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Planning commission tables Big Tex Trailers SUP to May 12 after off‑site easement issues
Summary
Commissioners voted 7–0 to table a request from Big Tex Trailers after the applicant said adjacent property owners refused easements needed for off‑site water/sewer; the company offered an 8‑year on‑site improvement plan or an 18‑month relocation window. Staff and the applicant will pursue design and easement options ahead of the May 12 hearing.
The Rockwall Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously April 28 to table a specific‑use permit request from Big Tex Trailers so the applicant can pursue alternatives after failing to secure off‑site easements for required utility improvements. The commission’s action delays a final recommendation until the May 12 meeting.
Henry (staff planner) told commissioners the applicant presented two options: complete all on‑site paving, drainage and landscape work and seek an eight‑year SUP that would delay off‑site infrastructure, or receive an 18‑month window to relocate operations if the commission does not extend the SUP. Henry said adjacent property owners declined to grant easements, preventing off‑site sewer installation.
Property owner Raymond Jowers said the company has been located at the site for more than a decade and that it had gone back on the market after the easement impasse. “They’ve already been here for over a decade, and they’ve been a good community,” Jowers said. He told commissioners the difficulty was timing and that the adjacent owners were “adamant” about not granting easements.
Commissioners pressed why easements had not been secured earlier; several said the applicant had sought multiple renewals of temporary waivers for infrastructure in prior SUPs. Commissioner Bentley said he was “dumbfounded” that the adjacent owners would not accept a water and sewer line that offered them service, and Commissioner Shane urged a compromise that would preserve tax base while protecting public infrastructure.
After discussion, Commissioner Brock moved to table Z2026‑011 to the May 12 Planning & Zoning meeting; Commissioner Roth seconded and the motion passed 7–0. The tabling will allow the applicant to return with additional design options and any revised schedule for constructing water or sewer connections.
Next steps: the applicant and staff will pursue whether water could be routed via frontage improvements to a 12‑inch line at Corporate Crossing or whether alternative routing could make the on‑site option feasible. The commission will take the item up again at its May 12 meeting.
