41 acres at FM 455 and future J Fred Smith Parkway would come into the city as commercial and light industrial land

A 41-acre tract at the northeast corner of FM 455 and the future J Fred Smith Parkway would be annexed into Celina and set up for shops, offices and light industry under a development agreement the City Council takes up at a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 13.

The land, known as the Celina Stone Tract, sits in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction and is covered by a pre-annexation agreement that runs until August 2035, according to a staff memo. The developer named in the agreement is DLH Capital LLC.

What could be built

The proposal sets base zoning of Commercial, Office and Retail plus Industrial. The memo stresses that Celina's Industrial district covers "clean" or light industrial uses only, and that any heavy or high-intensity industry would need a specific use permit or planned development approved by the council.

The agreement calls for:

• At least 10 acres of commercial use, generally at the corner
• One gas station, allowed without a specific use permit
• Up to 10 acres of mini-warehouse or self-storage, allowed without a permit but kept away from the corner

Roads and fees

The developer would build two lanes of J Fred Smith Parkway along the property's south side, with intersection improvements, and two lanes of County Road 57, according to the agreement. The developer would pay only its proportionate share of the offsite road work, and the city would handle the rest of those costs, including buying any offsite right-of-way.

The city also agrees to help get a Texas Department of Transportation permit for the FM 455 intersection.

In return, the city would waive half of the roadway impact fees, and half of the wastewater impact fees if offsite sewer lines are needed. The developer would build the water and sewer lines that serve only the site at its own cost and give the city a 20-foot sewer easement.

Why staff support it

Staff cite the property's spot at the corner of a four-lane and a six-lane road as suited to commercial use, and note that a towing business with heavy industrial operations sits southeast of the site.

The memo says the city has no objection to one gas station and one self-storage project by right and that the deal brings about 40 acres into city limits along a prominent corridor.

The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval 5-0 in September, and no one from the public spoke at that meeting, the memo says. Staff recommend approval. The council meeting begins at 5 p.m. at 112 N. Colorado St.

Sources

celinatx.api.civicclerk.com

celinatx.api.civicclerk.com