Pearland City Council turned down a rezoning on Nov. 9 that would have cleared the way for 296 apartments on office-zoned land north of Magnolia Parkway and west of Manvel Road, voting 5-2 against the developer's second try at the site in less than a year (via Community Impact).
Council members Layni Cade and Joseph Koza voted for the request. Clint Byrom, Rick Fernandez, Rushi Patel, Tommy Echols and Mona Chavarria voted no. The vote came on the first reading of the rezoning ordinance, according to Community Impact's preview of the meeting.
The applicant was Rockport Ventures, whose managing principal, Travis Donnell, has been pitching the project since a joint council and planning workshop in August 2025. Rockport is the developer behind The Delta Pearland, a 358-unit complex at 7300 Magnolia Parkway that Venterra Realty marked with a grand opening in July 2025. The new site sits across the parkway from it.
This is the second version of the plan. Late last year Rockport sought a planned development for 315 units on what Reporter News described as 15 acres. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval on Dec. 1, 2025, and the council passed it 4-2 on first reading in mid-December, with Chavarria and Patel opposed. It then failed in January.
The 296-unit version called for three buildings, each three stories, with surface parking, a clubhouse, a pool with outdoor grills, a dog park and a pocket park. Rockport also added elevators, secured air-conditioned corridors, dark-sky lighting, an internal bus stop with a roundabout, a Flock camera and a westbound deceleration lane.
The developer's case leaned on demand. Donnell told council the Delta was nearly 99% leased within 10 months of completion, with a median resident age of 29. Community Impact reported that exit surveys show many Delta tenants move out to buy homes in Pearland. "This is an asset that's providing a transitional housing option for young professionals," he said.
The numbers presented put the project at roughly 1,800 vehicle trips a day, under 5% of traffic at each nearby signal, and close to $819,000 a year in property taxes. For comparison, the Delta generated about $990,000 in 2026, with 52% going to Pearland ISD and 29% to the city, according to Community Impact.
Property owner Terry Oppliger, who has held the land since 2010, backed the request. "Do some people prefer apartments? Can everybody in Pearland afford a new home?" he asked council.
Residents split. Marilyn Bullard said, "I think the location is perfect because there are no apartments around." Ann Strouhal took the other side: "I think it's a great development, but it's not the right place for this."
Patel pointed out that the traffic study didn't account for Broadway Street construction, which he said runs through 2029. Byrom said public feedback decided it for him. "The developer has done a great job. But it hasn't swayed the public," he said.
The vote lands in a market that isn't obviously overbuilt. Community Impact reported in September that Pearland has added nearly 1,500 multifamily units since 2018, and Cushman & Wakefield data put the city's vacancy at 6.5% through the second quarter of 2026, against 11.1% for the Houston metro.
State law isn't forcing the city's hand yet. Senate Bill 840, passed in 2025, requires cities over 150,000 people to allow multifamily by right in certain office, commercial, retail, warehouse and mixed-use districts. Pearland sits around 133,500, and a Texas Municipal League representative said the city likely has until the 2030 Census before it's affected.
Why it matters for Contractors
For now, apartment work on office- and commercial-zoned land in Pearland runs through a rezoning that council can and will vote down, even with a favorable planning recommendation and a developer with a well-leased project next door. Two denials on the same tract in 10 months is a clear signal about this council's appetite.
Smaller subs and suppliers who were counting on another three-building job off Magnolia Parkway should look elsewhere for 2027 backlog. And keep an eye on Pearland's population: once it crosses 150,000, SB 840 changes the rules on which sites can go multifamily without a council vote.