Title
Consider public testimony regarding, and an ordinance zoning 4.72 acres located northwest of N. CR 122 and east of Red Bud Lane to the TH (Townhouse) zoning district. (First Reading)*
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The project owner, Sree Sai Ganesh, proposes an original zoning of the 4.72-acre subject tract to the TH (Townhouse) district.
Proposed Use: The applicant seeks to construct 22 owner-occupied townhouses on a single lot. The townhouses will be a maximum of 3 stories in height and each unit will have garage parking. All development standards in the TH (Townhouse) zoning district will be met during the site development permit stage.
Comprehensive Plan and Zoning: This property is designated for residential use on the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) of the Round Rock 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The residential land use category accommodates single-family, two-family, and multifamily uses. Additionally, Round Rock 2030 seeks to facilitate the development of missing middle housing which includes low-density townhouse developments. Missing middle housing provides homeowners with an alternative choice of housing from traditional single-family or multifamily housing. It provides a range of multi-unit or clustered housing types compatible in scale with detached single-family homes. Increasing housing choice in Round Rock is a key component of Round Rock 2030's housing goals.
Approximately 40% of the property is contained within floodplain which provides considerable constraints to the overall developable area of the subject tract. The majority of the floodplain is located along the rear of the property, adjacent to McNutt Creek.
Traffic, Access, and Roads: Access to the site is from N CR 122. A Capital Improvement Project (CIP) is planned for the future to construct a stop light at the intersection of N Red Bud Lane and N CR 122.
TH (Townhouse) District: This district permits townhouses, which consist of three or more dwelling units sharing one or more wall with an abutting unit, each unit occupying space from ground to roof and having front and rear walls open directly to the outside for access.Townhouse developments may not exceed 12 units per acre; however a design standard incentive allows up to 14 units per acre. The maximum building height is 3 stories provided that enhanced setbacks and buffers are met when adjacent to existing or planned single-family or two-family lots. Required parking is 4 spaces per dwelling unit, 2 of which must be in a garage; additional parking is required at a rate of 5% of the total number of required spaces. In a single townhouse development, a maximum of 5% of the total number of dwelling units may be within structures containing only two dwelling units sharing a common wall.
City Council unanimously approved a code amendment on February 10, 2022, increasing the maximum height for townhomes from 2.5 stories to 3 stories, provided additional setbacks and landscape buffering is utilized when adjacent to single-family or two-family developments.
At its January 11, 2023, meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission denied a recommendation to approve Townhouse (TH) zoning for the subject tract by a vote of 4 to 3. Commissioners Bone, Emerson, Henderson, and Sellers voted against the request, citing building height, scale, and traffic as concerns.
There were three speakers at the public hearing who voiced concerns about increased traffic on CR 122 and of the potential invasion of privacy due to the proposed 3-story height of the townhouses. The three speakers each reside in homes across the CR 122 right-of-way in the Madsen Ranch subdivision. The Commission asked staff questions regarding these concerns and staff provided a summary of standards that would apply to the development, specifically noting standards intended to shield single-family abutters from more intense townhouse development.
In order for the zoning request to be approved by City Council, a favorable vote of three-fourths of all members of the city council is necessary to override the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommended denial.