NIXA, Mo. — Planning staff recommended approval Monday of a special‑use permit that would allow a taproom (described in the staff report as a “bar with restaurant”) and a restaurant with drive‑through on a 3‑acre neighborhood commercial parcel at Tracker Road and Oldcastle Road, but the proposal has drawn sustained opposition from residents living within walking distance and a 4–2 vote against the permit by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The City Council opened a public hearing and will take a final vote at its Aug. 26 meeting.

The proposal — presented by Scott Gabbi, Nixa’s planning and development director — would allow a mixed‑use building configured for up to four tenants with the primary tenant described as a cidery or taproom. Staff said the special‑use permit would let the city add development conditions tailored to the residential context, including a 45‑foot building setback on the two street frontages, a 15‑foot landscaping buffer, a maximum freestanding sign height of 6 feet (no backlit signage above that), a prohibition on generator use for ancillary services, an end to amplified outdoor sound at 9 p.m. every night and an 11 p.m. cutoff for alcohol sales.

Gabbi told the council the staff‑recommended conditions were designed to “help this development fit into the neighborhood fabric” and pointed to a conceptual site plan showing roughly 80–90 parking spaces; staff also included a reduced parking standard in their conditions (one parking space per six seats) to allow a smaller lot footprint.

But dozens of residents told the council the site is too deep inside a residential area and warned the development would bring noise, late‑night activity and parking spillover into streets where parking is prohibited. Anne Kunkel of 804 E. Kingsmead Circle said, “We really feel for their safety” describing seniors and children who walk the nearby sidewalks. Jeremy Young, who lives directly across the street, said the proposed outdoor music and amplified sound “carries in my home, my children's bedrooms” and urged stricter hours or refusal of the permit. Linda White, whose neighborhood-backed testimony emphasized environmental and infrastructure concerns, asked the council to require an environmental impact or pre‑treatment study for wastewater from any beer or cider manufacturing.

Several residents also questioned the reduced parking standard. “Parking estimates for this project are grossly unrealistic,” Young said, noting overflow parking observed at similar destinations two miles away.

The applicant’s representative, architect Billy Kimmins of Hood Ridge Architecture, said the property is already zoned neighborhood commercial and many uses that could generate traffic are allowed by right, arguing the special‑use process gives the council control to set conditions. “This is intended to be a neighborhood hub,” Kimmins said, adding the development is planned as a small‑scale cidery and supporting retail such as a bakery or coffee shop.

Planning and Zoning voted 4–2 against recommending the permit; Gabbi said he was not aware of specific issues the commission found staff had missed but that commissioners expressed concern the proposed use would not be “in harmony with the area.” Staff nevertheless recommended approval to council with the listed conditions. Council members took public comment at length and did not vote Monday; the ordinance will return for a final vote at the Aug. 26 council meeting.

If approved, the council can enforce conditions through the special‑use permit process — including revocation of the permit for violations — but residents told council they remain skeptical that restrictions such as noise limits and parking controls will be enforced proactively.

The record contains extensive resident testimony about safety around school bus stops, expected traffic increases when an adjacent 240‑unit apartment project opens, and potential impacts on property values. Staff said required sidewalks and crosswalks along the site frontage will be conditions of approval and noted that the applicant must meet the city’s design standards for stormwater, buffers and other code provisions.

Nixa Mayor Jared Giddens and council members encouraged continued written comment; the council will accept written input before the Aug. 26 vote.

Ending: The council’s Aug. 26 meeting will include the final reading and vote on the special‑use permit. Until then the application remains a request under consideration; no rezoning or construction approvals are final.