The City of Pearland’s requirements for businesses that expand or make other changes may be too aggressive, members of city council said.
“It seems like a lot,” Council member Layni Cade reflected during a joint discussion with the Planning and Zoning Commission this month. “It seems burdensome.”
The workshop gained input from both entities regarding the city’s “triggers table,” which outlines when expansions or changes of use at existing developments require improvements for that development to meet city codes.
“We need to take a step back on what the city wants and what is best for small businesses,” Councilman Rick Fernandez said. “Looking at this table, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The discussion is particuarly relevent in light of the upcoming expansion of Broadway, which will will take 10 to 15-feet of right-of-way, leaving businesses noncompliant with setback, parking and landscaping rules.
“If the city takes X amount of feet away from a landowner, to then say ‘The building is not in conformance because it doesn’t meet the setback requirements’ is not fair,” Planning and Zoning member Henry Fuertes said.
The goal, city staff said, is to create a “process or overlay where sites (affected by the expansion)can be incrementally brought into compliance.”
The approximately 100 properties losing frontage along the corridor are grandfathered; triggers come into play when building permits are requested for renovations or expansions.
“This is not something we’re going to be able to fix in an hour meeting,” Councilman Tommy Echols said. “There’s going to have to be a give and take between the city, the state and the businesses.”
