The House County Affairs Committee held interim hearings in San Antonio, Fort Worth and McAllen in October and will hold interim hearings in Tyler and Fort Worth this month to discuss tools available to counties to manage growth.
At the committee's interim hearing at the Capitol in August, County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas General Counsel Jim Allison said that counties are now asking for “limited” authority to regulate development instead of broad zoning authority. Specifically, counties are requesting authority to regulate density of development, charge developers impact fees to fund roadway and other infrastructure improvements and require buffer zones to protect existing residential property from incompatible land uses. Allison and Texas Conference of Urban Counties Executive Director Don Lee reported that their members are also asking for authority to enforce building codes including the International Residential Code in unincorporated areas.
