KENNEDALE, Texas — The Kennedale Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved on July 24 a zoning change that reclassifies five unplatted tracts near the Fort Worth C & D Landfill from C‑2 (general commercial) and R‑3 (single‑family residential) to I (industrial), clearing the way to consolidate the parcels and relocate the site entrance.

The rezoning was filed by Texas Regional Landfill Company LP — identified in the hearing record as the Waste Connections parent company — and presented by Chuck Marsh, a civil engineer with Weaver Consultants. Marsh said the five tracts total just under 10 acres and would be combined into a single lot. "We are proposing to rezone them with I with a special exception," Marsh said, adding the change is consistent with the city’s future land‑use plan. He described a proposed relocation of the main driveway approximately 800 feet north to improve visibility and safety.

Why it matters: staff and the applicant said the rezoning would permit a future citizen convenience/drop‑off center for municipal solid waste (MSW) and make site operations — office, scales and vehicle circulation — easier to manage inside city limits. The applicant and staff emphasized that a transfer‑station use would require separate approvals, including state permitting and local discretionary approvals.

What the applicants told the commission
- Gary Bartles, regional engineer for Waste Connections, said the city currently receives a fee of 37 cents per ton for material accepted at the facility, which the applicant estimates yields about $175,000–$200,000 annually today and could increase if throughput grows. "We, the city receives what's currently 37¢ a ton for every ton of waste that we take in," Bartles said.
- The applicant described a possible transfer station registered with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Company materials and testimony estimated a permitted maximum of 3,000 tons per day for a transfer station, which the applicant said would equate to about 1,136 two‑way vehicle trips per day under a worst‑case modeling scenario. Marsh said TxDOT reviewed the applicant’s traffic materials and provided "no comments or objections" to the submitted information.
- Marsh and Bartles repeatedly described the transfer station scenario as prospective: Bartles said it "may or may not happen" and emphasized the rezoning request was to consolidate the in‑city portion of the operation, move the scales and office (the office footprint shown in materials was about 4,900 square feet), and improve access.

Staff position and planning context
Planning staff told the commission the proposal is consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and future land‑use map for that area, which envisions industrial uses along that corridor. Staff also explained that because the five tracts are currently unplatted and carry separate zonings, the rezoning must precede a plat to create a single lot.

Traffic, timing and mitigation
The applicant presented an engineering traffic analysis that modeled a worst‑case, maximum‑capacity scenario and projected daily and peak‑hour effects. The applicants said development to produce measurable increases in traffic could require roughly 18–24 months to begin and that reaching any maximum permit capacity could take substantially longer and depends on regional routing and other facilities.

Debris control and local impacts
Applicant representatives described daily litter‑pickup operations, on‑site measures to reduce tire and load tracking, enforcement of tarp requirements for incoming loads and use of sweepers. Bartles said the company conducts daily sweeps and enforces load‑securing rules to limit debris on Price Road.

Decision and next steps
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request. Staff noted the rezoning does not authorize a transfer station; any such facility would require further local approvals (including a special exception or similar discretionary step) and state permitting through TCEQ. Staff also said the item will next proceed to a public hearing before the City Council.

The commission’s action rezones the five in‑city tracts to I, allowing the owner to proceed with a plat to consolidate the parcels and later seek additional permits and approvals if they pursue a transfer station or citizen drop‑off center.