Stephenville City Council will soon be hosting a workshop on the adopted 2050 Comprehensive Plan after a motion to move forward failed in regards to hiring a firm to develop the coordinating Land Use regulations.
At the Tuesday, May 6 city council meeting, the board considered a motion to authorize the city manager to initiate negotiations and enter into a professional services agreement with Kendig Keast Collaboration for updating the city’s land use regulations.
Director of Development Services Steve Killen explained the city had gone through the process of completing a new comprehensive plan last year.
A timeline of events are as follows as provided by the city: Oct. 2023: Funding to solicit professional services to update comprehensive plan.
Dec. 2023: RFQ (Request for Qualifications) for plan published. Five firms responded.
April 2023: Lionheart Places awarded contract for a 13 month project which included three meetings with a guiding committee and four Community Open Houses to obtain feedback/ input.
May 2024: two workshops held with P&Z and City Council.
August 2024: Stephenville 2050 Plan was adopted.
Jan. 2025: RFQ for update to Land Use Regulations issued.
“Part of that process was understanding that our land use regulations would have to be updated so we could fully implement that comprehensive plan,” Killen said. “Much of our current land use regulations do not fall in alignment with the new comprehensive plan.”
In January the city initiated the process to go out for RFQ (Request For Qualifications), and received five responses.
A committee of three people, including Councilmember Gerald Cook, City Engineer Michael Shelton and Killen reviewed them independently from one another, submitted scores to the purchasing department and when they got the rubric back the unanimous decision was Kendig Keast Collaborative.
“We are asking that you allow the city manager to enter in negotiations with them,” he said.
Councilmembers were asked for their opinion or a motion by Mayor Doug Svien.
“Mayor, it’s my opinion the 2050 Comprehensive Plan is a train wreck,” Place 8 Councilmember Alan Nix said. “I know that it went through a lengthy process. We’ve spent a significant amount of money on it already. It does not reflect, in my opinion, the values that are consistent with the development that we need in our community.”
“If we follow that comprehensive plan it’s going to throw virtually everything we’ve done for the last 50 years out the window, and the community we receive 20 years from now will not resemble what we have today,” he added. “Because of that, I think the plan itself is flawed and throwing more money at the plan, that I don’t believe is a good plan to me doesn’t seem to make any sense. I think we need to go back and revisit that plan.”
Nix said he hated to lay it off on city staff, but he thought that council might need to go back and have a workshop on the plan.
“Zoning is significant for the growth of the city but it’s also significant for the long-term aesthetics and look and community pride,” he said. “When you change zoning as dramatically as that recommends ... I think to hire someone to implement something that is detrimental to our community is a mistake.”
Nix made a motion to table the issue until the 2050 Comprehensive Plan could be looked at by council. The motion died due to a lack of a second.
A motion to approve going forward with the negotiations for the Land Use regulations was made by Councilmember Gerald Cook and seconded by Svien.
The motion failed with all councilmembers voting in opposition other than Cook. (The mayor only votes in case of a tie).
City Manager Jason King asked for direction from council regarding this issue.
“I guess we will call them back and tell them we don’t want it?” he asked. “I’m sorry I’m kind of struggling because we’ve put about 24 months of work to get to this point that’s all adopted.”
The mayor directed city staff to schedule a workshop meeting with council.
In a lengthy agenda, council also gave its full approval for a resolution nominating FMC Technologies, Inc. for the facility as a qualified enterprise project to be eligible to participate in the Texas Enterprise Zone Project for an expansion project.
The council also gave approval for a conditional use permit to allow the operation of an auto paint and body shop/repair for Caliber Collision on Wolfe Nursery Road.
The city placed requirements for the maintenance of the landscaping and for an upgraded wooden fence to keep the facility looking nice since its close proximity to the new SISD Stadium.
Additional coverage of the May 6 meeting will be featured next week due to space constraints.