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Commission approves rezoning of Lawson Road site to allow expanded compost retail and wholesale operations
Summary
The commission unanimously approved C0825‑0414 to rezone city‑owned Lawson Road parcels to a plant‑development commercial designation to align zoning with existing composting and proposed Living Earth retail/wholesale operations; staff said the rezoning would align with a future City Council contract and the city would lease land to Living Earth.
The Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 8 approved a city‑initiated rezoning (C0825‑0414) for multiple parcels on Lawson Road to align zoning with existing public uses and with a planned expansion by Living Earth, a commercial composting and landscaping‑materials company.
“Staff is recommending approval,” Garrett Langford, Planning and Development staff, told the commission, describing the site as the location of the city’s convenience and recycling center, composting facility and public safety/training facilities. Langford said the rezoning would permit production, sale and distribution of landscaping material with outdoor storage and display subject to stipulations and would better align zoning with the proposed use should a contract with Living Earth be approved by city council.
Tony Carson, the city’s director of Solid Waste, said residents would continue to be able to obtain the same free amount of mulch and compost they receive today and that Living Earth would add an on‑site bagging operation and take material off‑site for wholesale distribution. “Living Earth is one of the nation’s largest wholesalers to the major retailers and so this is a good opportunity for the city,” Carson said, adding the company would lease roughly 19 acres of the facility and that the city expects additional revenue from the partnership.
Commissioners asked whether the water/sewer treatment plant was part of the composting operation; staff clarified the North Texas municipal sewer treatment plant is a separate facility. A motion to approve the rezoning with staff recommendations passed 7–0; the application will move to city council for consideration on Monday, Oct. 6.
