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Denton City planning board approves variance to reduce minimum lot depth for industrial parcel
Summary
The Denton City Planning Board unanimously approved Variance Case 25151 to reduce the minimum lot depth on an industrial parcel west of I-35 from 200 feet to 73 feet, a 127-foot reduction, after staff described platting history that left the parcel noncompliant.
The Denton City Planning Board approved Variance Case 25151, allowing a reduction in the minimum required lot depth from 200 feet to 73 feet for a heavy-industrial parcel west of I-35 near the Airport Road and Dakota Lane intersection. The board voted 7-0 to grant the variance after a staff presentation and brief questions from board members.
Staff member Dr. Dean described the property and the request to the board, saying the parcel is outlined in black on the staff exhibit and lies on the west side of I-35 just south of Airport Road and Kurla Lane. Dr. Dean said the property currently meets lot area requirements for the heavy industrial zoning district but does not meet the district's minimum lot depth requirement. He summarized the request as "a 127 foot variance reduction to the required lot depth, from the required 200 feet to 73 feet." (Variance case 25151).
The staff presentation explained the platting history behind the parcel's irregular shape. Dr. Dean said the land was recorded originally on a conveyance plat in February 2010 that showed a broader area, and a final plat approved in February 2011 did not include the subject parcel, effectively leaving it out of the final-platted development and creating the nonconforming boundary. Staff advised that the irregular boundary resulted from past platting actions and was not the result of the current property owner.
On the variance criteria, staff recommended approval, arguing the parcel's irregular boundaries constitute a special condition not generally applicable to others; the reduction would not be detrimental to public welfare; the requested variance is the minimum necessary to allow development; strict enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship; the variance is not solely for minimizing mutual hardship; and the condition is not the result of the applicant's actions. Dr. Dean also noted that any future development would require final site-plan review and must comply with building, development and safety codes.
Board members asked clarifying questions about surrounding uses, the parcel's shape, and whether future site-plan requirements or other code standards (setbacks, buffers, distances from tanks or entrances) could still prevent particular improvements even if the variance were granted. Dr. Dean responded that the parcel is bordered by Dakota Lane on the east and southeast and that the area nearby is a mix of vacant and developed industrial property. He said staff would evaluate any future site plan against code requirements and that no major obstacles had been identified in prior staff discussions with the applicant.
After public hearing procedures were closed, the board took a motion to approve the variance. With a motion and a second, the board voted by a show of hands; the motion passed unanimously, 7 in favor and 0 opposed. The approval was recorded "no conditions." The board chair then moved to concluding items.
The decision grants the parcel a minimum-lot-depth exception but does not remove other development-review steps; the applicant must still submit a final site plan that complies with applicable code standards and other ordinances before any building permits or development activity would be allowed.
