Council approves site plan and wastewater service for 7‑Eleven at Gracie Lane over objections

The Liberty Hill City Council on Nov. 12 approved Ordinance 25‑O‑044, authorizing a site plan and the issuance of a site development permit and wastewater‑only utility service for a proposed 7‑Eleven and car wash at Gracie Lane and State Highway 29. The ordinance passed 5–1.

Staff told council the property would receive water service from the City of Georgetown and that the city’s wastewater treatment plant was operating at roughly 75% capacity. During deliberations, council members raised land‑use and resource concerns, particularly the concentration of convenience stores and potential water use by a car wash.

Anthony Good of Good Faith Engineering, speaking for the applicant, said the car wash includes a reclaim system and estimated its peak water use at "2,000–3,000 gallons" on a busy day. He estimated the 7‑Eleven would use about 1,000 gallons per day, which he said equates to roughly "8 to 12 LUEs." Good also noted a 2008 development agreement that expressed the city’s intent to provide wastewater service to the larger development area but did not reserve a fixed number of LUEs.

Council members cited the nearby cluster of convenience stores and car washes as a policy concern. "For me personally, I don't see the benefit to this particular use of that land because of the density of convenience stores and car washes that are already in close proximity," a councilmember said during the discussion.

After debate, a motion to approve Ordinance 25‑O‑044 was made and seconded. The council vote produced a 5–1 result in favor of the ordinance.

The ordinance approves the site plan and findings and authorizes the issuance of a site development permit under Section 6.04(e) of the City’s Unified Development Code. Staff noted that water service will remain the responsibility of the City of Georgetown and that further building permits and utility reviews will occur during the permit review process.

Next steps: the applicant must complete building permit submittals and any required on‑site utility infrastructure before development proceeds. The council directed staff to track LUE accounting for the overall development area and to provide clearer internal numbers on reserved or used capacity going forward.