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A proposed QuikTrip gasoline station and convenience store at the northwest corner of Midway and Alpha roads is headed to the Farmers Branch City Council after the Planning and Zoning Commission split 3-3 on the request March 9.
Because of the tie vote, the commission forwarded the case to the council with no recommendation. The council is scheduled to consider the proposal April 7.
The request involves a specific use permit for a gasoline service station and convenience store at 13601 Midway Rd., along with a related request to allow beer and wine sales for off-premise consumption.
If approved, the project would include 20 fuel pumps and a 5,029-square-foot convenience store on the 1.48-acre site. Plans call for demolishing the existing building, formerly an Origin Bank branch that operated from February 2022 to March 2024, and constructing a new store with the fuel canopy facing Midway Road.
Lead Planner Brett Mangum told commissioners the zoning district allows commercial uses but requires additional review for gas stations.
“Strictly speaking, this proposal is not consistent with the letter of the comprehensive plan,” Mangum said. “With that being said, the comprehensive plan is considered a guideline for zoning decisions. The zoning on the property is PD-64 … that is the controlling document. So if you approve this specific use request tonight, that would basically create an overlay within PD-64, which would allow for the convenience store and gasoline sales aspects.”
The site currently has a tenant providing therapy services for children under a short-term lease, Mangum said.
Plans include 7,190 square feet of landscaped area, preservation of some trees along Alpha Road and two right-in, right-out driveways, one on Midway Road and one on Alpha Road. The store would operate 24 hours a day.
Mangum also explained that the two requests, the specific use permit and the alcohol overlay district, must be considered together.
“The two cases stand together. If one is denied, the other needs to be denied as well,” he said.
Regarding the alcohol overlay request, Mangum said the city has limited ability to tighten restrictions after approval. “Once they are, if they are, approved, the city can relax those restrictions, but they cannot make them more restrictive … once it’s approved, then it is essentially permanent.”
City staff received five letters in support and four in opposition before the hearing.
Applicant makes case
Dallas Cothrum, CEO of MasterPlan Consultants, representing the property owner, said the site returned to the city after circumstances changed.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Ferris died. His sons are settling the estate. QuikTrip said they were still interested, so that’s how we ended up back here,” Cothrum said.
He described QuikTrip as a strong operator in the region.
“Cities should be [more interested in] best in class operators than what they do. This is the best-in-class fuel op/convenience operator in this region,” he said.
Cothrum said the company has a large presence in North Texas. “We’ve never had a store fail.”
He also addressed concerns about alcohol sales and underage purchases.
“They take the sale of alcohol extremely seriously, as they should,” he said.
Employees are required to scan identification through the store’s point-of-sale system, he said, and the company conducts its own compliance checks.
Cothrum also said QuikTrip conducted a traffic study even though the city did not require one.
“We just went ahead and did it anyway because of the situation,” he said.
Neighbors raise concerns
Several residents and nearby property owners opposed the proposal, citing traffic, congestion and consistency with the city’s long-range plan.
Kelly Jo Sands of Dallas said the project would worsen an already congested intersection.
“My concerns really come down to three simple points. This project is not necessary. It is not additive, and it is certainly not appropriate,” Sands said.
She said traffic delays already affect commuters at the intersection. “Many of us already experience congestion at this very intersection. Personally, I sit through two left turn signals every day in my morning commute.”
Chris Bowers, an attorney with Suster Law Group representing a nearby property owner at 4205 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy., argued the proposal conflicts with the city’s comprehensive plan.
“I would just say why even have a comprehensive plan if you’re not going to follow it? That plan is supposed to guide your decisions,” Bowers said.
Other opponents raised concerns about truck traffic and turning movements near the site.
Cothrum responded that the location is typical for a fuel station along a major roadway.
“If the traffic was so bad, the city would have required the traffic study. It wasn’t required. We did it anyway,” he said.
He also noted the corridor is evolving. “This is a changing area.”
With the commission divided, the final decision now rests with the Farmers Branch City Council, which will take up the proposal at its April 7 meeting.
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