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Record of Proceedings

North Richland Hills P&Z Commission Discusses Data Centers, Approves SUPs for Dwelling and Restaurant (July 16, 2026)

City Council & Boards — Thursday, July 16, 2026
BodyNorth Richland Hills, Texas
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateThursday, July 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:30:46

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:00

15th 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission work session to order.

Unassigned speaker

0:04

A

Speaker 1

0:05

quorum of the planning and zoning commission is present and the meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act of the Texas Government Code.

0:13

Since this is a new commission here, our first uh item tonight is to have elections for officers.

0:20

We have uh positions of chair, vice chair, and secretary.

0:25

Um the chair normally runs the meetings, and the vice chair will step in if the chair is absent, and then the secretary uh is kind of behind the vice chair, I guess in that order of things.

Unassigned speaker

0:38

But

Speaker 1

0:38

at this time, I will take nominations for a chair.

Speaker 2

0:43

Make a nomination for Aaron Carpenter to be the chair.

0:48

Sorry, Erin.

Speaker 1

0:52

Got a nomination from Kyle and a second from Mike.

0:56

I think I heard first.

0:58

So any other nominations we would

Unassigned speaker

1:02

make.

Speaker 1

1:04

So we'll call for a vote.

1:08

I guess all in favor say aye.

Becky Hernandez · Speaker 3Inferred

1:10

Aye.

Speaker 1

1:11

Any opposed?

1:12

All right, so I will be the chair.

Speaker 4

1:15

Congratulations.

Speaker 1

1:16

Thank

Speaker 4

1:16

you.

Speaker 1

1:18

No, I'm I'm excited.

1:19

I've got to do that a couple times in the last year, and so it's fun to lead this group.

Unassigned speaker

1:26

But

Speaker 1

1:27

uh now at this time we'll we'll take nominations for vice chair.

Speaker 4

1:32

I'd like to

Unassigned speaker

1:33

uh

Speaker 4

1:33

Mr.

1:34

Chair, I'd like to make a motion that uh for Kyle Pakerney as the vice chair of planning zoning.

Speaker 1

1:39

All right, so we have a motion for Kyle.

1:42

I'll second and a second from Mike.

1:45

All right, and then

Unassigned speaker

1:47

or

Speaker 1

1:47

do we have any other nominations?

Speaker 5

1:50

I guess

Speaker 1

1:51

all right.

1:52

So anybody all in favor of Kyle Pakarney is vice chair.

1:57

All right, that passes.

2:00

So we have Kyle as the vice chair, and then for secretary, I'll now take nominations.

Speaker 4

2:12

I I bel I would like to nominate Jay.

2:14

She's got experience, and I think that would if you are interested.

2:19

If if you are interested being secretary, I'd really like to nominate

Unassigned speaker

2:22

you.

Speaker 6

2:24

All right.

2:25

I'll second that again.

Speaker 1

2:27

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

2:29

So

Speaker 1

2:29

we've got a nomination for Jay, the continuous secretary.

2:33

All in favor.

2:36

All right, and that one passes as

Unassigned speaker

2:38

well.

Unassigned speaker

2:40

So

Speaker 1

2:40

with that, we have our officer elections completed.

2:45

And uh

Unassigned speaker

2:47

so

Speaker 1

2:48

our next thing I'll have is just to have Corey come up and present items on tonight's work session agenda.

Unassigned speaker

3:04

It's

Speaker 7

3:05

always one of my favorite meetings of the year to see who can just jump in the quickest to try to make a nomination that's not them.

3:11

Almost every board, same same thing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulations██████████████████████████████████████38%
Procedural█████████████13%
Property Maintenance Code██████████10%
Data Center Regulations█████████9%
Economic Development████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Transportation Safety████4%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

North Richland Hills P&Z Commission Discusses Data Centers, Approves SUPs for Dwelling and Restaurant (July 16, 2026)

The North Richland Hills Planning and Zoning Commission convened for a work session at 6:30 PM and a regular meeting at 7:33 PM on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at City Hall. The work session focused on officer elections and a detailed staff presentation on proposed regulatory changes for data center facilities. The regular meeting included public comments specifically addressing the data center discussion, the unanimous approval of a consent agenda, and public hearings that led to the unanimous approval of two Special Use Permits (SUPs): one for a secondary living unit on Shady Grove Road and another for a quick-service restaurant on Precinct Line Road.

Consent Calendar

  • The Commission unanimously (7-0) approved the consent agenda. This included approving the minutes from the June 18, 2026, meeting and a replat request (PLAT26-0113) from Greenway Parks LLC for the Greenway Parks Residential development, a 14.535-acre property located at 8851 Bud Jensen Drive.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Data Centers (Work Session Item A.4): During the public comments portion, four residents addressed the commission regarding the proposed amendments to data center regulations.
    • Mark Vaughn (5901 Pedernales Ridge) expressed general support for some data center development but recommended specific regulations, including a two-story height restriction, soundproof generator screening at 1.5 times the equipment height, pre-development ambient noise studies, mandatory closed-loop water cooling, and limits on tax abatements to no more than 50% of the realized property value.
    • Karran Martin (5614 Westchase Drive) voiced strong opposition to the data center proposals near her home, citing concerns over water usage, grid stability and cascading disconnection risks, waste heat from AI hyperscalers raising localized temperatures, and what she described as unkept promises by developers across the country, specifically referencing a project in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.
    • Lindsey Eagan (5601 Havana Drive) expressed confusion regarding the approval process for data centers, questioned the distinction between a Special Use Permit (SUP) and a Planned Development (PD), and requested that all data centers require an SUP. She also asked about imposing substantial sustainable energy requirements and stricter regulations, urging the commission to avoid leaving exception clauses open in the code.
    • John Scheeler (6553 Northern Dancer Drive), president of a local HOA, acknowledged the societal need for data centers but argued they are completely incompatible with residential neighborhoods. He stated that a data center would detract from property values and expressed disbelief in assurances that such a facility would have zero impact on the local power grid.
    • Becky Hernandez (7708 West Cliff Drive) asked about the possibility of a developer building a different type of structure and later converting it into a data center, expressing concern over potential loopholes in the regulations.
  • Public Hearing C.1 (Secondary Living Unit):
    • Fabio Videira (8517 Fresh Meadows Road) and Kevin Leckie (8625 Caddo Court), neighbors to the subject property, spoke in opposition. They argued that the applicant's grading plan had been significantly altered by the dumping of truckloads of fill dirt, changing the grade and threatening their properties with drainage issues. Mr. Leckie requested the application be tabled pending a complete resurvey and a drainage study by the city.
    • Lamar Slay (8463 Shady Grove Road) and Vincent Moctezuma (builder/developer) spoke in support. Mr. Slay stated the drainage issues pre-existed the new construction and that the property had been a long-overdue eyesore. Mr. Moctezuma clarified that the current grading was "rough grading" and that the final grading plan would ensure positive drainage to Fresh Meadows, following the approved engineering plan.
  • Public Hearing C.2 (Quick Service Restaurant):
    • Lindsey Eagan spoke in support of the Smalls Sliders proposal, stating she would welcome a convenient drive-thru option in the area for grabbing food when visiting the nearby library or recreation center.

Discussion Items

  • Work Session A.4: Proposed Amendments to Data Center Regulations (Chapter 118, Sections 118-631 and 118-633):
    • Director of Planning Cori Reaume presented an overview of the city's current data center regulations, adopted in June 2025, which defined small-scale (under 10,000 sq ft) and general facilities and allowed them by right in industrial zones (I-1, I-2) and C-2. She detailed the rapid increase in public concern regarding water usage, power demand, noise (including low-frequency hum/infrasound), and grid stability. Ms. Reaume outlined actions taken in neighboring communities, including a failed moratorium in Hill County (which resulted in a lawsuit), a proposed moratorium in Fort Worth, and regulatory changes in Lewisville. She stated that the recommended approach for North Richland Hills is to remove "by-right" permissions and require a Special Use Permit (SUP) or Planned Development (PD) for all data centers in every zone, allowing for rigorous site-specific review and public hearings. She emphasized that a public hearing for these text amendments was scheduled for the following Monday, July 20. Commissioner discussion supported this approach as a necessary "stop gap" for local control until the state legislature provides further guidance, with concerns raised about the rapid pace compared to other zoning changes.
  • Public Hearing C.1: ZC26-0169 (Secondary Living Unit at 8459 Shady Grove Road):
    • Principal Planner Clayton Husband introduced the request for a Special Use Permit for a secondary living unit (798 sq ft living area, exceeding the 650 sq ft code max) inside a proposed detached garage building on a 1.319-acre property. Staff discussed the applicant's requested modifications to the code. A significant portion of the deliberation focused on drainage and grading concerns raised by neighbors. Staff clarified that the city engineer reviews the grading plan for compliance with the public works design manual and that final inspections ensure the grading matches the approved plan. Commissioners discussed the property's size and the increasing frequency of ADU variance requests, suggesting a future review of the underlying zoning standards might be warranted.
  • Public Hearing C.2: ZC26-0170 (Quick Service Restaurant at 6051 Precinct Line Road):
    • The applicant, Howard Castleberry (Citadel Development Group) and franchisee Charlie Morrison (Smalls Sliders), presented plans for a 900 sq ft fast-food restaurant with a drive-thru in the underutilized parking lot of the Northeast Crossing Shopping Center. Staff noted the proposal required an SUP due to the quick-service use and the building being under 1,400 sq ft. Commissioners discussed traffic patterns, the precedent of allowing a drive-thru in the shopping center, the viability of the outdoor patio given traffic noise, and the performance of the previous business on the site. Staff confirmed the applicant is retaining two existing mature trees on the site. The applicants stated that 65% of their business relies on drive-thru service.

Key Outcomes

  • Election of Officers: Aaron Carpenter was elected Chair, Kyle Pekurney was elected Vice Chair, and Jayashree Narayana was elected Secretary (all by unanimous 7-0 votes).
  • Consent Agenda (Minutes & Plat26-0113): Approved unanimously (7-0).
  • ZC26-0169 (Secondary Living Unit SUP): Approved unanimously (7-0). The motion by Commissioner Narayana will forward the recommendation to the City Council for consideration on August 10, 2026.
  • ZC26-0170 (Quick Service Restaurant SUP): Approved unanimously (7-0). The motion by Commissioner Compton will forward the recommendation to the City Council for consideration on August 10, 2026.
  • Data Center Regulations: No action was taken. The commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed text amendments (mandating SUPs for all data centers) at its next meeting on July 20, 2026, followed by a City Council hearing on July 27, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

15th 2026 Planning and Zoning Commission work session to order. A quorum of the planning and zoning commission is present and the meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act of the Texas Government Code. Since this is a new commission here, our first uh item tonight is to have elections for officers. We have uh positions of chair, vice chair, and secretary. Um the chair normally runs the meetings, and the vice chair will step in if the chair is absent, and then the secretary uh is kind of behind the vice chair, I guess in that order of things. But at this time, I will take nominations for a chair. Make a nomination for Aaron Carpenter to be the chair. Sorry, Erin. Got a nomination from Kyle and a second from Mike. I think I heard first. So any other nominations we would make. So we'll call for a vote. I guess all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right, so I will be the chair. Congratulations. Thank you. No, I'm I'm excited. I've got to do that a couple times in the last year, and so it's fun to lead this group. But uh now at this time we'll we'll take nominations for vice chair. I'd like to uh Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion that uh for Kyle Pakerney as the vice chair of planning zoning. All right, so we have a motion for Kyle. I'll second and a second from Mike. All right, and then or do we have any other nominations? I guess all right. So anybody all in favor of Kyle Pakarney is vice chair. All right, that passes. So we have Kyle as the vice chair, and then for secretary, I'll now take nominations. I I bel I would like to nominate Jay. She's got experience, and I think that would if you are interested. If if you are interested being secretary, I'd really like to nominate you. All right. I'll second that again. Okay. So we've got a nomination for Jay, the continuous secretary. All in favor.

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