Council approves QuikTrip planned development at Loop 281 with appearance, no-smoking conditions

The Longview City Council voted to approve Planned Development application PD 25-01 on Aug. 14, permitting a QuikTrip convenience store and gas station at the southwest corner of Loop 281 and McCann Road.

Planning staff described the proposal as a roughly 5,000-square-foot convenience store with a gas canopy, requesting setback flexibility so the building can sit closer to the street than the Unified Development Code (UDC) normally allows. Staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval with development standards the applicant proposed to mitigate the building’s rear-facing appearance toward Loop 281.

Tariq Samuels, real estate project manager with QuikTrip, told the council the site’s steep grade and fire-lane restrictions made the proposed orientation necessary. "We originally did not have it like this, but after seeing the fire lane restrictions and our canopy restrictions, it kind of forced us to rethink and redesign the plan," Samuels said. He also said the rear door would be for employee access and that the decorative windows along Loop 281 are not functioning windows because of equipment and freezers inside the building.

Council members raised balance and appearance concerns for the prominent corner, asked about deliveries and trash locations, and pressed QuikTrip on measures to prevent littering and smoking near pumps and the rear area. Samuels responded that store-level policies and signage can be enforced and that the company would place supervisors and direct staff to manage smoking and trash near the dumpster enclosure.

Before the motion to approve, Councilmember Sydney Allen asked staff and the applicant to add one more facade window east of the rear door so the back side would look less like a service area. The council also required signage prohibiting smoking in the area behind the building. The mayor called for the voice vote and the item passed (approved on motion).

The council's approval allows the applicant to proceed under the PD standards; final site and building permits remain subject to standard plan review and compliance with sign regulations in the UDC, including limits on total sign area and digital signage that staff discussed in the hearing. The city will expect QuikTrip to include the required facade change and 'no smoking' signage as part of plan review and permits.

Next steps: QuikTrip will submit final construction and landscaping plans for building permits and sign permits, and staff will verify the agreed storefront treatments and no-smoking signage during review.