Title
Consider public testimony regarding, and an ordinance approving amendments to the Comprehensive Plan 2030 including: Modified housing policy and implementation strategies for multifamily development; revised descriptions for low, medium, and high-density multi-family residential development types; and updated location criteria for medium and high density urban multifamily. (First Reading)*
Body
Background:
Economic conditions for multifamily development have been changing quickly and drastically over the last 5 years. Most recently, area rents have declined in response to a glut of new housing units, and funding for new multifamily developments is increasingly difficult to come by to build the type of development required by the city's Zoning & Development Code. The local development community has been voicing concerns to city staff that structured parking requirements for the MF-3 (Urban Multifamily) zoning district make development unfeasible due to high costs associated with construction of structured parking. The Code currently includes the MF-2 (Multifamily - Medium Density) zoning district but the location requirements in the Round Rock 2030 Comprehensive Plan make it difficult to find locations in Round Rock where that zoning can be granted. Therefore, that district is rarely utilized. The strict location requirements for MF-2 development stemmed from city council’s desire to limit traditional suburban-style walkup apartments characterized by external stairways and surface parking, often with parking in the street yard.
As a result of a recent city council work session discussing these issues, staff was directed to reevaluate the criteria for medium density multi-family in the Round Rock 2030 Comprehensive Plan and to update the MF-2 (Multifamily - Medium Density) zoning district with revised development standards that ensure a high quality urban-style design to allow the MF-2 zoning district to be utilized more frequently by developers who desire a mix of parking options. There is still a desire for the higher density MF-3 (Multifamily - Urban) zoning district to be utilized near employment centers and major transportation and commercial nodes, so that zoning district will be retained for those applications.
This item specifically addresses amendments to Round Rock 2030, the city's Comprehensive Plan.
Proposed Revisions:
Round Rock 2030 Comprehensive Plan
- Added a paragraph into the housing policy section describing the changing market conditions and their impact on multifamily development which prompted us to consider more flexible parking standards and revisions to the multifamily zoning districts.
- Updated the definitions for low, medium, and high-density multifamily development.
- Renamed “medium density multifamily” to “medium density urban multifamily”.
- Adjusted the location criteria to remove the limitations for where medium density multifamily can be permitted. The previous amendment adopted by city council in 2012 required that new zoning for MF-2 development could not be granted within half a mile of existing zoning for MF-2 or MF-3 development, and new MF-2 buildings could not be constructed within 500 feet of a single-family home. This effectively prevented new zoning for medium density multifamily.
- Removed the implementation strategy limiting the percentage of medium density multifamily that is permitted in relation to the overall housing stock. This strategy was merely a guideline that was a remnant from the 2000s and is no longer relevant in today's market.
Staff expect that the changes above will result in a high quality urban-style MF-2 zoning district that will provide flexibility to the development community since it is no longer limited by location. Additionally, it may reduce the number of Planned Unit Developments requests for MF-3 (Multifamily - Urban) development since we anticipate increased demand and eligibility for zoning to the new MF-2 zoning district because of these amendments. An amendment to the MF-2 (Multifamily - Medium Density) will be heard after this item.
Planning and Zoning Commission:
On July 15, 2026, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 in favor of the amendment to the Round Rock 2030 Comprehensive Plan. There were no speakers from the public for this item. Staff recommends approval.