Council approves mobile food unit permit near Griffin Parkway after neighbors raised traffic concerns

The City of Mission City Council on April 28, 2025, approved a conditional-use permit for a mobile food unit at the northeast corner of Salinas Drive and West Griffin Parkway but attached a time-limited landscaping condition after neighbors raised traffic concerns.

Planning staff told the council the application pre-dated new mobile-food rules and met the previous 1,000-foot spacing requirement; the planning and zoning commission had recommended approval despite opposition from four nearby property owners who expressed worry about traffic and queuing tied to a popular business across the street, El Bronco. Council members said they did not want to block the applicant’s business opportunity but emphasized the need to ensure the site is properly landscaped and maintained.

Council action and condition

Council approved the permit 5-0 and adopted a staff-recommended condition that the applicant install the required landscaping and a drip-irrigation system within a council-set allowance. The council modified staff’s original one-year allowance and set a three-month deadline for the irrigation installation; staff said they will calendar and perform follow-up inspections in two to three months to verify compliance.

What was said on the record

Planning staff explained the application and noted the owner had already made some landscaping improvements and requested additional time to install irrigation: “Yes, so we're gonna be checking, we're gonna put in our calendar to check with him, like, in 2 or 2 or 3 months to see where he is At with the- his irrigation,” the planning staff stated on the record.

Neighbors and other council comments

Staff and council described the parking and queuing pattern for the nearby plaza, and multiple neighbors objected, saying vehicle lines already extended onto the shoulder during peak hours. Council members asked staff to meet with the owner of the adjacent business (El Bronco) to review operational changes the owner proposed after the planning commission meeting. One council member explicitly said they did not want to impede the applicant’s business opportunity because the traffic issues were primarily associated with the adjacent property.

Next steps

Planning staff will inspect the site within the months following the meeting and report compliance with the irrigation and landscaping condition. The permit was approved for the period and conditions recorded on the motion (Ordinance No. 56,31).