College Station City Council to talk occupancy limits on tax rates at upcoming meeting

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Tax rates and rezoning are on the agenda for Thursday’s College Station City Council meeting.

Residents from three subdivisions, Sweet Briar Addition, Woodland Acres, and College Hills Woodlands filed a request for rezoning under a Restricted Occupancy Overlay (ROO).

“A zoning tool for single family subdivisions and neighborhoods to be able to restrict the allowed number of unrelated occupants,” planning and development staff planner Gabriel Schrum explained a ROO designation.

This would not make any physical changes to the area. The ROO designation would be added onto the existing General Suburban (GS) zoning designation.

The ROO, however, does affect who can rent in those subdivisions. The restriction is referred to as ‘no more than two,’ meaning no more than two unrelated people can rent together.

‘Related’ is defined by the city using categories such as marriage, adoption, or an authorized caretaker.

This is not the first time rezoning has come up in recent council meetings. In May, other subdivisions were rezoned under a ROO.

Students voiced their frustrations about the occupancy restrictions due to the subdivisions’ proximity to Texas A&M University. However, if the property is registered as a rental through the city, the guidelines are adjusted.

“Unless they’re part of that rental registered program already, where they can flush it up to four,” expanded Schrum.

A ROO request must be brought forward by the subdivisions themselves.

According to council member Bob Yancy, community members feel those actions are necessary, “They feel like their neighborhood integrity or their quality of life relative to a single-family residential neighborhood has been eroded somewhat by the proliferation of rental properties.”

Thursday’s council meeting also gives residents the platform to share their thoughts on the 2024-2025 tax rate.

The tax rate, which remains virtually unchanged from the year prior, will be officially approved at a later meeting.

“Citizens who want to have feedback input relative to our tax rate; this is an opportunity to come visit with us. Our current tax rate is 51.3 cents,” Yancy added.

The meeting takes place at City Hall at 4 p.m., with both in-person and virtual options for attending.