College Station to send over 2,000 letters notifying residents of potential rezoning

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - Over 2,000 College Station homeowners will be receiving a letter from the city this week about potential rezoning.

The letters will notify both homeowners in the potential rezoning area and their neighbors within 200 feet. The City of College Station is looking to rezone individual blocks or neighborhoods to Middle Housing. City staff say they hope to provide more housing options and create more walkable communities with this change.

Middle Housing allows for structures like small lot single family homes, duplexes, shared housing, townhomes and small to medium multiplexes. With areas around the city now identified for potential rezoning, many already have homes and structures on them. College Station Long Range Planning Administrator, Alyssa Halle-Schramm, says little would change for now.

“Once a property is actually rezoned to Middle housing people can still live in their house, rent their house as they do today. It’s really if they wanted to redevelop the property into something different in the future that they have more options,” she said.

The expected timeline for approving the areas for rezoning is Fall 2023. Halle-Schramm says these letters serve as a notice to have your voice heard. The next steps include public meetings in June. Two virtual meetings will be held on June 7 and 14, with one in-person meeting on June 21.

This project has seen some backlash with residents showing up to council meetings and voicing their concerns with the inclusion of shared housing.

The city says this would allow “Ag Shacks” and “Stealth Dorms” where more than four unrelated people live together. This has previously been prohibited. Now, if a structure is located in a new Middle Housing zone, the homeowner can apply for shared housing and move into compliance. This would still require the property to meet city guidelines, but residents living near current properties in violation say this practice could cause home prices in the area to go up.

City staff are encouraging residents to reach out with questions at 979-764-3858 or email poc@cstx.gov.

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