McKinney planning commission tables 7‑Eleven specific‑use permit after residents rally

The City of McKinney Planning & Zoning Commission on Sept. 8 voted unanimously to close the public hearing and table indefinitely a specific‑use permit (SUP) request for a proposed 24‑hour 7‑Eleven fuel station at the northeast corner of Wilmoth Road and Taylor Burke Drive. Planner Rosalyn Patel told commissioners the applicant requested the delay and staff recommended tabling the item.

"As per the applicant's request, staff recommends that the public hearing be closed and the item be tabled indefinitely," Rosalyn Patel said. Vice Chair Buettner moved to close and table the item; Commissioner Lebo seconded and the motion passed 7–0. Chair remarks and staff responses made clear that if the applicant redesigns to meet zoning criteria the site could be approved at staff level without a future SUP and that standard noticing (signs, postcards) would apply if a new SUP is required.

Residents who live within roughly 250 feet of the site told the commission the proposed convenience store and pumps would be incompatible with surrounding homes. Bruce Billings, a nearby homeowner, said "within a 3 mile radius of this proposed 07:11, there are already 8 fuel stations with approximately 120 gas pumps," and urged commissioners to deny the project if it reappears. Other speakers cited traffic, 24‑hour lighting, delivery noise, crime and the risk of groundwater contamination.

Planner Patel explained the applicable zoning: the corner is under an older PD with C2 commercial underlying zoning established in 2005, and the city's post‑2022 code update added a 250‑foot pump‑to‑residential separation that triggers an SUP when pumps fall inside that buffer. Patel said C2 allows up to 12 pumps if the site meets criteria, in which case staff-level approval could occur without an SUP. The commission did not take substantive action on permitting criteria; it simply granted the applicant's request to delay.

The tabling means the item has no scheduled return; staff said commissioners and neighbors will be notified again through the city's usual channels if and when the applicant re‑submits proposals that require new public notice. The commission later approved routine minutes and adjourned at 6:29 p.m.