Public Hearing Tonight!

This evening the Planning and Zoning Commission will hold the first public hearing on the proposed zoning ordinance update. While the consultant and city staff have held many public workshops and town hall meetings, this is an opportunity for citizens and stakeholders to speak directly to Whitehouse elected and appointed officials about the ordinance. The City Council will hold a similar public hearing later in the month, and both boards may hold additional public hearings to fine tune the code. However, all interested parties are strongly encouraged to attend this evening to have their say in the update process.

The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers/Municipal Court building at 6:30 pm, Monday February 16, 2009.

Parking in the Town Center

Parking in the Town Center is addressed differently from other zoning districts.  Due to the inherent mixed-use land use, broad categories of use determine the parking requirement.  Residential and lodging uses must provide parking based on the number of dwelling units.  Commercial and office uses must provide parking based on square footage.

Sites in TC-2 require slightly more parking due to different parking lot and site design standards.  However, the proposed general parking requirement is lower in the Town Center than in other parts of Whitehouse.

Another concept that is slightly different in the Town Center address the location of parking.  To maintain the pedestrian streetscape, parking is primarily located in the rear or on the sides of structures under the proposed code.  In the TC-1 District, only 10% of total parking is permitted within the build-to range.  In the TC-2 District, only 50% is allowed in the build-to range.

Buffering Elements

Structures within the Town Center have the opportunity to build at a higher urban scale than other portions of Whitehouse. To help mitigate this aspect of the Town Center development pattern, a buffering requirement is included in the proposed code.

The existing buffering element for zoning within Whitehouse utilizes setbacks exclusively. The proposed code language would introduce the concept of a sky exposure angle. In short, the height of a building cannot exceed the height of a visibility angle as viewed from a protected land use. The goal is to minimize the impact tall buildings may have on existing single-family homes just outside the district. In addition to the sky exposure angle, the proposed code calls for a solid masonry fence and screening trees near the common border.


The concept is described in the following illustration. In this example, Town Center buildings are shown abutting existing single-family homes (the back yards and rear of the homes is shown on the right side of the image). The height of the buildings would be limited based on the 45 degree visibility angle. As shown, buildings could not reach their full allowable height near the common border. The other buffering elements such as the fence, trees, and setback are also included.

Town Center Landscaping and Pedestrian Friendly Streetscape

In a typical zoning district, landscaping is the primary method for improving community wellbeing through aesthetics. While landscaping is also important in the Town Center, much of the aesthetic focus centers on the streetscape. Parking lot and site landscaping are particularly reduced in favor of pedestrian streetscape considerations.


The code does include proposed streetscape elements providing environmental coverage for sidewalk and public space. These requirements may be fulfilled either through canopy street trees or a built canopy/arcade. While a site may utilize either option, 100% of the sidewalk must be covered. A site may also be designed with a mix of coverage. A typical example of this mix could be a site with a covered canopy where the building is located within the build-to range. In portions of the site without a building, street trees could be utilized to provide cover for the remaining sidewalk.

Requirements for landscaping are similar for both TC-1 and TC-2. However, TC-2 (the more automobile oriented district) has some emphasis shifted to parking lot landscaping from street trees.

Another element of Town Center streetscape addresses plaza space. Plaza space in intended to provide small but inviting sites spread throughout the Town Center for public use. Each plaza may be relatively small, however locating these sites throughout the district should help encourage pedestrian activity. For special events such as parades or Yesteryear, the plazas will also provide additional gathering points for district visitors.

The minimum size of each plaza is determined by the size of the building(s) located on the site. 1 square foot of plaza space would be required for each 100 square feet of floor space in the building. Where buildings have multiple stories, the total square footage for all floors would be utilized.

Several examples of actual plaza space are shown below. In some examples, the plaza space is incorporated into a wide portion of the sidewalk. In others, the plaza space is a connected but separate area.

Town Center Building and Lot Continued

The relationship of a structure to the sidewalk and street also have a noteworthy impact on a district's pedestrian friendliness. In general, sites with structures which are closer to the street create a more comfortable environment for walking. Sites which occupy more of the frontage also enhance the feeling of an "urban room" for pedestrians.

The following image was included in the visual preference survey of potential Town Center development patterns. In this site, the structure creates this urban room feel through its height and proximity to the street. As illustrated, the structure is located within 30' for the street. Though not labeled on this image, the sidewalk in this example is approximately 10' wide.



The proposed Town Center code encourages these design considerations though several modifications of typical zoning code. The first change is the elimination of front and side setbacks. The proposed code does not require any setback from the ROW line beyond the required sidewalk width.



The proposed code takes this a step further and introduces the concept of a build-to range. Rather than require a separation between the building and street, a build-to notion encourages the opposite. In the proposed code, a certain percentage of a building's front façade must be located within a certain distance from the street. This requirement is the first area where TC-1 and TC-2 differ.



The TC-1 District (Town Center Main Street) is intended for sites primarily located along FM 346. Because many sites in this location are small and suitable for walking, the range is closer. Buildings must extend to within 20' of the front ROW. Additionally, at least 50% of the façade must be within this range.

The TC-2 District (Town Center Troup Highway) is intended for sites with a more automobile focus. Because these sites are typically larger is size and depth, the build-to range is extended to 60' in the proposed code. The façade length is also reduced to 40%.

The advantage of creating two districts is the flexibility of expanding the Town Center zoning where appropriate along Highway 110. This can happen over time as developers become more comfortable with the Town Center zoning framework. The TC-2 district can retain many of the elements which set the Town Center apart, but also have some differences which better accommodate automobile traffic.

Another element of the code intended to encourage more pedestrian activity relates to sidewalks. Under the proposed code, sites would be required to extend the soon to be constructed sidewalk to 12'. In cases where ROW is not sufficient, the sidewalk would be extended onto private property. The purpose of wider sidewalks is to provide for room to use public space within the district. While 12' is not ideal, it does provide an excellent starting point.


While the proposal is for a 12' minimum width, ultimate design authority will remain with TXDOT. All sidewalk site plans must be reviewed by staff in the agency to ensure safe design of the sidewalk.

Town Center Building and Lot

The most basic regulation for the Town Center addresses building and lot design. The Town Center is intended to be accommodating of development which is mixed-use, pedestrian, and of a higher quality.

Regulations which cover design elements such as block face and perimeter help meet these goals by creating small block sizes, more adaptive for pedestrian use. Smaller lots sizes are also permitted in the districts. Smaller lots are common in a wide range of pedestrian friendly development patterns because they allow for a wider diversity of uses that may be of interest to those on foot.



The proposed code seeks to create consistency with regard to residential density. Both a minimum and maximum density are proposed in the code. Sites which develop for residential uses would be required to reach at least 10 dwelling units per acre. By right, the proposed maximum density would be 25 dwelling units per acre.

Building bulk is another development aspect addressed in this table. While other districts in the zoning code prescribe only a maximum height, the Town Center districts go one step further. The code encourages both pedestrian scale and height consistency by requiring a minimum façade height. Maintaining this consistency in height will help build a psychological comfort for pedestrians.

By right, the proposed Town Center districts do not allow for structures as tall as in other parts of Whitehouse. The proposed code allows for buildings reaching 42 feet. However, through development incentives, sites can potentially reach a height of 70 feet.

To help illustrate what these sizes could look like, several scale drawings were created. In each, three scenarios are shown of a hypothetical development project within the district. One shows the site with no structure. Another shows the site with a structure standing at 42' tall. A third shows the site with a 70' tall structure. It should be stressed that this is NOT a proposed project, but simply a site chosen for its central location and suitability for this example.



The final example shows the same hypothetical scenario from a different perspective.

Town Center Code

The Town Center portion of this project is a set of zoning districts within the primary code. The TC zoning district (potentially two districts) will function just like the other districts such as C-L or R-H. The following posts will explain a few of the key concepts behind the districts, and what differentiates them from the other, more traditional districts.

Commercial Dimensional Standards

As with the last post, this portion of the code addresses intensity and lot design. The primary areas of focus are the Retail/Office Low Intensity district (C-L), Retail/Office Medium Intensity district (C-M), Retail/Office High Intensity district (C-H), and Town Center (TC-1 and TC-2) districts. General Industrial and Light Industrial/Business Park will remain largely unchanged.

Residential density is considered in these districts as residential attached housing will be permitted in upper floors of commercial buildings. The densities are roughly equivalent to low, medium, and high residential districts (with the exception of Residential Low Density). The highest allowable density will be within the Town Center. In this district, a minimum density will be required for residential use (10 dwelling units per acre in Town Center Main Street, and 5 dwelling units per acre in Town Center Troup Highway). Residential development will also be permitted to reach 25 DU per acre by right, and 50 DU per acre with incentives.

The other major area for consideration is structure height. C-L will be capped at 35' for the primary structure. C-M and C-H will be capped at 45' and 60' respectively. By right, development in the Town Center will be limited to 50' but may reach heights of 70' though incentives. These heights are illustrated in abstract form in the included graphic. The districts increase from left to right, C-L to TC-1/2.



Posts focusing on the Town Center will illustrate the issue of height within that district in more detail.