House Bill 3135 Threatens Every Texas City and Neighborhood

Bill Would Force Texas Cities to Dismantle Height, Density, Lot Size, and Other Neighborhood Safeguards in a Last Ditch Effort by Special Interests

AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, May 9, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Grassroots coalition Our Own Backyards Texas called on neighborhood leaders and local officials to contact lawmakers to oppose HB 3135, a particularly dangerous bill scheduled to be voted on tomorrow – the final day for House bills to be scheduled for a second reading.

If passed, all Texas cities, counties, and special districts will be compelled to perform periodic land code reviews.

Those reviews force local government to repeal or amend any regulation that is perceived to interfere with housing production, whether it deals with lot sizes, building height or density, protecting heritage trees, or any number of safety issues.

Unlike other anti- neighborhood bills this legislative session, HB 3135 affects every single Texas city and homeowner.

“This is a breathtaking transfer of power from cities and homeowners to land developers and special interests who will use these reviews to dismantle all homeowner protections and zoning,” said Fred Lewis of Our Own Backyards Texas. “If HB 3135 passes tomorrow, cities will be forced to conduct costly reviews that compel them to dismantle their own zoning rules. It will jeopardize public safety and spell the end of single-family neighborhoods. There is not much time for Texas homeowners to contact their representatives and tell them to vote against this dangerous bill.”

The most troublesome language in HB 3135 reads: “The governing body shall repeal or amend a regulation that interferes with the production of new housing or development related to existing housing.” The bill specifies that this regulation includes not only zoning, but also public safety provisions like fire, electrical, water, and flood-related code. That means HB 3135 will compel local governments to roll back their own safety provisions to ensure housing development is unrestricted. The State of Texas would bear no financial or legal responsibility for these changes.

House Bill 3135 Summary:

• Mandates periodic reviews of any code related to land use by counties, cities, and special districts;

• The review process requires an appeal or or repeal of any regulation that could interfere with housing development;

• This includes zoning, permitting, construction, fire, plumbing, and flood mitigation related regulation;

• This will be expensive and onerous for counties, cities, and special districts and make them less safe.

ABOUT OUR OWN BACKYARDS TEXAS

Our Own Backyards Texas is a coalition of neighbors who understand that stable neighborhoods that allow families to grow and prosper are a city’s most valuable resource.

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Marc Duchen
Our Own Backyards Texas
+1 7138241266
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