City Council - workshop

Welcome to the City of Pearland City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission joint workshop for September 14, 2026. I'll call this meeting to order at 4 PM. I'm going to do a roll call like we do normally. So we'll start from position one. Roll call. Present. Present. House number two, Mayor Pro Tem Chavarria is not here. Mayor's here.

I'm present. I do believe we have a quorum, so if planning is zoning, if you could also certify that there's a quorum.

All right. count them all right so now that uh roll call is uh is is done moving on to um i don't think there's any citizen comments but uh next item on the agenda is a discussion regarding the udc update and before we turn it over to staff i will just really set precedent here there's a lot of information And I know it's going to be a robust discussion, so what I'll ask is that as we cover each topic, that we limit our conversations to 20 minutes at best, including P&Z and Council, and then we'll move to the next item where we'll keep our conversation total to 20 minutes, and then the final 2

Thank you for that. So at this particular time, I'll take it over to Planning and Zoning to provide some comments, insights.

Thank you for that. We don't have to use up all the time you have left, but I'll leave it to council. Any questions at this particular point, Councilmember?

Thank you. You might have answered this and I missed it, but why isn't R4 included with R2? Is it the same? It looks like the same.

Not at all. OK, so R1 is, you said those are the minimums. There's no maximum. I mean, it goes all the way as high as it did in the past.

I don't understand the R4 exactly, but thank you. That's my only question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor. Got a couple questions here. One on the ADU aspect, Commissioner Heisenberg kind of hit on it. As far as, I don't see anything in zoning. We have Baker's Landing over on 35 that, when it was built, had pretty much an ADU in the homes. Where would that fit in this area? Zones, new zoning, proposed zoning.

Because, I mean, Baker's Landing is that way. They don't have the oven, but when you walk through some of the homes, they are already existing. So there's a multi-generational... Um, if you want to call it that zoning that exists in Baker's Landing so that when people purchase property in there, they know that's what they're getting.

Okay, I'm just, you know, I didn't see it in here, and it's something that I think, you know, if folks want that and they want to live in a neighborhood with that, they should be able to do that. It's just, you know, it's not spelled out here. And then when Commissioner Eisenberg was sitting there talking about ADUs, as far as with neighborhoods, if there is... If it's allowed through the deed restrictions, how would that, how do y'all envision that being handled?

Okay, so if it is handled that way, I mean we've had ones come before us whether they were accepted or denied, they've had both, with deed restrictions that said they're not allowed in the neighborhood, yet the city approved it, and some were built, some were not. So you're setting up a landowner for a lawsuit or a potential lawsuit by having that approved.

Okay, would there be a checklist as far as having them bring a letter in or having them show their deed restrictions either or?

Yeah, I'm just curious to see how that's handled. And then you talk about once we finally say, okay, we're ready to roll with this, you're going to go back and rezone the different areas, obviously, because there's less R1 through MH. What happens if an existing landowner gets a zoning that they don't like? How will that be handled? And that would be residential, commercial, I mean any one of it.

Okay. Because, you know, when you say in a negative way, I guess I'd have to use the definition of negative way because . . . One landowner could say, hey, I view this as a negative way.

I was just curious to see how that handled. Thank you.

Mr. Reckles? Gotcha. On the ADUs, I will go on records to say that I oppose ADUs in R1 where there's deed restrictions that prohibit it. However, I'm wondering if we're not getting the cart ahead of the horse because what I'm hearing on the new session that there is some legislation that is attempting to go in that allows ADUs by right in any R1, which I have problems with that, because if you're in a single family neighborhood, you want to maintain it single. The minute you put the ADU in it, you're no longer a single family. Even if they are intrafamily, they're still two different families.

Just one last thing in the time we're kind of hitting on that. I just want to recognize Murr Patel as part of the forum as well. And then just real quick, because Vance, you said something. No zone changes would allow by right. That's what I thought you said. Yes, sir. I want to make sure. District, okay. I just want to make sure we're clear.

If you look, I'm sorry, just an R1. It says $8,800, and it's the minimum listed there. R2, it says $5,000, but that's not the minimum listed there on top. You see what I'm saying? It says $6,000. It just seems off.

It's the lot area that mathematically is weird. Right.

And then the proposed for R3 is, and the existing is 5,000, and the proposed, the largest is, what, 3,500? I don't know. It just...

Andre. Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, Vance, I think 5,000 square foot, I mean, how big of a house would they be able to put on there? I'm just curious. 1,500 square foot?

Yeah, I mean, I'm with Member Cade. I think 5,000 just seems a little too small of a lot. And I understand we're trying to squeeze more density in here, but I would be more in favor of the 6,000. Yeah. Okay.

All right, Kathy, please, or Lance, please proceed to the next item.

Thank you. Just tying into that, before I kick it back to you, take it over to some of the council members here. There was a consolidation amongst the three, GB, GC, OB, and to GC. And if you're looking at the new ones, LM, HM, would we benefit from even just doing away and just going with one? And the reason I ask is I don't know the... What risks that we would incur are what we would be subjecting ourselves to if we just consolidate? Because I'm looking at the differences between the two. And the only thing that changes is the height restriction. Based on the height restriction, if we just s

Sure, and then I don't know if this question is preemptive, but I think Commissioner Fuerte said this, but is there a way, at least highlight some areas where the district changes would trigger those CUPs, and we'd be able to see what those would be, so we have an idea of what that looks like. Is that next?

Yeah, so... read it, but I'll pause. I'll wait. But any other questions from council members? Member Koza, yes sir.

Thank you, Mayor. Kind of to talk a little bit about LM versus HM or M1 versus M2 to kind of give you a little history on it. We've got a chemical company here in town that fits in the hard M2 right now. And if you were to incorporate that, you would expand the ability for those type businesses. We also had one that kind of shocked me. chroming company that wanted to come in and the chemicals that they use internally, they had to have all type of equipment to cleanse the water that left their facility as well as we were going to have to have additional backups. to keep from chemicals ending up

I mean, that's, you know, just to try and make it where we're okay. If you want to buy this piece of property, you might have a chance, but not open it up to everything you see right there. And you could build here, here, here with a CEP. So it just kind of makes it, hey, here's where we're okay, but you still might have hurdles to go through.

Any other questions? They're doing great with time.

Sorry, Mayor. Oh, man. Can you go to deck number 17? I'm just kind of curious about heights. On these, I guess you guys have put a four-story. Is there a reason you guys didn't put feet on there instead of saying four stories? Because it can vary a lot.

Okay. And I guess no height also kind of... Because if it's close enough to a residential, you're going to have a bunch of angry residential coming in, right? And I understand this is for the lower Kirby only. And I don't know, I mean, again, I don't know how deep it goes or how close it is to Shadow Creek Ranch. But again, or apartment complexes are out there. So when you look at this in a layout, can you show me the map about where this district is?

Okay. And then you mentioned something about mixed use earlier, and you said your definition of mixed use was... Remind me, residential on the bottom.

So, you know, that word is very loosely used when developers come in here. So, because let's talk about the development on Oak Road. That developer came in and said, it's a mixed use. And all he was proposing originally was 5,000 square foot. But all it was is two separate tracks. So, would that be considered mixed use? According to this news, so how are we going to make them understand, don't call your project mixed use? I mean, I guess they can call it that, but how do we make sure that, hey, that doesn't qualify as mixed use?

What is the definition? Are they allowed to build commercial on the bottom and shell it and then say, hey, this is mixed use? Because, again, are you going to require the entire first floor to be commercial? And so it kind of, I think definition needs to be provided, right, on that. When I hear mixed use, it's a very different understanding in my world what mixed use is. And real quick, I know PNZ said, hey, we voted down the Bailey project, and I'll tell you why. I voted it down is because the developer came and proposed something and once they got the change, it was my understanding they cou

What was the reason to remove tennis or swim club?

Because, you know, on McLean, there's a pickleball going in, and I think that's just going to become a new trend. So where would they fall into this then?

I mean, to me, there's no difference between tennis or pickleball, right? You can change the course either way. So I'm just curious what the reasoning was behind that.

Member Patel, I would even go to say we've got Coastal Swim over on Dixie Farm. So whether you fold it into something, you know, same type of thought process.

The only one I would say is liquor shops. I didn't see it when I was looking through it. I know you see microbrewery, but TABC, I mean, that's a different license, but still...

The massage establishment, should that be in with? That's permitted by right, but you need a CUP for a church? That seems weird to me. Can massage establishment be pulled out?

Go up one slide. On the electric charging stations, I'm noticing more and more restaurants, more and more shopping centers, as well as more and more gas stations, convenience stores such as Bucky's are putting charging pods in their parking lot. So to just have the parking or the electric vehicle charging station on its own, Do we need to really consider putting this into other entities such as grocery stores, malls, gas stations, restaurants? Great point. That's the only thing that I see that we may need to.

I think, Mr. Frangez, I think Angleton has those. Tesla has them installed in their large batteries, exactly what you're talking about.

Vance, I'm curious. Do we have to have data centers on here? We don't have any spots in Pearland big enough really to accommodate a data center. I wouldn't mind not accommodating data centers at all.

And then, like anything with technology, they tend to get smaller. And so we're not sure if, in fact, the current land estimates may stay valid in the next 15,

One second, one second, one second. So are we going to maintain the same standard as you're going to finish, and then we ask questions, or is this open? Because we're looking at time.

Okay, thank you. So I saw Member Patel, Member Cade, so I want to get to your questions first.

Thank you, Mayor. So, Vince, I just want to understand something. Can you go back to the 840 thing? What you're saying, go back down a slide, what you're saying that if we tighten up the language now and the 150 is hit, they would still have to follow these requirements.

So because multiple times I've heard that we will have no control and they can build the cheapest apartment they can.

Okay. And I know we'll talk about it because later tonight I have a feeling it's going to be a long meeting. But, okay. And I do apologize, Mayor. I'm going to go off the subject from this real quick. A couple of things I want to kind of.

Before you do that. Okay. I'm going to go off topic. I prefer if we stay. Sure.

Oh, on this one, it says smaller parking field. What is that? How's that? Can you explain that to me right quick?

And then it says residential compatibility orientation adjacent to single family.

All right. Thank you. That's my only question.

Member Koza. Thank you, Mayor. I'd give my consensus on tightening that up to have the best multifamily development we could have.

Thank you, Mayor. Just to the entire community development team, thank you for bringing this to us today. Just want to be cognitive of what cities north of Dallas has done that Legislation is looking at closing some of those loopholes that north of Dallas cities have been able to do. And I would like us not to get into that same situation. category that we're being looked at underneath microscope on some of these things. However, I am for these. I give you my consensus. I like that. Now then, on Senate Bill 15, the question I have on Senate Bill 15 is that if our new R3 is minimum 5,000 and Se

That's okay. You can give me that answer later on. I just wanted to be cognizant because those lot sizes are similar to other detached townhomes, should we say garden homes, that I've seen and I've liked. And if we can keep that as the minimum, I would like to see that. I'm totally comfortable with what I've seen in the Ivy District in their compact family dwellings. Thank you.

Thank you. While you're looking for that, just maybe if it's not too heavy a lift, there were some visuals that were put up in the GIS as you were able to click and click through some things. How heavy a lift would it be to visualize where 840 and 15 would trigger in what district so we can kind of see where that is?

Is it possible to create a separate call out that says SB 840 and 15, you click it and then all of them light up?

Yeah, I appreciate the call out, but I was just asking, generally speaking, how impactful it would be across the city so we can get an idea of who and where we'd be getting calls from.

And then I know I want to come to you. Are there any other questions pertaining to? So then I can, Member Patel.

Thank you, Mayor. Vince, this is a great map. If you could, I'm assuming all these are five-acre track? This is... So I guess the question then would be, how many of this track here are over five acres and undeveloped?

So that's just for curiosity. Larger than five acres and undeveloped. Mayor, before we close out, first of all, let me apologize for being late. Personal reasons, but anyway. One of the things I would ask, and Vince, I don't know if this is the place, but I'll give you my feedback. I always look at Henry because I feel like Henry's been here the longest. Several years ago, the council talked about traffic impact fees, and I don't know if that's something there's an appetite for. I know it was a hot topic issue because we were very undeveloped. But I think with this amount of apartments or smal

Absolutely. Any other comments or questions? None?

One second. Very thoughtful discussion and I know we're trying to do the best we can to make sure that people coming in are living up to the things that we asked them to do. I would just ask Commissioner Eisenberg that maybe there's an added conversation outside of this to help mitigate some of these things. I think If I'm not mistaken, there are no other items based on what you've all provided based on the discussion today. So with all due respect, I would ask, are there any other questions? If there's no other additional items on the agenda and outside of the conversation, P&Z, is there any