What happened
BCB Liberty Hill Investors submitted an application proposing to construct three buildings for eating establishments with drive-thrus and associated parking at the Heritage Ridge commercial development, which is located at 13101 W. Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill, according to meeting documents.
Zooming in
- The developers are looking to place the three proposed drive-thru establishments on Lot 1 of the development, Director of Planning Jerry Millard said at the meeting.
- The Texas Department of Transportation approved Lot 1 for two drive-thrus in 2020. However, the addition of the third drive-thru on the lot is what triggered the proposal being postponed previously at a May City Council meeting.
- Further review determined that the traffic count for Heritage Ridge would change slightly with the addition, Millard said, which prompted the desire for additional review from the city.
- After review, City Engineer Curtis Steger and the developers made a plan to add left- and right-turn lanes into Heritage Ridge off Championship Drive. Liberty Hill ISD, however, has not given approval for the added lanes on the district’s portion of the street.
What they’re saying
“The issue with Championship Drive and the turning lanes there, we don’t own that, so it’s not as simple or as timely as some of our other corrections,” said Buck Cody, an Endeavor Real Estate Group representative. “We’re in a place with our existing tenants and our existing project where, essentially, we have delivery timelines that have to be met in order to make good on our deal with them.”
Council Member Chris Pezold voiced concerns about traffic congestion with the businesses being so close to the nearby school.
“It’s not wise to have this many drive-thrus and all the traffic right beside our school,” he said. “We have to make sure traffic is moving correctly because we are experiencing horrible traffic, horrible congestion, and the addition of what you guys are doing—if done wrong—will harm our constituents and possibly put some children in danger.”
The action taken
Council voted to postpone the development pending approval from LHISD and written approval from TxDOT stating that they’ve reviewed the site and traffic counts.
Additionally, council voted in favor of calling a special meeting for the proposal to come back July 17 or later, depending on when and if the developers can obtain approvals from TxDOT and LHISD.
