Gun range zoning vote postponed again

LEGUE CITY — A final decision on the Clear Creek Gun Range’s zoning change was delayed again to allow city council members to consider a second zoning option presented Tuesday during a workshop.

The council agreed in a 5-1 vote to postpone a zoning change decision until Aug. 10 at the council’s regular meeting.

Gun range owner Ernest Randall, Mayor Toni Randall’s father-in-law, in May requested a zoning change from single-family residential to general commercial to prevent city officials from attempting to shut down the gun range.

City legal bills in 2007 showed former Mayor Jerry Shults met with Hidden Lakes developer Sam Boyd and city leaders for months in an attempt to declare the range a public nuisance.

Fearing the council might vote down his request on a second vote, Ernest Randall proposed an additional zoning option.

Councilman Mike Barber voted for the zoning change June 8 to prevent killing Ernest Randall’s request but didn’t promise a second affirmative vote for the final reading.

Barber opposed changing the gun range’s entire 81 acres to general commercial.

Future undesirable business could come in near neighborhoods, and the city could do nothing to prevent it, Barber said.

Ernest Randall’s alternative would keep the northern portion of the property zoned single-family residential to retain a buffer between the range and the Hidden Lakes subdivision.

A majority of the portion is a lake.

The southern and western parts of the property, where the gun range’s shooting targets are located, would switch to general commercial.

Ernest Randall proposed changing a small portion of land on the northwestern part of his property to mixed-use commercial to match bordering property with the same zoning.

But the council could not pass Ernest Randall’s proposal on a second vote.

A mixed-use commercial zoning is less restrictive than general commercial in the case of residential activities, Tony Allender, League City director of planning and research, said.

Ernest Randall would have to withdraw his request and resubmit a new zoning change proposal.

Council members could approve the option on a second vote if they split the property into single-family residential and general commercial parcels, Allender said.

Allender presented at the workshop alternatives to Ernest Randall’s proposal, all of which would require a special use permit.

The planning department is changing the city’s code of ordinances to allow granting special-use permits for recreation and entertainment uses in all zoning classifications.

“We’re doing that anyways, not necessarily for this application,” Allender said. “It makes good sense.”

Ernest Randall also would need to withdraw his request and wait until the ordinance allow for special-use permits in all zonings.

Ernest Randall was not interested in applying for a special-use permit.

“That scares me,” Randall said. “I don’t think it can be done in a couple months. I don’t want to go through the whole process again.”

+++

How They Voted

To postpone a final vote on the Clear Creek Gun Range’s zoning change.

For: Phyllis Sanborn, Mike Barber, Mike Lee, Joanna Sharp Dawson, Mick Phalen

Against: Tim Paulissen

Absent: Neil Baron