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Planning commission rejects C2 rezoning for East Bridal MMA venue; original C1 option to proceed to City Board
Summary
The commission voted to reject a rezoning to C2 for 700 East Bridal that would have allowed a bar/nightclub by right; commissioners cited parking and public‑safety concerns raised by neighbors and police. The prior proposal to rezone to C1 (making alcohol a conditional use) remains and will go to the City Board.
The Texarkana Planning Commission voted unanimously to reject a request to rezone 700 East Bridal from W1 (warehousing/wholesale) to C2 (central business), a category that would have allowed a mixed martial arts (MMA) venue and a bar/nightclub as uses by right.
Byron Beeline, the applicant, described plans for a downtown commercial amusement venue that would host sanctioned MMA matches and operate a bar during events; he told commissioners the project purchase is about $1,000,000 and estimated alcohol sales would account for roughly 40% of revenue. “Parking is everything,” Beeline said, describing on‑site and adjacent lot options and the potential to stripe additional spaces for overflow.
Neighbors and business owners urged caution. Jason Carroll, who owns property on East Bridal, warned that adding another alcohol‑service venue outside the established entertainment district could strain parking and push patrons through commercial and residential areas. “We’re talking about alcohol. We’re talking about fighting,” Carroll said, warning of potential noise, nuisance and police calls.
Captain Collie, patrol division commander for the Texarkana Police Department, told the commission the department is already stretched on weekend duty and cited concentrated call patterns around an existing nearby establishment: a high share of lock/clear calls, disturbances, trespass calls and shots fired. He said the MMA programming itself raised fewer concerns than adding another bar in a part of town outside the entertainment district and that doing so could increase demands on police resources.
Commissioners discussed parking code triggers — under C1 a bar would require a conditional‑use permit and dedicated parking (one space per 100 square feet of public meeting space), while C2 carries no dedicated‑parking requirement. Staff noted public parking cannot be used to satisfy dedicated‑parking requirements and that the Board of Adjustments could consider adjustments to a dedicated requirement if needed. After deliberation a commissioner moved to reject rezoning to C2 and to allow the previously proposed C1 application to stand; that motion passed unanimously. Staff said the original C1 proposal will be taken to the City Board on the first Monday in October.
The commission’s action does not itself authorize a bar; it denied the broader C2 rezoning request and left the conditional‑use pathway intact for the Board to consider.
