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Residents tell council H‑E‑B grocery drive‑through plans raise safety, noise and privacy concerns
Summary
Multiple residents spoke during public forum to urge changes to the planned H‑E‑B grocery development’s drive‑through lane and site design, citing concerns about fencing/visual barriers, noise, retaining walls, easements and access. Council set a public hearing for Sept. 9 on the H‑E‑B special-use permit application as part of the consent agenda.
Montgomery — Residents at the Aug. 26 Montgomery City Council meeting urged the council to address safety, noise and privacy issues related to a planned H‑E‑B grocery development that includes a restaurant drive‑through lane. The council included a resolution on its consent agenda calling for a public hearing on Sept. 9 for an H E B LP special-use permit application for a 31.97-acre tract; the consent agenda was accepted as presented.
During the public forum, several nearby residents and contractors raised specific concerns. A speaker who identified himself as a contractor warned that the proposed 20-foot retaining wall and a proposed 10% slope could be unsafe without adequate room for construction, and he urged that energy easement coordination be verified with utilities. Dylan Parker, identified in the public comments, said the 20-foot horizontal area includes part of an energy easement and urged better coordination with the utility provider so future construction and access would be safe.
Alexandria Parker, who identified herself as living at a nearby address, told the council she was worried about the change from a residential buffer to a retail operation. "The daily operation is a retail store, including deliveries, lighting, and customer traffic, can significantly disrupt the peaceful atmosphere we currently have," she said, and she asked the council to require a masonry wall to mitigate noise, light pollution and provide visual privacy for nearby families.
Other commenters asked the council to confirm that the project complies with the city's noise and screening standards; staff materials referenced a city limit of 68 decibels for certain commercial development noise caps and a visual-barrier definition in the adopted ordinance that requires a continuous solid screen or vegetation at maturity. Several speakers asked that the city ensure that the developer coordinate with the energy provider about historic access points and right-of-way use.
Ending: The council accepted the consent agenda, which included calling a public hearing on Sept. 9 to consider the H E B LP special-use permit application; the public comments and the scheduled hearing indicate the item will return for formal public input and council consideration.
