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McAllen City Commission approves rezones, conditional-use permits, facility contracts and appointments
Summary
The commission approved multiple land-use actions, authorized negotiations for a police indoor shooting-range design, awarded a contract for evidence storage conversion, accepted consent agenda grants and contracts, and confirmed advisory-board appointments; one planning commission opposition to a bar permit was noted.
The McAllen City Commission approved multiple zoning actions, contract awards and appointments during its meeting, including authorization to negotiate design services for a new McAllen Police Department indoor shooting range and an award for an evidence storage conversion project.
Staff recommended, and the commission approved, authorization to negotiate scope and fee with the top-ranked firm, Negrete Kohler Architect LLP of Austin, for design of a roughly 28,000-square-foot firearm training facility programmed for 15 lanes and classroom and administrative spaces. Staff said if negotiations with the top-ranked firm fail, the city manager may approve negotiations with the next-ranked firm in compliance with the professional services procurement act; the commission approved the authorization by voice vote.
The commission also approved awarding the contract for the police evidence storage conversion project to Bridal United Builders LLC of Mission, Texas. Staff described the work as modifying existing warehouse space into a controlled-climate evidence storage room of about 4,300 square feet, with roughly 4,000 square feet dedicated to storage. The transcript records a contract amount of $380,000.08 (and an additional figure stated as $22.50 in the record) and a contract time not to exceed 120 calendar days; staff said the amount was within the project program budget and recommended the lowest responsible bidder.
On land-use items, the commission approved rezoning and conditional-use permit requests that staff introduced as coming with a recommendation from the planning and zoning commission, including: a rezone from C-3 to R-2 for property at 3900 North K Center Street; a conditional-use permit and ordinance adoption for an automotive service and repair at 2600 South 23rd (record reads “20 Third Street, Suite J”); and a conditional-use permit for a personal wireless service facility at 6275 South Tenth Street.
Separately, the commission approved a one-year conditional-use permit and ordinance adoption for a bar at 110 North 16th Street. The planning and zoning commission had considered the matter in February 2024, and one person testified in opposition at that hearing citing concerns about loud music. Staff noted the property is within 400 feet of publicly owned property and must comply with the zoning ordinance (referenced in the record as section 138118); the planning commission reportedly voted unanimously to recommend disapproval but included a favorable recommendation concerning the distance requirement. The city commission approved the conditional-use permit by voice vote.
The commission also approved an amendment to the city zoning ordinance and carried a consent agenda that included a contract for the 2025 South Texas All Hazards Conference and related emergency-task-force items, renewal of a waste-disposal contract with the City of Edinburg, convention-center improvements (air curtain/LED video walls), a high-density material bond pavement preservation project, multiple grant-authorizing resolutions (including a Texas anti-gang program application, a Texas General Land Office Resilient Communities Program application, an Office of the Attorney General victim-services application for fiscal year 26–27, and a border-zone fire-department program), and several cooperative purchases of vehicles for public works and sanitation within budget. The consent agenda passed by voice vote.
Advisory-board appointments were approved; staff summarized vacancies and reappointments across the CDBG board, Planning and Zoning, Traffic Commission, Historic Preservation Board, Library Board and Keep McAllen Beautiful. Commissioners requested future updates on streetlight projects and public art at upcoming meetings.
During the meeting the commission acknowledged the mayor’s trip to Austin to testify on water legislation and reported ongoing regional water-project work the city is pursuing. At the end of the open session the commission moved to instruct the city manager and city attorney to proceed as described in executive session; no details of the executive session were disclosed in the public record.
