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Ennis commissioners deny two rezoning requests after neighborhood opposition
Summary
After hours of public comment, the Ennis City Commission voted to deny two requests to rezone small parcels along S. I‑45 from single‑family residential (R5) to corridor commercial, citing conflicts with the adopted future land‑use plan and strong neighborhood protest.
The Ennis City Commission on Aug. 19 denied two separate rezoning requests along South Interstate Highway 45 after residents described drainage, scale and safety concerns and Planning & Zoning either rejected or narrowly split on the proposals.
At a public hearing on a 1.763‑acre tract (item F1), neighbors urged commissioners to keep the parcel R5 single‑family. Matthew Stubbs, chair of the Ennis Park and Recreation Board, said the lot is too small for the speculative commercial uses listed in the applicant’s narrative and presented an alternate plan to build eight single‑family homes. “This request to rezone land would immediately ad adjacent to single family homes, which allows an alarming list of incompatible uses, including hotels, pawn shops, outdoor gun range, animal services, 24 hour businesses, and many others,” Stubbs said.
An applicant representative, Corine Robertson, told the commission the property is L‑shaped and partly already zoned commercial; she said the applicant would build to exceed UDO standards, install a 12‑foot sound wall and prohibit noisy uses. “Part of the property is already zoned commercial ... We are simply asking for the other portion to match the L shaped portion of it,” Robertson said.
Commissioners noted staff and Planning & Zoning records. Planners reported the future land‑use plan designates the area for business‑park and industrial transition uses and that Planning & Zoning had voted 0–6 against the F1 request; notification protests from adjacent property owners exceeded the 20% threshold that triggers a super‑majority vote. Commissioner Jones moved to deny the rezoning; after a voice vote the motion carried.
A second request (item F2) for a 0.097‑acre parcel behind single‑family homes drew similar neighborhood opposition and a protest percentage above the 20% threshold despite a 4–2 Planning & Zoning recommendation in favor. Nearby residents described traffic, privacy and drainage impacts; one resident said an adjoining owner had expressed interest in adding the lot to an existing yard. Commissioner Jones moved to deny F2 as well; the motion passed by voice vote.
What happens next: both denials preserve the parcels’ single‑family zoning. Commissioners and staff noted that, absent a successful rezoning, property owners can propose alternative plans or return with a planned development application that places specific use restrictions on future buyers.
Sources: Public hearing testimony and staff presentations during the Aug. 19 Ennis City Commission meeting.
