With many commercial additions to Hudson Oaks in recent years, one thing that city officials agreed needed updating was regulations regarding drive-thru facilities.
After the Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval at its May 14 meeting, it was the council’s turn to take a look at language in the ordinance and decide what changes to make.
The existing ordinance had no regulations on drive-thrus that are not restaurant related, which meant, in essence, that any business could have a drive thru without it being properly reviewed by the city for safety and traffic concerns.
New definitions proposed in the land-use tables outline the need for a special use permit (SUP). Citing as an example, a dry-cleaning business with a drive-thru pickup lane would need an SUP to construct and use that lane.
“This does not meet the spirit of the overall zoning ordinance as drive-thru uses of other types can still pose a public risk in terms of traffic and safety,” said Assistant City Administrator Hayden Brodowsky in a staff report.
That noted, “establishments providing services to customers in motor vehicles that are either temporarily parked, or through a service window and a drive-thru lane, such as drive-in or drive-thru restaurants, banks offering drive-thru services, pharmacies or dry cleaners offering drive-thru services, gas pumps/fuel sales, car washes, or similar concepts,” will now be required to file for a SUP after council voted to approve the changes May 30.
During the meeting the council also approved acceptance of a proposal from The Hub International for benefit consulting services to aid with challenges small group employers face when providing benefits for employees and their families.
The Hub, with a local office in Fort Worth, will charge $10,900 annually for the city’s 26 full-time employees. National Benefits Solutions will continue to administer the deductible reimbursement program/flex spending sccounts and the third-party contract for the employee assistance program.
An existing contract with Brinson Benefits will expire on June 30.
Also at the meeting, council re-appointed Robyn Jackson, Dante Hall, and Angela Pereira to the planning and zoning commission for the 2024-2026 term.
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