A McDonald’s location is proposed on Dixie Farm Road, but nearby homeowners aren’t loving it.
“There’s already a lot of fast-food places on Broadway right in front of our neighborhood,”
nearby homeowner Sonya Clauson told members of the Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 3.
Pearland City Council at a future meeting will consider granting a conditional use permit that would allow the fast-food restaurant to open at 3203 Dixie Farm Road near the Home Depot. A conditional use permit is required because the site is zoned as Neighborhood Services, a less intense commercial use.
P&Z gave a recommendation for approval at its Nov. 3 meeting, attaching conditions on landscaping, materials, access to an adjacent lot and improvements suggested in an upcoming traffic study.
“This parcel is going to be developed into something; there’s going to be a little bit of traffic no matter what it is,” P&Z Commissioner Jennifer Hendricks said. “That’s where the (traffic) study comes in.”
Rezoned from residential to Neighborhood Services in 2017, the site lies between single family homes and big box retailers such as Walmart and Home Depot. Plans call for a 4,429-square-foot fast food restaurant with two drive-thru lanes, 50 parking spaces, sidewalk access to Dixie Farm and a “pedestrian friendly” site layout, according to Connor McBride of Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc.
“McDonald’s is traditionally a draw for surrounding businesses,” he said, “bringing foot traffic and customers not just to their location but the businesses around them.”
More than 30 residents wrote to the city in opposition to the permit, three of whom addressed P&Z in person.
“Think about the traffic congestion at an already overly busy intersection at Dixie Farm and 518 in the evening at dinner time,” nearby resident Christine Scruggs said. “Traffic congestion and accident potential are highly likely to increase due to the volume of traffic this business causes.”
Installation would be provided by Visit Pearland, which would also maintain a pre-qualified artist roster in addition to vetting new ones. Suggested sponsorship levels for the two sizes are $9,500 and $4,500.
Final guidelines for public art, which include murals, are expected to be presented to the council in about six months.
