A bill pending in the legislature contains provisions designed to reduce notice of city-wide zoning changes and to make it harder to protest.
You can testify in person at 8 AM Thursday at the legislature – or file your online comments (3,000 character limit) at this website
This Thursday, March 20, at 8 AM, there is a public hearing on HB24 by Orr in E2.026. For those persons who will be testifying, information for in-person witness registration can be found here: https://mytxlegis.capitol.texas.gov/HWRSPublic/About.aspx
What this bill proposes:
- Protest petitions against upzoning will now require the owners of 60% of surrounding property (instead of the longstanding 20% standard) to trigger a supermajority vote of the city council. Tripling the petition requirement will facilitate commercial and incompatible development in neighborhoods across our city and the state and significantly impact gentrifying areas and homes near corridors.
- The hard-won requirement for individual notice of a city-wide upzoning of neighborhoods would be eliminated.
- Lawsuits to challenge illegal city initiated upzonings must be filed within 60 days of the effective date of the change – an unreasonable limitation out of step with current law.
This proposal is a radical change to keep the public in the dark about cities redefining their communities, and stifling our ability to challenge or correct bad land use policy and illegal conduct
Our local Representative Gina Hinojosa is on this committee – you can reach out to her by email or calling her office at (512) 463-0668.
Let the legislature know people don’t want to be “in the dark” about changes effecting their homes.