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Council approves rezoning of 29.26 acres on Westlake Road over resident objections
Summary
The council rezoned roughly 29.26 acres on Westlake Road from agricultural open space to general commercial after a contested public hearing in which neighbors asked for better notice and called for buffering and tree planting; the vote passed with one no.
The Abilene City Council voted to rezone about 29.26 acres at 4994 Westlake Road from agricultural open space to general commercial despite opposition from nearby residents who said notice was insufficient and that the change would harm the neighborhood's rural character.
Tim Littlejohn, director of planning and development services, presented zoning case 2025-26 and said notifications were sent, P&Z recommended approval and the request met the land development code criteria. "We did receive 3 in opposition resulting in a 16.88 in opposition," Littlejohn said, and staff explained the request had previously been considered by planning and zoning and the applicant revised the requested zoning from light industrial to general commercial.
Residents at the public hearing, including Katie Presswood and Kathy Bunkley, urged the council to consider neighborhood impacts. "I would ask Mr. Rhodes ... to consider the neighborhood and the people who have lived there so long," Katie Presswood said, asking the developer to plant trees to buffer the change. Kathy Bunkley, who lives one house north of the property line, said she did not receive a notice and asked the council to vote for the residents. "We really didn't know about this till it was almost too late," Bunkley said.
The applicant's representative, engineer Clint Rosenbaum, said the area is designated highway commercial in the comprehensive plan and that the general commercial zoning aligns with that plan. Rosenbaum noted the property has significant frontage on Westlake Road and that commercial development is likely to extend north along the corridor.
Councilman Yates moved approval; the council recorded one no vote and the motion carried. The transcript shows the vote recorded as "1 no; the rest are yeses," indicating a split council response but sufficient majority to approve the rezoning.
What happens next: With rezoning approved, future site-specific plans or permits will return to staff and may require additional neighborhood outreach; residents who raised concerns said they intend to monitor development closely and may pursue legal options if needed.
