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Council approves Seagoville Road office/flex development and SUP for Elam Road convenience site with screening conditions
Summary
Balch Springs approved a special use permit to bring an existing convenience store into conformance at 11900 Elam Road and rezoned and authorized a development agreement for a flex-office project at 11916 Seagoville Road. Conditions include landscaping, an 8-foot screening wall, and Flock camera contributions.
The Balch Springs City Council approved two land-use actions on Sept. 8, 2025: a special use permit (SUP) to make an existing convenience store at 11900 Elam Road a legal conforming use and a rezoning plus development agreement for a flex-office project at 11916 Seagoville Road.
Planner Jordan presented the SUP for 11900 Elam Road, saying the proposal would bring the nonconforming site into compliance with current standards. The application covers a 0.63-acre parcel and includes remodeling the existing store and creating two tenant suites. Jordan summarized standard SUP conditions including conformance with the submitted site plan, landscaping, no exterior illumination crossing residential property lines, no outside vending and provision of sidewalk. Jordan said staff and planning and zoning recommended approval, noting one nearby resident requested a screening wall between the retail property and adjacent housing.
During discussion council amended the planning commission's recommendation to require an 8-foot screening wall (the zoning code minimum-maximum range is 6'8 feet); the motion to approve the SUP with that condition passed unanimously.
At 11916 Seagoville Road, staff presented a rezoning request from Local Retail to Commercial on a 0.9425-acre parcel to allow a primary use of flex office space. The developer agreed in a development agreement to prohibit certain heavy/commercial uses otherwise allowed in a commercial zone, to install landscaping, to contribute $10,000 to the Elam City Center downtown plan and to install Flock cameras with a subscription accessible to Balch Springs Police Department. Staff said the project represents an approximate $1,500,000 investment and included six units in the submitted site plan.
Architect Frank Clusi explained the project will be office/commercial flex space rather than raw warehouse space and described exterior materials as a combination of AAC panel and cement board. Jordan said staff will require a drainage plan and other permitting conditions because portions of nearby property lie in a flood zone; the parcel itself was described as out of the floodway but subject to standard stormwater review.
The council authorized the rezoning ordinance and directed the city manager to negotiate and execute the development agreement, and later authorized the city manager to execute the final development agreement with the corrected language indicating the primary use as flex office space. Votes on the rezoning and development agreement were unanimous among members present.
Key details and conditions: - SUP 002-2025 (11900 Elam Road): parcel ~0.63 acres; standard SUP conditions plus an 8-foot wood screening wall to buffer adjacent residences; site to add landscaping and sidewalk. - Rezoning 009-2025 (11916 Seagoville Road): parcel ~0.9425 acres; rezoned from LR (Local Retail) to C (Commercial) with a development agreement that prohibits outdoor storage, outdoor displays, pawn shops and certain repair uses; developer to contribute $10,000 to downtown improvements and provide Flock camera system access to Balch Springs PD; project estimated investment $1,500,000; six-unit flex office configuration submitted.
Ending: Staff will require detailed site civil and drainage plans during building-permit review and will enforce SUP conditions through the permitting and inspection process.
