Commission recommends conditional approval for 606 US‑377 food‑truck site plan; parking and access conditions set

The Planning & Zoning Commission on March 4 recommended approval of a site plan for Akeisha/Akeisha Foods at 606 US‑377, a proposal that pairs an existing 1,300‑square‑foot building (indoor seating, restrooms) with a permanent food‑truck trailer on a rear concrete pad and a new parking lot to the south.

Staff reviewed the Old Town‑1 (OT‑1) zoning standards and treated the combined operation as a restaurant use (restaurant without drive‑through) because the site includes indoor seating and restrooms. The parking standard in OT‑1 requires one space per 100 square feet of gross floor area. Staff originally counted the building (1,300 sf) plus a 400‑sf outdoor seating area and calculated a 17‑space requirement; the applicant’s lot plan shows 17 spaces.

During the discussion the commission and staff noted a technicality: the permanent trailer has its own enclosed food‑preparation footprint (32 ft × 12 ft) that should be included when calculating gross‑floor area for parking demand. Including the trailer footprint would raise the total required parking and would make the current layout short several spaces. To reconcile the site plan with the ordinance, the commission conditioned approval on two items: the applicant must secure a TxDOT right‑of‑way/access permit for the driveway connection to US‑377, and the applicant must either remove the 400‑sf outdoor patio (which offsets the trailer footprint in the calculation) or provide the additional parking spaces required to account for the trailer area.

Applicant Pavan told the commission the project aims to provide a community‑oriented food option with indoor seating and an outdoor patio; he said the trailer would be a permanent fixture and the restaurant intends to serve customers at tables with staff runners delivering food. Fire and ESD review found the planned fire access acceptable for the proposed layout.

Commissioners asked staff to explore shared‑parking options with adjacent property owners as a longer‑term solution to parking constraints; staff said they have discussed conceptually possible connections to adjacent parcels and that a future property owner north of the site has shown preliminary interest in a layout that could improve alley access and circulation.

The commission’s recommendation is ministerial (site‑plan compliance) and will be forwarded to the Town Council with the staff conditions. Construction‑plan review and a TxDOT access permit will be required before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

Ending: Applicant must submit revised civil plans and proof of TxDOT access approval for construction‑plan review; staff will return a completeness determination and, if resolved, will place the accompanying item on the Town Council agenda.