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Council approves rezoning of 3.047‑acre site near US‑287 for office and retail
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Summary
The Midlothian City Council approved rezoning 3.047 acres from Single‑Family‑3 to a Planned Development (PD‑176) to allow two office buildings and retail uses, after staff said the proposal aligns with the comp plan and no adjacent property owners filed objections.
The Midlothian City Council on Dec. 9 approved rezoning 3.047 acres on the south side of US Highway 287 and west of South Midlothian Parkway from Single‑Family‑3 to Planned Development District 176 to permit office and retail development.
Planning staff presented the request and said the proposal is consistent with the city's future land‑use map and includes building elevations, a landscape plan and a requested variance to raise the underlying GP zoning height limit by five feet. Daniel, a city planner, told council staff mailed five postcards to property owners within 200 feet and received no objections. "Staff recommends approval of the zone change from SF‑3 to PD for GP uses since it is consistent with the comp plan future land use map and policies," Daniel said.
Councilmembers questioned the applicant and staff about vehicle access, screening and retaining walls. Council member Ross noted a bolded line on the site plan labeled a "variable height screening wall," asking whether that represented a retaining wall or a screening device. Justin Gilmore, the applicant's architect, said the bold line indicates a retaining wall at points where the site grades down toward the creek and that the plan does not include cross access to adjacent parcels. "We did not provide any cross access to the south, or to the east," Gilmore said, adding the parking and topography influenced dumpster and circulation placement.
Council also discussed cross‑access provisions to avoid fragmented driveway patterns on the access road. Staff and the applicant agreed language requiring a mutual access easement could be included to preserve future connectivity. After a brief exchange, Mayor Pro Tem Wickliffe moved to approve the rezoning with the Planning & Zoning recommendation and a cross‑access agreement; the motion passed 7–0.
Next steps: The ordinance will be finalized for recordation per the city's standard procedures, and staff said any required development plan details and screening will be enforced through the PD development process.
