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Commission approves rezoning of half-acre at East Ennis Avenue despite traffic concerns
Summary
The Ennis City Commission approved a rezoning of approximately 0.551 acre at the southeast corner of East Ennis Avenue and Sonoma Trail from R10 to Corridor Commercial after hearing from planning staff and the applicant; commissioners flagged traffic and driveway access as issues to be addressed during site planning and TxDOT coordination.
The Ennis City Commission voted July 1 to rezone roughly 0.551 acre at the southeast corner of East Ennis Avenue and Sonoma Trail from single‑family R‑10 to Corridor Commercial, aligning the parcel with adjacent commercial uses but drawing questions about traffic and driveway access.
Foreman, who presented the item, said the requested Corridor Commercial zoning would bring the property into alignment with adjacent properties but is not consistent with the city’s future land‑use designation. He told the commission the planning and zoning commission had voted on the request but that an abstention in that hearing had been treated as a non‑approval: "At the time, the commission initially voted 3 in favor, 2 against, and 1 abstention... the city attorney advised staff that an abstention vote, if no conflict of interest does exist, was a no vote," Foreman said.
Applicant engineer Matt Maley (Dave Dawson Engineers) described coordination with TxDOT and said the developer has submitted for driveway approvals tied to a TxDOT roadway widening. "It’ll now be 3 lanes — one eastbound, one westbound, and then a center bail‑out lane," Maley said, noting the widening will start just south of the QuickTrip and extend east to the development frontage. He added that a traffic generation worksheet will be completed during planning and a traffic impact analysis will be prepared if triggered by trip counts.
Commission discussion focused on traffic uncertainty because Corridor Commercial permits a wide range of uses with materially different trip generation rates (for example, a medical office versus a drive‑through restaurant). Staff said driveway location and specific traffic mitigation measures will be addressed at the development and permitting stage and that TxDOT controls the state highway access decisions.
The mayor opened the public hearing; no members of the public came forward. Mayor Pro Tem Isbell moved to approve Item E1; Commissioner Haney seconded. The commission took a voice vote and the mayor announced the motion adopted.
The approval rezones the property; staff and the applicant will continue coordination with TxDOT on driveway approvals and any traffic studies required during site plan review.
