Planning commission backs amended special‑use permit for Bartlett mini‑storage after debate over lighting, fencing and dumpsters

The City of Laredo planning commission on Monday recommended approval of an amendment to a special‑use permit for a mini‑storage facility at 7121 Bartlett Avenue, after a public exchange in which neighbors pushed for stronger screening and the applicant described plans for focused, downward‑directed lighting.

The prospect of additional storage units and parking on roughly 2.15 acres drew a public commenter, neighbor Zach Powell, who identified himself and described proximity concerns. “Our main concerns were really just privacy related,” Powell said, adding worries about lighting spilling into yards and litter migrating to adjacent lots.

Staff described standard SUP conditions: commercial uses must comply with lighting rules and residential abutting properties must have a seven‑foot opaque perimeter fence. Staff also pointed to SUP condition 14, which requires low lighting attached to units and directed to the ground, and noted the ordinance restricts noise and similar impacts.

An applicant representative told the commission the project will use wall‑mounted, downward‑angled lights fixed to the buildings rather than pole‑mounted lights that cast a wider radius, and that a block wall exists along part of the perimeter. The representative said he would meet with neighbors about fence height and landscaping. The applicant also requested an option to reduce tree requirements on a portion of the site where existing trees already provide screening.

The petitioners argued that a strict ban on on‑site dumpsters—written into the ordinance—makes it hard to keep the area clean, because renters sometimes leave boxes and other items that wind up on neighboring lots. The applicant asked the commission to recommend an amendment allowing a dumpster area if it is sited no less than 200 feet from any residential property line. Staff and the commission discussed risks such a change might create and said council could consider a deviation or a condition.

A commissioner moved to approve the SUP with staff’s recommendations and two amendments: add an “or” alternative in the landscaping requirement to allow the proposed zero‑tree option where appropriate, and include a sentence in the SUP permitting a dumpster area located no less than 200 feet from any residential property line. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

The commission’s recommendation, which includes the proposed language changes described during the meeting, will go to city council for final action.