Editor's note: This article has been corrected to clarify the project's current status.
A preliminary planned unit development, or PUD, for a 670,000-square-foot distribution center, including two warehouses, north of Red Bluff Road in Seabrook, was approved by Seabrook City Council at its Aug. 4 meeting.
While a preliminary PUD was approved, it does not authorize construction, City Manager Gayle Cook said. The project must still proceed through additional review, a future public hearing and final City Council action before the PUD is approved.
The details
Seabrook City Council voted 6-1 at its Aug. 4 meeting to approve a PUD for the distribution center’s construction with Houston-based developer Constellation Realty Partners on 59 acres of vacant land north of Red Bluff Road and the proposed Port Houston roadway, commonly referred to as the Lazzari Tract.
The PUD is needed because the 59 acres span across multiple zoning classifications, according to city documents.
During the meeting, council member Angela Cervantes, who voted against the PUD, and residents argued that the $4 million in tax revenue the center is projected to garner for the city over the next 10 years did not justify what they felt could turn North Seabrook into an “industrial zone.”
At an earlier meeting in July, a motion to approve the same development died after it failed to receive a second motion from City Council, meaning council did not take an affirmative vote to deny the proposal. At the July meeting, more than 20 residents spoke in opposition to the development.
What’s changing?
City Council requested several amendments to the proposed development to address concerns from residents, including:
- A groundbreaking that is contingent upon the completion of the intersection of Hwy. 146 and Red Bluff Road
- Increased buffers to preserve more of the natural scenery along Red Bluff Road
- Requirement for developers to plant mature trees rather than saplings, install wing walls for sound mitigation and evaluate rooftop green space for migratory birds
- Prohibition on the storage of hazardous materials and the stacking of shipping containers
Those in favor
Former council member Ed Klein, who currently serves on the city’s planning and zoning commission, said allowing the development to move forward was financially smart for Seabrook and that if the city didn’t vote in favor of the development, the owner could sell the land to Port of Houston.
"Maybe the port is interested in buying it, in which case, Seabrook would lose control over the land and its use,” Klein said at the meeting.
Those opposed
Like the July meeting, several residents spoke strongly against the proposed development and said the developer seeking a PUD for the project was not a “proper use of the tool.”
Seabrook resident Celeste Rudd said the developer’s pursuit of a PUD was simply a path to work around existing city zoning.
"Using the PUD mainly to authorize an industrial use that is not permitted in the commercial zones is not a proper use of the tool. It is a way to work around the normal rezoning process,” Rudd said.
Seabrook resident Melanie Bentley said the developer was predatory and that if City Council approved the PUD, they would fail in their responsibility to protect Seabrook’s residents if they allowed the city to become a “dumping ground” for industrial development.
The details
The proposed development would have two warehouses, per city documents. Building A is proposed at approximately 464,400 square feet and Building B at approximately 205,200 square feet, with both structures limited to a maximum height of 50 feet.
The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approving the preliminary planned unit development at its June 18 meeting, per city documents.
