Planning and Zoning Commission approves rezoning for church parking lot, citing pedestrian safety

The Lubbock Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 9, 2025, voted 7-0 to approve a request to rezone a property near 80 Second Street to allow the Wheel Worship Center to build a parking lot and a marked crosswalk with a pedestrian hybrid beacon.

Staff presentation said the request (zone case 2993‑b, applicant Mount Top Engineering on behalf of Wheel Worship Center) would change parcels from neighborhood commercial and auto‑urban commercial to auto‑urban commercial and that the change conforms with the city’s master thoroughfare plan and comprehensive plan. “Staff has no objections to this request,” planning staff member Shane Spencer said during the hearing.

The commission’s staff materials show 26 mailed notifications and two written letters of opposition. The applicant’s representative, Tommy Arms of Mount Top Engineering, told the commission he had coordinated with the city traffic engineer and received approval for the pedestrian hybrid beacon and related plans. “They've already approved the plans. As soon as we get the go ahead, they are ready for us to build this, and they'll take full ownership of the street and crosswalk,” Arms said.

During public comment, several residents urged approval on safety grounds. Mike Patterson, a resident who identified himself as a former police officer, described observing pedestrians crossing the street during services and said the marked crossing would reduce dangerous, unregulated crossings. “I watched that parking, on Sunday and I watched the people that were coming across. And it is dangerous when there's not a designated place for them to cross,” Patterson said. John Chiolo, another nearby resident, told commissioners, “If you don't put that out there, someone's gonna get killed,” citing children crossing between lanes on Sundays.

Arms said the project would provide two vehicle approaches from 80 Second Street, retain an existing six‑foot stone fence along the residential edge and avoid routing church traffic onto 80 Third Street. He also said the pedestrian beacon would be activated primarily during church hours.

Commission discussion focused on traffic and neighborhood impacts and on whether the proposed use fit the block’s commercial designation. Commissioners repeatedly cited the crosswalk and the traffic‑engineering approval as factors supporting the rezoning. A motion to approve the rezoning passed 7‑0. The commission noted the item will go to the City Council for first reading on Oct. 28, 2025.

The approval authorizes the zoning change only; any building, curb cut or crosswalk construction will require separate permits and final engineering approvals by the city’s traffic and public works departments.