Planning commission recommends C‑1 zoning for 2.4‑acre Leonard Avenue site, limiting likely uses to daycare and medical

The City of Anna Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 1 recommended C‑1 (local commercial) zoning for roughly 2.4 acres located on the west side of Leonard Avenue, about 189 feet south of Garnet Hollow, with the condition that the council consider uses limited to daycare, medical or dental offices.

The motion — moved by Commissioner Longmire — reflected the developer’s stated intent and the commission’s concern about placing an unconstrained commercial district adjacent to a school and residential areas. The recommendation passed 6–0.

Why it matters: the commission’s action is advisory. Annexation must be approved by the city council before the council takes final action on zoning; staff told commissioners that annexation and zoning are typically scheduled to be considered at the same council meeting but that annexation is acted on first. The commission’s stipulation is intended to guide the council’s review of the zoning request.

Staff and the applicant described the site as currently containing two single‑family detached dwellings. The applicant was introduced in the public hearing as Catherine McMinni; a developer representative, Robert Parish, identified himself as the development manager for HBC Interests and said the proposal’s current intended uses are a daycare and service‑oriented medical offices such as a dentist.

"Our intended use here is primarily day care and then service oriented medical office, dentist office," Robert Parish said, describing the plan for the property. Parish also said the daycare will require a separate special‑use permit under the city’s criteria.

Staff confirmed mailed notices were not sent to properties in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ); staff said the school and the Anna Ranch homeowners association were notified, and that individual owners beyond the 200‑foot notice radius were not mailed notices. Commissioners asked whether the commission should require more specific use statements or conditions before making a recommendation; Director (staff) advised the commission it could delay action while seeking additional details, but the panel chose to recommend approval with the stated limitations.

Next steps: the council will consider annexation first and then take final action on zoning; the timeline for council consideration was not specified at the meeting. The applicant indicated that, if daycare is the chosen use, the project will return for a special‑use permit review that treats daycare operations as a conditional/regulated use.

(Reporting based on the City of Anna Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing and staff comments on Dec. 1, 2025.)