Terrell approves construction plan for 933,656‑sq‑ft distribution center, adopts TIRZ No. 5 project plan

Terrell, Texas — On May 6, 2025, the Terrell City Council voted to approve a construction plan for a 933,656‑square‑foot distribution center on Airport Road and adopted Ordinance No. 3104, which enacts the project plan and finance plan for Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) No. 5 covering roughly 2,600 acres in the Airport Road/I‑20/US‑80 corridor.

City officials and project consultants said the industrial development is expected to add substantial incremental taxable value to the city’s base and will fund public infrastructure through the TIRZ. “That’s basically the 2,600 acres of the finance plan and project plan,” City Manager Mike Sims said while reviewing the TIRZ map and project summary.

Council members approved the ordinance adopting the TIRZ project and finance plan unanimously; the separate construction plan for the distribution center passed on a 3‑1 vote. The developer and consultants told council the parcel under immediate consideration covers about 23 acres and that final property acquisitions and a separate annexation and zoning second readings remain pending.

Consultants presented traffic and site details to council. Jeffrey Dolian of Kimley‑Horn summarized the traffic impact analysis: “In that AM peak hour, we have, in total, 542 trips,” he said, noting 508 of those trips were cars and 34 were trucks. The PM peak hour was estimated at 606 total trips, including 573 cars and 33 trucks.

To manage truck movements, the site plan shows four driveways on Airport Road, a dedicated inbound truck driveway with a 200‑foot right‑turn lane and taper, a main employee ("associate") entrance, a secondary associate entrance, and a dedicated truck exit aligned with an existing median opening. The main gate and check‑in area are set about 950 feet from Airport Road and provide on‑site stacking space; consultants said the gate area can queue up to 23 trucks so vehicles do not queue on the public road.

“The vast majority of nearly all of our trucks we anticipate will be coming from I‑20,” Dolian said when asked about truck routing. Developer representative Jonathan Stites of Siegfried Industrial Properties described the planned building as an inbound cross‑dock distribution facility and emphasized the regional role of truck traffic: “The trucks that come to and from this will want to get to and from I‑20 as quickly as possible.”

Site design includes screening and landscaping: a tubular steel fence along the street front and eight‑foot masonry screening walls adjacent to trailer parking areas. The plan shows 1,105 trailer parking spaces and 1,036 employee parking spaces. Project operations were described as two shifts, roughly 7 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.–5:30 a.m., during which traffic peaks would occur.

Planning and Zoning Commission members recommended approval of the construction plan and earlier approved the zoning change by a 6–1 tally at a prior meeting; the city solicitor and staff noted one commissioner’s recorded abstention in that body. City staff told council that second readings for annexation, zoning and the TIRZ ordinance remain the formal next steps for council action when those items return.

Councilmembers who spoke about the project framed it as a jobs and tax‑base opportunity while acknowledging neighborhood and traffic concerns expressed during the meeting. “We’re creating jobs for our community,” Councilman Phil Robinson said in support of the project.

The council’s approval allows staff to continue final permitting and plan review steps; staff said construction plans and building permits will proceed next, and final annexation and zoning second readings will be scheduled when property transactions and documentation are complete.