Port Arthur planners approve specific-use permit for proposed shopping center at Ninth Avenue and 30th Street

The City of Port Arthur Planning and Zoning Commission on March 17 approved a specific-use permit, case Z25-03, to allow construction and operation of a retail local shopping center on two parcels in the Rosemont subdivision near Ninth Avenue and 30th Street.

The permit covers Lots 18–20, Block 204, Rosemont, and Lots 21–24, Tract 1, Block 204, Rosemont (Jefferson County parcel numbers 98226 and 98227), totaling about 0.491 acres. The property owner is listed as Fahim Hussain Kuwaha. The land is currently zoned Planned Development 14 (PD-14); the commission approved the specific-use permit to allow a retail local shopping center at that location.

The application was filed on or around Feb. 3, 2025. City staff said 18 notices were mailed to adjacent property owners within a 200-foot radius and the hearing was published in the Port Arthur newspaper at least 15 days before the March 17 public hearing. Miss Ares, planning staff, told commissioners that the specific-use permit process is required in PD-14 for any commercial activity at the site.

Commission discussion and public comment focused on how future tenants would be handled and on local traffic. Planning staff clarified that the property owner must apply for a specific-use permit for the shopping center now, and any commercial tenant that later seeks to occupy a space (for example, a boutique, restaurant or entertainment use) would require a separate specific-use permit application submitted by the property owner when tenants are identified. Staff referenced a prior case in which a proposed game room was denied after a specific-use permit application.

Donine Beckham, Port Arthur city council member for District 3, spoke in favor of the development and said the nearby streets are already on the city’s repair list. "Those are two streets that are on the streets project as emergency repairs because of the condition of 30 Ninth Street," Beckham said, and she added Ninth Avenue is planned to be widened from 30 Ninth Street south to Evergreen. Beckham also said the area is currently being used as a detour for a TxDOT Cloverleaf construction project, which has increased traffic on 30 Ninth Street.

A resident and several commissioners raised concerns about potential congestion at the intersection because 30 Ninth Street is two lanes where it meets Ninth Avenue, which is four lanes. Planning staff said the commission’s role at this hearing was limited to the specific-use permit; any engineering or street-widening work would be handled separately by the city’s public works and engineering processes. Staff also said predevelopment engineering comments were completed and aligned with permitting requirements for the proposed project.

After public comment the commission closed the hearing and voted to approve the zoning map amendment / specific-use permit for case Z25-03. The motion carried; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally of yes/no votes or the full named mover/second in the public record excerpt provided.

The commission noted the requirement that any tenant proposing a use determined to be more intense than permitted by right in PD-14 must come before the commission (via the property owner) for a separate specific-use permit and then to city council for final action if required. Staff said this process is intended to allow the commission and council to review uses individually when they could have greater local impacts.

The commission adjourned at 5:52 p.m. and staff announced the next meeting date as April 7, 2025.