Strong Towns' Housing-Ready framework, scored section by section against Deer Park's own zoning code.
Does the code let housing get built?
Six reforms, scored section by section against the ordinance
Does Deer Park’s code let housing get built — and where is the real gate? Housing-Ready is a framework from Strong Towns — six zoning reforms that let a town add homes without a rewrite. But in Texas, municipal zoning is only the top layer. Across most of Deer Park, deed restrictions and HOA covenants are the actual gate on what can be built — and they almost always go further than city code. Permissive zoning alone does not mean a home is buildable.
The record separates the two: Layer 1 scores what Deer Park’s own zoning ordinance legally allows, cited section by section: met, partial, or blocked. Layer 2 names the private covenants filed with the County Clerk that govern underneath it.
Measured against the six, Deer Park’s code blocks 4 and partially limits 2 — and in most of Deer Park, deed restrictions are the real gate, and they go further.
Allow single-family home conversion to duplex or triplex, by right · Blocked
Framework (Strong Towns): Enable property owners to divide a single-family home into two or three units without discretionary approval.
Two-family (duplex) housing is allowed only in the dedicated Two-Family (TF) District (Sec. 4.4); the SF1/SF2/SF3 single-family districts are single-family only, and there is no triplex district. The framework calls for duplex/triplex by-right in all residential zones. open the ordinance →
Permit backyard cottages (ADUs) in all residential zones · Blocked
Framework (Strong Towns): Allow accessory dwelling units on residential lots across all residential zones.
A guest house is allowed as an accessory building (min 600 SF over a garage, one per tract, Sec. 3), but the ordinance provides it shall not be leased or rented — so it is not a rentable accessory dwelling that adds housing supply. The framework calls for ADUs by-right in all residential zones. open the ordinance →
Legalize starter homes in all residential zones · Partial
Framework (Strong Towns): Permit smaller, lower-cost homes throughout residential areas.
A minimum living area of 1,000 SF per single-family dwelling applies (Sec. 3.05). A moderate size floor exists; starter homes below 1,000 SF are not permitted. Partial against the framework. open the ordinance →
Eliminate minimum lot size requirements in existing neighborhoods · Blocked
Framework (Strong Towns): Remove minimum-lot-size rules that block building on smaller parcels.
Minimum lot areas are set per district: SF1 15,000 SF, SF2 6,900 SF, SF3 5,000 SF (Sec. 4 district table). The framework calls for eliminating minimum lot sizes in existing neighborhoods. open the ordinance →
Repeal parking mandates for housing · Blocked
Framework (Strong Towns): Remove requirements that housing include a set number of off-street parking spaces.
Off-street parking is mandated (Sec. 14): 3 spaces per dwelling unit in SF1 and SF2; SF3 requires 2 enclosed/covered plus 2 additional. The framework calls for repealing parking mandates for housing. open the ordinance →
Streamline the approval process · Partial
Framework (Strong Towns): Simplify and accelerate permitting for housing so approvals are predictable and fast.
The base single-family use is by-right, but the code layers Specific-Use-Permit (Council approval), conditional-use, and Planning & Zoning plat-approval procedures on much development. Partial: by-right for the base use, discretionary for much else. open the ordinance →
Where the real gate lives — Layer 2: Deed Restrictions & HOA Covenants. In Texas, municipal zoning establishes the public baseline, but private deed restrictions (CC&Rs) run with the land and are enforceable in civil court by property owners and HOAs (Tex. Prop. Code Title 11). Even where municipal code allows duplexes, ADUs, or smaller lots by-right, recorded subdivision covenants across most of Deer Park mandate single-family use, forbid accessory dwellings, and impose private lot or square-footage minimums that override city permissions.
Data honesty — where to verify your lot: Deed restrictions are recorded per subdivision with the Harris County Clerk, not centrally in the city zoning code. The Council does not fabricate a covenant score without recorded instruments. To verify the private covenants that bind your specific parcel, inspect your subdivision’s recorded plat and CC&Rs at the Harris County Clerk Real Property Records →
Where the governance lives: Municipal zoning decisions are public, governed by the City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission. Deed-restriction covenants are private: governed by subdivision property owners, the HOA board, and Texas Property Code amendment rules — not City Hall.
Every score opens to the ordinance section it reads. A zoning change is a City Council decision — if you want the code to say something different, Think and Act Locally is where residents move it.
Framework: Strong Towns Housing-Ready (strongtowns.org/housingready).
Code: Deer Park Zoning Ordinance, Appendix A (Municode; corroborated by the city’s published ordinance).
Layer 2 Covenants: Harris County Clerk Real Property Records (cclerk.hctx.net).