Divided public opinion failed to sway the Leander Planning and Zoning Commission Nov. 8 from rezoning space for a possible second H-E-B store.

In a packed Pat Bryson Municipal Hall, the commission unanimously agreed to rezone land on the southwest corner of FFM 2243 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Sentiment was divided on the issue, with half of the 24 speakers during the 3 1/2–hour meeting voicing disapproval of the project—or at least against the proposed zoning change or planned location.

H-E-B has a pending contract to purchase the property, said Stephen Drenner, an Austin lawyer who spoke on behalf of the Texas-based grocery store chain. The store will be approximately 65,000–80,000 square feet and occupy approximately 65 percent of the corner in question, Drenner said, leaving an approximate 100 feet of natural buffer. Construction would not begin for at least a couple years, he said.

"We're trying to look forward to an evolving Leander market so that we'll always be in a position to deliver services," Drenner said. "As is obvious, development of this site will provide some needed revenue for Leander but will also provide a catalyst for development for the other corners."

However, some nearby residents fear the undeveloped intersection is unable to handle the increased traffic load that would come with a new H-E-B. Several residents of nearby Ridgmar Landing subdivision voiced safety concerns about FM 2243 and fear that increased traffic will crowd their neighborhood and reduce property values in the large-lot neighborhood intended mostly for ranching.

"It's just one of those golden areas of Leander, if we could just somehow protect that neighborhood," said Matt Tolbert of nearby Fair Oaks Street.

A traffic impact analysis will help developers effectively navigate the increased load, Commissioner Sid Sokol said, and no evidence proved property values would be adversely affected.

"Development is always difficult when it's in your own backyard, but it's going to come," Sokol said. "If not H-E-B or something similar to that, then what will go on that corner, and how will it impact that neighborhood?"

Drenner said the grocery store chain will also do what is necessary to help maintain the same quality of life for nearby residents if and when H-E-B develops in that area.

"There are lots of tools that H-E-B has participated in many times in many communities in order to handle that impact," he said.

The decision to rezone should not be based on anyone's sentiment toward H-E-B and should instead be rooted in in the city's zoning laws, Jeff and Coral Swindall told the commission. The other three corners on the intersection feature more restrictive zoning, they pointed out, much to their chagrin.

"We're not here to determine how to get H-E-B on that property—we're adjusting rezoning to get H-E-B on that property," Jeff Swindall said, suggesting zoning on the proposed corner was being relaxed when it in fact should be more restrictive to help safely maintain nearby Brushy Creek.

Despite the natural obstacles facing the area, the city's comprehensive plan calls on the intersection to be the commercial center of eastern Leander.

"This is one of the city's major intersections," Commissioner Ronald Abruzzese said. "If we don't do something on this site, we actually go against what we said we want to do as a city."

In an effort to work with residents at nearby Ridgmar Landing, Commissioner Michelle Stephenson motioned to approve the rezoning pending design plans that ensure the natural wooden buffer be at least 100 feet deep. The motion passed unanimously.