Council approves zone change from SF-2 to AC for property near Indiana Avenue in District 4

The Lubbock City Council unanimously approved a zone change on May 27, 2025, to rezone a property owned by Wayne and Marilyn Downing from low-density single-family (SF-2) to Auto Urban Commercial (AC). Councilmember Dr. Wilson moved to approve the request and Councilmember Collins seconded the motion.

City planning staff Kristen Sager summarized the request, saying the property is located south of 114th Street east of Indiana Avenue in Council District 4 and that the future land-use plan designates the parcel for commercial use. Sager said staff sent 15 notices to nearby property owners and received no responses; the Planning and Zoning Commission also recommended approval by a unanimous vote.

Sager said there is an existing commercial building on the property and adjacent commercial uses to the north, south and west, while heavy commercial lies to the east. She told the council the building was constructed outside city limits and is a nonconforming use under current zoning; a zone change would align zoning with observed use and the land-use plan.

Councilmember Collins asked whether adjacent properties had gone through the same rezoning process and raised a broader policy concern about charging fees to owners who were annexed and whose existing uses became nonconforming. Sager responded that annexation and the adoption of the Unified Development Code resulted in an automatic SF-2 designation for some parcels and that owners would have had an opportunity to raise concerns during annexation.

Council discussion was brief. After the motion and second, the council voted and the motion passed unanimously.

Staff noted the application fee for a zone change is $500 for up to 1 acre, plus $5 for each additional acre or fraction thereof; Sager also said the change was in conformance with the zoning ordinance and compatible with surrounding uses.