Planning commission forwards multiple rezoning requests and a UDC change to council; one heavy‑commercial rezoning fails

The Planning and Zoning Commission met July 2 and recommended several rezoning requests and a Unified Development Code change to the city council, while declining to recommend one contested heavy‑commercial rezoning.

The commission voted unanimously to send four zone cases to the city council for consideration on July 28: zone case 3145H (rezoning parcels near Broadway and Avenue Q to Neighborhood Commercial), zone case 3555 (two parcels near I‑27 to General Industrial), zone case 3417‑B (office to Light Industrial), and zone case 3556 (select parcels at Upland Avenue and 50th Street to Neighborhood Commercial/Auto Urban Commercial). In each of those matters staff recommended approval; motions carried 6‑0 at the planning commission level.

Several applicants and their representatives described the requests as completing previously approved industrial or commercial patterns, easing development and marketing of parcels, or aligning arterial frontage with more intensive uses. For example, applicant representative Seth Watts said the owner of the Broadway/Avenue Q property had lost the right to a drive‑through after a 2023 zoning change and asked the commission to restore the commercial designation, while Hugo Reed & Associates’ Terry Holman described the 3555 and 3556 requests as completing earlier zone changes and noted no immediate development plans for some tracts.

Not all public input endorsed the proposals. At the hearing on zone case 3555, residents Kylo and William Witworth urged the commission to delay rezoning so the developer would address the needs of remaining households; Kylo Witworth said, "I'm not asking for a no. I'm asking for a not yet," and asserted that the developer had already spent "approximately $10 million" acquiring nearby parcels (a claim raised as testimony and not independently verified). At the 50th/Upland hearing, neighbors urged smaller corner footprints and stronger buffers to address traffic and safety concerns near Friendship High School.

The most significant break from unanimous recommendations came on zone case 2538‑SS, a request to rezone parcels along 34th Street near Inler Avenue from low‑density single‑family to Heavy Commercial. Dozens of residents spoke in opposition, citing truck traffic, noise, light pollution, safety at nearby intersections, and property‑value loss. After deliberation the commission voted 1‑5 not to recommend that heavy‑commercial rezoning to council; the chair noted that the commission only makes a recommendation and the city council will make the final decision.

Separately, the commission voted 6‑0 to forward a Unified Development Code amendment required by new state law (Senate Bill 785, effective Sept. 1, 2026) that will permit HUD‑code manufactured homes on single residential lots; staff proposed adding the permitted use to the Residential Estates district — the only mapped district in city limits that currently fits the state law’s lot‑size and application requirements.

Votes at a glance: - Zone case 3145H (Broadway/Avenue Q) — recommendation to council, 6‑0 (forwarded to council July 28 at 2 p.m.). - Zone case 3555 (Drew/Cuca; LEC Economic Development Alliance) — recommendation to council, 6‑0 (forwarded to council July 28 at 2 p.m.). - Zone case 3417‑B (Centerline; office → LI) — recommendation to council, 6‑0 (first reading scheduled July 28 at 2 p.m.). - Zone case 3556 (Upland/50th) — recommendation to council, 6‑0 (forwarded to council July 28 at 2 p.m.). - Zone case 2538‑SS (Inler/34th; JKC Ranch LLC) — recommendation failed, 1‑5 (planning commission voted not to recommend; council will consider on July 28). - UDC amendment (SB 785 implementation; HUD‑code manufactured homes in Residential Estates) — recommendation to council, 6‑0.

What happens next: these items will appear on the city council agenda on July 28; the council makes the final zoning and code decisions. The planning commission’s record and the public testimony from July 2 will be part of that council review.

Sources: Planning staff presentations and public testimony at the July 2, 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Closing note: quotes and vote tallies come from recorded testimony and commission roll calls.