Council approves Highway 370 mixed‑use amendment to allow auto services; debate centers on master plan changes and storage limits

Papillion City Council on Tuesday approved a first amendment to the Highway 370 mixed‑use development agreement that adds “auto services” as an allowed use on Lot 84 in the Tower District, a move proponents said will let a Les Schwab tire and service center locate on the site. The council approved the resolution, R25‑0068, on a 6–2 vote (Councilman Sunday and Councilman Klug voted no).

The amendment allows the developer to pursue an administrative replat and building permits for Lot 84 to accommodate the national tire‑service operator. Brent Peller, representing the applicant, said the change will support retail and restaurant activity in the district. “This will bring jobs. This will bring sales tax. This will bring valuation,” Peller told the council.

Why it matters: supporters argued the auto service will activate an outer edge of the mixed‑use area and help drive customers into the district’s core. Opponents — including council members relaying constituent concerns — said the change diverges from uses residents were told would be located at the city entrance and raised questions about outdoor storage, traffic and compatibility with nearby housing.

During the public hearing and council questions, members pressed the applicant and staff on storage and screening. Peller said the operator’s model is “same day, get in, get out” and that “there is no outside storage.” City staff and the applicant pointed to language in the existing mixed‑use agreement and the project’s covenants that, they said, already bar outdoor storage and require a minimum 25‑foot landscape buffer along Highway 370. The developer also said the building will meet the city’s four‑sided architecture and design requirements.

Councilman Stubbe moved approval; Councilman Glover seconded. The motion passed 6–2. The amendment does not itself grant building permits: Peller said the next steps will include an administrative replat with city staff and then standard permitting and design‑review steps.

Discussion highlights captured in the meeting included repeated assurances by the developer that the operator would not store tires or vehicles outdoors, that dumpsters and service area screening would comply with design standards, and that covenants restricting outside storage would be recorded against the parcel. Council members asked for follow‑up to ensure enforcement at permitting and asked staff to confirm that the mixed‑use agreement’s prohibitions can be enforced administratively.

The council’s vote advances a change that the developer said will help recruit customers to the Tower District’s nascent retail and restaurant areas, while several council members and speakers said the broader master plan has shifted from what residents were originally told at earlier public meetings.

Votes at a glance: Motion to approve resolution R25‑0068 (first amendment to the Highway 370 mixed‑use development agreement) — motion by Councilman Stubbe, second by Councilman Glover; tally 6 yes, 2 no (Sunday, Klug); outcome: approved.

The council packet materials and staff comments presented at Tuesday’s meeting indicate design guidelines and the mixed‑use agreement remain the governing standards for the site; the amendment only changes the list of allowed uses. No building permits were approved at the meeting.