Planning commission recommends rezoning of 515 McNeil Street to retail commercial for proposed private club; neighbors oppose

The Palestine Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend rezoning 515 McNeil Street from mixed residential to retail commercial to permit a private club and related retail uses; the recommendation will go to City Council on March 24 for final action.

Applicants Crystal Hardwick and Michael Barrow spoke on behalf of property owner Jeffrey Bostick and described a plan to operate the 7,100-square-foot building as a private club (membership-based) with food and drinks, with a future possibility of adding a restaurant. Hardwick told commissioners that the building historically operated as a dance club and that the owners seek to renovate and reopen a controlled private-club venue.

Multiple nearby residents, long-term neighborhood homeowners and community leaders testified in opposition. Speakers raised a range of concerns: late-night hours (applicants proposed 6 p.m.–2 a.m. Thursday–Saturday), increased traffic across residential streets and neared nursing facilities and churches, past incidents tied to earlier nightclub operations, trash and public-safety concerns, and the effect such a use would have on efforts to stabilize and improve a residential neighborhood that was rezoned from industrial to mixed residential in recent years.

District 3 City Councilman James Smith and other residents said neighborhood stability and families’ safety should weigh heavily; several opponents said they do not have the time or flexible work schedules to attend daytime hearings but wanted their concerns recorded. Supporters — including local business owners and residents who said the building has been vacant for years — argued that reuse would create activity, generate sales tax and revive an existing structure.

Staff and commissioners discussed the zoning code’s treatment of nonconforming uses and the board-of-adjustment standards that guide whether a reuse extends the life of a prior nonconforming use. The commission’s recommendation does not itself change building permits, and any liquor service would require state licensing and compliance with Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code rules for private clubs. After discussion, the commission recommended rezoning; the item will go to City Council on March 24 for a final decision.

Votes at a glance: Planning & Zoning recommendation — rezoning 515 McNeil Street from mixed residential to retail commercial: Planning & Zoning vote — approved (recommendation to City Council).