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Denton planning commission denies request for gas station near Billy Ryan High School after neighborhood safety concerns
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Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to deny a specific use permit for a proposed gas station and accessory car wash at East McKinney Street and Glengarry Way following residents' safety and traffic concerns; the applicant may revise the plan or appeal to City Council.
The Denton Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 25 denied a specific use permit (S250001A) for an automotive fuel-sales station and accessory car wash at East McKinney Street and Glengarry Way, citing neighborhood safety and traffic concerns. The vote was 6-0.
Bryce Van Bridal, assistant planner, told the commission staff found the proposal consistent with the Denton 2040 Comprehensive Plan and the Future Land Use Map and recommended approval with conditions, including a landscape buffer, limits on the car wash hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and a community garden in the site's corner. Van Bridal also said the project's traffic-impact analysis estimated roughly 3,362 weekday trips generated by the full mix of uses on the site, with about 2,121 trips attributed to the convenience store, 608 to the fast-food accessory use and 780 to the car wash, and that a right-turn-in from McKinney Street was required.
Multiple nearby residents told the commission the corner is the single entrance to their subdivision and that recent development, including a nearby Dollar General, has already led to unsafe crossing behavior by students at Billy Ryan High School and to informal on-street parking that blocks sight lines. "I've lived in that neighborhood almost 20 years," said Isabella Sample, who lives near the site. "This is a family neighborhood. Adding a gas station with a car wash will make traffic and safety problems worse, especially for kids walking to the school." Travis Sample said the site's sight lines are poor and that drivers often park on Glengarry instead of entering parking lots, creating dangerous conditions.
The project architect, Marjane Leswas, said the applicant held neighborhood meetings, incorporated neighborhood requests (including the community garden) and submitted a traffic study. Leswas said one meeting drew several neighbors and that design changes were made in response to comments.
Several commissioners said they were sympathetic to staff's effort to mitigate impacts, but ultimately concluded the constraints of the site and concerns about pedestrian safety and neighborhood access merited denial. Commissioner Ketcherson moved to deny the SUP, citing odor- and noise-mitigation concerns and the potential for increased traffic hazards; Commissioner McDade seconded. After brief discussion the commission voted 6-0 to deny the application.
Under Denton's process, the applicant may revise the proposal and reapply or elect to take the matter to the City Council; if appealed, a supermajority would be required at council to overturn a P&Z denial. Van Bridal told the commission that, if the applicant seeks council review, staff will provide the file and the project will be scheduled for a future council hearing.
