Planning and Zoning backs drive‑through Starbucks at 2932 N. U.S. 77 with design option 2

The Waxahachie Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 14 recommended approval of a specific‑use permit for a drive‑through establishment at 2932 North U.S. Highway 77, where the applicant proposes a multi‑tenant retail building with a drive‑through Starbucks in the northern suite.

Staff said the retail building is about 8,400 square feet, with the Starbucks occupying roughly 2,400 square feet. The proposed drive‑through aisle provides stacking for 11 vehicles plus an escape lane and the design adds approximately 400 feet of private drive aisle capacity to reduce the risk of stacking onto Highway 77. The site plan shows 54 parking spaces (exceeding the 44 required), a planned detention area to the south, and a landscape plan that includes nine crepe myrtles. Staff recommended approval subject to conditions in the report and asked the commission to select a preferred elevation option; commissioners chose elevation option 2.

Applicant Tyler Moore said the design evolved from a previously proposed stand‑alone Starbucks and that the current multi‑tenant approach increased stacking capacity and addressed earlier concerns. He told commissioners the store will be corporate operated and that, in discussions with city staff, the building materials in option 2 (including CMU veneer) better match nearby development.

Staff said the site will include ornamental fencing and landscaping along the rear property line to limit visibility of an adjacent RV park; there is no planned vehicular connection between the two properties. A commissioner asked staff to confirm screening would obscure RV visibility from Highway 77; staff said that is the intent and that landscaping will take time to mature.

A motion to recommend approval of ZDC‑206‑2024 for a drive‑through establishment with elevation option 2 passed; the recommendation will proceed to city council per the city's normal review process.