Rezoning Guidebook Digital

REZONING GUIDEBOOK • The Fundamentals of Zoning • Steps to Applying for a Rezoning • Additional City Resources This sheet is not for Planned Development Districts.

FUNDAMENTALS OF ZONING WHAT IS ZONING?

In a municipality, all land is categorized through zoning districts. A district represents a package of specific regulations regarding the use of the land in that zone.

Further information about each district’s regulations can be found in the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), and a complete table of the uses allowed in each district is located in Section 6.3 “Types of Use” in the UDO. To change the allowed uses and associated regulations on a specific property, the property has to be rezoned.

Requested rezoning of a property must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan’s Future Land Use & Character Map, which is intended to preserve the quality of life and orderly development of the City.

WHAT IS FUTURE LAND USE?

Future land use (FLU) guides how all property within the City may develop in the future. All land in the City has a future land use designation, as shown on the Comprehensive Plan's Future Land Use & Character Map (commonly called the Future Land Use Map). Each future land use category has a character-based description and overall intent, along with generally appropriate zoning districts to choose from that help achieve the desired character.

These categories are described in the Comprehensive Plan.

• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ZONING AND FUTURE LAND USE?

Future land use guides zoning, but is not zoning itself. A single future land use category can prescribe multiple zoning districts to choose from, but a property can only be zoned for one district at any given time.

Zoning regulates how a property can be developed and used today, while future land use describes what the property’s zoning could change to in the future.

• WHY WOULD AN OWNER WANT TO REZONE THEIR PROPERTY?

If the current or intended use of the land does not align with the regulations of the property's zoning district, a landowner may explore rezoning their property to a district with a more compatible set of regulations. The alternative zoning district must be compatible with the Comprehensive Plan’s Future Land Use Map.

• WHAT IF THE PROPERTY OWNER WANTS TO APPLY FOR A REZONING TO A DISTRICT NOT PRESCRIBED BY THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP? A Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) changing the future land use designation to one which allows the alternative zoning district would first be necessary. While CPAs and rezoning applications can be processed in tandem, the CPA process must be initiated first since the viability of a potential rezoning would be contingent on its approval.

• For more information on Comprehensive Plan Amendments, please refer to the CPA guidebook.

REZONING A PROPERTY Is the intended zoning district aligned with the future land use?

YES

NO Apply for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment

Apply for a rezoning

Approved

Not Approved

The desired zoning district is incompatible with the Comprehensive Plan. A rezoning that complies with the current land use category may be pursued.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FUTURE LAND USE AND ZONING DISTRICTS, AS DESCRIBED IN THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Future Land Use Category

Generally Appropriate Zoning Districts

Urban Center

•

Neighborhood Center

•

General Commercial Neighborhood Commercial

• •

Business Center Urban Residential

• •

Mixed Residential Suburban Residential

• •

Estate Residential

•

Neighborhood Conservation Texas A&M University

• •

Institutional/Public

•

Medical Parks & Greenways Rural

• • •

Mixed-use, Northgate zoning (in Northgate only), Wolf Pen Creek zoning (in Wolf Pen Creek only) Mixed-use, Wolf Pen Creek zoning (in Wolf Pen Creek only), commercial and multi-family zoning may be considered in some circumstances if designed in an integrated manner through a Planned Development District with a preferred emphasis on urban form.

General commercial, office, and mixed-use zoning Suburban commercial and office zoning. Within the Wellborn District, limited to Wellborn Commercial zoning.

Business park, industrial, and commercial industrial zoning Multi-family, townhouse, mixed-use, and limited suburban commercial zoning Duplex, townhouse, middle housing, and limited-scale single-family General and restricted suburban zoning. Within the Wellborn District, limited to Wellborn Restricted Suburban zoning.

Estate, rural, and manufactured home park zoning. Within the Wellborn District, limited to Wellborn Estate zoning.

General and restricted suburban, single-family overlays Areas owned by Texas A&M University and are appropriate for campus development as described in the Texas A&M Campus Master Plan and related documents.

Areas that are, and are likely to remain, in some form of institutional or public activity.

Varies Natural areas protected Rural and manufactured home park

STEPS TO APPLY FOR A REZONING 1. Preliminary Research: • Check the property's future land use and determine if a CPA is necessary • Check the rezoning review criteria in the UDO • Reach out to City Staff to discuss the procedures, standards or regulations relating to the project, either by contacting the Planner-on-Call or scheduling a pre-application conference 2. Create an account to utilize the City's online permitting system, eTRAKiT by contacting 979-764-3570 or cspds@cstx.gov 3. Submit a rezoning application for Staff to review 4.• Public Hearings • Planning & Zoning Commission City Council

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

CREATE ACCOUNT

APPLICATION SUBMITTAL

PUBLIC HEARINGS

STAFF REVIEW

CITY RESOURCES

Comprehensive Plan Planning & Development Services Unified Development Ordinance Planning & Development GIS Map Development Regulations City of College Station