New Braunfels City Council will hold a Sept. 28 public hearing and first reading on a request to rezone 0.17 acre at 839 Oasis Street for a short-term rental after the Planning Commission recommended denial 9-0.
Approval on both readings would add a short-term-rental zoning overlay to one residential lot at 839 Oasis Street, with the draft ordinance requiring the property to retain its residential character and follow the approved site and floor plans.
The request reaches council with opposition from city staff and the Planning Commission. Draft Sept. 1 minutes record a 9-0-0 commission vote recommending denial after the applicant addressed the panel; no one spoke for or against the request during that hearing.
What the property records show
The 1,040-square-foot house, built in 1948, is now zoned R-2 for single-family and two-family use. The city’s agenda item report describes it as a three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence and says short-term-rental rules would allow no more than eight occupants and require at least three paved off-street parking spaces.
The city notified 26 property owners within 200 feet. Its notification packet includes five responses opposing the request and one supporting it. The agenda item report calculates those opposition responses at 15% of the notification area and says a supermajority vote would not be required unless the opposition share increases before council acts.
The same staff report places the property on the north side of Oasis Street, about 125 feet east of Wright Street. It says the immediately surrounding properties carry R-2 zoning and identifies the nearest existing short-term rental at approximately 700 feet to the southwest.
How the decision works
Council’s Sept. 28 action is only the first reading; the draft ordinance lists Oct. 12 for a second and final reading.
The Sept. 28 agenda schedules the meeting for 6 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers at 550 Landa Street. The 839 Oasis request is listed as a public hearing, allowing council to receive testimony before considering the proposed first reading.
The unanswered question is whether council will follow the commission’s recommendation or move the request to its second reading. Readers can inspect the city’s item page for the maps, notification materials, commission minutes and proposed ordinance before the hearing.