The Land Use and Zoning Committee on Jan. 7 approved a land‑use amendment and companion PUD rezoning for a roughly 33.95‑acre parcel on Brandy Branch Road — just north of I‑10/US‑301 — to return the site to agriculture land use and allow an RV park with up to 418 RV spaces under the proposed PUD.

Planning staff reported the site had previously been designated agricultural, was surrounded by agricultural and residential parcels and had been vacant since an earlier PUD approval in 2007 for single‑family development. Staff found the rezoning consistent with the comprehensive plan and recommended approval. The Planning Commission voted unanimously on Dec. 5 to approve the application without conditions.

Committee debate focused on two planning‑department conditions: (1) an ADA‑compliant sidewalk across the Brandy Branch frontage meeting code section 654.133 and connecting to an existing sidewalk to the east, and (2) a traffic study during civil review with a methodology meeting including traffic engineering staff. The applicant objected to both conditions, saying the property is remote and the sidewalk would create an isolated short segment; he also said the location is a dead end with little external traffic and that the traffic study was unnecessary.

Committee action: Members voted to adopt a revised PUD site description and approved an amendment that removed the two planning department conditions. The PUD was moved and passed as amended. Planning staff confirmed that alternative compliance or requirements would still be addressed at civil plan review if future reviewers deem changes necessary.

Why it matters: The approvals allow the property to be used for an RV park, a transient commercial‑style land use, and return the parcel to an agricultural future‑land‑use designation; the decision illustrates how committees balance staff‑recommended conditions against applicant objections and local context.

Speakers and positions: Planning staff presented the consistency finding and the project history. Applicant Paul Harden (agent/developer) opposed the sidewalk and traffic‑study conditions. Laurie Santana, chief of transportation planning, told the committee that if a sidewalk is not part of the PUD it may still be reviewed at civil plan review and applicants can apply for in‑lieu options, but she said it would not put the city in legal jeopardy.

Votes and next steps: The committee approved the land‑use amendment and the companion rezoning as amended; civil plan review will follow, where engineering, drainage and transportation details will be evaluated.