Copperas Cove Planning & Zoning Commission approves vacant H-E-B rezoning

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

A public hearing was held Friday morning by the Copperas Cove Planning & Zoning Commission for the site of the former H-E-B, located at 804 E. Business 190 to pave the way for a buyer.

H-E-B submitted a rezoning application on July 25 to rezone that property from B-2 (Local Retail District) to B-5 (Business District).

Charlotte Hitchman, the Copperas Cove city planner, presented the application to the commission at the hearing.

“This request was initiated by the intended sale and future use of the vacant property as a hardware/lumber retail store,” Hitchman told the commission. “As mentioned in the code of ordinances for the City of Copperas Cove, lumber or other building materials sales does require a zoning designation of B5, Business District.”

After the hearing, commission member Jimmy Clark said he “happily” made the motion for the commission to approve H-E-B’s rezoning request, which was passed.

Tamra Jones, H-E-B's public affairs manager for the Central Texas Region, told the Leader-Press that H-E-B has a purchaser for the property.

“We hope to have a closing on September 23,” she said. “This (rezoning) is the next step in the process. We’re happy to be doing that because we know the building has been vacant for some time. This is a good buyer for the community.”

Jones said she wasn’t at liberty to reveal the name of the buyer, but that it would be forthcoming around the time of the closing.

Copperas Cove mayor Frank Seffrood was on hand Friday morning to witness the committee’s vote, and the next step in the rezoning process means the application will go to the city council for another hearing and ultimate decision on Tuesday night.

Seffrood also didn’t divulge the name of the retailer, but he agreed it was safe to say it isn’t Home Depot nor Lowe’s.

The Copperas Cove city council has had a number of executive sessions throughout the summer during which it has had discussions with city manager Andrea Gardner concerning the status of the former H-E-B property, but the council nor the city have released information about any outcomes of those sessions. The council is set to have another executive session Tuesday night.