Lubbock planning panel rejects heavy-commercial rezoning for Oak Ridge neighborhood after extended public comment

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 1–6 on Sept. 4 to deny a rezoning request that would have changed a cluster of parcels along Oak Ridge from low-density single-family (SF-2) to heavy commercial.

Jamie McGar of the Planning Department told the commission that zone case 3534, filed by AMD Engineering LLC for Oak Ridge Development LLC, would allow heavy-commercial uses on land largely surrounded by single-family homes. McGar said staff considered the property unsuitable for heavy commercial and recommended denial.

Corey Doolin of AMD Engineering, speaking for the applicant, said the owner wants to ‘‘clean up’’ the site and envisioned some form of warehouse or storage use. Doolin said some neighbors had contacted him with positive input but acknowledged newly filed opposition letters.

Residents who live adjacent to the site pressed the commission to reject the request. Belinda Jackson, who said she lives across the street, described a dead-end neighborhood used by families and children and said heavy-commercial zoning would bring semis, outside storage and safety risks. ‘‘I'm asking for your mercy not to turn our neighborhood into a commercial area,’’ she said.

Mary Mitchell, another longtime resident, cited a history of contested annexation and deed restrictions and warned that heavy commercial ‘‘requires outside storage’’ and could introduce semis and heavy traffic near elderly residents and children. Brad Jackson and Tasha Jackson echoed concerns about traffic, trash and the prospect of the neighborhood being transformed.

Several property owners and third-generation residents urged a different view. Chloe Shaye Stanley and Levi Rudder said parts of the area are nonconforming and that limited commercial options could help owners realize value and redevelop aging parcels. Lynn Pope and other supporters said rezoning could increase property values and allow families to sell land that otherwise attracts little interest.

Commission discussion focused on the area’s unusual, ‘‘hodgepodge’’ pattern of uses and nonconforming parcels. Some commissioners said heavy commercial was too expansive for the surrounding residential fabric; others suggested light industrial or a specifically tailored commercial district as a possible compromise. Staff clarified that some self-storage uses could be allowed under less intensive districts, but shops and office-warehouse combinations would require heavier commercial designations.

After debate, the motion failed 1–6. Chair James Bell said the item will still go to City Council for first reading on Sept. 23. Commissioners and staff discussed that council direction could shape whether the city pursues alternative zoning classifications or a map-by-map approach as part of a broader zoning cleanup effort.

The record shows staff received 30 mailed notices and logged multiple responses in favor and in opposition; several support letters arrived the morning of the meeting and opposition letters the afternoon of the hearing.

The commission’s denial keeps existing SF-2 zoning in place for now; any future proposal would require either a new application or a direction from council as part of a larger rezoning program.