Neighbors press commission over proposed Johns Road duplexes, developer withdraws rezoning to negotiate access

The Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission heard lengthy public opposition and detailed staff analysis Tuesday over a proposed annexation and rezoning for a 6.46‑acre property at 727A Johns Road, and the applicant withdrew the rezoning request at the hearing to negotiate access and design changes with neighbors.

Frankie Linder, a planner with the City of Boerne, told the commission the developer seeks to annex the property and rezone it from interim holding to R‑3‑D (duplex residential) within the Scenic Interstate Corridor Overlay District. The parcel contains a recorded historic site, Lehi Sanatorium, and has drainage‑protection zones crossing the site; staff estimated the buildable area and said the district could permit up to about 33 lots under dimensional and environmental constraints. Linder said the applicant had reduced an earlier proposal of 34 lots to 30 and described the current draft as 29 dwelling units plus a community space.

The rezoning matter prompted a large turnout from the adjacent Villas at Hampton Place neighborhood. Dozens of residents said the narrow local streets, many homes with single‑car garages and widespread on‑street parking, and frequent child play made any new through access dangerous. “The purpose of the cul de sac is safety,” said Brian Stitch, a Hampton Way resident. Several speakers described vehicles routinely cutting through the neighborhood and several recent close calls. Jennifer Fields said residents use the neighborhood greenbelt and dog park and worried about losing safe places to walk and play.

The applicant and engineering team told the commission they had revised plans in response to earlier public input. Daniel Wetzel, who identified himself as a professional engineer for the applicant’s design team, said the current layout intentionally avoids a direct connection into Hampton Way and that accessing Hampton Way would be “absolutely our last resort.” Wetzel said the team had reduced lot counts and produced multiple revised iterations to avoid requiring two public points of access under the city code. He described outreach with Boerne Independent School District for emergency‑only access across BISD property — including a gated Knox‑box arrangement for emergency vehicles — but said BISD had not agreed to any easement and that any such agreement would require board approval.

Commissioners focused on infrastructure and the limits of private easements. Linder explained the parcel has 84.76 feet of frontage on Hampton Way and a 30‑foot private access easement along its west boundary; the recorded easement allows a single 25‑foot opening on the property. Under current city fire and access standards, Wetzel and staff said, 26 feet of unobstructed access is required for a public street; gated emergency access can change that standard but requires formal agreements. Commissioners and residents repeatedly raised the practical problem that a recorded 25‑foot access through the private easement could force the only workable access onto Hampton Way if other property owners decline to sell or grant further easements.

Ramiro Guerrero, executive director for Boerne ISD, told the commission the district had not received a formal request and that the board of trustees — not staff — would decide any access across school property. Several commissioners cited the city’s rezoning approval criteria in the Unified Development Code and said the application, as presented, left open whether the city could adequately serve the proposed development or whether the change would impair neighboring residents’ use and enjoyment of their property.

After extended deliberation and a motion to deny the rezoning was made and seconded, the applicant asked to withdraw the item. Commission staff and several commissioners urged the developer to meet with the Hampton Way HOA to pursue alternatives — including a planned‑unit approach with private streets, recorded non‑access easements that would legally bar vehicular connections through the cul‑de‑sac, and designs that preserve the on‑site historic structure. The applicant said they would pursue those options and return at a later date; with the withdrawal the commission took no vote on the rezoning recommendation.

What’s next: The applicant withdrew the rezoning application at the meeting to negotiate with neighborhood leaders and the school district. If the owner re‑submits, the matter would again come before Planning and Zoning with any new engineering, access agreements, or a planned‑unit development proposal. Staff reiterated that formal variances, plats, and any historic‑structure modifications would return to city review and, if the property is annexed, the city council would make the final decisions.

Residents and developers left the hearing with clear next steps: neighbors asked the owner to record a non‑access easement along the Hampton Way boundary and the developer said it would study private‑street/PUD options and possible gated emergency access with BISD. The city will only proceed with rezoning or plat approvals after the relevant technical details and legal agreements are resolved.

Votes and formal outcome: The applicant withdrew the rezoning request at the hearing; the Planning and Zoning Commission did not vote on the rezoning application.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are identified in the meeting record.