HBA-KDB H.B. 2951 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2951
By: Walker
Land & Resource Management
3/28/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, planned unit developments affected by municipal zoning
regulations are not exempt from provisions relating to the issuance of
local permits.  If a project takes several years to complete from the
initial purchase to a finished building site, a municipality may change its
zoning codes to restrict the previously planned project before it is
completed.  This may significantly change the economics of a project. House
Bill 2951 exempts such planned unit developments from municipal zoning
regulations relating to the issuance of local permits. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2951 amends the Local Government Code to provide that a project
for the subdivision of land for development that requires a permit includes
all of the land within a preliminary plat, final plat, preliminary plan,
site plan, or planned unit development, and includes all uses permitted by
the applicable land use regulations. 

The bill adds preliminary plats, planned unit developments, and all other
developments for land covered by a preliminary plat, site plan, or planned
unit development to the list of projects that can be considered
collectively to be  one series of permits for a project.  The bill provides
that a change in the specific use of all or a portion of the land within a
preliminary plat, final plat, preliminary plan, site plan, or planned unit
development is not a new project requiring one or more additional permits
if the new use is permitted by right, under special conditions, or approval
under the land use regulations. 

Municipal zoning regulations that do not affect development regulations
under a planned unit development are exempt from provisions relating to the
issuance of local permits. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.