League City City Council on Nov. 10 rejected with a 7-1 vote an ordinance that would have allowed a special use permit for a 7-Eleven to be built on a parcel zoned general commercial at the southeast corner of West Main Street and Newport Boulevard. Mayor Pro Tem Todd Kinsey was the sole council member to vote in favor.
On Dec. 20, the permit applicant of the 7-Eleven and the owner of the property on which it would have been built met with city staff met to discuss granting a special use permit for the gas station to be built, according to a city memo. Because the land is zoned general commercial, a special use permit is required to build a gas station there, Director of Planning and Development David Hoover said.
In May, the applicant met with neighbors in the area to discuss the project. Many residents have come forward to say the gas station would add light, noise and traffic to an already congested area that has five other gas stations in a 1-mile radius.
From June through September, the applicant submitted several applications staff found to be incomplete and returned for clarification and detail, according to the memo.
“Staff requested a number of items from the applicant to help mitigate some of the site concerns. While they did work with us on several issues, including landscaping around the detention pond and building materials, they were unwilling to address a number of staff comments,” the memo reads.
Despite not answering all of staff’s questions, the applicant in September requested the proposal go before the League City Planning and Zoning Commission, according to the memo.
The commission unanimously denied recommending council approve the permit.
“Staff still has a lot of the same concerns that we had before,” Hoover said, specifying traffic congestion.
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The day before the council meeting to vote on the permit application, the applicant submitted a new plan, which did not give staff or the council a lot of time to review it. Hoover said the council should at least delay voting on the permit application until staff can be sure what it is presenting to the council is accurate to the applicant’s latest proposal.
Instead, the council voted to deny the application outright, meaning the applicant has to start the process over from the beginning, including presenting to the zoning commission.
Council Member Chad Tressler said while the city is trying to attract commercial development, gas stations, nail salons and mattress stores are not what the city is after.
In other business
League City City Council on Nov. 10 also gave final approval to municipal utility districts Nos. 81 and 82. The motions passed 6-2 with Council Members Nick Long and Andy Mann opposed.
Mann said Oct. 27, when council approved the first readings for the two MUDs, that these developments would increase the traffic problem in League City, which is of high concern to those who live on the west side.
