Planning commission backs recommendation to require special permits for places of assembly in three PDs

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted Sept. 9 to recommend that City Council remove several "places of assembly" uses from Planned Development Districts (PD) 8, 60 and 99, a change staff said would force future churches, performance halls and similar uses to seek a specific‑use permit (SUP) rather than be allowed by right.

Planning staff told commissioners the proposed changes would remove items such as concert performance halls, movie theaters, outdoor amphitheaters, ballrooms and banquet facilities from the by‑right lists for the affected PDs so each proposal can be evaluated on its local impacts. "The purposes of these amendments is to ensure that future places of assembly are evaluated through the specific use permit or SUP process," staff said. Staff reported that notice letters were mailed Aug. 28, signs posted the same day and publication in the Fort Bend Independent was planned for Sept. 16; staff also said it had received three written protests and two written support letters so far.

Longtime Missouri City resident Shari Green Campbell, who lives on Henry Rotts Road, told commissioners she supported the PD‑8 amendment and said a planned temple and meeting house for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints could be a carefully designed and calming presence along Fort Bend Parkway. "Places of worship done well tend to lift the character of the area around them," Campbell said. Another resident, Matt Campbell, described the temple as integral to his family’s faith and asked commissioners to consider that perspective.

Other residents raised concerns about notice and detail: Katrice Thomas, an adjoining property owner at 1818 Darby Lane in Fresno, asked the commission "not to approve the amendment until the surrounding property owners have given a clear explanation of exactly what the change in this amendment details" and requested protections if the amendment proceeds.

After brief discussion about public notice and how QR codes link to the city’s public hearing page, commissioners moved, seconded and carried a motion to forward a positive recommendation on the PD amendments to City Council. The City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and ordinance reading on the amendments in a future meeting.