Killeen compromises on architectural standards with developers

Killeen Daily Herald
By Kevin Limiti | Herald
October 29, 2023

The city of Killeen has reached a potential compromise with developers and builders over architectural design standards.

During the Oct. 17 meeting of the Killeen City Council, Edwin Revell, director of planning for the city of Killeen, said the city staff had three meetings with developers over the architectural standards.

Revell said they made several changes to the standards in order to compromise with developers. Some of those changes included:

Separate standards for single family, and two-family homes.

Allowing five unique elevations instead of the three previously proposed.

Allowing the repetition of home floor plans as long as rooflines and elevations are noticeably different

Three-car garages are now allowed to compromise 60% of the elevations as long as they are at least 12 inches back from the sidewalk.

Reducing the minimum size of a covered front porch entry to 40 feet.

Adding eyebrow roof over window or garage door as an option.

The city staff’s conclusion was that these changes would make it easier for developers to comply with the architectural standards since it provides more options and makes them less strict.

“For purposes of this section, elevations shall be substantially different in terms of shape, massing, and form,” the proposed repetition standards reads according to the presentation. “The same elevation with different materials, different architectural features, or different fenestration shall not be considered a different elevation for purposes of this section.”

It also said the language in this section is “not proposed to change.”

City Manager Kent Cagle said Friday that he thought it was a good compromise.

“Just by itself it wasn’t that big of a deal,” he said, but once they added in the standards about the block limits and other additions, he felt satisfied with that. “Everything done together will make a big difference.”

Cagle said the architectural standards need to go through the Planning and Zoning Commission but expects it will be brought up to the City Council by the end of the year.

“I don’t think there’s any more work to be done on it,” he said.

The architectural standards were a topic that caused some heated reactions from local developers at previous meetings.

On Aug. 15, after local developers voiced their frustrations with the architectural standards, city staff were directed by the City Council to go back to the drawing board on the architectural standards and hold stakeholder meetings with developers. These meetings were held on Sept. 11, Sept. 19 and Oct. 5.

According to the presentation attached to the Oct. 17 council meeting agenda, the appeal process for architectural standards was overhauled, allowing city staff “to approve special exceptions administratively” as long as the proposed building “meets the intent … of the standards.”

During the Oct. 17 meeting, the general consensus of the council members was positive about the changes.

Councilman Michael Boyd asked what type of direction city staff was looking for in regards to the changes, to which Revell replied they were merely looking for feedback.

“I believe you all have done an outstanding job working together,” Boyd said. “Obviously this is a compromise that no one’s getting exactly what they want but it’s an effective compromise.”

Councilman Riakoas Adams said he agreed with Boyd.

“If I see a house and I want the house to look just like the one next to it, how do we proceed with that?” he asked.

Cagle remarked that they could always buy another lot. “That’s usually, if not always, an option,” he said.

Councilman Jose Segarra likewise said he approved of the compromises.

“It looks like they kind of came together here,” he said. “Are there any differences now between the single family and duplex? Are they kind of in line?

Revell said there were differences between architectural elements — four for duplexes five for single family

“When people get in these chambers on the night when this is presented, will everybody be on one accord?” Mayor Pro Tem Nina Cobb asked.

“Time will tell,” Revell replied.

Councilwoman Jessica Gonzalez said the changes were a “nice, happy medium.”

“Let’s put this baby to bed and get it going,” she said.