Council hears proposal to raise allowable building height in Muir District to 150 feet to accommodate automated industrial facilities

City planning staff on Wednesday presented a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Unified Development Code that would raise the maximum permitted building height in light industrial zones south of Bolton Road — the area the staff identified as the Muir District — from 45 feet to as much as 150 feet.

Planner Rick Vasquez said the increase is intended to allow contemporary industrial employers — such as fulfillment centers and advanced manufacturing operations that use automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) — to locate inside the city. He said many modern automated racking and picking systems require vertical storage space that can extend well above traditional warehouse heights; some storage racks and retrieval cranes can extend up to 100 feet or more.

Vasquez explained the amendment would be geographically limited: it would not apply to older light-industrial properties in the established parts of Cibolo; instead, it would be limited to agricultural/peripheral industrial areas along I-10 south of Bolton Road in a line parallel to the city limits. The proposed language would allow taller storage zones within buildings while the remainder of a building’s footprint could remain at conventional warehouse heights.

No members of the public spoke in favor or opposition during the hearing. City staff framed the change as a tool to recruit large industrial employers and to make the city competitive for automated logistics projects; the amendment will return to council as an ordinance for later consideration.

Ending: The public hearing closed with staff and council noting the item will return for formal ordinance consideration; no changes were voted that night.