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After more than two hours of debate over proposed regulations of home lot sizes just outside the city limits, the College Station City Council on Wednesday opted to send the issue to the Brazos County Commissioners Court for its review and comment.
More than 115 people packed the College Station council chambers, hallways and viewing areas as the council considered the merits of a two-acre minimum lot size in the extraterritorial jurisdiction. The area borders the city limits, and the city maintains some control over its development.
About 20 people spoke, most against the two-acre minimum, saying they might not be able to afford larger lots. The council eventually opted for a one-acre minimum lot size and approved a motion for Mayor Ben White to urge county officials to consider a 1.5-acre minimum.
Council members expressed concern about the health of residents using septic systems in high-density subdivisions and requested that the Brazos County Health Department be involved in the discussion about septic systems.
Only council member John Crompton voted against the one-acre measure, saying that, based on the professional opinions presented at the meeting, a two-acre minimum was sufficient. Crompton also suggested that sending the issue to county commissioners would be unproductive.
"Our job is not to protect some of the people, but all of the people," Crompton said, citing the health and safety concerns of the aerobic septic systems used in the ETJ developments.
Bob Cowell, the city's planning and development services director, suggested that the city approve the two-acre requirement for homes in the ETJ, saying the change was needed to help manage the high-density development in the area.
City officials initially proposed a 20-acre minimum about a year ago and in recent workshop meetings considered a five-acre minimum.
Brazos County Judge Randy Sims told the council during the public hearing that he didn't think the city could change the lot size requirement without approval from the county and urged council members not to deter development.
"In this economic time that we have right now, builders are a great source of revenues and jobs. I think it's a detriment to our whole community if, in fact, we don't take that into consideration that jobs are going to be hard to come by if the economy stays the way it is," he said to applause.
Many ETJ residents expressed concern that the council was considering changes that would affect their way of life when they had no vote in city elections.
Diane Goodman said she was angry, concerned and offended at the proposal. Goodman said she'd lived in the area outside the city limits for 16 years and planned to build a home on a one-acre lot. Her plan would be worthless, she said, if the city changed the minimum lot size requirement.
"I wont be able to sell it because who's going to want it, because what are they going to do with it?" she said.
Cowell suggested, however, that her property probably would be grandfathered into the new regulations.
