Mesquite City Council on July 21 approved a zoning change and a conditional use permit that will allow a 96,000‑square‑foot tilt‑wall manufacturing/distribution building and a possible 7,500‑square‑foot taproom operated with Manhattan Project Beer Company at 2100 East U.S. Highway 80. The council vote to approve the planned‑development commercial designation with a brewery-related CUP passed 5–2 after more than an hour of public testimony.

Why it matters: The site is adjacent to the Heritage Trail and several long‑standing single‑family blocks and churches near Jane Street; approval will permit light industrial activity and on‑site beverage manufacturing and a taproom, plus required public‑infrastructure improvements. The developer says the project will bring private investment, jobs and annual tax revenue; neighbors warned the proposal will increase truck traffic, noise, odors, flood risk and safety concerns near schools and churches.

What the council approved: The action authorized a comprehensive‑plan amendment (commercial → light industrial) and rezoned the approximately seven‑acre site from planned‑development commercial / traditional neighborhood mixed residential to a planned‑development commercial district that permits commercial uses and warehouse/distribution and allows beverage manufacturing subject to a conditional use permit. Planning and Zoning recommended approval with the brewery component as a CUP; council ultimately approved the application as presented by staff.

Project and public testimony details: Simple Development Partners and Manhattan Project Beer Company presented the proposal. Applicant Steven Graham said the project represents roughly $20 million in private investment, would create more than 40 jobs and is projected to generate about $130,000 in annual tax revenue. The plan includes substantial frontage improvements to Jane Street (storm sewer, sidewalks, curbs, widened pavement and irrigated landscaping) and a truck court designed to concentrate truck movements away from neighborhood streets.

Opposition raised at the hearing came largely from nearby residents and church leaders along Jane Street and Gross Road. Their primary concerns were:
- Road capacity and traffic routing: residents said Jane Street in its current condition cannot safely handle 18‑wheelers or the additional trips the development would produce. Several speakers told the council they have repeatedly requested reconstruction of Jane and worried repeated truck traffic would re‑damage narrow neighborhood streets.
- Floodplain and stormwater: speakers noted the site sits in or near a 100‑year floodplain and said turning the site to mostly impervious surface could increase runoff to nearby creeks and streets.
- Proximity to houses, schools and churches: three churches and a private Christian school sit near the long narrow site; pastors and parishioners said a brewery and related late‑evening activity are incompatible with frequent church and school traffic.
- Noise, smells and public safety: residents cited concerns about nighttime noise, odors from brewing and the potential for impaired drivers lingering near neighborhood streets.

Applicant response and mitigations: The developer and Manhattan Project representatives emphasized the company’s record at its Dallas site—applicants said Manhattan Project has operated without sustained neighborhood complaints, and that their taproom typically winds down operations by about 10 p.m. The applicant agreed to public street reconstruction, curb, sidewalk and storm‑sewer upgrades on Jane Street and to site screening and landscaping; the conditional‑use permit allows the council and staff to provide additional conditions on the taproom and operations during the site‑plan and permitting review.

Council discussion and final actions: Councilmembers split over community compatibility and economic opportunity. Supporters cited downtown and corridor revitalization, increased restaurant and theater‑district foot traffic, and the quality of the tenant; supporters also noted the project would trigger the full street rebuild of Jane Street and that the council can impose conditions through the CUP and site‑plan reviews to limit noise, truck routing and hours of operation. Opponents emphasized the proximity to churches, school bus stops and existing neighborhood drainage issues.

Vote and next steps: The motion to deny failed on a 2–5 vote; a subsequent motion to approve carried 5–2. Council approval allows the developer to submit detailed site plans, engineering and building permits; the project will be subject to city engineering review (turning radii, fire access, stormwater retention), zoning development standards adopted with the PD and any additional conditions the council imposed with the CUP.