Durant planning commission recommends preliminary replat and rezone for Rodeo Road/Highway 78 parcel

The Durant Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council approve a preliminary replat and rezone for property at Rodeo Road and Highway 78, forwarding the application with a condition that the applicant meet county plat-recording requirements.

The action concerns a replat that converts part of previously agricultural land toward single-family residential lots while preserving one corner parcel for commercial use. City staff told commissioners the applicant has addressed a water-line crossing under the railroad and that officials reported no water issues in the area after that work.

Paul, a city staff member, introduced the item and said the submittal reduces the amount of commercial property and converts agricultural parcels to residential; he noted that the shaded area on the revised plans had been sold off. Applicant Danny Curry told the commission the sold lots were billed as residential R-1 and said, “It will be one house per lot.” Curry also told commissioners he had not been able to attract commercial investors for the site and expected residential development first.

Commissioners discussed how the proposal aligns with the city’s future land use map, which some members noted anticipates commercial development along that corridor. Commissioners also discussed traffic and access: one commissioner said the new driveway on Highway 78 would be “a little over 400 feet from the intersection of Rodeo and 78,” a distance that led that commissioner to feel more comfortable with the residential mix. Commissioners noted the corner parcel at the highway/Rodeo intersection would remain commercial — roughly three acres on the corner, described in the record as “a lot and a half” combining parts of two original lots.

Several commissioners said neighborhood sentiment had favored residential use over commercial in prior discussions, though others flagged the risk that future commercial growth could leave that residential pocket surrounded by business uses. Commissioners asked staff to check county recording requirements for amended plats before final filing; the motion the commission approved included the contingency that the applicant meet any county requirements for plat recording.

The commission’s recommendation now goes to the Durant City Council for final action; commissioners said the council hearing is scheduled one week later at 6:00 p.m.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes (consent item): motion passed (recorded votes: Commissioner Newsom — yes; Vice Chair Knight — yes; Chairman Jackson — yes). - Preliminary replat and rezone for property at Rodeo Road and Highway 78 (agenda item 3a): recommended approval with contingency that county plat requirements be met; recorded votes: Commissioner Newsom — yes; Commissioner Kerr — yes; Vice Chair Knight — yes; Chairman Jackson — yes. - Motion to adjourn: passed (recorded votes: Commissioner Newsom — yes; Commissioner Kerr — yes; Vice Chair Knight — yes; Chairman Jackson — yes).

What happens next The commission’s recommendation will be considered by the Durant City Council at its scheduled hearing; the council will make the final decision on the replat and rezone.