Saturday, September 7, 2024
SPRINGTOWN — Springtown City Council will soon have to consider whether to approve a zoning change that would make way for a Mexican restaurant on Goshen Road.
During its July 11 meeting, Springtown Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend the city council change the zoning at 301 Goshen Road from single family residential to commercial. The council will have the final say on the change, and if the members pass it, the next step would be to consider the plat and site plan for the property.
The property for the proposed restaurant is behind Taco Bell, south of the Goshen Road and South Birch Street intersection. During the P&Z meeting, Assistant City Administrator/City Secretary Christina Derr said this is a commercial district and zoned as such to the north and east of the property, though there is residential zoning to the west. The land at 301 Goshen Road is owned by Santiago Quirarte Sr., whose son helms AV Ranch Fine Western Wear on the square.
Derr told the commission two individuals who neighbor the proposed restaurant wrote to the city to oppose rezoning. One of them said they will not allow the eatery to be accessed by their property, but Derr confirmed that access easements across the neighboring properties isn’t needed or requested at this time.
The site of the proposed restaurant includes a paved driveway on the west side that goes outside the property line and connects to a gravel street that intersects with Goshen Road and runs southward. Derr clarified that the driveway may not be allowed to be used for the restaurant unless the private landowners make such an agreement. If approved in the future, Quirarte’s eatery will need to have two new driveways constructed on the property. The city may ask the property owner to remove that concrete driveway or barricade it to avoid confusion among diners and delivery trucks entering and exiting the restaurant.
Derr also addressed a resident’s concerns regarding the sewer system capacity and traffic. She reported that the 6-inch sewer mains in the area haven’t posed consistent issues, and some of the lines have been replaced by Atmos Energy more than a year ago when crews were working in the area. Also, Derr said the city is dealing with a “problematic” lift station, but it is not expected to affect the proposed restaurant site or its neighbors.
As for traffic, new P&Z member Walter Roberson pointed out the peak hours of a restaurant usually do not coincide with rush hour caused by kids getting out of school.
Derr added that whatever additional traffic the restaurant may produce will likely not affect the overall conditions very much. Plus, traffic is a pre-existing issue on Goshen Road, so the city cannot deny the development solely on those grounds, Derr said.
“Essentially, we can’t prohibit somebody from developing their property because of a traffic issue that is already there,” she said.
Springtown City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25.
