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Bellmead council directs staff to draft ordinance changes on storage containers and trailers along Bellemead Drive
Summary
At its Jan. 14 meeting the Bellmead City Council directed city staff to prepare amendments that would restrict placement of storage containers and trailers along Bellemead Drive and return with discussion points; members cited visual blight, past legal changes, and the need to protect existing businesses.
The Bellmead City Council on Jan. 14 directed staff to draft amendments to the city’s zoning rules to address storage containers, trailers and outdoor tire storage along Bellemead Drive, saying the current situation creates an eyesore and hampers efforts to attract commercial development.
City Manager said staff has received multiple complaints about lots across from Bellemead Drive known as “Kelly’s Lot” and showed council photographs of shipping containers and trailers stored in visible locations. The manager said the current ordinance language allows such storage in some zones and recommended restricting containers to industrial areas or requiring screening. He asked whether the council wanted staff to pursue amendments; council members replied they did and asked staff to return with a workshop and specific options.
Council members raised three recurring points: that the ordinance had been changed in the past to permit some of the current uses, that long‑standing businesses (including several tire shops) rely on on‑site storage and could be affected, and that prior attempts to resolve the issue by informal requests produced little compliance without enforceable code language. One council member said the matter “is an eyesore” and urged amendment; legal counsel’s prior advice — referenced in the discussion — warned that changing rules could prompt court challenges for existing, grandfathered operations.
The city manager told the council the Bellemead Drive reconstruction project is a significant investment and framed the zoning change as part of broader economic development efforts; at one point he described the project funding as $9,000,000 for Bellemead Drive and $1,000,000 for Concord (as stated in the meeting record). Council members emphasized the need to balance enforcement with options that allow long‑established businesses to continue operating, for example by identifying reasonable storage alternatives or phased compliance timelines.
No ordinance amendment was adopted at the meeting. Instead the council’s direction to staff is to draft proposed ordinance language that would limit visible storage containers and trailers (with attention to screening and industrial‑zone restrictions), identify any legal or enforcement constraints, and return to council in a workshop for further discussion.
Council members explicitly asked staff to consider grandfathering, reasonable timelines for compliance, and ways the city might assist businesses that lack on‑site storage options. The city manager noted past multi‑year attempts to secure voluntary changes had been ineffective and said enforceable ordinance language would be necessary to achieve consistent results.
The council’s direction closes the Jan. 14 discussion; staff will prepare proposed ordinance language and discussion materials to be scheduled at a future workshop.
