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Council denies adding West M Street to high-frequency truck route, asks staff to pursue Chapter 70 option
Summary
After a public hearing and testimony from nearby property owners, the council denied adding a segment of West M Street to the high‑frequency truck route and directed staff to pursue an alternate approach under Chapter 70 to clarify gate access and truck-use rules.
The La Porte City Council voted to deny a proposed text amendment that would have added roughly 640 feet of West M Street (from South 16th Street west to the rail line) to the city’s high-frequency truck route list in section 106‑746. Instead, the council directed staff to pursue a Chapter 70 truck-route action and bring back options that would clarify gate access and usage rules.
Staff said the parcel and surrounding zoning are largely light industrial and that Planning & Zoning had recommended adding the segment to the high-frequency list (7–0). Nearby property owner Alvin Ogden and representatives from Open Land and Development said gates and turning radii create safety and operational concerns for large trucks using the site; Ogden told the council that trucks leaving the yard “are going to come out this front gate because they are on the high-frequency truck route,” and that the current geometry creates hazards for long lowboy trailers.
Council members debated three approaches: (1) add the segment to the high‑frequency route (which would allow certain NAICS-coded uses at that location), (2) add the segment to the Chapter 70 truck route (a clearer “point-of-origin/point-of-destination” authorization), or (3) do nothing. One council member said staff believes the south property currently has a right to use the gates by origin/destination rules, while adding the segment to Chapter 70 would make gate use “a done deal” and remove ambiguity.
After discussion the council adopted a motion to deny the high-frequency addition while asking staff to return with an approach to add the segment to Chapter 70 (or otherwise clarify gate access), and the motion carried. Council members emphasized protecting neighborhoods from large warehousing uses while also addressing property-owner access issues.
Next steps: staff will prepare a follow-up ordinance or administrative letter clarifying the city’s position and options under Chapter 70, and may bring a Chapter 70 amendment back for council consideration.
