Commission recommends PD light-industrial rezoning at 2801 NW Loop 820 with use restrictions

The Fort Worth Zoning Commission recommended approval May 13 of a PD light-industrial rezoning request for 2801 Northwest Loop 820, following a staff presentation and an applicant presentation from Westwood Professional Services that emphasized increased setbacks, 35% minimum open space and the removal of certain 'unsavory' uses.

Applicant presentation: Travis Kle, the consulting engineer on the project, said the Sansom family has owned the property for more than a century and is partnering with developers to place four buildings (each roughly 200,000 square feet or less) on the site. Kle said the team voluntarily excluded data centers and other higher-impact uses from the PD, proposed doubling setbacks to adjacent residential uses, and planned to route truck traffic to highway access only rather than neighborhood streets.

Commissioners' concerns and conditions: Commissioners questioned access, truck routing, lighting and whether a site plan should be required. Staff noted the request does not align with the comprehensive plan but acknowledged that the increased setbacks and excluded uses reduce perceived risk. The motion read into the record included the minimum 35% open space standard, 90-foot and 80-foot setbacks along two property lines, and an explicit list of excluded uses (including crematoriums, data centers, galvanizing, and more); a site plan requirement was included.

Outcome: The commission voted to recommend approval (vote recorded as 9–0 with one earlier abstention noted on a separate item) and will forward the recommendation to City Council for final action.

Next steps: If City Council approves the rezoning, the developer will return with required site-plan and platting materials; traffic and other engineering studies will be part of subsequent reviews.