Real estate developer Barnes Independent Developers LP received zoning-change approval on May 23 for two parcels in Belton, Texas, on which the company intends to build a mixed-use development featuring self-storage and retail. The storage facility will comprise six buildings, including one dedicated to boat/RV storage. It will be constructed on 3.27 acres on the northwest corner of Southwest Parkway and West Loop 121, while an adjacent 1.51-acre tract is earmarked for retail, according to the source.
The city council unanimously approved changing the zoning on both parcels from single-family. The self-storage property is now a planned development retail zoning district, while the smaller parcel was designated a retail zoning district. Both tracts are vacant, though a cell tower stands on the storage building site. The tower is leased until 2021, which could delay construction, the source reported.
The storage and retail projects will be designed to fit in aesthetically with the adjacent neighborhood, which was also created by the developer, planning director Erin Smith told the council. The boat/RV area won’t be visible to the public.
A wooden fence will be erected on the northern, southern and western boundaries of the self-storage site to serve as a visual buffer between the facility and neighboring homes. A wrought-iron fence with stone columns will be built along the eastern perimeter of the property that faces Southwest Parkway, according to the source.
Councilmember Guy O’Banion praised the site design for positioning the self-storage facility between the eventual retail component and single-family homes. “You can’t buffer a neighborhood any better,” he said during the meeting.
No one from the public formally spoke during the zoning hearing. However, when Mayor Marion Grayson asked if another self-storage facility was necessary, several audience members indicated an existing storage facility on Loop 121 is at full occupancy, the source reported.
Based in Killeen, Texas, Barnes Independent Developers is affiliated with Barnes Homebuilders, which has developed residential communities in Belton, Copperas Cove and Killeen.
Sources:
- Temple Daily Telegram: Belton Storage Facility Approved by Council
