What’s happening?
At a Feb. 17 meeting, Missouri City City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to establish notice requirements for joint public hearings between City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission regarding zoning regulation amendments.
The joint hearings aim to provide continuity in information and prevent delays in decision-making, City Attorney E. Joyce Iyamu said.
“This proposed ordinance streamlines the amendment process by allowing City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission to hear the same information at the same time,” she said. “Additionally, community engagement is a huge factor—holiday joint hearings ensure that residents and stakeholders are all receiving the same information at the same time.”
The details
According to agenda documents, the proposed ordinance requires public notice of the joint public hearing in multiple forms including:
- Publishing a notice in the city’s official newspaper at least 15 days before the hearing
- Providing notice to property owners who may become nonconforming at least 10 days before the hearing
Diving in deeper
City officials kicked off the comprehensive plan update in June, alongside multidisciplinary services firm Ardurra, after residents and City Council urged the plan needed review due to inconsistency in zoning change decisions and pushback from residents on proposed developments. The city’s comprehensive master plan was initially completed in 1971, and the most updated version of the plan was adopted in 2017.
The city has hosted several focus groups and is set to release draft findings and recommendations as well as host a public open house and second questionnaire before providing its draft report in March, according to the plan’s website. Specific dates have not yet been set.
What’s next?
City Council will vote on the second reading of the ordinance at its March 3 meeting, Iyamu said.
