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Residents push back as council considers rezoning of former Van Born Kmart site
Summary
Council received and filed a proposed rezoning of a former Kmart/Van Born property from B-2 (regional commercial) to I-1 (light industrial). Planning staff and the planning consultant recommended denial; property representatives said industrial zoning would allow future leasing when Ford vacates, and nearby residents expressed concern about buffers and compatibility.
At a first reading on Aug. 19, the Taylor City Council considered a request to rezone a portion of the former Van Born Kmart site (21111 Van Born) from B-2 regional commercial to I-1 light industrial.
Planning staff and the city planning consultant told the council the property is currently master-planned B-2 and falls within the Taylor'Dearborn Heights Van Born Gateway Overlay adopted in 2023, which the consultant said precludes industrial uses. "The planning consultant felt that large scale industrial operations would not be compatible with the adjacent uses," planning staff said during the discussion.
Conrad Shewey, representing the property owner Core BKG Van Born LLC, said the parcel has conditional I-1 zoning tied to past tenancy and argued that, with Ford expected to vacate in 2027, the owner needs flexibility to market the site for light industrial or warehousing to avoid a long-term vacancy. Shewey described I-1 as intended for lower-impact industrial uses such as warehousing or light assembly, noting buffers and dock-orientation requirements intended to limit impacts on adjacent residential areas.
Nearby residents spoke against permanent I-1 zoning, citing visual and noise concerns and asking about buffers, berms and separation distances. One resident asked specifically whether a dispensary could locate on the site; staff replied that current separation and use definitions would likely preclude that specific use. Council members asked planning staff to produce the overlay map and to clarify whether conditional rezoning remains available under the overlay. The planning consultant and planning commission had recommended denial at their hearings; the council's action was to receive and file the amendment for a second reading where a final vote will be taken.
Next steps: staff will provide additional materials requested by council (the overlay map and answers about conditional rezoning) ahead of the second-reading agenda item.
