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Planning commission recommends approval for Cajun restaurant parking amendment on Keller Parkway
Summary
The City of Keller Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of a site plan amendment and two variances for a Cajun restaurant at 541/605 Keller Parkway that will add a secondary parking lot and reduce required landscape buffering and island requirements; the item advances to City Council Feb. 4.
The City of Keller Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 14 voted unanimously to recommend approval of a site plan amendment and two variances for a Cajun restaurant on Keller Parkway, a project that adds a secondary parking lot at 605 Keller Parkway and alters landscaping requirements.
The developer requested a 20-foot landscape buffer along Keller Parkway instead of the 30 feet required by the Unified Development Code and asked to omit a landscape island at either end of the north parking row on the secondary lot. City staff said the restaurant’s original site already meets the parking required for the building, and the additional lot would provide 35 parking spaces “over parking.”
City staff recalled the project’s history: in March 2023 council approved a zoning change, specific-use permit (SUP) and site plan for a restaurant originally shown at 6,697 square feet; later amendments and a building permit reduced the building footprint and the permited restaurant is roughly 5,500 square feet. Staff said the UDC parking ratio for restaurants is one space per 150 square feet, yielding a 37-space requirement plus two accessible stalls; the primary parcel already provides required spaces and the secondary lot adds 35 more.
An applicant representative, identified as the restaurant team, said the extra parking is based on experience at another location: “In Robinson, Texas … we had so many people, they were parking on a state highway on the side of the highway trying to get into our restaurant. And so we had to buy another lot down the road to add additional parking for that location.” The applicant told commissioners the pond and existing vegetation near the secondary lot would partially serve as visual softening where the islands are not proposed.
Commissioners asked about visibility and tree removal, and staff noted public works reviews monument-sign and visibility concerns; staff also confirmed no public hearing is required for a site plan with variances and that no mailed public notifications were required. Commissioner Ross Branciger moved to recommend approval; Vice Chair John Baker seconded. The commission’s recommendation now goes to City Council on Feb. 4 for final action.
The commission framed its decision around the site’s existing conditions and the applicant’s operational experience, while requiring final council review before the variances and site plan take effect.
