If an ordinance is adopted, developers looking to build in the city of Tomball may soon have to adhere to new standards when constructing future businesses.

During its June 1 meeting, Tomball City Council discussed the possibility of establishing brick facade requirements for new buildings along FM 2920 outside of the eight-block Old Town Tomball area to encourage the construction of more upscale buildings. The council previously discussed the idea after seeing an increase in the number of developers coming to the area surrounding Old Town Tomball.

City Council took no action regarding the implementation of the facade requirements during the meeting. However, Tomball City Manager George Shackleford said city staff will soon begin the process of considering a possible overlay district for Tomball.

“The idea of potentially establishing minimum building facade standards on Main Street outside of Old Town and the mixed-use zoning district—where we currently do have building facade requirements—came up,” Tomball City Planner Harold Ellis said. “The Old Town and mixed-use zoning district is the only area in the city where we do have building facade requirements.”

The potential facade requirements would mean new buildings would have to feature brick construction or a brick facade covering a certain percentage of the outside walls. In Tomball, facade requirements could be implemented by creating an overlay district on FM 2920, including and extending past Old Town Tomball and the mixed-use district, Ellis said. The overlay district could also be extended to other visible corridors of the city like Hwy. 249.

Tony Topping, government relations specialist for the Texas Masonry Council in the Greater Houston region, gave a presentation during the meeting on implementing the new building design standards.

Buildings constructed with brick facade requirements tend to have higher property values at the time of construction, and they tend to retain that value over time, Topping said. Brick buildings also reduce the likelihood of urban decay because many have a life span of 100 years or more, and they help to attract a higher quality of businesses to the area, he said.

“Some may argue that higher standards may scare off developers, but Tomball already has high standards with a high quality of development without masonry requirements,” Topping said.

At least 200 cities in Texas have implemented some type of design standards for commercial buildings. Topping said nearby similarly sized cities, such as Richmond and Manvel, have recently expanded facade requirements for buildings.

“Cities that adopt the overlay districts quite often extend the overlays very quickly to go citywide, and these types of implementations have their best impact if implemented before the development happens,” Topping said. “If you wait until afterward, you may have little control over what is built. Tomball is growing and it won’t be small for long. Other cities have done this before the growth hit.”

Tomball City Council Member Chad Degges said the proposed requirements could bring in more upscale developers to help raise the property values and improve the overall appearance of more visible areas around the city.

“I’m inclined to go in this direction [of implementing facade standards],” Degges said. “When you go to invest in a building, you look at your neighbors. And you may not want to spend that money when [the building is not as high quality] next door.”

For more information on the Main Street facade requirements and the proposed FM 2920 mobility improvements, read the July issue of Community Impact Newspaper.