La Porte council rezones portion of Fairmont Parkway site to PUD, approves special permit with ban on outdoor shipping containers

La Porte City Council on Tuesday approved changing the zoning on a 15.42-acre portion of a 130.56-acre property along West Fairmont Parkway to Planned Unit Development (PUD) and separately approved a special conditional use permit that sets allowable commercial and industrial uses and design standards across the entire parcel.

The rezoning (Ordinance 2024-4046) applies to the south portion of the larger tract and was adopted after a public hearing. The council later approved Special Conditional Use Permit SCUP2024-011 (Ordinance 2025-4047) for the full 130.56 acres, subject to restrictions including building size caps, architectural guidelines, screening of truck bays, paved outdoor work/storage areas, a prohibition on on-site hazardous materials storage and a 10-truck-per-day expectation in site conditions for certain uses. Councilmembers also amended the approved SCUP to add an explicit ban: “No shipping containers are permitted to be stored outside. Period.”

The PUD designation will make the entire parcel subject to the approved SCUP conditions and associated NAICS code lists, rather than allowing business-industrial uses by right on portions of the site, city planning staff said. The change is intended to allow staff and the council to set a predefined set of permitted uses for potential future tenants and to speed up the development review process if a prospective user meets the listed conditions.

Planning staff told the council the proposed PUD creates three internal “reserves.” Reserve 1 (about 15.42 acres along West Fairmont Parkway) and Reserve 2 (about 43 acres along Spencer Highway) would retain a business-industrial underlying land use; Reserve 3 (about 72 acres with access to Bay Area Boulevard) would be limited to general commercial uses. Reserves 1 and 2 have a maximum single-building size of 85,000 square feet under the SCUP; Reserve 3 has different standards to allow larger general-commercial anchors.

Planning staff said they mailed 63 notices to surrounding property owners; one return notice expressed concerns about crime, traffic, smog, taxes and blocked views. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended both the rezoning and the SCUP at its Jan. 16 meeting by a 9–0 vote.

Applicant Chris Couch, representing Odea Fairmont LLC, told the council the owner seeks greater certainty for prospective tenants and that the agreed conditions narrow the list of potential uses. “Here are the NAICS codes that are permitted on this property. Here are the restrictions that you’ve got to live with,” Couch said, adding that the 10-truck-per-day figure in the document is an upper bound and that comparable buildings nearby average far fewer truck movements.

Councilmembers raised traffic and hazardous-materials concerns during discussion and asked how the city would enforce restrictions. Staff said enforcement and inspections would rely on the city fire marshal and standard plan-review and inspection processes; staff also noted that some uses remain conditional and would require additional Planning and Zoning and council review if proposed.

On the rezoning vote, the council approved Ordinance 2024-4046; councilmembers recorded two members as opposed (Williams and Muschmann). The SCUP was adopted after a council amendment to number 13 of the SCUP text to eliminate a chassis-based exception; the amendment was made by motion of Councilmember McLaren, seconded by a councilmember identified in the record as Mr. Garell, and the motion carried.

Why it matters: The actions lock in a narrower set of permissible industrial and commercial uses for the property and establish development and design controls intended to limit off-site impacts including truck traffic and visual exposure. The SCUP’s prohibited activities and architectural requirements are intended to preserve the frontage and limit industrial visibility from adjacent neighborhoods.

The council’s approvals do not yet describe a specific tenant. Staff and the applicant said the approvals are intended to streamline final tenant approvals if a prospective developer meets the SCUP conditions.

Votes at a glance: Ordinance 2024-4046 (rezoning to PUD) — approved; two members recorded as opposed (Williams, Muschmann). SCUP2024-011 (Ordinance 2025-4047) — approved with amendment to ban outdoor storage of shipping containers; vote recorded as carrying in the minutes.

Sources and next steps: The decisions adopt the PUD and SCUP as written; any use not listed in the SCUP or any use marked as conditional would require a separate Planning & Zoning submittal and council approval.