Additional procedures for a special minimum lot size area application.

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-201

in effect

Sec. 42-201. - Additional procedures for a special minimum lot size area application. (a) For an application for a special minimum lot size area, the director, within 60 business days of receipt of an initially complete application, shall establish a date for a community meeting on the application which shall not take place later than 90 business days after determination that the application is initially complete. The director shall give notice of the meeting by first class mail to all owners of lots within the proposed area as indicated on the current appraisal district records not later than 15 business days prior to the date of the community meeting. The notice shall include the date, time, and location of the community meeting, and the procedures for consideration of an application. (b) The director shall give notice by electronic mail to each district city council member in whose district any portion of the proposed area is located. (c) The applicant shall place two signs on each blockface within the proposed area that conforms to the specifications prescribed by the director. The director shall approve an alternative to the number and location of signs required by this subsection upon determining that the alternative will provide sufficient visibility of the signs and accomplish the objectives of this section without unduly burdening the applicant. The applicant shall use reasonable efforts to maintain each required sign on each blockface until commission takes final action on an application. (d) The director shall establish rules for the conduct of the community meeting, and will hold the community meeting within or near the proposed area, subject to the availability of an appropriate venue. At the community meeting, the director shall inform the owners of lots of the application for designation of the proposed special minimum lot size area and the process for review and consideration by the department, commission, and city council. (e) Not later than 60 days after the community meeting, the director shall mail a response form by first class mail to the owners of all lots within the proposed area for the purpose of gathering evidence of support for the application. The response form shall be completed and returned by the lot owner and shall indicate whether the lot owner does or does not support designation of the proposed special minimum lot size area. The response form must be signed by the lot owner, delivered or mailed to the director, and if mailed, postmarked not later than 30 days after the date of notice indicated on the response form. The signature of one owner of a lot is presumed to represent the consent of all owners of a lot with more than one owner. (f) Within 60 business days after the deadline for returning response forms mailed in accordance with subsection (e) has passed, the director shall determine if owners of 55 percent of the proposed area support the designation of the special minimum lot size area. For purposes of determining whether 55 percent of the proposed area supports the designation, the director shall not count land that is owned by a governmental entity or a utility that does not return a response form. If the director finds that 55 percent of the proposed area supports the designation, the application will be considered complete. If the director is unable to make the determination, the director shall: (1) Modify the boundaries of the proposed area by removing one or more blockfaces or modify the boundaries in accordance with subsection 42-204(c) of this Code if the modification will result in boundaries where the owners of 55 percent of the lots support designation of the proposed area. If the director modifies the boundaries in a way that achieves 55 percent support, the application will be considered complete; or (2) Determine that the application fails and that no further action will be taken by the department or the commission. The director shall give notice by first class mail to the owners of all lots within the proposed area as shown on the current appraisal district records that the application has failed to meet the criteria of this subdivision and that there will be no public hearing before the commission. (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exh. A), 4-24-2013; Ord. No. 2015-639, §§ 36, 37, 6-24-2015)

Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH42SUDEPL_ARTIIIPLST_DIV4LORE_SDBSPMILOSIRE_S42-201ADPRSPMILOSIARAPFetched: 10/26/2026