Council extends 90‑day moratorium on certain social‑service and gas‑station permits after developer appeals for exception

Troy City Council on April 20 adopted an emergency 90‑day extension of moratoriums that temporarily block the acceptance and approval of new applications for community‑oriented residential social‑service facilities and for automobile fuel‑dispensing and service stations, prompting public appeals from a developer who said the pause jeopardizes months and hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment.

Attorney Rebecca Simpson told council her client, Troy Station LLC, has pursued permits and approvals for a proposed gas station at the southeast corner of Diehl Road and County Road 25A since mid‑2023 and said the owner paid about $170,000 for the property and invested roughly $400,000 more in plans and engineering. "We had asked the committee for an exception for my client," Simpson said, and requested that council either grant an exemption or move the unified development code (UDC) process more quickly so the application can be accepted.

Owner Man Deep Singh described a multi‑year process of plan reviews and expenditures and told council he has spent about $600,000 on the project overall and asked for council's help in allowing his project to proceed without the additional 90‑day delay: "I'm not here to assign any blame to anybody. I just want help from you guys — just to get my project finished." A contractor supporting the developer said construction schedules and costs would be materially affected by additional delay.

Councilors and staff extensively questioned planning and legal staff about whether a completed application had been submitted before the moratorium and whether the UDC draft contains specific new rules for gas stations. Planning staff said council had not been provided the recommended UDC language for gas stations and that no completed application had been accepted during the moratorium period. Planning staff said the UDC would be taken to the planning commission (staff hoped for the first May meeting) and that the moratorium could be lifted earlier if the UDC becomes effective sooner or if council adopts emergency legislation.

Resident Bradley Bearinger urged council to interpret the city's existing zoning code — specifically section 133.02.02, which defines 'application' to include written documentation and verbal representations — as supporting the view that the developer's prior submissions constituted an application before the moratorium. He asked council to amend ordinance 019‑2026 to allow the Troy Station project to proceed.

After debate about process options — including prioritizing particular UDC sections, allowing a zoning amendment targeted at gas‑station regulations, or moving forward only if a completed application exists — council moved to suspend readings and adopted Ordinance 019‑2026 extending the moratorium for 90 days. The ordinance was adopted by roll call; the final recorded roll call on adoption included a single recorded 'no' vote by Mr. Schilling.

What happens next: planning staff said they would provide council with the UDC draft when it is provided to the planning commission and suggested options such as bringing the gas‑station section forward earlier if council wishes to expedite a decision affecting pending applicants. Developer representatives said they will press for either an exemption or faster processing to avoid construction and cost impacts.

This article is based on council committee reports, multiple public comments and the ordinance reading and adoption during the April 20, 2026 Troy City Council meeting.