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Consider public testimony regarding, and an ordinance approving Amendment No. 1 to Planned Unit Development (PUD) No. 88 to allow removal of pocket parks, located southeast of the intersection of E. Main Street and N. Georgetown Street. (First Reading)*
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PUD (Planned Unit Development) No. 88 was approved by the City Council in February of 2011 to provide for community service uses administered by the Round Rock Community Foundation. A building to house a Head Start program was constructed by Opportunities for Williamson & Burnet Counties (OWBC) and the remainder of the site is undeveloped.
The purpose of the PUD amendment request is to accommodate the development of the remainder of the site by removing the requirement for pocket parks along E. Main Street. The area to the east of the Head Start building is to be an expansion of the Round Rock Serving Center and there are no current plans for the area to the west of the Head Start building. The pocket park lots identified in the PUD have not been deeded to the City, and the Parks and Recreation Department has no objection to them being removed. With the development of the remainder of the site, the Code will require landscaping of the area between the front of the building and the street. In addition, the area behind the curb and within the right of way for E. Main Street is approximately 40 feet wide and includes a sidewalk.
The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on March 3, 2021 and voted 3-1, with two abstentions, to recommend approval of the rezoning. There were two speakers at the public hearing, both of whom questioned the removal of the pocket parks.