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Commission recommends UDC amendment clarifying outdoor display and storage rules; 20-foot stacking limit to be clarified
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval of a Unified Development Code amendment that separates and clarifies rules for outdoor display and outdoor storage, preserves a 20-foot maximum for stacked outdoor storage and asks staff to clarify that the cap applies to stacked items rather than inherently tall equipment.
The Schertz Planning & Zoning Commission voted June 4 to recommend City Council approve an amendment to Article 8 (section 21.8.9) of the Unified Development Code to clarify rules for outdoor display and outdoor storage.
Planner Daisy Marquez explained the proposed amendment simplifies and clarifies two categories: outdoor display (items presented for public sale or perusal, limited to 15 feet for individual items and 5 feet for stacked items, and to no more than 25% of the primary building square footage) and outdoor storage (larger or bulk items, currently capped at 20 feet and prohibited from visibility from the public right-of-way). Marquez said the draft expands exceptions for garden centers and lumberyards if the area is attached to and accessible through the primary building and properly identified on an approved site plan. The draft also adds MSMU (mixed-use) zones to the allowed-use table for outdoor display.
Commissioners asked staff about the origin of the 15-foot and 20-foot figures. Marquez said the 20-foot limit for outdoor storage is the existing standard in the code and staff chose to retain it; the 15-foot figure for display was proposed as a reasonable limit for visible retail items. Commissioners and a member of the public also discussed whether the 20-foot cap applies to stacked material (racks of product) or to inherently taller equipment stored outdoors. Staff and one commissioner recommended clarifying language so the 20-foot cap applies to stacked material rather than to machinery or equipment whose manufactured height exceeds 20 feet. As one commissioner noted, higher stacked loads raise collapse and projectile risks and make more stringent racking/safety measures necessary.
A motion to recommend approval with the specific clarification about the 20-foot stacking-versus-equipment interpretation passed; the commission recorded a unanimous 7–0 vote.
The amendment as recommended codifies clearer definitions for display and storage, moves general requirements to a single location in the UDC section, clarifies that outdoor storage is prohibited in required landscape buffers, ADA access points, public right-of-way and fire lanes, and requires specific-use permits for outdoor storage in public-use zoning. Staff said the changes respond to evolving retail and industrial practices and clarify expectations for site plans and enforcement.
The item will proceed to City Council with the commission’s recommendation and with a staff revision clarifying that the 20-foot limit applies to stacked material rather than inherently tall equipment.
