Waco kicks off downtown redevelopment zoning talks, seeks public input

Waco is seeking public input on new zoning laws to shape the look of $1.8 billion in anticipated downtown redevelopment.

City officials said the yearlong process to develop new zoning for more than 100 acres covered by the redevelopment plan will aim to encourage growth while also preserving Waco's characteristics.

The city kicked off talks to develop new zoning Tuesday with a public information session on the downtown redevelopment project , a master plan to transform Waco's city center over the next 12 to 20 years.

Matt Goebel, director of Clarion Associates, the firm tasked with crafting new zoning, said the firm will develop form-based code rather than traditional zoning. Form-based code regulates the outside appearance of buildings, while traditional zoning regulates the use of land.

"The big idea for form-based code is that you care about the form of the building. Old-school zoning was all about what is the use inside the building," Goebel said.

Goebel said modern planners are more concerned with the look of buildings and how they relate to surrounding developments as opposed to what goes inside the buildings. Form-based codes are also typically visual and include more illustrations, making them easier to understand and navigate.

"The idea is to make it more visually attractive, but also easier to find the information that you need, easier to understand visually what the community wants to see as opposed to just lists of what they want to restrict," Goebel said.

The downtown redevelopment project spans over 100 acres of Waco's downtown area. The Waco City Council adopted a strategic road map for the project in June, which includes plans to split the project into four distinct phases.

The city hired Hunt Development Group to carry out the project, approving $12.3 million last month for predevelopment services over the next year, including zoning, design, engineering and permitting work.

Hunt brought in Clarion to work on the form-based code, which lays an important foundation for long-term redevelopment projects, Hunt Senior Vice President Rodney Moss said. Without this specific type of code, downtown redevelopment projects "don't mature well", he said.

Clarion Associates will start the first phase of the zoning project this month by conducting background research and stakeholder interviews. Goebel said the firm is seeking input from the public on which stakeholders it should interview. The public can visit the city's new website, wacodowntownredevelopment.com , to submit suggestions and view project updates.

During the second phase of the zoning project, Clarion will present a draft assessment to the public this fall. The draft assessment will include information gathered during the first phase of the project.

In the third phase, concluding in spring 2025, Clarion will draft a new zoning ordinance. The project will finish in the summer or fall 2025 with the fourth phase, during which the new ordinance will be adopted by the city.

Over the course of the project, Clarion aims to establish an informal advisory committee of about a dozen Waco residents who understand zoning and represent the people invested in the downtown redevelopment project. Members of the public can volunteer or nominate someone on the Waco downtown redevelopment website.

Moss said communication on the zoning project will be continuous and ongoing, including monthly updates to the public or Waco City Council.

Tom Balk, Waco director of strategic initiatives and the city's representative at Tuesday's public input session, said the zoning project will happen simultaneously with Phase 1A of the downtown redevelopment project.

Phase 1A of the project includes uncovering Barron's Branch, a long-buried creek encased in a 22-foot drainage tunnel between Fourth Street and University Parks Drive. The project would restore the creek, surrounding it with walkways and new retail buildings. A new drainage tunnel would also be built on the site to remove the area's floodplain status and open about 19 acres for development. New water, wastewater, stormwater and street infrastructure would be added to the blocks north of City Hall to help support future development in the area.

Phase 1A of the project would also create a pedestrian plaza along Jefferson Avenue, connecting the Brazos River to St. Francis on the Brazos Catholic Church. The area would re-create a historic fountain known as La Pila and create an entertainment venue called "La Mutualista Hall and Dance Floor."

Balk said construction on the utility infrastructure for Phase 1A is set to begin summer 2025, with utility and park infrastructure to be completed by 2028.

Major elements in subsequent phases include a new administration building shared by the city and Waco Independent School District near Heritage Square, a new performing arts center and a new convention center along the Brazos River, a new town green in place of the current convention center, and a minor league ballpark near Waco and University Parks drives.

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