Planning commission recommends Sam's Club plan development amid resident concerns over traffic, noise and drainage

The Waxahachie Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 8 voted to recommend approval of a plan‑development application for a proposed Sam's Club near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and Cardinal Road, subject to the conditions in the staff report and an added requirement that the city receive a sound study to evaluate whether a masonry wall or vegetation is needed.

Staff described the proposal as a roughly 166,000‑square‑foot membership club with accessory uses including a fuel station with up to 12 pumps, a propane refill station, a tire center and a small outdoor display area. The applicant is proposing four access points — three on a proposed Cardinal Road extension and one on Grove Creek — two detention basins to address stormwater, and approximately 845 parking spaces (staff said the minimum required was 830). Staff reported six letters of support, 10 letters of opposition and a 47‑signature petition in opposition within the notification area and recommended the rezoning with conditions.

Ivan Jaime, director of government and public affairs for Walmart and Sam's Club, told the commission the company expects to employ about 200 to 250 people at the location and described Sam's Club as an economic driver that would supply the city with recurring sales and property tax revenue. "We have 600 clubs nationwide, about 82 in Texas," Jaime said. He estimated conservatively that the club could generate roughly $100 million in annual revenue and suggested the city could see on the order of $1.5 million to $2.5 million a year in sales tax revenue, plus an estimated $350,000 to $500,000 in property tax — figures he described as broad estimates rather than firm guarantees.

Residents who live near the proposed site pressed the commission and applicant on a range of issues, especially the safety of Grove Creek Road, which staff described as about 20 feet wide at present and would be widened by roughly three feet in the project's conceptual plans. "Grove Creek needs to be widened to four lanes before we try to get semis to go in there," said Laura Graham, a nearby resident, voicing a common concern about truck maneuverability and neighborhood access. Several speakers described blocked turns, narrow sightlines and repeated traffic backups on Highway 77 and asked whether the Cardinal Road extension would be completed before the club opens.

Justin Stoker, the city's senior director of public works and engineering, told the commission the city has money in the impact‑fee budget to construct the Cardinal Road extension and is coordinating with the project's civil engineer. "It is anticipated to have that road built prior to the opening of Sam's Club," Stoker said, and he warned that a full connection west to I‑35 would require permitting and coordination with BNSF Railway and could take a year or two.

Residents also raised concerns about nighttime delivery hours and truck backup beepers, stormwater and drainage impacts, and whether tree‑line screening will adequately mitigate noise. Jaime said Sam's Club would study options and was "not opposed to considering" a wall if a technical study showed it would be effective, but he also cautioned that some studies the company has performed did not show a masonry barrier would significantly outperform a well‑designed vegetation buffer.

After hearing presentations and a lengthy public comment period, Commissioner 12 moved to recommend approval of ZDC‑75‑2025 subject to the staff conditions and with an added requirement that the city receive a copy of a sound study to determine whether a wall or foliage is necessary; the commission seconded the motion and it carried. The commission's recommendation now goes to the Waxahachie City Council, which will make the final decision.

The project team and city staff said additional technical materials (including the traffic impact analysis and civil construction plans) will be reviewed during permitting and civil plan review if the rezoning is approved by council. Stoker said those civil reviews will determine acceleration/deceleration lanes, truck routing and other detailed roadway improvements.

Why it matters: The rezoning would permit a large membership warehouse at a location adjacent to existing residential neighborhoods. The commission emphasized the need for further, engineering‑level analysis — particularly a noise study and the still‑pending traffic impact analysis — before civil permits and construction proceed.