Biloxi City Council Workshop on PDC Zoning Text Amendment - May 19, 2026
Biloxi City Council Workshop on PDC Zoning Text Amendment - May 19, 2026
The Biloxi City Council held a workshop on May 19, 2026, to discuss a proposed text amendment to the Land Development Ordinance (LDO) allowing single-family detached dwellings and single-family detached zero lot line dwellings in the Planned Development Commercial (PDC) overlay district. The workshop was chaired by Councilor Tisdale. Planning staff member Jerry presented the rationale, noting that single-family uses were already permitted in all standard commercial zones and most other planned development districts, and their omission from PDC appeared to be an oversight. Council members asked questions about scope, density, past projects, and potential tax implications. No public comments were heard. The workshop concluded with a motion to adjourn approved on a 5-0 vote.
Discussion Items
- Rationale for Amendment: Jerry explained that single-family detached dwellings are allowed by right in every standard commercial zone (LB, NB, CB, RB, DT, WF) and in PDR, PDTND, and PDI districts, but were missing from the PDC use table. The proposed amendment would add single-family detached and zero lot line dwellings to PDC, allowing residential elements in commercial developments. Density, setbacks, and other standards would be written into a master plan and approved by the Planning Commission and City Council.
- Scope Clarification: Councilor Creel asked whether the amendment included Mississippi cottages as well. Jerry confirmed it covers only single-family detached and zero lot line dwellings, not Mississippi cottages. Councilors also questioned whether the amendment should extend to PDGE (gaming) and PDHB (hospitality) districts. Jerry noted that gaming establishments have distance requirements from residential uses and hospitality districts involve 24-hour operations, so the amendment is limited to PDC.
- Past Precedent: Councilor Marshall referenced the Carl Breeze project on Highway 90, which started as townhomes for rent and later converted to for-sale units via the same process. He observed that while the process was followed, the public may view such conversions as an end-run. Other council members acknowledged that the council ultimately decides if a change is appropriate.
- Zoning Board Function: Jerry clarified that the Planning Commission is a recommendatory body (except for preliminary subdivision plats), while the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals is a quasi-judicial body with final decisions subject to court appeal. The same individuals serve on both bodies.
- Property Valuation: A council member asked whether selling individual lots versus renting a single complex affects city tax revenue. Jerry speculated that subdivided lots might be assessed higher than a rental complex, but could not provide a definitive answer.
Key Outcomes
- The council held a workshop to discuss the amendment; no formal vote on the amendment itself was taken during the workshop.
- The workshop concluded with a motion to adjourn, approved on a 5-0 vote.
Meeting Transcript
Chair entertain a motion to approve the agenda order. So move. Moved by Mr. Second. Creel, seconded by Mr. Tisdale. All in favor? Those opposed. I'm going to pass the gavel to Mr. Tisdale. I have something to attend to. Gentlemen, y'all have fun. The first thing I will tell you, colleagues, is that I will not hit the gavel that hard. My ears are still ringing. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Jerry? Jerry, if if you don't mind, um, would you come up and kind of just tell us what we're doing here with this change in the text amendment, and then we'll open it up for questions. Okay. Is this working? I think some loan. Okay. Is it working? Okay. Um questions had arisen recently about short-term rental uh short term residential not being allowed in a PDC. And if you'll recall a few weeks ago, I got it explained about the evolution of the Monarch Village property up there, that that started off as a rental community, which allowed single-family houses there. And then after they got into it and had permits and were had all the houses under construction, they came back and decided that they wanted to sell those houses, which meant that they had to go in and subdivide it, which they did, and they got approval to sell those. But the question came up about why single-family um houses not allowed in a PDC. And to be honest, I can't think of a single reason why it shouldn't be allowed in a PDC. I have a handout. Thank you. Is an overlay district that means planned development or planned district commercial. And uh we've actually had some cases where uh developers have come in and said, I want to do a PDC, but I'm gonna have to have a residential element to it. Uh Glenn Miller, if y'all are familiar with his property, which was up highway 67, had stated that uh he was gonna do his theme park here several years ago, and he said, I'm gonna need a residential element up there because I need a place for my boys to be able to buy a house and to live. With the strict interpretation that single family is not allowed in a PDC, he wouldn't have been able to do that. But the reason I I printed this out for you is because you can see that under a PDC, it does state in the middle there that limit limited moderate and high density residential uses are appropriate when integrated into the development both on upper stories and as standalone development so as to encourage uh pedestrian access and activity. So the language clearly seems to indicate that residential would be allowed uh in a PDC overlay district. This is the the description here, and the density would be written into the master plan uh to be considered by the planning commission and the city council for approval. Um the next handout that I'm gonna give you. Uh Jerry, if we if we could just right here just to clarify. So under plan development commercial here, it currently states, as you read that section, limited, moderate, and high density resident residential uses are appropriate when yada yada yada. And in the table that's associated with this, which uh okay, is your next handout? It doesn't it doesn't indicate that on the table, correct? Yes, sir. So this will resolve that issue. Okay, thank you. Thank you. And trying to consider why would single family houses not be allowed in uh a PDC. But this is the current table, I think.
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