Pearland Council Rejects 296-Unit Magnolia Parkway Apartments
Pearland City Council on Nov. 9 voted 5-2 to reject a rezoning that would have allowed 296 apartments on 15.0372 acres north of Magnolia Parkway, Community Impact reported.
Pearland City Council on Nov. 9 voted 5-2 against a rezoning that would have allowed up to 296 apartments on 15.0372 acres west of Manvel Road and north of Magnolia Parkway, Community Impact reported on Nov. 10. The official Nov. 9 council agenda and packet set the regular meeting for 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Pearland City Hall, 3519 Liberty Drive. The city’s official City Hall facilities page lists that address in ZIP code 77581, and the same address and ZIP appear on letterhead in the packet.
Community Impact identified the no votes as Rushi Patel, Rick Fernandez, Clint Byrom, Tommy Echols, and Mona Chavarria, and the yes votes as Joseph Koza and Layni Cade. Official minutes had not been opened for this report. The posted action was the first reading of Ordinance No. 2000M-288, zone-change application ZON2026-0209, which would have amended the zoning map from Office & Professional (OP) to Planned Development (PD) to accommodate a multifamily project.
The official request was filed by Travis McDonnell of Rockport Ventures LLC, on behalf of owner Terry Oppliger and Jachel Partnership LTD. The tract is described in the agenda as 15.0372 acres in the H.T. & B.R.R. Company Survey, Abstract No. 547, in Brazoria County, recorded in the name of Jachel Partnership, LTD.
A second try after a January denial
The official staff report says City Council denied a second reading on a similar Planned Development request, then numbered ZON2025-0517, at the Jan. 12, 2026, regular meeting. That earlier plan allowed up to 315 multifamily units in three buildings. The new application cuts the maximum to 296 units in three buildings, each no taller than three stories, with a clubhouse, a pool and outdoor grills, a dog park, a pocket park, and a walkway on the east edge of a detention pond on the property.
Staff listed other changes from the earlier plan: a 10-foot masonry or concrete fence along the north property lines in place of an 8-foot wood fence; enclosed, secured, air-conditioned corridors instead of open breezeways; and a westbound deceleration lane at the main entrance on Magnolia Parkway. Staff recommended approval. The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on Sept. 21, 2026, heard five speakers, and voted 4-1 to recommend approval, the packet says.
The same staff report tallied public comments provided before the council meeting and during citizen comments as 2 in support, 89 in opposition, and 1 asking for more information. Council member Byrom, who voted no, told the council the developer had “done a great job” but that the work “hasn’t swayed the public,” Community Impact reported. Resident Ann Strouhal, as quoted by the newspaper, said she thought the project was well designed but “not the right place for this.” Resident Marilyn Bullard spoke in favor, saying professionals coming into the city want a place to live. Patel, the newspaper said, objected that Broadway Street work scheduled through 2029 was left out of the traffic study and asked how that construction might affect Magnolia Parkway.
Rejecting the first reading of the rezoning ordinance stops this application from moving forward as posted. It does not rezone the land, which remains in the Office & Professional district, and it is not a vote on a city bond. Official minutes, if posted later, would be the place to confirm any conditions or follow-up instructions given to staff.
Related reading: Pflugerville Council Rejects Wine Bar Zoning Next to Church.
