Laredo planners, developers and engineers press for line-by-line review of recode

Consultants and planning staff presented a draft recode of Laredo's Unified Development Code during a Planning and Zoning Commission workshop, and commissioners, engineers and other attendees pressed for a chapter-by-chapter, line-by-line review before the commission forwards recommendations to the city council.

"In this workshop, we're looking to discuss the purpose of recode, some of the structural and organizational changes we're proposing," said consultant Alonso Kamacho of Ael City, who opened the presentation and described the project's scope and timeline. The series includes a June 25 workshop on procedures and parking and a July 9 session on alternative compliance and a PUD manual.

Kamacho said the effort dates to the city's 2017 comprehensive plan and resumed after pauses during 2020 pandemic interruptions; staff and consultants described the current package as the sixth draft in a multi-year process.

The consultants proposed three mixed-use districts (MX1, MX2 and MX3) and reorganized zoning chapters to show building envelopes, permitted uses and illustrative graphics. They outlined illustrative densities and standards: MX1 examples at about 20 dwelling units per acre and up to four stories; MX2 at about 30 units per acre and up to six stories; and MX3 intended for larger regional centers with taller buildings.

Commissioners focused on two immediate technical items: setbacks and parking. Presenters said the draft would allow an R1 front-yard minimum setback to be reduced from 20 feet to a 10-foot minimum when parking is relocated to the side or rear. "Minimum is not the standard," Kamacho said, adding that the code aims to encourage walkability and options for mixed-use forms. Staff also said the recode proposes reducing some single-family parking requirements from two spaces to one and that parking standards will be covered in depth at the next workshop.

Several commissioners raised practical concerns about emergency access and street widths if lots and setbacks change. "When I drive by and I see cars parked on both sides I don't know how an ambulance or a fire truck can get through there," one commissioner said, urging close coordination between lot standards and subdivision street sections.

Civil engineer Ricardo Variel of Topside Civil Group and other members of the local development community urged a more technical, implementation-focused review. "This manual here, nobody opens up this manual more than these guys," Variel said, asking that engineers and the one-stop-shop staff review how the code will work in real projects and pointing to recent problems with street sections and drainage approvals.

Public speakers recalled past multi-day, line-by-line reviews of specific code sections (the drainage ordinance was cited) and proposed that the city convene ad-hoc technical committees or subcommittees to redline the draft with consultants and department heads present. Commissioners and staff agreed to post an updated draft and the comment matrix online and said they would consider forming smaller review groups. Staff also confirmed they will post a comparison showing the proposed changes against the current code to help reviewers identify what has moved or been consolidated.

No formal vote on the recode occurred in the workshop. The commission did approve routine meeting business by voice vote (a motion to excuse absent members carried) and closed the meeting after agreeing on next steps: finish the current presentation, publish a redline/comparison and the comments matrix, and pursue subcommittee or chapter-by-chapter review prior to a recommendation to council.

The commission scheduled the next workshop for June 25 to dive into procedures and parking; staff said they would return to subdivision provisions in a later session and make available the latest draft and supporting materials online.