Rockwall City Council approves multiple specific-use permits, including golf driving range and church expansion

Rockwall City Council on June 16 approved a package of zoning and development requests, including a specific-use permit for a two-story golf driving range and family entertainment center, an expansion of Ridgeview Church, a wholesale showroom, a large detached garage, and two detached covered porches.

The decisions allow the applicants — who received unanimous or near-unanimous council support after Planning and Zoning Commission recommendations — to proceed under the conditions specified in draft ordinances provided to the council.

Why it matters: The approvals change permitted land uses and approve deviations from the Unified Development Code in multiple parts of the city. The driving-range project in particular includes tall support poles and lighting and drew attention for its size and proposed operations; the church expansion will more than double the existing building footprint on its site and add childcare and event space.

What the council approved (highlights) - Z2025-024 (Golf driving range / family entertainment center): The council granted a specific-use permit to allow an outdoor commercial amusement/recreation use and a structure taller than 60 feet on a 7.847-acre parcel at the end of Fitsport Boulevard. The applicant’s concept showed a two-story driving range with covered bays (11,900 sq. ft. of golf bays), a mini-golf course, an arcade, playground, banquet/event space, two restaurants (6,600 sq. ft. total), retail and service space, and a parking field showing 345 spaces (77 more than required). The applicant said the proposal was reworked from an earlier, larger plan and emphasized the entertainment orientation: “It’s 70% entertainment,” applicant Tony Winkler said, adding that the range would be a shorter, 60-yard experience with electronic tracking for players. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 5–0; the ordinance ultimately passed with the council announcing final approval (see Voting at a glance).

- Z2025-027 (Ridgeview Church expansion): The council approved an SUP allowing an expansion that the staff described as an additional roughly 35,653 square feet, producing a total building size reported in staff materials of about 53,904 square feet. The proposal includes an auditorium, multipurpose rooms, classrooms, offices and a daycare, and adds parking to provide a total of 286 spaces (32 spaces above the city minimum). Staff noted the project deviates from some general-retail district standards because parking will remain between the building façade and FM 552 and Breezy Hill; the applicant proposed added landscaping and a residential adjacency buffer as mitigation. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 5–0; the council approved the SUP.

- Z2025-025 (Wholesale showroom, Lot 26 Rainbow Acres): The council approved an SUP to allow a wholesale showroom facility in a 4,900-square-foot office building, with half the building to be showroom and office and the other half used for warehouse space (warehouse limited to 50% by the UDC). Staff reported 34 mailed notices and no returns in favor or opposition; Planning and Zoning recommended approval 5–0.

- Z2025-026 (Detached garage, Stony Hollow): The council approved an SUP for a 35×24 detached garage (840 sq. ft.) on a 0.77-acre lot; the Single Family 16 district permits a 625-square-foot detached garage, so the SUP was required. The applicant, Elijah Ticurio, said the garage was needed for personal storage and classic-car work; staff said the existing 144-square-foot accessory building would be removed prior to the new structure’s acceptance. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 5–0.

- Z2025-023 (Two detached covered porches, Breezy Hill): The council approved an SUP to allow two detached covered porches totaling 544 square feet (16×16 and 16×18) on a 0.1653-acre lot in PD‑74. Staff noted the combined square footage exceeds the 500-square-foot allowance in the UDC and the proposed 3:12 roof pitch deviated from the PD minimum 4:12 pitch; the applicant said they would adopt composition shingles and could meet the 4:12 pitch. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 5–0; the council approved the SUP unanimously.

- Consent item P2025‑018 (pulled from consent and considered separately): Councilmember Henson asked questions about engineering details (curbs and gutters vs. ditches, retention and detention pond design, street width, driveway style). Staff answered that the development will have curb-and-gutter streets (29 feet back-to-back in a 50–60-foot right of way for residential loops), both retention and detention elements in the pond system, and front-entry, J‑swing driveways. The council approved the item 5–1 (Councilmember Henson voting no) with one absence.

Votes at a glance - Z2025‑023 (SUP for two detached covered porches, Lot 9, Breezy Hill): Approved; council recorded as passing unanimously. - Z2025‑024 (SUP for outdoor commercial amusement/golf driving range, Lot 11 Block B Fit Sport Life Addition): Approved after council recheck; staff and applicant described 345 parking spaces and support poles for netting up to 175 feet; Planning & Zoning recommended 5–0; council approved (final vote recorded as passing unanimously of those present after clarification). - Z2025‑025 (SUP for wholesale showroom, Lot 26 Rainbow Acres): Approved; Planning & Zoning 5–0; council vote recorded as unanimous among those present. - Z2025‑026 (SUP for detached garage, Lot 23 Block A Stony Hollow): Approved; Planning & Zoning 5–0; council vote recorded as unanimous among those present. - Z2025‑027 (SUP for Ridgeview Church expansion, Lot 28 Skyview Country Estates No. 3): Approved; Planning & Zoning 5–0; council vote recorded as unanimous among those present. - Z2025‑028 (Amend PD‑37 to permit medical office as a home-occupation use): Approved; Planning & Zoning 5–0; council vote recorded as unanimous among those present. - Consent item P2025‑018 (pulled): Approved 5–1, Councilmember Henson voted no; one absence.

Council and staff notes - Planning and Zoning Commission recommendations: The council packet and staff testimony repeatedly noted the P&Z recommended approval on the zoning cases by a 5–0 vote (with occasional absences or vacancies reported at the commission level). Staff also reported mailed notice counts for each zoning case (examples: 68 notices for the Breezy Hill porches, 11 notices for the driving range case, 34 for the wholesale showroom, 46 for the detached garage, 33 for the church, 27 for PD‑37). No substantial public opposition was returned in the mailed-notice process for these cases; a small number of responses in favor were included in the staff packets in some cases.

Direct quotes from the hearing - Applicant Tony Winkler, describing the driving-range redesign: “It’s 70% entertainment but if people want to really go there and hit golf balls… we will have real restriction golf balls, real Cleveland wedge ball, clubs, and we’ll have electronics that will tell you exactly where your ball went.” - Applicant Kyle Peterson, on the Breezy Hill porches: “We went a little backwards on this. We’re trying to fix it, tore everything down, starting over.”

What the council did not decide - No legislative text amendments to the Unified Development Code were adopted tonight; the council acted on case-by-case specific-use permits and one amendment to PD‑37 to add medical-office as a permitted home-occupation use. Several projects will require subsequent building permits, site-plan approvals and, where applicable, compliance with the conditions set out in the draft ordinances.

Ending: The approvals clear the way for the applicants to pursue building permits and site work under the conditions in each ordinance; several projects, including the driving-range concept and the church expansion, were described by staff and applicants as substantial undertakings that will proceed through additional permitting and construction phases.