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Council postpones vote on quarry permit amendment after sustained concerns over truck traffic and road wear
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Summary
Council tabled an ordinance to amend Specific Use Permit No. 143 to extend mining through 2034, increase maximum daily truck trips to 300, and update truck routes. Council asked staff for more information on traffic routes, enforcement and potential user fees before taking a final vote.
Missouri City Council on Aug. 18 postponed action on an ordinance to amend Specific Use Permit No. 143, which would have authorized a quarry/mined sand and mineral extraction operation to continue through 2034, increase maximum daily truck trips (the applicant requested 300, up from 250) and revise truck routes.
City planner Sarai summarized the proposed changes, including updated truck routes and hour restrictions: staff recommended allowing truck traffic outside the Sienna area to operate between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., and limiting truck traffic on Sienna Parkway itself to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. "The updated truck routes include Thompson Ferry Road to Sienna Springs, to Sienna Ranch, and then going south to Fort Bend Toll or to Sienna Parkway," Sarai said.
Council members pressed staff and the applicant on impacts to city streets, enforcement and fiscal benefit. Assistant City Manager Mangum told council staff had not found a significant property-tax benefit from the quarry operation and described any property tax contribution as "negligible." Council members expressed concern that the quarry's truck traffic uses city roads but produces little direct tax revenue.
Police leadership warned that enforcing trip-count limits would be difficult. "We can't enforce the times because that's pretty cut and dry ... it's the number of vehicles, the number of trips that we will have trouble monitoring because we just don't won't know what trip they're on," the chief said, describing practical limits to enforcing per-day trip caps without additional monitoring systems.
Council gave staff direction to return with more information, including exploring alternative ingress/egress routes (McKeever and FM 521 were mentioned), tighter route and time restrictions, improved signage or logs, and whether the state would allow a user-fee structure to recover pavement wear-and-tear costs. Council member Brown Marshall moved to table/postpone the matter so staff could provide additional options; Council member Clauser seconded. The motion to postpone carried unanimously.
Staff said the ordinance under consideration would have increased the maximum daily truck trips to 300 and adjusted truck-hours and routes; council did not adopt those changes and postponed final action to a future meeting when staff returns with the requested information.
