Helotes council approves drive-through permission for PUD end-cap, sends remaining restaurant restriction back to Planning & Zoning

The Helotes City Council on Nov. 13 approved an amended change to the Mandir Ranch planned unit development that allows a single drive-through in the retail end cap of Tract B, but sent Tract C — proposed to be restricted to a full-service, table-service restaurant — back to Planning & Zoning for further review.

Developers presented the request at a public hearing, saying the 31-acre project at Bandera Road and Scenic Loop needs retail income to finance infrastructure for the residential portion. Ashley Fairmont, representing the developer, and Joe Acock, one of the owners, said the drive-through approval would be limited to the first tenant in the end cap and would not "run with the land." "Without the drive-through income, the project does not start," Acock said during the presentation.

The developer also offered to limit Tract C to table-service restaurant use in perpetuity as an incentive to preserve a sit-down, "date-night" option. The applicants discussed Hutchins Barbecue as a prospective anchor for the corner (described by applicants as a roughly 15,000-square-foot restaurant, an estimated $10–$12 million investment, and projected sales of about $15 million a year at maturity). Developers disclosed a fully negotiated, 15-year lease contingent on council approval.

Council members expressed mixed views. Several members said the project as presented in 2022 emphasized "high-end" retail and a neighborhood grocery and argued that preapproved drive-throughs could change the character of the development and Old Town Helotes. "Once you add drive-throughs, that kind of diminishes that vision," one council member said during debate. Other members said the proposed anchor and the projected tax and visitation benefits could help fund public improvements, including deceleration lanes, water, sewer and drainage work.

Council debated procedural options — approve the whole package, approve portions and send others back to Planning & Zoning, or return the whole package. After discussion and a motion to amend the packet language to add "counter service" to Tract A and send Tract C back to Planning & Zoning, the council approved the amended motion 3–2.

The approval allows developers to pursue a drive-through tenant under the revised language; the drive-through authorization applies only to the initial tenant in the specified suite, and any subsequent tenant seeking a drive-through would need separate council approval. Tract C will return to Planning & Zoning for further review of the proposed table-service restriction.

Council also discussed but did not formalize detailed traffic counts in the motion; several council members said they wanted the final ordinance language and track-changed packet to match the terms discussed before a final vote on any ordinance or zoning text. The developer and staff indicated a Planning & Zoning meeting was scheduled within two weeks and that the council could take final action at a later meeting if needed.

Next steps: Tract C will be presented to Planning & Zoning; the council's amended approval for Tracts A and B allows the developer to proceed with lease signing negotiations for the retail building and to pursue infrastructure work tied to the project.