Cedar Park officials focus on future housing regulations as city nears completion of construction

As Cedar Park’s population approaches its growth limit — the number of people who would need to fill all of the approved apartments for future development — city officials are considering new housing regulations, emphasizing a diversity of options across the city.

Approach

During the City Council meeting on June 13, city staff proposed several changes to the section of the city’s comprehensive plan dealing with future spatial development.

Director of development services Amy Link said the changes include:

• Increase the allowable development density in low-density residential areas from a maximum of four dwelling units per acre to five dwelling units per acre
• Increase the allowable development density in medium-density residential areas from a maximum of eight dwelling units per acre to 10 dwelling units per acre
• Change of the type of housing construction proposed in Action 2 presented in the comprehensive city plan, which mentions the redevelopment of infill plots
• Population Expansion Ability Update
• Focus on future mixed-use housing development in planning areas
• Establishing a 50-acre minimum area for new proposed planning areas

Link said staff also proposed the following changes to land-subdivision regulations in the city’s zoning ordinance:

• Removal of residential development zone
• Reduction of plot area, offsets and other standards of suburban and semi-urban residential development zones
• Lowering the standards of interior and living space in the urban residential zone
• Increase in the maximum building density permitted in semi-urban and urban residential districts

Those who oppose

The proposed changes have been met with resistance not only by Cedar Park homeowners but also by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

The commission voted against the proposed changes during its May 21 meeting, citing concerns about how the proposed changes would apply to infill lots, their impact on traffic and other resources such as water and fire, and that they “would not lower property values ​​or promote housing diversity,” according to a meeting document.

Several residents of Cedar Park Ranchettes, a more established subdivision in the city with larger lots, felt attacked by the proposed changes and opposed them in numerous emails and at City Council meetings on June 13 and June 27.

“We want to keep (the area) half-acre lots. We have a little slice of country life in the middle of this wild, sprawling city. We don’t want it in this neighborhood,” Raylene Torres said in an email to the city. “Cedar Park is becoming too congested. Please don’t add to this. Don’t ignore the Planning and Zoning Department’s vote.”

The Council has concluded that one of the major factors causing problems in the community is a newly added paragraph described in the City’s Comprehensive Plan under Action Item 2. The paragraph reads as follows:

• “Because there is limited land left for residential development, the City should promote housing diversity through the use of varying housing densities, lot sizes and living areas. In addition to developing remaining vacant residential land, redevelopment of larger, existing residential lots will promote the development of a variety of housing options.”

Action taken

During its June 27 meeting, council approved proposed changes to the future land use section of the comprehensive plan, excluding changes that would increase building density in low- and medium-density residential areas. Link said that because council did not approve those two changes, city staff will need to update the proposed building capacity, which was also excluded from approval.

In addition, the approved amendments exclude the above paragraph from action item 2.

On the subject of zoning changes, the council voted to postpone all changes to housing standards.

The Council agreed to take a closer look at all remaining recommended changes that were not approved at a future meeting.