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Council approves special‑use permit for contractor’s yard at Commerce Center Drive with equipment‑height condition
Summary
Council granted a specific‑use permit for a contractor’s yard at 94194 Commerce Center Drive, requiring an opaque masonry screening wall and a new condition limiting equipment to building height outside normal business hours.
Buda city council approved a specific‑use permit (SUP) allowing a contractor’s or storage yard on property at 94194 Commerce Center Drive, adding conditions intended to limit visual impacts on nearby residential areas.
Why it matters: The SUP changes how a previously developed light‑industrial parcel may be used, permitting outdoor storage and staging of construction materials and vehicles. Council appended a condition to address resident concerns about tall equipment remaining visible after hours.
What was proposed: The applicant sought an SUP for contractor’s yard use on an approximately 9.7‑acre lot in the Buda Industrial Subdivision. The existing warehouse structure and paved areas remain; the application proposes perimeter fencing, gated access, and an opaque masonry screening wall facing the road on the south side to screen the truck court and stored materials.
Planning and zoning recommendations: The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval (5–1) with conditions including construction of an opaque masonry screening wall along the south frontage, a requirement that stacked materials not exceed the height of that wall, and that all proposed fencing meet Unified Development Code standards.
Council modification and final condition: During council deliberations neighbors’ and council members’ concerns focused on tall equipment and cranes being left in extended configurations where they would exceed the wall and be visible from adjacent residential streets. Council adopted the P&Z recommendations and added a condition that "no equipment shall exceed building height for extended periods of time outside of normal business hours and uses." The record reflects council intended this condition to allow necessary operational crane use during business hours (short‑term staging) but to prohibit prolonged after‑hours displays above building height.
Formal action: The council approved the SUP on first and final reading and adopted the P&Z conditions plus the council’s additional equipment‑height/time restriction; the motion passed on a voice vote.
Implementation details: The conditions require construction of the masonry wall, gates at the driveway entrances, and screening fencing along the north/west perimeter. Staff noted stacked materials must stay below the masonry wall height; vehicles and equipment intrinsically taller than the wall may still be visible if used during business hours, but prolonged after‑hours exposure above building height is prohibited by the newly adopted condition.
Ending: The applicant’s representative confirmed the yard will be used primarily for short‑term material and equipment staging and not as a long‑term storage operation with extended crane displays. Fire and operations access points were preserved in the fencing plan per staff and Fire Department review.
