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Council approves planned‑development rezone for travel center at Loop 363 with conditions limiting hours and overnight parking
Summary
The council approved a Planned Development‑General Retail rezoning for nearly 5 acres on Loop 363 for a travel center/convenience store, adding conditions including subdivision to address the 300‑foot alcohol setback, required Lavenduski improvements, sidewalks, and a prohibition on overnight parking and restricted hours.
The Temple City Council approved a rezoning to Planned Development — General Retail for about 4.9 acres at 16803 Northeast HK Dodgen Loop (Loop 363) to allow a travel center/convenience store and secondary retail building, staff said.
Staff and the planning commission recommended the PD rather than a straight rezoning to add extra protections given the site’s proximity to Hector Garcia Elementary School and the fact that the proposed convenience store could sell alcohol. Brian Chandler said the applicant proposed subdividing the site so the lot containing the convenience store would be outside the 300‑foot property‑line radius that triggers distance restrictions for alcohol sales; the code measures from property line to property line.
Key PD conditions approved by the council include: compliance with the submitted site plan; subdivision of the property so alcohol sales comply with the 300‑foot requirement; required improvements to Lavenduski Drive including turn‑lane work to match the opposite side; installation of sidewalks on both street frontages; TxDOT approval for access onto Loop 363; landscaping, buffering and screening per the Unified Development Code; limits on business hours (staff cited 6 a.m. to midnight in PNZ discussions); and a prohibition on overnight parking on site.
Chandler told council that water and sewer lines are several hundred to more than a thousand feet away and that the travel center plans to use a septic system for now because the nearest sewer was distant; water was about 500 feet away and sewer roughly 1,100–1,400 feet away. He and planning staff also noted discussions with TxDOT over access to the highway and that the applicant agreed to widen Lavenduski and add turn‑lane treatments.
Planning & Zoning added the overnight‑parking condition after discussing concerns that unattended overnight truck parking could lead to drinking in cabs and other safety issues. Council member Walker and others supported additional restrictions; the council also added language to prohibit a standalone vape shop in the secondary building. Council member Walker moved approval with those conditions; the motion passed.
During the public hearing, resident Alan Lytle asked several questions about nearby utilities and distances to the school; staff clarified measurement points and the subdivision approach. An applicant representative discussed aesthetic concerns about requiring a wall and said landscaping is preferable where appropriate.
The planning commission recommended approval on March 17; the council approved the first reading and adopted the PD conditions that will govern future site development.
