Lewisville council approves special-use permit for Fast Photonics manufacturing site

The Lewisville City Council unanimously approved a special-use permit allowing Fast Photonics USA to operate a "manufacturing, medium intensity" facility at 900 Arthur's Lane in the Red River Business Park. The vote came after a public hearing and a presentation by the applicant describing the company's optical-transceiver manufacturing process.

The permit matters because it authorizes a manufacturing use that requires an SUP due to adhesive/epoxy processes used in a clean-room assembly line; the company told council the work is enclosed and that no hazardous materials will be stored outside the building. "There are no hazardous materials on-site," the applicant told the council during questioning.

Greg Noche, representing Fast Photonics USA, described the planned production: an initial investment of $12.5 million, 22 employees producing about 25,000 units a month, and an upgrade plan to reach 100,000 units per month requiring roughly 188 employees and an additional $7.7 million investment by late 2026. He said most of the 30-step process is automated, performed in a clean room and that shipments use typical delivery trucks, not tractor-trailers.

Richard Luebke, the city planning director, explained the staff recommendation and confirmed the planning and zoning commission had unanimously recommended approval. Luebke noted the SUP is tied to the platted lot and the specified use; if Fast Photonics expands into an adjacent lot or a different use, a new SUP would be required. "The SUP applies to the platted lot," he said, describing the limits of expansion under the approval.

Council members asked about a staff memo language referencing condensate and whether any hazardous materials would be present. Planning staff said the memo reference concerned condensate from cooling systems that is collected and removed from the site for proper disposal; the applicant said glues and epoxies used in the assembly are not classified as hazardous for transportation and no outside storage of those materials will occur.

Council member Austin McKellar raised ownership and investor questions during discussion, noting company ownership by Fast Photonics Singapore and that one investor named in public filings was China Unicom. Council members acknowledged those concerns but said federal and state authorities, not the city, are responsible for telecommunications-security and foreign-investment review. Planning staff reminded council its decision must be based on the five criteria in the unified development code for an SUP. The council approved the ordinance unanimously.

Outcome: motion to approve the ordinance as captioned passed unanimously.