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Denton planners seek direction on US‑380 corridor, staff recommends light‑industrial and mixed‑use designations
Summary
City planning staff asked the Denton Planning and Zoning Commission for feedback on a one‑mile portion of US‑380, recommending mostly light‑industrial uses with a small community mixed‑use pocket; commissioners requested more neighborhood outreach and traffic context before map changes.
Planning staff presented a one‑mile corridor study for a stretch of U.S. 380 east of Geesling Road during the April 23 Denton Planning and Zoning Commission work session, asking whether the city should change the corridor’s future land use from rural/residential to mostly light industrial with a community mixed‑use node near Lakeview Boulevard.
The staff presentation said the study area—about 1 mile long and roughly 250 feet on either side of the highway—has large portions of vacant land and driveways serving commercial or industrial sites in Denton’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. Aaron Stanley, assistant planner, told commissioners that traffic counts in the subject area exceeded 46,000 trips per day in 2022 and could rise above 80,000 per day by 2050 if planned TxDOT improvements proceed.
Stanley said staff’s primary recommendation is to update the future land use map so most of the corridor is designated light industrial, with a smaller community mixed‑use designation south of the corridor at Lakeview Boulevard to buffer existing residences. He said light industrial “also includes supporting uses such as offices, retail, and restaurants” and that the corridor’s transportation infrastructure would be consistent with that use.
Commissioners asked for more context before committing. Several commissioners said they were concerned about placing more intensive uses along a high‑speed freeway gateway, noting safety and driveway access issues. One commissioner asked whether corridor changes would create the same congested development pattern seen at Razor Ranch; staff replied that the recommendation aims to align with existing nearby industrial uses rather than induce heavy retail/commercial frontage.
Traffic and safety staff attended the discussion. Farhan (last name not provided), deputy director of transportation services, told commissioners that speed correlates with crash severity and that the city’s Vision Zero work will prioritize frequent serious‑injury locations and make recommendations to improve safety over time.
Commissioners asked staff to perform additional neighborhood engagement and to provide clearer comparisons of land‑use categories, a high‑level traffic impact perspective, and the table of zoning districts that typically align with each future land‑use designation. Aaron Stanley and other staff agreed to conduct outreach to property owners and to return with results before initiating any formal future land use map amendment.
The commission did not take a vote to amend the future land use map at the meeting; instead staff took direction to proceed with outreach and report back. Stanley said that if the commission concurs after outreach, staff would prepare a formal map amendment and follow the public hearing process to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.
Ending
Stanley and staff will perform neighborhood engagement and return to the commission with the feedback and additional materials (zoning/use tables and a high‑level traffic impact assessment) before any formal future land use amendment is initiated.
