Fort Worth Board of Adjustment Hearing - September 16, 2026

The Fort Worth Board of Adjustment convened on Tuesday, September 16, 2026, at 15:00 UTC, with Chair Witt Walman presiding. The meeting notice had been posted online for at least 72 hours. Ten citizen board members were present, above the state-law quorum minimum of nine. Staff present included Gianna Bridges, Trey Qualls, Mayor Belpina, Stacey Jones, Emily Reyes, Sanchez Collins, and Denisha London. The hearing was recorded for cable and video broadcast and is available on the city's website; the board can be contacted at 817-392-8026. The source transcript is partial and at times fragmentary, so the summary below reports what is discernible.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes from the August 2026 meeting were approved as the first order of business. No separate discussion or roll-call detail was captured.

Public Comments & Testimony

• The chair outlined the rules of order: city staff introduce each case and answer board questions; applicants present for up to seven minutes; opposition is then called; if opposition is offered, the applicant receives three minutes of rebuttal. All dialogue must be directed to the board.
• One email of opposition was received for case BAR 26-083.
• A board member asked whether incoming letters are screened with an AI checker; staff replied that they provide the board what members of the public provide.
• In at least one case, staff confirmed all submitted support letters were in support.

Discussion Items

BAR 26-083 - Building Addition / Four-Unit Conversion (3513 S. Jones St.)

• The applicant requested a variance to construct a building addition and convert a property originally set up for two bedrooms into four units.
• Board members observed that additional residents and vehicles required at least one more parking space.
• Staff stated the board could approve what is before it, deny if information is insufficient, or continue the case so the applicant could work further with staff.
• A motion was made to approve as written, reserving the right to vote "without prejudice" if the variance is denied, with separate roll-call votes requested for each variance. The final tally was not captured.

3000 Ray Street - Drive-Through Hours Waiver (Property Owner: City of Fort Worth Housing Finance Corporation)

• The applicant's representative requested a waiver of drive-through hours restrictions so the business could operate during hours extending past daylight - specifically early-morning hours, not late night.
• The request also involved a building height of 16 feet versus the 12-foot minimum and a setback of 15 feet versus the required 24.5 feet.
• Board discussion cited the ordinance requirement that at least 60 percent of the surrounding district be built out in that manner before a reduced setback may be granted.
• The board was down to nine voting members by that point, and a supermajority of nine votes (100 percent of those present) was required for approval.

Conger Group New Pad Site / Parking Variance

• A representative from Conger Group, Texas, stated the project was doing what could be done given the shape of the lot and acknowledged that because the development needs two parking spaces per unit, a parking variance would still be necessary.

Two-Lot Development / 37.5-Foot Build Line

• An applicant's representative explained that the city's zoning department had directed them to seek two variances for each of the two lots from the Board of Adjustment.
• Board members questioned the benefit to the city of a 37.5-foot build line that is not in the zoning code.
• Staff advised that, without the variances, the property owner could still build one single-family home on the property.

Other Cases and Rulings

• At least two variances (identified as variances B and C for one applicant) were denied without prejudice; staff explained the applicant did not have to wait the usual two years to return or to continue working with city staff, and advised contacting Development Services as early as the next day.
• For one property, a previously approved variance was noted to have expired, requiring the owner to return before the board; the related permit (a garage addition) remained an open compliance matter pending the board's decision.
• A participant referenced a prior 30-day continuance request that was instead granted for 60 days, and the board acknowledged the case had been before it previously.
• A board member noted the supermajority requirement under state law, saying the board "can't approve by less than the supermajority, which is nine."

Key Outcomes

• BAR 26-083: Motion to approve as written with a "without prejudice" reservation and separate votes per variance; a roll-call vote was requested, but the final tally was not captured in the transcript.
• Variances B and C for one applicant were denied without prejudice, allowing the applicant to return or continue working with city staff before the ordinary two-year bar.
• The board recognized the need for a nine-vote supermajority for approval; at one point the board was down to nine voting members.
• A new planning assistant, Sanchez Collins, was introduced to the board.
• The chair thanked members for staying to hear the cases so they would not all be continued to the next month.