Planning commission recommends rezoning and approves SUP for Kia dealership on I‑10 with stipulations

The Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend rezoning approximately 13.4 acres along the 31300–31400 block of IH‑10 from Holding District to C‑3 Community Commercial, and to approve a special‑use permit for a proposed Kia automobile dealership on an 8.3‑acre portion of the site.

Staff described the property as outside city limits that would be annexed, noted environmental constraints (no flood plain on the site but Glen Rose buffer applies), and reported 33 mailed notices and eight letters in support. The SUP application seeks a 43,313‑square‑foot dealership building with a total of 374 parking spaces (270 display/inventory, 40 service queue, 37 employee, 24 customer including 3 accessible spaces). Ashley Fairman, presenting for the applicant, said the site plan includes rainwater harvesting, HVAC condensate capture for irrigation, and a 30‑foot Interstate‑10 landscape buffer and other measures intended to protect adjacent residential lots.

Commission discussion focused on access (TxDOT driveway approvals are required), tree preservation and whether language requiring removal of a third‑party billboard should be a stipulation. Commissioners amended staff language to remove the billboard‑removal requirement (the on‑site pole sign will be removed as recommended), added diligence on loading/unloading and employee‑parking placement to protect nearby residences, and included staff’s recommended stipulations: a TIA reviewed by city staff and TxDOT, roadway improvements required by TIA before occupancy, tree planting and preservation per UDC, and dark‑sky‑compliant lighting and photometric plans. The rezoning motion (moved by Commissioner Taylor) passed unanimously; the SUP motion (moved by Commissioner Cates and seconded by Commissioner Keller) also passed unanimously with the agreed amendments.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to City Council for final action; TIA and TxDOT approvals will be prerequisites to site development permits and any certificate of occupancy.