The update
The planning and zoning commission was tasked with the ratification of a zoning change under the Boerne Unified Development Code.
City staff shared the updated zoning classification that commissioners could recommend, which was a community commercial, or C-3, zoning.
According to the staff presentation, “the community commercial category is to accommodate commercial uses that have a lower transportation demand and footprint than regional commercial, but a higher transportation demand and footprint than transitional commercial.”
During the discussion, P&Z commissioners pointed out that the city and Buc-ee’s developer have not yet signed the amended development agreement. Without these updated agreements, commissioners said there was no information to make a zoning recommendation to City Council.
City Attorney Mick McKamie said no decision on the zoning ratification impacts the development itself.
“They have zoning, and nothing is delayed because of your recommendation one way or the other,” McKamie told commissioners.
Commissioner Bob Cates suggested giving the tract a C-3 zoning.
“If it were anything else, and we had this five-acre tract on I-10 and it was surrounded by C-3, we would zone it C-3,” Cates said.
P&Z did not compromise on a recommendation and instead tabled the agenda item for an additional 30 days, which would bring the discussion back in December.
How we got here
On July 7, the Planning and Zoning Commission had a postponed agenda item for the rezoning of 3.976 acres near the Buc-ee’s site.
On Sept. 8, the agenda item was changed from a rezoning to a zoning designation ratification, and the acreage was increased to 5.155 acres, raising concern from residents and committee members.
Planning and Zoning Director Nathan Crane explained that upon adoption of the UDC, the previous commercial zoning for the property was retired and no new zoning was assigned. Since a property cannot exist without zoning, city staff submitted the ratification to zone the property as C-3—the zoning that Crane said most aligns with the previous B-2 zoning.
Boerne City Council on Oct. 27 approved amendments to the development agreement, specifying requirements for the development.
