Applicant urges Farmers Branch council to approve Quick Trip at 13601 Midway Road

At the April 7 Farmers Branch City Council study session, the applicant and a master-plan consultant urged council members to approve zoning and a special-use permit for a Quick Trip convenience store and fuel operations at 13601 Midway Road.

Dallas Cthram, a master-plan consultant representing the applicant, framed the request as a neighborhood service use that would deliver private investment and sales tax revenue to the mixed-use retail corridor. “A gas station is reasonable, appropriate on corners, and there’s not a ton of traffic,” Cthram said, and he added that Quick Trip has “a great safety record” and internal policies that lead to low rates of TABC violations.

Why it matters: the site is inside a district the city is trying to activate with retail and multifamily development; council members said the case will set a signal about what kinds of “A” users the city will welcome on constrained corner sites.

Council members pressed for specifics about safety and school proximity. Councilwoman Gonzalez asked how the project team would make the nearby school “feel comfortable” with a gas station next door; Cthram said the applicant had reviewed TABC records back to 2006, provided a traffic study although it was not required by the city, and emphasized Quick Trip’s employee enforcement of alcohol-sale rules. When a resident referenced an explosion at a Fort Worth gas station, the consultant and other council members responded that such incidents are rare and that Quick Trip’s sites are “well lit” and regularly visited by police.

Council members also sought clarity on operations. A council member confirmed that fuel deliveries would be regular site service trucks, not frequent 18-wheelers; the applicant said fueling trucks are scheduled and that the company conducts turn-radius and queuing studies to ensure deliveries can be made safely.

The presentation included community-benefits claims. Cthram cited recent corporate donations and partnerships—addressing law enforcement support and local nonprofit gifts—as evidence of Quick Trip’s community engagement and argued the operator provides entry-level jobs and training opportunities for young workers.

What’s next: the study session was informational; council members and staff will consider the packet materials, traffic study and TABC processes during the regular meeting and any formal hearing. No vote or formal action on the zoning or SUP was taken during the study session.

The council also discussed the public-comment process after noticing the applicant had an extended presentation; staff reiterated that registered speakers in the evening regular meeting would receive the city’s standard three-minute allotment.