Allen planning commission recommends denial of PD amendment to allow 107,000‑sq‑ft wholesale club

The City of Allen Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5–1 on Dec. 17 to recommend denial of a proposed amendment to Planned Development (PD) 142 that would allow a 107,000‑square‑foot wholesale club and several deviations from the original mixed‑use concept plan.

Staff presentation by Mark Kerbenzade described the request as a targeted amendment affecting roughly 11.74 acres at the southwest corner of State Highway 121 and North Alma Drive. Kerbenzade said the amendment would add a defined use for a “grocery store wholesale club,” allow an attendant‑served propane refill station and a tire center as accessory uses, reduce an anticipated office component by about 489,000 square feet and eliminate a previously planned structured parking element tied to that office program. He told commissioners the amendment proposes parking at three spaces per 1,000 square feet for the mixed‑use area and that the submitted Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) shows a net daily trip reduction of about 1,500 trips compared with the prior concept.

The applicant team, represented by David Pagan, said the change is market‑driven and affects only the hard‑corner portion of the larger development, and that BJ's Wholesale Club — the proposed operator cited in the application materials — has experience entering Texas markets. A project representative, identified during the hearing as Mr. Tacker, said initial construction activity has already begun and that the development team plans additional residential construction in early 2025.

Nearby developer Bruce Heller, president of J. Ryker Development, spoke in opposition during public comment and argued the amendment is “a total deviation” from the Avenue's mixed‑use vision. Heller said changes such as removal of the parking garage, the large single building footprint and surface parking will undercut efforts to attract higher‑density office tenants and could increase traffic and queuing on Alma Drive and internal streets. “All of a sudden, you see here there's no glass anywhere around on this thing, and the architectural requirements have basically been eliminated from the ordinance,” Heller said.

Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on multiple points: the appropriate parking ratio for a wholesale club (staff noted mixed‑use projects along the corridor use 3 spaces per 1,000, while standalone grocery stores often use higher ratios), where parking and the 10‑foot hike‑and‑bike trail would be sited relative to Alma Drive, how stormwater and landscape buffering would be handled, and whether phasing triggers in the PD would require the applicant to provide liner buildings or retail screening before additional construction in adjacent areas. Joseph Cotton, assistant director of engineering, said the original TIA and required deceleration/median improvements remain applicable and that the TIA for this amendment shows reduced trips overall; he said traffic signal warrants and detailed weekend or event peak studies would be evaluated later if conditions warrant.

Staff recommended approval of the amendment, but after the hearing Commissioner Stoker moved to recommend denial; Commissioner Voss seconded. The motion carried 5–1. The chair noted the applicant may pursue the item before City Council on Jan. 14, 2025.

Clarifying details presented in the hearing: the amendment area was described as about 11.74 acres within a larger ~80‑acre development; the proposed wholesale club size was stated as 107,000 square feet; staff cited a net reduction of roughly 489,000 square feet of office in the revised concept; parking for mixed‑use was presented at 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet while the Allen code reference for grocery use was described in the hearing as typically 5 per 1,000; staff confirmed the 10‑foot hike‑and‑bike trail along Alma Drive remains required under the PD; and the proposal includes two sign deviations tied to acreage thresholds (site treated as if it were 10 acres to allow a pylon sign and an additional monument sign along Alma).

The commission’s recommendation to deny is advisory; the applicant was informed it may present the amendment to the City Council on Jan. 14, 2025. The commission closed the hearing and adjourned the meeting.