P&Z approves Fairway/105 west C-store

The trip back to the drawing board paid off for Maredia, Barkat & Rahim Momin at the Thursday, March 23, meeting of the Navasota Planning & Zoning Commission. Their preliminary site plan for the Fly-Away C-Store at 2643 Highway 105 West received the go-ahead from all commissioners with the exception of Dr. John Walla who was absent.

The site plan originally submitted Feb. 23, was deemed to be a convenience store with truck stop components and failed to be approved following strenuous objections from neighboring Pecan Lakes Estates residents. Those objections related to road damage, 18-wheeler overnight parking and an increase in crime.

According to Development Services Director Lupe Diosdado, while the building’s square footage remains at 8,400 in the new plans, the reconfiguration allows space for another retail venture. The building was also relocated more centrally on the lot, an additional passenger vehicle pump was added and the high capacity diesel pumps for 18-wheelers removed. The area previously designated for 18-wheeler parking will be placed for sale.

Approved with conditions

While the revised plan met with the approval of City staff and the Pecan Lakes Estates residents in attendance, commissioners applied three conditions to their motion. No. 1 was that instead of constructing a sidewalk on the west side/convenience store side of Fairway Drive that it be built on the east side/airport side. This is to facilitate the City’s long range plan for a sidewalk along Fairway Drive to safely connect the subdivision with August Horst Park.

Commissioners also required the final site plan come back to them for approval and that the owner or a representative be present at that meeting. Final site plans normally are approved by the City if there are only minor changes to the preliminary site plan and they meet with the approval of the City’s engineers.

Responding to a question about the possibility of Fairway Drive becoming a concrete road, City Manager Jason Weeks said the City budgeted for asphalt, not concrete, and is holding off until subdivision construction is complete. He assured residents that Public Works will continue to fix road damage. 

Weeks said, “We are working on it…there’s a lot of other projects we really need to address first before we do Fairway as a concrete road. At some point in the future, it could be, but right now we’re not proposing that.”

The meeting may be viewed in its entirety at https://www.navasotatx.gov/planning-zoning-commission.