Commission amends rezoning request to office zoning after residents raise traffic and flooding concerns; vote 5-2

The Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 9, 2025, voted to approve a more restrictive zoning designation for a parcel along Upland Avenue after residents raised traffic and flooding concerns.

Staff presented zone case 3535, a request filed by Abacus Engineering on behalf of property owner Charlie W. Williamson, asking to rezone a roughly five‑acre tract from low‑density single‑family (SF‑2) to auto‑urban commercial (AC). Planning staff member Sam Braquin said the property lies along Upland Avenue, a principal arterial, and that although the future‑land‑use map designates the area for residential uses, the site’s location on a major corridor made the commercial request potentially appropriate. Braquin told the commission 64 notifications were mailed and initial materials showed one letter in favor and two in opposition; staff noted an additional opposition letter available at the dais.

Applicant representative John Ciesinski of Abacus Engineering explained the owner had purchased adjoining acreage and argued the narrow strip between the houses and Upland would be difficult to develop as residential. “He only owns that 8 acres and this 5 acres, more or less, that is between the houses and the Upland Avenue are they would be almost impossible to develop just that small little piece as a residential development,” Ciesinski said.

Multiple nearby residents spoke in opposition, raising several concerns. Resident John Chiolo, who lives in the Regency Park subdivision adjacent to the site, told commissioners many neighbors believe the parcel has already been rezoned because of a for‑sale sign, and they fear unspecified commercial uses. He also raised flooding concerns for homes on 90 Third Street, describing repeated flooding after moderate rains and saying newer commercial buildings nearby are built higher than older residential lots, which residents fear will worsen runoff into their neighborhood.

Commissioners discussed alternatives to the applicant’s requested AC district. Several commissioners said they found full auto‑urban commercial zoning too permissive for a mid‑block location surrounded by homes and proposed more restrictive districts such as neighborhood commercial or office. The motion on the floor to approve the request was amended by a commissioner to approve office zoning instead; the maker of the original motion and the second agreed to the change. The amendment to rezone the parcel to office zoning passed 5‑2.

A staff speaker explained that the commission may approve a more restrictive district than the applicant requested; if the applicant disliked the amended approval, they could withdraw the application before it proceeds to the City Council. The commission scheduled the item for City Council on Oct. 28, 2025, at 2 p.m.

The commission’s action changes the recommended zoning but does not itself authorize development; any proposal for buildings, stormwater mitigation or curb cuts will require site‑specific plans and engineering review, and residents will have opportunity to raise concerns again during the Council review and any permit proceedings.