The Pearland City Council’s March 16 regular meeting blended celebration of a lifesaving response at a local junior high with detailed debates over election access, major rezonings for Lower Kirby and McHard, event permits, and infrastructure contracts.
Citizen Lifesaving Award Highlights AED Preparedness
Before turning to regular business, Mayor Kevin Cole and Fire Chief Johnson led a special recognition for three Albright Junior High staff members whose training and preparation helped save a 12 year old student athlete.
On November 4, 2025, the student collapsed during football practice and went into a fatal cardiac arrhythmia within seconds.
Trained staff immediately began CPR, retrieved an automated external defibrillator (AED) stationed at the field, and delivered a shock before EMS arrived, actions the chief said were more decisive than anything done later in the ambulance.
The award honored nurse Joanna Guzman, coach Jeremy Washington, and Officer Dennis Hernandez for their quick response, and also recognized Coach Herman Hoyle for insisting an AED be available not just at games, but at practices on the field, an extra step the chief described as a culture of preparedness that directly enabled the save.
The mayor tied the story to recent lifesaving awards for Pearland fire and EMS, saying it underscored why public safety investment matters and why “every child, every parent, every teacher…has the opportunity to go home at night.”
Citizens raise concerns on water disinfection, voting hours, library support
During citizen comments, three residents used their time to press for changes and highlight community work.
Water disinfection impacts:
Resident Rachel Braccio asked council to improve notice and guidance for medically sensitive residents during the city’s periodic conversion from chloramine to free chlorine in its drinking water system.
She reported intense chlorine odor and personal respiratory and allergic reactions during the most recent maintenance period, noting that federal standards focus on ingestion, not inhalation of chlorine gas released in hot showers.
Braccio requested earlier and clearer public notification, publication of target chlorine levels compared to past maintenance cycles, and specific advisories for asthma and immune compromised residents.
Early voting hours and “voter suppression” perception
Long time resident Susan Mathews criticized the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekday early voting hours for the upcoming May city election as unfriendly to working families.
She relayed online comments from neighbors calling the schedule “voter suppression” and suggesting Pearland “doesn’t encourage voting,” and contrasted local hours with nearby cities that offer evening and Sunday options.
West Pearland Library support
Speaking for the Friends of West Pearland Library, president Carol Krinsky outlined the group’s 2025 accomplishments, including nearly 20,000 dollars in support for programming, staff appreciation and grants.
She reported that total revenue was up 37 percent while expenditures fell 15 percent, program attendance doubled, helped by a successful Lunar New Year event, and volunteer hours rose 37 percent.
New initiatives included providing low cost earbuds to reduce noise, selling tote bags after county funding ended and pairing quarterly book sales with author meet and greet events, all of which she said strengthened the library as a community asset.
The mayor thanked Krinsky and noted ongoing parking challenges at the West Pearland Library, praising the Friends’ efforts despite those constraints.
Election hours discussion and path to future changes
The council removed three election related resolutions from the consent agenda to allow discussion, focusing especially on Resolution R2026 33 1, which incorporates Brazoria County’s polling places and hours for the May 2 general election.
Quentin Wiltz spoke against limiting early voting to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, arguing that working families and caregivers “will be left off, left out” of early voting.
Wiltz linked the issue to national values of self governance and the pledge to the flag, and pointed out that one early voting day falls on the San Jacinto Day holiday, further cutting access.
He said residents expect consistency after high turnout primary elections that used longer hours, and warned that reduced hours and fewer locations risk undermining trust.
Deputy City Attorney Lawrence Provins explained that Pearland participates in a joint election contract run by the Brazoria County elections clerk and that early voting times and locations were set in that agreement, which the city executed in late February.
Under state guidance from the Secretary of State, he said Pearland cannot unilaterally extend hours at its sites; any change would have to be countywide across all participating entities, with updated exhibits and re testing of election systems completed by statutory deadlines that have already passed.
Provins outlined two key points for future cycles.
The December joint elections planning meeting is the time for Pearland to advocate for extended hours, such as 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the second week of early voting, mirroring past practice and state rules used in larger elections.
If Pearland wanted hours different from the rest of the county partners and the county declined to accommodate that, the city’s alternative would be to run its own stand alone election, an option he warned would be a significant expense in staffing, equipment and administration.
Councilmembers expressed support for pursuing longer early voting hours next time, while also asking for data.
Councilmember Rushi Patel requested that staff work with the county to obtain historic turnout by hour, for example, how many voters have actually cast ballots between 5 and 7 p.m., and cost estimates for extended staffing.
Councilmember Tony Carbone noted that polling locations themselves appeared consistent with prior elections and emphasized that the current resolutions were largely ministerial, incorporating information the county had now finalized.
With the understanding that Pearland will press for expanded hours at the next December coordination meeting, council unanimously approved the amended election resolutions for this cycle, including cancellation of the unopposed Position Two special election and updated polling exhibits for May’s general and special elections.
Festival permits and Industrial Drive change order
On the consent agenda and in items pulled for discussion, council advanced recurring special events and a significant road project.
Pearland Grand Arts & Eats Festival: Council approved a five year special event permit for the Grand Arts and Eats Festival, covering annual events from April 2026 through April 2030, with associated road closures on Grand Boulevard, Zychlinski Drive and East Jasmine.
Staff noted that this will be the second year for the festival and that key impacted stakeholders, First United Methodist Church, a nearby Montessori school, and two residences, have been engaged.
The church is a partner in the event, the school has adjusted Friday pickup to the opposite side of the building and the two nearby homeowners attended last year’s festival from their front yards and expressed strong support.
Spring Fling Car Show & Craft Festival: Council also approved a five year special event permit for an annual Spring Fling car show and craft festival from May 2026 through May 2030.
Industrial Drive reconstruction change order: In a more contentious discussion, council considered a 117,572.37 dollar change order to Conrad Construction’s Industrial Drive reconstruction contract, bringing the total contract to 5,543,110.87 dollars.
Staff explained that most of the increase stems from quantity adjustments: an additional 164 linear feet of 6 by 2 foot box culvert at 515 dollars per foot beyond the 3,532 feet originally bid, plus about 6,064 extra tons of lime for subgrade stabilization after field tests showed more treatment was needed than initial geotechnical samples suggested.
Engineering Director Trent Epperson and consultant engineer Brad Matlock of CobbFendley told council the construction plans correctly showed the full box culvert length, but the bid form’s quantity takeoff missed 164 feet during a late design iteration, a quality control error on the engineer’s side.
Matlock said the contractor bid unit prices based on the plans and that, under the city’s standard unit price contracts, Pearland pays for actual installed quantities at those bid rates whether the original estimate was slightly high or low.
Several councilmembers pushed back on the change order.
Patel questioned why taxpayers should bear the cost of an engineering error after paying more than 570,000 dollars in design fees, and asked what would have happened had no contingency been available.
Matlock responded that the city would still have needed that length of culvert to complete the project as designed, or else would have had to accept a reduced drainage section by redesigning to open channel, a tradeoff staff did not recommend.
Councilmembers also probed the lime increase and the reliability of original soil borings.
Matlock explained that nine borings were taken roughly every 300 to 350 feet, but that subsurface conditions and groundwater can vary between small cores and full width excavation, leading materials testing to recommend a higher lime content in some areas than the 6 percent originally assumed.
The updated estimate is based on 10 percent lime and could still change slightly as testing continues; any additional adjustment would come back through the same unit price, actual quantity framework.
City Manager Clay Pearson and Epperson emphasized that contingency funds, about 270,000 dollars for the project, are specifically set aside for this type of field adjustment and that the change order keeps the job within the existing budget, with just over 150,000 dollars in contingency remaining.
They also noted that significant construction projects frequently involve both upward and downward quantity changes and that CobbFendley has not been among the firms with recurring, major problems in Pearland.
The change order was approved on a 6 to 1 vote, with Patel opposed.
“Orchard at Lower Kirby” mixed use PD advances
The marquee land use item of the evening was a public hearing and first reading on a major planned development (PD) for 119.069 acres south of the Sam Houston Tollway and west of State Highway 288, currently home to the Bass Pro Shops and surrounding land.
The request by Planned Community Developers V, Ltd. (PCD), on behalf of Pearland Lifestyle Center, would replace the long stalled Promenade Shops PD with a new mixed use concept called The Orchard at Lower Kirby.
Planning staff described the PD as a three district framework, high density single family residential, mixed use commercial and a waterfront entertainment mixed use zone, with an additional “flex” district that allows any of the three.
The base zoning mix includes General Business and townhouse residential, and the proposal incorporates detailed standards on block and lot patterns, building design and materials, parking, landscaping, open space, lighting, signage and streets.
The area straddles the city’s Town Center and Professional Services/Industrial place types, and the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7 to 0 to recommend approval after a March 2 hearing.
PCD CEO Don Janssen and design consultant Blake Coleman of TBG Partners presented an ambitious vision: a coastal inspired, pedestrian oriented “gateway to Pearland” where residents and visitors can “live, work, play, stay and shop.”
Key elements highlighted in their presentation included a revitalized waterfront boardwalk wrapping the existing lake behind Bass Pro, with restaurants, live work units and a stronger connection to the store’s rear façade, including reopening a long closed restaurant space and creating a true two sided entrance.
They also emphasized a central village green framed by ground floor retail, office and a proposed full service hotel and conference center, pitched as the civic and economic anchor of the district.
A high density, for sale single family and townhome neighborhood is planned around mews and pocket parks, with a strong emphasis on walkability and internal trail connections to Lower Kirby’s broader trail network.
A phased build out will begin with residential and some 288 frontage commercial to establish rooftops and visible activity, with subsequent phases adding the hotel, office and more intensive mixed use components as the market matures.
Janssen repeatedly stressed that a hotel conference center has emerged as “the key component” to differentiate The Orchard and attract corporate headquarters, citing his firm’s experience with Sugar Land Town Square, where headquarters like Minute Maid and CVR cited on site meeting and hospitality capacity as a deciding factor.
He told council PCD has identified a hospitality partner willing to build the facility on a performance basis, taking on upfront risk and being reimbursed over time based on results rather than having the city front construction costs.
Councilmember Patel pressed Janssen on security, referencing high call volumes at Pearland Town Center and the project’s proximity to the Southeast Freeway.
Janssen said PCD’s model, honed in Sugar Land, relies on a public improvement district or similar management district to fund 24/7 private security, camera systems and “eyes on the street,” coordinated closely with local police, including integration with license plate recognition systems.
He said a similar structure is anticipated for The Orchard to reduce demand on Pearland PD while maintaining a safe, welcoming environment.
In response to questions about floodplain, the development team said all detention will be consolidated in a larger off site basin at the rear of the property rather than in scattered ponds, and that fill from that basin will be used to elevate building pads and address 100 year floodplain concerns.
No members of the public spoke for or against the PD.
Staff recommended approval, noting that the application meets the city’s zoning change criteria and aligns with key elements of the Pearland 20/20 Prosperity Plan, including enhanced cultural amenities, business development and parks and recreation.
Council held first reading of Ordinance 2000M 281 to approve the new PD; a second reading and final action will occur at a future meeting.
McHard and Mykawa rezoning, car wash extension and major service contracts
In a second public hearing, council considered a zone change request by Ashley Montalvo on behalf of owner Iqbal “John” Khowaja to rezone 13.256 acres south of McHard Road and west of Mykawa from General Commercial (GC) to Light Industrial (M 1).
Staff noted the request’s consistency with surrounding industrial patterns and the city’s future land use map, and prepared Ordinance 2000M 280 for first reading to implement the change; that item moved into new business later in the meeting.
Council also approved an extension of a previously granted Conditional Use Permit for a self service auto wash at 1705 Broadway on a 1.528 acre tract zoned General Business and General Commercial, allowing additional time for the project to move forward under its original conditions.
Through Resolution R2026 54, council awarded a three year contract (one year initial term with two one year renewals) for electrical, mechanical, instrumentation and control services to McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., with an estimated annual value of 4.5 million dollars.
Staff described the contract as essential for maintaining and repairing the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants, lift stations and related process control systems.
Council also approved Resolution R2026 27, a three year software service maintenance agreement with Azteca Systems (Trimble Cityworks) totaling up to 681,886 dollars over FY2026 through FY2028.
The contract supports the city’s asset management and work order platform for public works, Pearland Water and parks, as well as the Permits, Licensing and Land module used by Community Development.
Annual costs are projected at $216,300 dollars in FY26, $227,000 dollars in FY27 and $238,000 dollars in FY28.
In discussion, a councilmember confirmed Cityworks is focused on infrastructure assets like streets, waterlines, wastewater facilities and sidewalks rather than fleet or IT hardware, which are tracked by other systems.
Executive session postponed; charter review coming
The posted executive session on pending litigation under Texas Government Code Section 551.071 was not held; staff noted that a related court hearing had been moved and the session would be rescheduled.
Consequently, no open session action was taken on litigation matters.
Before adjournment at 9:20 p.m., council briefly previewed an upcoming workshop to hear recommendations from the Charter Review Commission.
That future meeting will include a public hearing and council discussion on which charter amendments, if any, to place before voters as well as any additional changes council may wish to propose.
See the meeting agenda at:
https://pearlandtx.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=13445
The video recording is available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n44MPKojK6E&t=1s