City council approves specific-use permit for nonemergency VA transport company after neighbor noise concerns

Farmers Branch City Council on Wednesday approved Ordinance No. 3960, granting a specific-use permit (SUP) to Priority Care Transit to allow outdoor storage of its nonemergency medical transport vehicles at 2002 Academy Lane.

City planners told the council the request would allow Priority Care Transit to park vehicles at the site with additional landscaping to screen them from public view. Brian Campbell, planner with the planning department, said the property is inside Planned Development District No. 77 and noted the Farmers Branch 2045 comprehensive plan shows a high-density residential future land-use designation for the area: "given this, this proposal is not consistent with the Farmers Branch 2045 plan," Campbell said, but he reminded the council that an SUP does not change zoning and that PD-77 allows a range of uses.

The SUP was recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission by a 4–3 vote; staff reported two emailed objections from the same neighboring property owner (1923 Dye Court). During the council public hearing, neighbors' primary concerns centered on noise from vehicle backup warning signals and whether the use fit the plan's guidance.

Samuel Bronson, representing Priority Care Transit, told the council the company provides nonemergency transport for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and said, "there will be no sirens. We are really a non emergency, transport service for the VA." Bronson said vehicles generally return in the evening and that drivers usually back in so vehicles are ready to depart; he added the company planned to eliminate reversing alarms in favor of operational changes where possible.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on prior code enforcement. Campbell said city records showed citations in September 2023 for outdoor storage without an SUP, operating without a certificate of occupancy and having inoperable vehicles visible to the public; to his knowledge the inoperable-vehicle issue has been resolved and approval of the SUP would address the other items.

Council also asked about visibility and parking. Campbell said the proposal would retain the site's existing landscaping and add screening along Hutton Drive; he summarized the staff parking analysis, noting after the applicant's request the building would still have 67 parking spaces available for future tenants. The applicant said there would be no vehicle maintenance on site and that oxygen cylinders, not flammable liquids, would be stored indoors.

After closing the public hearing, the council moved to adopt Ordinance No. 3960. A motion and second were recorded and the ordinance passed; the transcript does not record individual roll-call votes or a numerical tally.

The ordinance approval allows Priority Care Transit to continue outdoor vehicle storage at 2002 Academy Lane under the conditions described in the SUP and subject to the city's enforcement and permit requirements. The Planning and Zoning record and neighborhood emails are part of the file for the property.

Votes at a glance: Ordinance No. 3960 — Grant SUP for outdoor vehicle storage at 2002 Academy Lane — Outcome: approved (motion and second recorded; vote tally not specified in the meeting record).