(Seguin) — A proposed development on Seguin’s west side could eventually become home to a Walmart Supercenter.
The possibility was revealed during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Seguin City Council. The discussion centered on a proposed general land use plan and zoning change request for approximately 180 acres along State Highway 46 at the proposed Pecan Parkway, near the proposed Greenspoint Village subdivision.
Planning Director Pamela Centeno described the plan, which includes commercial frontage along Highway 46, along with residential neighborhoods and additional commercial areas within the proposed development.
“This is the Greenspoint subdivision. So, to the north we have an existing single-family residential subdivision known as Greenspoint Heights. This is proposed as Greenspoint Village. The portion here that is currently zoned R2 is a portion of the property for the request, currently for the Greenspoint Village. There is an addition to this area on the front that is not part of the Greenspoint development that is already zoned commercial for proposed commercial development. So, the request you have in front of you for the general land use plan and for the zoning to PUD (planned unit development) is to introduce more flexibility on this site to allow a variety of uses as the developer proposes to go forward with this,” said Centeno.
James McKnight, of the municipal and land use law firm Ortiz McKnight, represented the property owners during the council meeting. McKnight says the property owners are preparing for the growth that’s coming to that area.
“This is right at the corner of the proposed Pecan Parkway and Highway 46. So, this is really proposed to be a more commercial area. That’s what we’re trying to plan for — is that there is growth coming in this area for single-family (housing) and also commercial,” said McKnight.
McKnight then revealed that Walmart was looking to become the anchor of the proposed development. The various uses in the development have been divided into areas identified as A, B, C and D in the plan.
“What’s driving this really is (area) B. So, B is proposed to be a 34-acre Walmart Supercenter, and that Supercenter is now under contract with the seller. But the seller is saying, ‘we’re primarily developing residential. What happens if Walmart doesn’t close on the property?’ So, this is what drove the need for flexibility in this area — is to say, okay, if we wanna bring this kind of use, but we’re not sure how we’re gonna use it, what can we do? What zoning would be available to us? And that’s why we’re headed this direction is to say residential primarily. You can see everything in blue is either commercial or residential. (Area) A is just commercial. (Area) D is just residential. So, it’s that transition that you often see from highway to commercial to multifamily to single family,” said McKnight.
The news of the Walmart took many in the room by surprise, including some nearby landowners, who said this was the first time they had heard that a Walmart Supercenter was being considered. Bill King owns approximately 90 acres near the site and said he’s been watching the process, but Walmart had never been mentioned.
“I was not so opposed to the A, B, C and D plan because it’s moving from 600 or 700 MI Homes (being built), which allows some more flexibility. I understand that. The Walmart thing — I kind of feel like that was not discussed during the Planning and Zoning Commission (meeting), and it was kind of slid in here today right before we’re doing this approval,” said King.
The announcement that Walmart was being considered also caught council members off guard and ultimately led them to delay any action on the project.
Councilman Paul Gaytan says they need to give the public more time to weigh in on the issue.
“I think what I’m hearing is there’s not fair notice. None of us knew about it and planning and zoning didn’t know about it, neighbors didn’t know about it. They need to know about it and be able to comment. And it’s probably not the best way to handle this — just telling us right before you want approval of something. I think you can appreciate that. So, my recommendation would be that we table this so we can get proper commentary from the people that are going to be affected, and they have fair notice to respond, which they don’t have,” said Gaytan.
Councilman Jim Lievens, who represents that area, says he agrees that more time is needed for public input. Lievens says the project’s mixed uses, including a variety of residential properties, could make for an attractive development for the city, but he believes there needs to be more time for public discussion.
“I like the development and what it can bring for our community, tax base, et cetera. But yeah, I didn’t know what this was going to be. And I’d like a little bit more thought,” said Lievens.
Major roadway improvements along State Highway 46 and the proposed Pecan Parkway would be necessary, but city officials say other hurdles need to be cleared first.
City Manager Steve Parker says staff honored its commitment to not reveal the details of the economic development deal. He says that’s consistent with most economic development projects. He adds that Walmart has a tight timeline and hopes the council and the community can address the issue during the council’s next meeting in two weeks. Parker says he hopes the project is not in jeopardy now that the news is out. He says that’s not a threat to anyone, but it is a reality if things slow down too much.
“Staff did know (about this). We’ve been asked (to keep quiet) for any economic development project. We keep that secret until the applicant wants to (provide) notice of that. This is strictly an idea to rezone land and it could become anything. There’s no definite deal. We’ve been told by Walmart that if the overpass underneath Pecan Parkway doesn’t happen, that’s probably a deal killer and they wouldn’t come anyway. But I know how important this is to the community to have a grocery store on the west side of town. That’s one of our biggest things we hear. My understanding from talking to Walmart is that they have some timelines. They’ve asked us to expedite this. We’ve been through the schedule of how this could happen. It seemed like there was a very short timeframe. So, I also think that this word is going to spread very fast with the neighborhood. They should have their input. They should be able to do that. So, I would think it would be something (we could do at) the next meeting,” said Parker.
The council plans to hold a public hearing on the land use plan and zoning request during its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Meanwhile, several community members have already taken to social media to share their thoughts on the proposal. Many said a grocery store is needed on the city’s west side, but many hoped it would be another H-E-B. Others said they were simply grateful they would no longer have to drive across Seguin or to New Braunfels to buy groceries and other household items.
The council’s next meeting will be be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Seguin City Hall.