Lucas council approves Hunt Tract PD amendment removing northern masonry screening wall

The Lucas City Council approved Ordinance 2026‑09‑01053 on Sept. 3, amending the planned development (PD) overlay for the 41.9954‑acre Hunt Tract at the northwest corner of Parker Road and Southview Drive to remove a previously required northern masonry screening wall.

Staff and the developer asked that the northern screening wall be removed because the adjacent parcel to the north retains commercial zoning; under base commercial zoning the city does not typically require masonry screening between two commercial parcels. “We normally would not require a screening wall between two commercial districts,” a staff member explained during the hearing. The PD otherwise remains consistent with the comprehensive plan and the developer said no other PD changes were requested.

Councilmembers probed visual and character impacts, noting that removing the wall could create a continuous roughly 80‑acre commercial expanse rather than the compartmentalized mix the project originally evoked. Councilmember Rebecca Orr asked whether the trees shown in Exhibit D would be preserved; developer representatives and an adjacent property speaker said protected trees are along the west property line but there are no trees along the north property line to preserve. Council also discussed public‑safety tradeoffs of an 8‑foot masonry wall; Fire Chief Lasky said department preplanning and apparatus access mean a wall would not prevent firefighting operations: “It’s not gonna stop us from putting out a fire,” he said.

Developer representatives said site topography — including a roughly 30‑foot grade change behind the restaurant park — and building placement limit the visual effectiveness of an 8‑foot wall and that landscaping and coordinated PD architectural controls could address aesthetics. Staff and council noted the PD remains enforceable and that future adjoining developments will present their own landscape plans for review. After deliberation Mayor Dusty Kuykendahl moved to approve the ordinance and the motion carried.

Council directed staff and developers to document landscape plans and noted members could arrange a site visit before future PD requests were considered to view grades, tree lines and potential plantings.