Council reviews draft comp-plan change to allow technology, logistics and manufacturing near Loop 9

The Lancaster City Council discussed a proposed change to the draft 2026 future land-use map that would designate a small area near Loop 9 (on the Dallas County line) for technology, logistics and manufacturing uses rather than the existing "rural living" designation. Development Services Director Vicky Coleman presented the draft and asked for council direction before the required public-notice and planning-and-zoning process.

Coleman said the city has already approved 10 sites for data-center uses in the general area and that two of those sites are currently under construction. The draft map would change the targeted pocket from low-density residential ("1 to 2 units to the acre") to a category that allows data centers, light manufacturing and distribution. Coleman framed the item as a policy decision the council should weigh before staff advances public notifications and hearings.

Council members asked clarifying questions about which small pocket was included (Coleman pointed to a discrete "gray" area on the draft map bounded by Loop 9 and Dallas Avenue) and whether the designation would exclude other uses. Coleman said the proposed "technology, logistics and manufacturing" label is broader than a data-center-only designation; it would permit light industrial and manufacturing uses in addition to data centers.

Environmental and infrastructure concerns surfaced in the discussion. One council member asked for clearer facts about water and power usage and the potential for groundwater impacts; another councilor noted the region's recent development trends and said it may be practical to align land use with the surrounding industrial and data-center activity. In response to water concerns, a council member noted Lancaster purchases water from the city of Dallas and is not served by local wells (a point raised during the exchange).

Coleman and the city manager said the next steps are to proceed with the public-noticing process, hold planning-and-zoning public hearings and then return the planning commission's recommendation to the council for a final public hearing and adoption vote if council so directs. The discussion closed with staff directed to proceed with the formal process and provide additional technical materials in advance of public hearings.