The College Station city council at its last meeting approved six land use changes to create more property for future general commercial uses.
Five votes were unanimous and most followed little if any discussion.
But there was a 4-3 split on creating general commercial on three of 14 acres at the northeast corner of Raintree and the freeway.
A divided College Station city council last Thursday approved a land use change over the objection of neighboring homeowners.
Property owner Bill Lero pointed out he request matches existing uses across the freeway.
Councilwoman Blanche Brick supported neighboring homeowners in Raintree who believed a hotel will be built next to them. Brick favored keeping suburban commercial, which is less intensive compared to general commercial.
Julie Schultz, who doesn’t think a hotel will be built, says Raintree residents will be helped by a wall and buffer space.
Councilman Barry Moore made the motion to change the land use.
Joining Moore and Schultz in approving the change were James Benham and Jerome Rektorik. Joining Brick in voting no were Karl Mooney and Linda Harvell.
As for the council’s five unanimous votes, only one involves a current project. That’s creating apartments and general commercial businesses along Harvey Mitchell Parkway between Dartmouth and Crystal Park Plaza.
Four others are city-initiated changes to prepare for future general commercial development. That includes changing the comprehensive plan on 100 acres across the freeway from the Nantucket subdivision. That drew e-mails from Nantucket homeowners to council members asking why they were not notified. That was the subject of a conversation involving Harvell, Rektorik, and planning and development director Lance Simms.
The council also rezoned to general commercial, what are currently homes along George Bush east of Texas, vacant land at the southwest corner of University and Boonville Road, and what is now the Lock and Roll business at Harvey Road and the freeway.