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Gunter planning director reports 2024 permit audit; new businesses and developments underway
Summary
City planning staff presented a 2024 permit tally and flagged an inspection-fee mismatch with contractor Veritas; council heard updates on recently opened businesses (Riley's, Fence), new tenants (Kitchen Kings), and ongoing development talks including Platinum Ranch and potential annexations from the extraterritorial jurisdiction.
GUNTER, Texas ' The Gunter City Council heard an update Feb. 20 from Eric, the city's director of planning and development, on building-permit activity in 2024 and several active development leads.
Eric said staff completed an internal audit of building-permit fees and found some inspection fees charged by the third-party inspector (Veritas) exceed the permit fees the city currently collects. He told council the city does not run building permits as a profit center but needs to cover staff overhead and the administrative cost of issuing certificates of occupancy. Eric said staff and the mayor reviewed the findings and will bring fee adjustments and a text amendment forward to reconcile the pass-through inspection charges.
Staff listed a range of permits from residential dwelling units and irrigation to plumbing and pool permits. Eric noted commercial finish-outs require separate COs for each tenant; the city tracks tenant changes through inspections because water-bill data are not available as a separate signal.
New and prospective businesses: Eric reported that Riley's and Fence are operating in Gunter (a recent ribbon-cutting was postponed). Kitchen Kings, a high-end appliance retailer, plans to open a sales floor with large display units and made interior renovations to relocate an entrance. A spin-off of an existing Mexican restaurant (Ernesto's) also plans to open in town.
Development pipeline and annexation: Eric said staff have been working with developers eyeing annexation from the ETJ and reviewing entitled tracts in Platinum Ranch and the Crooked Cross area; discussions include reconfiguring plan development areas and potentially combining park tracts to address infrastructure needs such as sewer and water. He described outreach to medical investors and other land developers expressing interest in higher-end, mixed-use development compatible with council direction.
Why it matters: Permit-fee changes and interactions with third-party inspectors affect the city's cost recovery and customer communications. Multiple new businesses and active developers indicate continued commercial and residential growth in the city.
What's next: Staff will propose fee adjustments and a text amendment to address inspection pass-through charges and will return with development applications (annexation requests or plan adjustments) as they become formal.
