Staff outlines proposed zoning‑code changes tied to state housing bills

Richardson city planning staff presented proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance on April 21 to implement state law changes from the 89th Texas Legislature.

Andrew, a staff presenter, said the most significant changes flow from House Bill 24 and Senate Bill 1567. He explained that House Bill 24 raises the property‑owner protest threshold for rezonings that allow additional residential development to 60% of the notification area but removes the ability to require a super‑majority vote by council for those specific rezonings, leaving approval to a simple majority. "The goal of the legislation was to facilitate the development of more residential housing," Andrew told commissioners while outlining proposed edits that mirror the state statute to improve transparency for applicants and residents.

On Senate Bill 1567, staff said the city must remove any local occupancy limits in the definition of "family" that restrict the number of persons based on relation, age or occupation when those limits are preempted by state law; staff proposed a new definition that preserves the concept of a single household unit but drops numeric occupant caps. Andrew explained the city will continue to enforce building and fire codes and use registration or review processes for group‑care settings through community services.

Commissioners asked for clarification about mixed‑use projects, how the statute treats commercial square footage on the ground floor, and at which point in the process a protest is submitted and calculated. Staff said mixed‑use cases with significant new residential square footage would fall under the HB24 framework and that they will provide detailed guidance on calculation and timing at a subsequent meeting.

Staff outlined next steps: staff will incorporate commission feedback, prepare formal ordinance language, and return with a dual public‑hearing schedule (formal CPC consideration on May 5 and final council action tentatively June 8). The packet will include examples and precise thresholds for mixed‑use calculations and guidance on how protests are recorded and tallied under the new law.