North Richland Hills Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - March 19, 2026

The North Richland Hills Planning and Zoning Commission held a work session at 6:00 PM followed by a regular meeting at 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 19, 2026. The commission considered three public hearing items: a special use permit (SUP) for an electric vehicle charging lot, an SUP for a permanent accessory building, and city-initiated text amendments to accessory building regulations. All items were approved with votes reflecting member attendance.

Consent Calendar

• Approved 4-0: Minutes from the February 19, 2026 and March 5, 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission meetings were approved via consent agenda. Motion by Alternate Kerby, seconded by Commissioner McMahon.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Public Hearing C.1 (EV Charging Lot): Three residents spoke in opposition. Thomas Riddle (6962 Crabtree) expressed concerns about the viability of electric vehicles, grid impact, and wastefulness. Squeeboo (address near the site) voiced concerns about low-frequency noise from equipment at night. Steve Tiger (adjacent neighbor) opposed the idea due to privacy, traffic, and noise, noting the property directly abuts his backyard. No support was voiced by the public.
• Public Hearing C.2 (Accessory Building): One speaker, Thomas Riddle, expressed support, saying "let them build." No other public comments.
• Public Hearing C.3 (Text Amendments): No one spoke.

Discussion Items

• C.1 ZC25-0149 – Special Use Permit for EV Charging Lot at 6421 Precinct Line Road
  • Applicant: Nathan Nickerson of Common Ground, representing Electrify America LLC. Proposed 24 EV charging stalls on a 0.975-acre vacant lot zoned C-1 (retail commercial). The lot is accessed via easements from Martin Drive and Precinct Line Road, located behind restaurants and adjacent to Home Depot. Staff noted the existing six-foot screen wall requirement adjacent to residential properties; the applicant placed transformers away from residences. A 15-foot landscape buffer is proposed. No planning objections were received after public notice. Staff confirmed Oncor has approved power capacity. Commissioner questions addressed tree preservation, signage (the applicant noted EVs navigate using GPS), and noise (fans on chargers, minimal). The commission discussed the lot's history and suitability: no serious proposals in 10 years; this is considered an interim use.
• C.2 ZC26-0157 – Special Use Permit for Permanent Accessory Building at 7228 Bursey Road
  • Applicant: Christian Hernandez (Hernandez and Son’s LLC), representing property owner Mr. Robson. Proposed a 28x30 ft (840 sq ft footprint, ~1,232 sq ft with loft) detached garage with a 2:12 roof pitch, 15-20 ft wall heights, to be used for storage and a pool house. Existing 2.07-acre lot zoned RE-1 (residential estate) contains a ~2,600 sq ft home, a small garage, and three temporary sheds. The SUP would allow a second permanent accessory building (current code allows one). The combined floor area (both permanent buildings) would be ~2,254 sq ft, exceeding the 2.5% lot area standard. The proposed amendments (C.3) would make this request comply by right. The applicant confirmed no plans for a third building in the near term. No public opposition; one speaker supported.
• C.3 TR26-01 – City-Initiated Text Amendments to Section 118-718 (Accessory Building Regulations)
  • Staff (Corey and Clayton) presented a summary of case history from 2021: 13 SUP cases, most requesting deviations in floor area (average 2,136 sq ft, recent 2,751 sq ft), wall height (7 of 13 requested 16 ft), and roof pitch (4 requests). Proposed changes:
    • Floor area: For lots <40,000 sq ft, maximum of 500 sq ft or 3% of lot area (whichever greater). For lots ≥40,000 sq ft, maximum of 5% of lot area. Current maximum is 500 sq ft for lots ≤20,000 sq ft and 2.5% for larger.
    • SUP threshold: Reduced from 40,000 sq ft to 20,000 sq ft for pursuing deviations.
    • Wall height requirement: Removed entirely; only maximum building height (15 ft for ≤500 sq ft buildings, 25 ft for larger) remains.
    • Roof pitch: Reduced from 4:12 to 2:12.
    • Number of permanent accessory buildings: Increased from one to two. Cumulative floor area of all permanent buildings cannot exceed the size of the primary residence. The commission discussed whether to allow unlimited buildings if within floor area limits, but decided to keep a maximum of two to prevent proliferation. The third building would still require an SUP.

Key Outcomes

• ZC25-0149 (EV Charging Lot): Motion by Commissioner McMahon, seconded by Alternate Kerby to approve. Approved 4-0. City Council consideration scheduled for April 13, 2026.
• ZC26-0157 (Accessory Building): Motion by Commissioner McMahon, seconded by Commissioner Narayana to approve. Approved 4-0. City Council consideration April 13,2026.
• TR26-01 (Text Amendments): Motion by Commissioner McMahon, seconded by Alternate Kerby to approve. Approved 7-0 (all members present voted). City Council consideration on April 13, 2026.

The meeting adjourned following the vote.