Seeing gaps in the Wylie Code of Ordinances, staff brought potential amendments to zoning provisions centered around smoke shops, smoking establishments — such as a hookah lounge — and alcohol-related businesses.

After several discussions with the city’s planning and zoning commission, Director of Community Services Jasen Haskins presented a final draft of changes to councilmembers during the Tuesday, May 30, meeting. The changes would define uses for smoke shops, smoking establishments and alcohol-related business and lay out regulations, such as the need to obtain a special-use permit.

“We’ve had several uses: distilleries, breweries and that sort of thing approved for a special-use permit,” Haskins said. “We’ve also had several requests, phone calls and questions at the staff level about smoking establishments like cigar and hookah lounges. There’s also been some discussion about the prevalence of smoke shops, so they asked staff to draft an ordinance.”

The recommended changes include a special-use permit requirement for all smoke shops and smoking establishments outside of areas zoned light industrial. All alcohol uses were also consolidated into one area and a variance procedure was established for distance requirements for a brewery, winery or distillery. 

Any churches, schools, day care facilities or other properties requiring notification because of proximity would be the only parties automatically notified under the new procedures, said Haskins.

“To avoid any confusion and potential clerical errors in the future, we just lumped it all in there in Section 7,” Haskins said. “We also established a formal procedure to request a variance from the distance requirement.”

Council approved of the changes and directed staff to proceed with drafting an ordinance to be considered at a future meeting.

After approving a bid to construct a dog park at the Municipal Complex as part of the consent agenda, another potential city amenity hit a speedbump on its development. Purchasing Manager Glenna Hayes informed councilmembers of a single bid for two splash pad projects at the East Meadow Trail and Community Park that was overbudget. 

Although staff recommended rejecting the single bid, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Brent Stowers said the project would be subcontracted out by his department. The estimated fulfillment date is still summer 2024, he added.

By managing the project in house, Stowers said he is confident the project may even produce some cost savings relative to the initial budget.

“We’ve already found some significant differences just in some of the restroom facilities; there’s a $100,000 difference there [and] even some of the concrete work,” Stowers said. “Going this route is going to save some money and it is going to hopefully get some of those alternates we weren’t originally able to get.”

Council approved rejecting the bid to allow Parks and Recreation to take a lead on the project.

For the full story, see the June 7 issue of The Wylie News.