Garland, TX Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

28 governs every project inside the Downtown (DT) District. Subsection (A) makes an approved Downtown Development Plan a precondition to obtaining a Site or Building Permit, reviewed first by the Planning Director or, on appeal, the City Council. Subsection (B) lists twelve required submittal items: a site layout plan, proposed uses, residential unit mix, parking counts, landscape and streetscape plans, building elevations with materials and colors, building sections, exterior material and window-area calculations, signage, any Minor or Major Waivers requested, a traffic impact analysis if required, and schematic engineering drawings.

Under (C), applications are processed through the procedures in Article 2, Division 1 of Chapter 1 of the GDC. The Director decides whether the plan meets the district's goals and standards (D); a denial or conditional approval may be appealed to the City Council using the same process as a Major Waiver, and the written appeal must be filed with the Director within thirty calendar days of the Director's action (E). If the application also requests a Major Waiver, the Director schedules it for a Plan Commission hearing with a recommendation, and the Plan Commission forwards its own recommendation to the City Council, which holds a public hearing before approving, conditionally approving, or denying both the Plan and the waiver (F). 31.