Stafford planning commission recommends denial of 10.53-acre replat for Murphy Road warehouse

STAFFORD, Texas — At its Oct. 7 meeting the City of Stafford Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend denial of a replat that would combine five parcels totaling 10.53 acres for a proposed warehouse development on Murphy Road.

City planning staff told commissioners the replat would consolidate five tracts tied to the Crow Holdings development south of Luby's on Murphy Road and north of the Murphy Road Mobile Home Park. Staff said the developer's Special Use Permit (SUP) for the warehouse had been approved earlier this year and that detailed construction plans would be reviewed later by plan reviewers and the fire department. Staff recommended approval of the replat.

The commission heard public comments from residents and local stakeholders who urged caution about additional warehouse development. William Bostick, a former Planning and Zoning commissioner and former chair, said the earlier hearings were "very controversial" and noted a split on City Council when the SUP was considered. Randy Kron, president of the Stafford Economic Development Corporation, urged collaboration between the EDC and the commission while also acknowledging community concern about the number of warehouses and the mix of uses that generate sales tax.

Commissioners discussed whether to again oppose the replat as a way to register disagreement with City Council, which had previously approved the SUP in January despite a prior Planning and Zoning recommendation against it. Several commissioners said they wanted the commission's position to reflect community concerns about the proliferation of warehouses in Stafford.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend denial of the replat; a second was recorded and the commission voted in favor. The motion to recommend denial was approved with no recorded opposition.

The commission's recommendation is advisory; the transcript records that the SUP for the warehouse was approved by City Council earlier this year. The replat and the commission's recommendation will be part of the administrative record and may be considered in subsequent actions by the City Council or by staff during later plan-review stages. The record did not include a date for Council consideration of the replat or a final decision timetable.

The meeting also included swearing-in of newly appointed and reappointed commissioners and routine administrative business.