Coppell's car port ordinances change after resident advocacy

A correction has been issued for this story: Greg Goyne was representing his parents who have a home with a carport in the Sherwood neighborhood. The identity of the individual who reported the Sherwood neighborhood carports has never been revealed because their application in another neighborhood was denied.

A total of 134 Coppell residents signed a petition to amend the city’s car port ordinance, ending in unanimous approval from the Coppell City Council.

A resident had applied for a car port to put behind their house to protect their car from the elements. The resident's application was denied because it did not meet the minimum setback required for a car port in their neighborhood. Upon the application’s denial, the resident presented multiple car ports similar to the one they proposed, which also fell out of favor from Coppell’s zoning ordinances.

A letter was sent to the residents, telling them they must remove their car ports because they were either constructed without a permit or did not meet city standards. In a 40-acre subdivision located off Parkway Boulevard and Moore Road, homeowners came together to advocate to keep their car ports and amend the city’s zoning ordinance.

Coppell’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the changes to the required setback to ensure the ports fit behind residents’ houses. The ports must be open on three sides, can only be located on a property owners’ rear lot, must be paved underneath and must be constructed out of durable metal and wood. Roofs may have solar panels, provided they pass inspection. The car ports must not exceed the roof line of the house and must not break any rules set by the Homeowners Association.

While the proposed ordinance required residents with existing car ports to pass inspection from a structural engineer hired by the resident, Council Member Mark Hill said the engineer would not be able to check the structure’s footing without demolition, which would be invasive and costly. The City Council unanimously decided not to require residents to hire a structural engineer to check the structure. The proposed ordinance also called for a 120-day application window. After hearing from residents, council voted unanimously to extend the window to 12 months and waive permit fees for existing car ports in the subdivision.

“I think this is how cities should work,” Hill said. “We come to an agreement with our neighborhoods and what they are willing to accept.”

This has been a decision in the works since August, according to Mayor Wes Mays.

“We don’t make decisions quickly, but I would like to think that we take our time to make the correct decisions,” Mays said.