Lewisville officials are considering a significant zoning regulations change that would help protect residential neighborhoods from encroaching industrial uses.
The Planning & Zoning Commission approved a recommendation on Tuesday, Jan. 21, to amend portions of the City’s Unified Development Code dealing with the locations of new warehouse distribution or manufacturing buildings. Lewisville City Council will consider the proposed changes next month.
The purpose of the amendments is to prevent tearing down existing buildings in certain locations to construct new warehouse distribution centers, and to make sure any new warehouse distribution or manufacturing buildings are in suitable locations.
If adopted, all new warehouse distribution and manufacturing businesses will be required to get a Special Use Permit. A SUP application contains more binding details than traditional zoning, This process also requires sending notification letters to all property owners within 200 feet to let them know about the request, even if the property already is zoned for industrial uses. There are some exceptions where no Special Use Permit would be required:
- If the existing use is warehouse distribution center or manufacturing
- If within 500 feet there are only manufacturing and industrial uses, warehouses, truck parking, or similar businesses
The Lewisville City Council will hold a second public hearing and make a final decision on this issue at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. at Lewisville City Hall, 151 W. Church Street.
Demand for warehouse distribution facilities and manufacturing facilities have greatly increased in recent years due to variable market changes and the trends resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as remote working, shrinking office space needs, workforce shortages, and supply chain issues, the city said in a press release.
Demand for these uses has been particularly high in Lewisville because of the proximity of DFW International Airport and two major highways; and because a large portion of properties in the city have Light Industrial District zoning, much of it in place since the 1970s, that allows for manufacturing and warehouse distribution facilities by right.
The Light Industrial District also allows a variety of other commercial uses, and many properties zoned Light Industrial have been developed with retail or office buildings. Homes were then developed near to many of these properties, the city said. The increased demand for redevelopment of retail and office properties to warehouses can lead to problems with adjacent uses.
The proposed SUP requirement would create a process for limiting or mitigating those adjacent uses.
