During its Feb. 17 meeting, Tomball City Council approved the first reading of a conditional use permit, requested by developer Mike Matheson, for a proposed child care facility located within office zoning.

The gist

Originally brought forward to the council on Feb. 3 with a no action decision, new revisions to the concept plan were presented Feb. 17 for consideration including an added single-lane drive aisle—eliminating the dead end in the parking lot that heads southbound—and four additional parking spaces.

Primary concerns from the council during the Feb. 3 meeting included parking concerns and spacing logistics. The child care center plans to operate from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. with a capacity for 80 children. With the addition of the parking spaces, the plan now complies with the required ratio of children per parking spot, Community Development Director Craig Meyers said.

The approach

According to a city presentation during the Feb. 17 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval with the following stipulations:

• The curb for the proposed sidewalk along Rudel Drive will be painted red for no parking.
• “No stopping or standing” signs will be placed along the Rudel Drive frontage
• Three parking spaces within the development will be designated as drop-off and pick-up only
• A fence will be installed along entire southern property line
• A fence will be installed around the entire onsite detention pond

Council member Lisa Covington also requested that a written agreement must be entered with the Tomball VA Clinic to allow access to their parking lot for everyday operations and to set the hours of operations on documents.

“That's the beauty of a conditional use permit is you set the standard,” Council member John Ford said. “Get all the angst out of there and get it like you want it.”

Stay tuned

The council will revisit the rezoning approval with stipulations in place at a future meeting to adopt the ordinance on second reading.