The city has proposed new rules that would limit development in residential areas.
Houston is reigning in gas station development. The city’s Economic Development Council Committee is reviewing plans to create an ordinance that would more closely scrutinize developers who want to build gas stations on narrow roads, which officials say can impact residential development.
“Of 188 fuel station applications filed in Houston's Harris County portion over the past four years, 95 percent were on major thoroughfares, 52 percent had homes within 50 to 100 feet of the site and more than 27 percent were on roads that were 80 feet wide or less—or even smaller streets,” Ahmed Humble writes for the Houston Chronicle.
With the proposed rules, any gas station proposed on a road less than 80 feet wide, and in an area that is more than 50% residential, would not be approved.
Read the full story: Houston wants to make it harder to build gas stations near homes
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