Commission recommends comprehensive plan amendment for West Second Street properties despite staff concerns about spot zoning

The City of Taylor Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a comprehensive plan amendment to change the future land use designation of several parcels near West Second Street from "market center" to "employment center," enabling rezoning that would allow automotive-oriented services and vehicle storage on the sites.

Staff presenter Cole Vakley explained that because the applicant’s desired uses (automotive services and storage) are inconsistent with the current comprehensive plan future land use, a comp-plan amendment is required before rezoning. Vakley outlined five evaluation criteria in the Land Development Code and said staff found the request in tension with several plan goals, including the desire to promote walkability and downtown-oriented business types on Second Street. "This is where staff has concerns primarily with this future land use amendment," Vakley told commissioners, citing risks of setting a precedent for spot zoning.

Kenneth Cruz, representing Cruz Electric and the family business that owns the parcels at 815 and 817 West Second Street and 918 West First Street, told commissioners the corridor historically has supported light industrial and automotive services and said his family intends to keep operating the properties. "We have no intention of selling our business or the properties around it," Cruz said. He argued the request reflects existing use patterns and noted an area within about 200 feet already zoned as employment center, which he said demonstrated precedent.

Commission discussion raised the mismatch between the comprehensive plan’s stated goals for Second Street (walkability and downtown-serving commercial uses) and the reality of automotive uses already present. The commission ultimately approved the amendment by motion; the transcript records one commissioner in opposition but does not list individual vote tallies by name.

The commission’s recommendation advances the amendment to City Council; staff emphasized that a broader neighborhood engagement may be more appropriate if the city wants to rethink land-use designations for a larger area rather than approve piecemeal amendments to the comp plan.