During a City Council meeting on May 18, Lakeway officials discussed changes that could streamline special-use permits for businesses near residential areas. Currently, businesses within 300 feet of a residential area require a special-use permit. City Manager Joseph Molis proposed changes to vastly increase the range of businesses allowed to be built without a permit, including restaurants, grocery and retail stores. He also proposed that these permits remain valid if the business remains "substantially similar" after ownership is transferred, which is not the case under the current system.
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"We’ve had some businesses if you look back that we weren’t all that comfortable with, and it felt much more comfortable to give them a smaller period of time," said Council Member Louis Mastrangelo. "We’ve cut them back... based on just concerns that we had about the business, the viability, the way it would be with the neighbors."
Mayor Tom Kilgore supported the proposed changes, saying they can make the process more affordable for smaller businesses. The proposed changes will be brought to the city’s Zoning and Planning Commission and will be reviewed by the council at the next meeting in June. In addition, two new council members, Logan Brown and Wes Hook, were sworn in at the beginning of the meeting.