Windcrest planning commission recommends city council approve Take 5 oil-change special-use permit

The Windcrest Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Monday to recommend that the City Council grant a special-use permit for a Take 5 Oil Change at a property listed in the meeting record as property ID 343993.

The recommendation came after the commission opened and closed a public hearing with no speakers and heard a presentation from the applicant’s engineering representative. The application materials, reviewed at the meeting, describe a roughly 0.34-acre site in the B-1 (neighborhood business) zoning district and a proposed three-bay Take 5 prototype building intended for drive-through, 10-minute oil-change service.

The applicant representative, who identified themselves as an engineer with Altar Group, said the proposal would demolish the existing structure and reconstruct the site, reconnect utilities and add landscaping, noting the site “is quite impervious in existing conditions” and that the project proposes “quite a bit of landscaping.” The representative also said, “we're really excited to bring a take 5 to Wind Crest, Texas.”

Commissioners asked about permitted uses, traffic, waste handling and site access. The commission heard that the application was filed as a special-use permit categorized in the staff paperwork as an "auto sales and service" type; the applicant clarified no automobile sales are planned and said Take 5 typically sells small parts (filters, wipers) and focuses on quick service. The applicant said the site is planned for drive-in access from the north driveway and exit at the south driveway, that the design provides a minimum 24-foot fire lane and that employees actively manage vehicle queuing to avoid blocking adjacent traffic.

The commission asked about environmental safeguards for used oil and filters. The applicant explained Take 5’s standard procedures: pits and containment for used oil, third-party collection and disposal of used oil and filters, and that onsite storage is designed to avoid contact with city drainage infrastructure.

The city attorney reminded the commission of code limits on special-use permits, including a provision cited at the meeting that a change in ownership of the property, structural alterations or changes to ingress/egress can necessitate amendment of an existing SUP or otherwise terminate it. The attorney also noted that TxDOT had been asked to review plan elements related to the nearby roadway.

After discussion, a commissioner moved “to recommend to the City Council that an SUP be granted as applied for” for the Take 5 proposal; the motion was seconded and the commission voted unanimously in favor. The commission did not place additional conditions on the recommendation; the SUP as recommended would return to the City Council for final action.

Attendance and procedure notes recorded during the meeting: several new commissioners were sworn in before the hearing (Matthew Halbert, Planning and Zoning Commission, Place 1; Stephen Hall, Place 3; Vivian Lee, Place 4; Fern Dallas, Place 7), the public hearing opened at 6:15 p.m. and the meeting adjourned at 6:37 p.m. Commissioners noted that the next meeting will include election of officers and additional training for new members.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; the City Council will take the final vote on the SUP at a later date according to the city’s public meeting process.