By N. Bradford
Known during a recent public engagement campaign as “Pearland 2040,” an update the Pearland’s long-range planning document is entering the home stretch.
A recently unveiled draft of a new comprehensive plan includes recommendations such as using ‘future place type’ land use designations and encouraging development of “missing middle” housing with feedback indicating more and more people working in Pearland are being priced out of living here.
The task of updating the city’s comprehensive plan was contracted in 2021 to Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.
“As Pearland has developed, the amount of remaining land to be developed or underdeveloped land is becoming more and more limited,” said Michael Shelton of Kimley-Horn and Associates. “That set a theme throughout the (comprehensive plan update).”
Most cities update their comprehensive plan — a document used to guide decisions on development and long-range goals — every five to 10 years. Pearland’s first comprehensive plan was adopted in 1968. It was most recently updated in 2015.
“The private development world also uses the future land use plan to help understand what the community wants to see happen within these areas,” assistant Community Development director Martin Griggs told council members during an Aug. 14 presentation of a draft plan. “We utilize the 288 Gateway Designation often in our discussions to say, ‘This is a place of quality, and the city has labeled these tracts that are adjacent to 288 as a place where we want to see high quality development take place.”
What the newest version of the plan will not do, he emphasized, is specify zoning,
“The previous 2015 future land use had some zoning-like characteristics,” he said. “We have removed the majority of those within our future land use plan and moved it from future land use designations to future place types.”
A chapter on housing recommends more “middle market” options. Just over 80 percent of Pearland’s current housing is detached single family, and data shows the majority of Pearland housing is more expensive than the surrounding metro Houston area.
Also known as the “missing middle,” these options include duplexes, four-plexes, townhomes and courtyard homes.
“Everybody has a different thought on what missing middle is,” Mayor Kevin Cole said. “I’m glad we’re having that discussion. We need to come to an agreement.”
There are ways to address affordability, Cole said, “and also have quality, and truly deliver something so our teachers and our police officers and others can actually live here.”
Before being adopted, the updated comprehensive plan will be presented to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission before two readings at future city council meetings.
More information on the plan and process is available at pearland2040.com.
