Business
7-Eleven gas station at Wilmeth Road returns to P&Z Sept. 8
Planning commissioners will hold a public hearing on a 7-Eleven fuel station, after tabling it in August over a notice error.
McKinney’s Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on September 8 on a plan to build a 7-Eleven with fuel pumps at the northeast corner of Wilmeth Road and Taylor-Burk Drive.
The vote matters to nearby homeowners, some of whom have already filed formal opposition. The site sits next to single-family neighborhoods off Wilmeth Road, and several residents spoke against the project when it first came up in August.
The applicant, Vaquero Ventures, wants to build a 4,816-square-foot convenience store with six fuel pumps, for a total of twelve fueling positions, on about 2.25 acres. That is according to the company’s letter of intent and the survey filed with the city.
A specific use permit (a special approval the city can require for certain uses in a zoning district) is needed here for one reason. In its letter of intent, the company says the permit “is required at this location because the fuel pumps are within 250’ of the adjacent residential zoning.” The land is already zoned as a planned development under a 2005 city ordinance.
The commission tabled the same request on August 25. Staff recommended holding the item “indefinitely, due to a noticing error,” the meeting minutes say, and commissioners voted 6-0 to table it after opening the public hearing.
Four residents spoke in opposition that night: Michael Welch, William Christensen, Dawn Billings and Jared Critchfield. A fifth, Lindsey Lawton, submitted a written comment against the project. A separate written protest petition, circulated by Welch, was also filed with the city secretary.
In its letter, Vaquero Ventures says the store would serve “both residents and travelers going in and out of McKinney” and calls it “a positive addition to McKinney.”
The hearing is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 8, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 401 E. Virginia Street. Residents can sign up to speak at the meeting or submit comments online through the city. The meeting will also stream live on the city’s website.
Your friendly neighbor, T.