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Council approves Okra subdivision gas station SUP with EV chargers over P&Z recommendation
Summary
After a detailed traffic-capacity presentation from developer Rachel Shanks and questions from council, the council approved a specific-use permit for an 8-pump gas station with four EV chargers in the Okra subdivision by a 6-1 vote; the Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended denial.
The City Council on Sept. 25 approved a specific-use permit (SUP) for a commercial gas station at the northwest intersection of Old Manor-Taylor Road and FM 973 in the Okra subdivision, authorizing 8 motor-fuel dispensing positions (MPDs) and four electric-vehicle charging stations on a 4.111-acre lot. The council vote was 6-1.
Rachel Shanks, the project presenter and a developer for the Okra subdivision, provided a data-driven overview of current and projected trip counts on FM 973 and explained why she believes the corridor will need another gas station as multiple housing developments and multifamily projects build out. "With the full build out of all of these subdivisions, we're looking at 1,414 cars needing to stop," she said, summarizing her trip-count analysis.
Shanks said current 8-pump stations in the corridor handle roughly 500 to 600 cars per day and that FM 973 currently carries about 18,000 vehicles per day; she estimated the corridor could reach 36,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day as planned subdivisions complete. She also said the proposal would include EV charging from the start, unlike some nearby stations.
City staff noted the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended denial when it reviewed the project; the record shows P&Z—s concern that the corridor already had sufficient gas-station capacity and a higher, different commercial use might be preferable for the parcel. Economic development director Scott Jones and other council members urged reliance on data. "I just wanted to warn council against telling people different things without actually having data. This is why I requested to have the data so we can make an informed decision," Jones said.
Before the vote Councilmember Hill moved to approve the SUP; Councilwoman Lamasco seconded. The motion passed 6-1 (the transcript records the motion passed 6-1). A staff representative noted that the applicant would need to conform to the SUP notice and that further adjustments such as additional EV capacity would require either an SUP amendment or a separate application depending on Bluebonnet Electric availability.
What this allows: The SUP allows a site plan and building permits for an 8-MPD fueling kiosk and four EV chargers on the specified lot. TxDOT access rules, center-turn-lane and right-turn-lane improvements described by the developer, and utility-provider limits on EV capacity will govern final design and phasing.
