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Commission backs rezoning for proposed 7‑11 with conditions on signage and security
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a zoning change to allow a 7‑11/convenience store and fuel sales at Broadhead and Garden Valley, adding conditions that window signage be limited to 25% and that a monitored security/alarm system tied to a licensed provider and public safety authority be required.
The Waxahachie Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a rezoning that would allow a 7‑11 convenience store with fuel sales at the Broadhead and Garden Valley site, imposing added conditions aimed at reducing crime and improving safety.
Staff recommended approval of CDC‑24‑2025 to rezone the property from general retail to plan‑development neighborhood services, saying the change would allow less‑intensive, neighborhood‑oriented uses. Matthew Smith (applicant, Darwood Partners) told the commission the design was revised to move the store off the corner, retain existing trees where possible, add sidewalks on both sides of Garden Valley, install a 40‑foot landscape buffer adjacent to single‑family homes, and use a consistent architectural palette. He said 24‑hour operation is typical for convenience stores and that the applicant had coordinated security measures with the police department.
Neighbors urged caution. Steven Vidrow (speaker 20) urged denial or tighter restrictions, citing a pattern of regional crimes at convenience stores and concerns about 24/7 operations and ATMs attracting robberies.
Commission discussion focused on site safety measures. Staff and the applicant described pedestrian‑oriented sidewalk meanders, a wrought‑iron, visibility‑permitting fence at access points, and a proposed ‘Flock’ vehicle‑profile security system that can alert police. Commissioners pressed the applicant to limit window signage to preserve lines of sight around cash registers.
Commissioner (speaker 19) moved to recommend approval subject to the staff report conditions and to add three specific requirements: limit window coverings/signage to 25% of storefront glass; prohibit window treatments that obstruct cash‑handling areas; and revise PD language to require a monitored security/alarm system connected to a licensed security provider and public‑safety authority. The motion passed.
Next step: the recommendation and amended PD standards will be forwarded to city council for final action. The conditions will be enforced through permits and certificate‑of‑occupancy review; staff said window‑signage compliance may be verified during CO inspections and violations could trigger zoning enforcement.
