Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Liquor Stores topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council agrees to pursue special‑use permit for liquor stores, asks staff to refine 1,000‑foot rule
Summary
Rowlett staff proposed defining 'liquor store' and requiring a special‑use permit (SUP) for that use in targeted zoning districts, with a recommended 1,000‑foot minimum spacing to avoid clustering. Council supported sending the text amendment to Planning & Zoning, with directions to clarify measurement, ownership‑change triggers and outreach.
City planning staff recommended that Rowlett amend its development code and form‑based code to create a distinct liquor‑store land use and require a special‑use permit (SUP) for new locations in multiple commercial and mixed‑use districts. The change would give council a public‑hearing process to assess site‑specific impacts, compatibility, hours, lighting and neighborhood standards.
“Liquor stores are currently permitted as general retail; there is no alcohol‑specific review,” Manal, the planning presenter, told the council and showed maps the city prepared to illustrate clustering and distances between existing locations. Staff proposed adding a definition drafted by the city attorney and a 1,000‑foot minimum spacing between store property lines to limit proliferation.
Council members pressed staff on details that would determine how the rule affects existing businesses. Mayor (speaker 1) and others asked whether existing stores would become legally nonconforming; Manal said they would. Council also asked whether a change of ownership, expansion (a >50% increase in floor area) or a new certificate of occupancy should trigger SUP review; staff said those triggers can be written into the ordinance.
Several councilmembers raised neighborhood concerns about co‑location with bars or vape shops. One councilmember (speaker 2) urged language to prevent a liquor store from opening next to a bar and asked that vape operations be prohibited inside liquor stores; staff said the SUP process would let council deny incompatible proposals but also warned that state law (the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code/TABC) creates limits on how restrictive local rules can be in some circumstances.
Manal recommended council pick a measurement method for the proposed spacing (staff suggested property‑line to property‑line or door‑to‑door walking distance consistent with TABC rules). Council directed staff to return the draft amendments to the Planning & Zoning Commission for public hearing, to include clarifications on measurement and ownership triggers, and to prepare public education materials for affected business owners.
Next steps: staff will post materials and attempt to schedule the text amendment for a Planning & Zoning public hearing; council will consider the ordinance after receiving the commission’s recommendation.
