can all get on the same page, because we’re gonna frustrate the community, we’re gonna frustrate the developers and, hell, I’m frustrated,” he said.

Zooming in

At a May 20 meeting, staff presented council with two applications that included requests to rezone:

• 12.71 acres north of Watts Plantation Road from a suburban district to a planned development district for 96 single-family homes
• 12.49 acres along the east side of Knights Court from a suburban district and special-use permit to a planned development for office buildings

After discussion, City Council postponed the rezoning decisions for 120 days to allow for more city staff, Planning and Zoning Commission members and City Council members to determine the best use for land.

What they’re saying

Mayor Robin Elackatt said the city’s leaders need to be on the same page, especially seeing many applicants make it to the council approval before city officials and council members communicate.

“It just doesn’t look like we are all on the same page—I think that’s part of the conversation,” Elackatt said.

With only so much undeveloped city land remaining, council member Sonya Brown-Marshall said the city must determine what they want and need to have before there’s no space left.

“For some many years, we have watched the development drive us instead of us driving the development,” Brown-Marshall said.

Looking ahead

City Manager Angel Jones said city staff is working to secure and finalize a contract with a facilitator to review available vacant land, and current and future land use. The process will include some community input, she said.

“It will not be your full, in-depth comprehensive plan, but at this point, I don’t think we need that because we have a very clear understanding of where we want to go and what we are trying to achieve,” she said.