Council approves iSMASH ‘smash rooms’ conditional-use permit at Marketplace Highland Village

The Highland Village City Council on July 14 voted unanimously to grant a conditional‑use permit for a new indoor amusement business to operate in two suites at the Marketplace at FM 407.

City planning staff described the request as a commercial amusement indoor use requiring a CUP in the retail PD zoning district; the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval 5–0. Applicants Rupa Seshadri and Sangeetha Surdivas said the concept, called iSMASH, will include smash rooms, splatter paint and interactive digital games and will operate primarily by reservation to manage participants and parking.

"Our goal is very simple. It is to offer a very safe, family friendly, and highly controlled or structured environment where everyone can have fun," applicant Rupa Seshadri said during the presentation.

Council questioned noise mitigation, paint cleanup and trash handling; the applicants said the franchisor provides specific construction and noise‑mitigation details, a paint cleanup room and eco‑friendly washable paints, and that garbage and dumpster arrangements are handled by the property owner. The applicant’s general contractor described a double‑wall construction approach and soundboard insulation to isolate interior noise.

Following the public‑hearing period with no members of the public asking to speak, Councilmember Jaworski moved to approve Ordinance 2026‑1335 granting the CUP on first reading, and the council voted 6–0 in favor.

The ordinance will return for the second reading as a consent item; staff and the applicants said they expect to open once site‑plan, permitting and tenant‑improvement work are completed.