Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Boerne planning panel recommends denying Goodwill thrift store special-use permit
Loading...
Summary
The Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend the City Council deny a special use permit for a proposed 16,570-square-foot Goodwill thrift store at 1030 North Main Street after public testimony citing donation dilution, visual impacts at the city's entrance corridor, parking and off-hours donation dumping.
Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission — On July [date not specified], the Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend the City Council deny a special use permit requested by Goodwill Industries to operate a 16,570-square-foot thrift store at 1030 North Main Street in the Live Oak Shopping Center.
The commission's discussion followed a staff presentation that described the site as a vacant tenant space in a C-2 (transitional commercial) zone within the city's entrance corridor overlay district and said the proposed use otherwise met Unified Development Code criteria. Staff recommended approval with three stipulations: conformity to the submitted narrative and floor plan; the SUP would expire if no physical improvements and a certificate of occupancy occurred within two years; and no outdoor donation bins or outdoor storage or congregating would be permitted on site.
Public testimony opposing the application came almost entirely from local nonprofit leaders, thrift-shop operators and nearby residents. Speakers including Ellen Clark (volunteer at the Boerne Senior Center), Bryce Bodie (executive director, Hill Country Family Services), Patty Mains (Historic Landmark Commissioner), Rebecca Forrest (executive director, Hill Country Animal League) and several residents said local charities rely on donated goods and that a regional nonprofit with centralized redistribution could divert donations out of Kendall County. Multiple speakers also raised concerns about off-hours dumping at donation sites, visual impacts at the city's gateway and the effect on Main Street's character.
Goodwill's chief operating officer, Dave Peterson, and the property owner's representative, Michael Jerrison of Espada Real Estate, presented plans for interior donations processing only, no outdoor donation bins, and efforts the organization said it uses to limit off-hours donations (attended donation handling during operating hours, security cameras, and potential expanded donation-hour coverage or on-site staff if problems persist). Goodwill said the store would create more than 20 full-time jobs and fund career and training services regionally.
Commission discussion focused on whether the proposal met the city's SUP approval criteria under UDC Section 2-5-d, particularly compatibility with the entrance corridor and impacts to public health, safety and welfare. Commissioners cited three recurring concerns: (1) off-hours donations and the visual and nuisance effects when items accumulate and are rummaged through; (2) whether the proposal fits the character of the entrance corridor and the appearance visitors see entering Boerne; and (3) parking adequacy for the shopping center (staff described the parking as adequate, but one commissioner calculated a parking shortfall compared with the total square footage of the center). Several commissioners said they were persuaded by the public record and felt multiple approval criteria were not met.
Commissioner Hartley moved to recommend the City Council deny the SUP, citing specific items under the SUP criteria (a, b, f and k). The motion was seconded by Commissioner Byrd and passed 6-1. Commissioners who voted in favor of the recommendation to deny raised the concerns above; one commissioner voted against the recommendation, citing the center's vacancy and the benefits of active tenants and jobs.
Staff reiterated that the SUP process evaluates land-use compatibility, not business models or market competition, and reminded the public that the SUP contains an expiration clause if no certificate of occupancy is issued within two years. The commission also noted staff had provided expanded public notice (500-foot radius rather than the statutory 200 feet) and that the applicant may return to the process in the future.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to deny recommendation (special use permit for Goodwill at 1030 North Main Street): motion carried 6-1 to recommend denial to City Council. Mover: Commissioner Hartley; second: Commissioner Byrd. (Tally: yes 6, no 1.) - Consent agenda (approval of minutes, meeting of 06/02/2025): motion to approve carried unanimously earlier in the meeting (7-0).
