Lago Vista planning commission forwards PDD rezoning for proposed 90-room Indigo hotel amid traffic, height and utility concerns

The Lago Vista Planning and Zoning Commission voted to forward a recommendation to City Council on rezoning application 25-2905, a Planned Development District (PDD) request to allow a hotel, restaurant and conference uses on two lots along Lohman (referred to in staff materials as Bobby Ford Road).

Why it matters: The proposal would allow uses that the city's standard C-2 zoning does not explicitly permit and asks for a height above the 35-foot limit. Neighbors and several commissioners flagged traffic safety at a curved segment of Lohman/Boggy Ford, stormwater and wastewater capacity, and impacts to privacy and tree cover as issues the project must resolve before council consideration.

Staff and applicant summary: Jordan Stromeyer, the city's director of development services, told the commission the application meets the city's rezoning criteria for a recommendation to council but that the PDD triggers additional council-level review and a supermajority vote for final approval. The applicant's engineer, Will Parnell, said a traffic impact analysis (TIA) has been submitted and staff are reviewing it, that the design team is discussing off-site improvements and turn lanes with the county, and that the hotel concept envisions roughly "90 rooms" plus conference space.

Public comments and neighborhood concerns: Multiple residents urged caution about locating a hotel at the curved intersection and in largely residential surroundings. "I think that's a really crappy location," said Mike Zadel, a nearby resident, citing existing congestion and past accidents at Blanton Boulevard and Lohman. Other speakers cited noise, loss of privacy from a tall building, property-value concerns, and uncertainty about how runoff and impervious cover would be handled.

Applicant responses: An applicant representative said the project team has held two outreach meetings with surrounding property owners and submitted a TIA. Project representatives stated they are partnering with a branded operator (they referenced an Indigo brand affiliation) and described an event center intended for 200to300 people and restaurants that would be open to the public. The applicant said the site would include detention facilities and that design standards to address lighting and dark-sky concerns will be applied: "We respect the dark skies," a project speaker said.

Key technical points in the record: Commissioners and commenters pressed the applicant and staff on several specific questions: - Height: the PDD requests up to 65 feet on parts of the site versus the city's 35-foot baseline limit; commissioners repeatedly said they wanted tree-by-tree impact and rendering elevations before supporting a final approval. - Rooms and usage: the applicant stated the concept envisions about 90 rooms and conference space capable of hosting several-hundred-person events. - Utilities and LUEs: one participant referenced an impact figure in council materials; the applicant corrected an apparent discrepancy in the hearing, saying the project is worth about "94 LUEs" (land-use equivalents) in the applicant's estimate and that staff will reconcile TIA and utility model numbers as the review continues. - Impervious cover and jurisdictional caps: commissioners discussed whether the annexed site would be held to a county ETJ impervious cap (25%) or city standards (30%), with staff noting that those calculations would be clarified during site development.

Commission action and next steps: After discussion, the commission moved and seconded a motion to forward the rezoning application to City Council for consideration (a recommendation only). Commissioners emphasized that council will require a supermajority for final PDD approval and encouraged the applicant to continue neighborhood outreach and to provide detailed elevations, tree-impact analysis and finalized TIA responses prior to council review. The commission's recommendation does not approve the PDD; final action rests with City Council.

What comes next: The application will proceed to City Council, where PDD approvals require a supermajority vote. Staff said detailed civil plans, finalized traffic mitigation measures and any required off-site improvements would be resolved during subsequent site development and permit review if the rezoning is approved. The commission also noted potential conditions council may impose related to tree mitigation, lighting, setbacks and stormwater detention.

Quotes (representative): "I think that's a really crappy location," resident Mike Zadel said of the proposed site, stressing traffic safety concerns. "We have partnered with ITG Hotels to build an Indigo Hotel," an applicant representative said, describing the branded hotel concept and event center planned for the site.

Ending: The commission's vote sends the rezoning request to City Council with a recommendation and a list of topics the commission expects the applicant to address before final action: traffic mitigation, tree impacts and elevations, impervious-cover calculations and utility/LUE reconciliations. Council will consider the PDD and any conditions at a future meeting.