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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20260409 Zoning Board of Adjustments Regular Meeting Minutes MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND,TEXAS HELD ON APRIL 9,2026 AT 6:00PM IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 3519 LIBERTY DRIVE. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Lewis opened the meeting for the Zoning Board of Adjustment at 6:03pm. In attendance were: ZBA Chairperson, Mark Lewis ZBA Vice Chairperson,Jerry Acosta ZBA Member, Gary Shrum ZBA Member, Donald Glenn ZBA Alternate Member, Bincy Jacob Also present were Planner I William Genitempo, Planning Technician Stacey Haas,Assistant Director of Planning Katya Copeland, Director of Community Development Vance Wyly, and Deputy City Attorney Katie Leininger. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Consideration and Possible Action -Approve the ZBA Meeting Minutes from March 5th, 2026. Chairperson Lewis read into the record the Approval of Minutes. Member Glenn made the motion to approve and Alternate Member Jacob seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. NEW BUSINESS Chairperson Lewis read into the record the item on Consideration and Possible Action-VAZ2026- 0101: Special Exception to Reduce the Minimum Transparency Requirement for a Change of Use in an Existing Structure. Consideration and Possible Action-VAZ2026-0101: Special Exception to Reduce the Minimum Transparency Requirement for a Change of Use in an Existing Structure Public Hearing:A request by The Picklr Pearland, represented by Michael Handy, applicant, on behalf of Brixmor Property Group, owner,for approval of a special exception, as permitted by the Unified Development Code, Ordinance No. 2000-T,to allow for a special exception for the change of use and related improvements required by Section 4.1.3.2 to reduce the minimum required transparency of an existing structure as allowed by Section 2.7.3.7(b)(7)(c),to wit: Legal Description: Being the 12.6047-acre Tract 1 of the Pearland Plaza Plat, a subdivision in Brazoria County,Texas, according to the map or plat recorded in County Clerk's File No. 1979009615, recorded in Volume 16 page 35-36 in the Plat Records of Brazoria County,Texas. General Location: 3267 Broadway Street, Pearland,TX Planner I William Genitempo presented the staff report with exhibits. He explained the request was for a special exception to reduce the minimum required facade transparency for an existing structure. He stated the change of use was from a Department Store to an Indoor Tennis Club/Commercial Amusement. Since the property is located in the Corridor Overlay District (COD),the COD regulations apply. Chapter 4 of the Unified Development Code(UDC) requires the front facade to have 25%transparency, and this storefront only provides 11%transparency. Planner Genitempo explained that the applicant is asking to maintain the existing storefront as is, without installing the extra windows the regulation requires. He also stated that no phone calls or written comments for or against this proposal were received. He went onto explain that although the storefront is pre-existing, it is located within the COD and as the city expands, incremental improvements should occur within the COD, as laid out in the UDC. He stated that the COD standards should be upheld and that doing so will ensure the storefront is visually consistent with the other lease spaces in the center. The proposed 11%transparency is not consistent with the other suites, and therefore Staff cannot recommend approval of the special exception. The applicant, Russell Handy, 1907 Carriage Creek Lane, Friendswood,Texas 77546 was in attendance and provided a presentation. He stated that he and his son own a Pcklr franchise and this franchise provides a dedicated experience of the sport of Pickleball. He mentioned that it is not fiscally feasible to build from the ground up, so Pcklr franchises usually need to modify existing buildings to fit their needs. He stated this property can fit 8 courts. However,the transparency requirement of 25%creates issues with lighting and safety. To get the transparency needed, one of the courts would have a window on half of the court. This is a safety issue if a player runs into the window while playing. There is also a lighting issue as it would be hard to see the ball during certain times of the day, and the number one complaint among pickleball players is lighting. The Pcklr franchise likes to control the lighting for optimal gameplay. Mr. Handy did mention that they could get the transparency to 19% if needed by increasing the glass on the other side of the suite by the office and community room. Chairperson Lewis called for public input. There were no persons present to speak for or against this item. The Board discussion focused on achieving the 19%transparency that Mr. Handy mentioned in his presentation. Assistant Director Copeland mentioned that the ZBA had previously approved a 15% transparency for Crunch Fitness,which is also in the COD and they should take that into account for consistency. Director Wyly stated he would tike to get the 19%since that is closer to meeting the UDC requirements. There was no further discussion from Staff,ZBA members or the applicant. Chairperson Lewis added a condition to the motion that the applicant is required to provide 19% transparency on the facade. Member Acosta made a motion to approve and Member Shrum seconded the motion. Motion approved 5-0. ADJOURNMENT Chairperson Lewis adjourned the Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting at 6:28pm. These minutes respectfully submitted by: Stacey F4 as, Planning Technician Minutes approved as su tte this 7 of May, 2026 MarkLewis, Chairperson