Resident requests rezoning of 1365 Sales Blvd to allow small, home-based medical office; council sets first reading

Erica Lunsford told the Abilene City Council on Sept. 25 that she bought the house at 1365 Sales Boulevard and asked the council to rezone the property so she can convert a garage unit into a small medical office while living on the property.

The request was heard as a first reading, meaning the council did not take final action and the rezoning application will return for a later vote. Mayor Hunt (as identified during the meeting) noted the item was at first reading and would be decided at the next council meeting.

Lunsford told council members she is not proposing a busy clinic. “My goal was to see, like, 5 to 7 patients a day because I’m going to be breastfeeding and a whole lot of other things,” she said, adding the practice would be cash‑based and low volume. She said the conversion is intended to let her both live at the house with her family and provide limited medical services to neighbors.

Christy Andrew, a real estate broker who represented the purchaser, said staff at planning and zoning had indicated the parcel was a strong candidate for rezoning and described the planned use as “a quiet low impact, but highly valuable addition to that neighborhood.” Andrew said the property is on a street where multiple houses have been converted to businesses and that the applicant expects minimal parking or traffic impacts.

Residents who live near 1365 Sales Boulevard spoke against the rezoning during public comment. Danielle Delholm, who said she lives at 1370 Sales directly across the street, said the neighborhood is “completely residential” and disputed the characterization of nearby commercial conversions. “It may be a great service and it may be a needed service, but that doesn’t seem like the right neighborhood for it to me,” Delholm said.

City staff and council members did not take a final vote on the rezoning at the Sept. 25 meeting. The item was recorded as a first reading; the council indicated a final decision will be scheduled for a subsequent meeting.

The application, as described by the applicant and her representative, proposes a single, small, home‑based medical office limited to a handful of patients per day, cash payments only, and no stated plan for expanded hours or walk‑in services. Parking, traffic, and criminal‑activity concerns were raised by neighbors during the meeting’s public comment period.

The council’s zoning code or the specific zoning district requested were not specified in public comment. The applicant and her representative said they worked with planning staff during purchase and relied on staff guidance when buying the property.

A final vote will be taken at a later meeting; the public comment period for the first reading concluded with no council action taken on Sept. 25.