Check out the new colorful South Padre Island zoning map to see the areas zoned for tourists, residents, commercial and more.

click here to open PDF of the map

Zoning Codes: Districts.
For the purpose of regulating and restricting the use of land and the erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, moving or use of buildings, structures or land, all lands within the corporate limits of the City are hereby divided into districts with their respective classification as follows:

• “A” Single family dwelling district
• “E” Low Density Residential—Single Family and Townhouse Dwelling District
• “B” Multiple family dwellings, apartments, motel, hotel, condominium, townhouse
• district.
• “B-­‐‑2” Residential and Multi-­‐‑Family Dwelling District
• “C” Business District Fire Zone
• “BF” Bayfront Character Zone
• “EDC”Entertainment District Core Character Zone
• “NC” Neighborhood Crossing Character Zone
• “TCC” Town Center Crossing Character Zone
• “PBN” Padre Boulevard North Character Zone
• “PBS” Padre Boulevard South Character Zone
• “PBC” Padre Boulevard Central Character Zone
• “NT” Neighborhood Transition Character Zone
• “PDD” Planned Development District
• “D” Resort area district
• “D-1” Resort Area District
• “D-2” Park District

Here are some excerpts on residential real estate from a recent report done for the city for the economic development corporation of South Padre Island:

Strategies for Residential Development
The market analysis portion of this study demonstrated that 295 acres of residential land for 2,170 units will be needed over the next decade to accommodate 650 single-family units, 330 townhomes, 400 lowrise condominiums, 600 highrise condominiums, and 190 rental apartments.

The comprehensive planning effort will be a significant force in shopping future residential development on South Padre Island and strategic annexations and appropriate zoning, subdivision regulations, and infrastructure improvements will be a necessary part of this comprehensive planning process.

The plan endorses the Urban Land Institute’s “Ten Principles for Smart Growth on the Suburban Fringe” that outlines ways to improve residential development practices. The ten principles discussed include the following:

1. Create a Shared Vision for the Future...and stick to it: Make sure the vision is inclusive and reflects the desires of those who live and work in the communityCreate and Sustain Green Infrastructure: Designate open space to be saved in perpetuity.
2. Realize that the Right Design in the Wrong Place is not Smart Growth: Determine the appropriate location based on infrastructure investment, proximity of jobs to housing and transit options.
3. Protect Environmental Systems and Conserve Resources: Minimize disturbance to nature and use climate as a major factor in design.
4. Provide Diverse Housing Types and Opportunities: Offer a mix that appeals to different demographic groups and households, resulting in greater neighborhood diversity. 
5. Build Centers of Concentrated Mixed Use: Offer a blend of commercial, retail, entertainment, and recreational space.
6. Use Multiple Connections to Enhance Mobility and Circulation: Provide a network of vehicular, pedestrian, cycling, park, and open space connections.
7. Create Sustainable Transportation Choices: Stage development of real estate and transportation facilities to ensure availability of a variety of alternatives to driving alone – walking, cycling, transit, car pooling, and telecommuting.
8. Preserve Community Character: Draw on local culture, heritage, and history to create a unique sense of place.
9. Make it Easy to Do the Right Thing: Make local regulations more flexible to encourage mixed-use, compact development and other smart growth practices.
10. While applying smart growth can result in development that is more attractive, more livable, and more profitable, the fringe is a “complicated political and demographic terrain”. A key dynamic at the edge is the relationship between the newly built and the still developing. “Collaborating on smart growth development can benefit both types of communities by diminishing the desire to grow in isolation and encouraging the desire to take a broader, mutually beneficial approach to community growth.