Zoning commissioners agreed the proposed shop, surrounded by houses, is not a good use of land.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
The city of Fort Worth’s zoning commission voted unanimously at its March 11 meeting to recommend denying a zoning change that would allow for auto repair shop to operate in the middle of a far north Fort Worth neighborhood.
The vote followed months of back and forth between the city, residents and the shop owner over whether the land use change was needed in the first place.
Lewisville-based Fifth Gear Automotive planned to open p its 10th location at 3553 Loddick Lane in the Hutson Oaks neighborhood just north of the intersection of Alta Vista Road and West Keller Hicks Road.
It initially got approval from the city to operate, but had to stop soon after when questions from neighbors revealed the site’s land use rules didn’t allow for auto repair shops.
The company said it wants to be a good neighbor, but neighbors raised concerns about safety, traffic and what would happen if another less reputable auto repair shop took over the property.
Around 30 residents from the Hutson Oaks and Village of Woodland Springs neighborhoods attended the March 11 commission meeting to show their opposition to the proposed zoning change.
How we got here
The site previously served as a warehouse space for the Penguin Patch Holiday Shop in Keller. It’s surrounded by single family homes on two sides, and is only accessible by a roughly 30 foot wide neighborhood street.
To the east of the property sits Children’s Lighthouse Early Learning School, which offers programs for children as young as 6 weeks and as old as 12 years. To the west is landscaping contractor, Proscapes Lawn and Tree Care.
Fifth Gear reached out to the city of Fort Worth in May 2025 before leasing the 2.15 acre parcel to ask if the land use rules allowed auto repair shops.
The city responded in July saying yes, which led to Fifth Gear deciding to lease the parcel, according to a timeline presented by a consultant working for the company, Wes Hoblit, at the March 11 zoning commission meeting.
The company applied for a city operating permit in September 2025, which was approved in November before being retracted when questions from residents revealed the city’s error on the land use rules.
Former assistant planning director Lashondra Stringfellow told residents in an email that the property was primarily being used as a warehouse, and that the auto repair shop was an “accessory use,” according to emails obtained through a public records request and shared with the Star-Telegram by Hutson Oaks homeowner Steven Carlton.
Eric Wilhite, vice president of the Hutson Oaks HOA and a trained city planner, responded to Stringfellow’s email, arguing the city’s rules require Fifth Gear to apply for a zoning change before operating.
Fifth Gear applied for the zoning change at the end of December 2025, according to city records.
Not a good land use
The issue residents have is not with Fifth Gear, but with putting an auto repair shop in the middle of a neighborhood, Wilhite said at the zoning commission meeting.
“They’ve told us they would be a good neighbor. Well the zoning ordinance doesn’t speak to being a good neighbor, and the land use runs with the land,” he said.
The company wants to expand into north Fort Worth because of its growing population and long-term demand for high quality auto servicing, according to the company.
The main building on the site is only 28 feet from the closest house, and it’ll be used to store hazardous materials, said Josh Allison, vice president of the Village of Woodland Springs HOA, speaking at the zoning meeting.
It wouldn’t be smart to store those chemicals that close to a residential neighborhood, Allison said.
Representatives for Fifth Gear did not respond to an email, phone call and text message from the Star-Telegram requesting comment.
The company has a page on its website outlining steps its taking to improve the site including removing the old septic system, installing fencing, adding landscaping, and creating a dedicated fenced parking area to prevent vehicles from parking on the street.
The company’s consultant Hoblit noted at the March 11 meeting that several of Fifth Gear’s other locations are near residential neighborhoods.
He showed examples in Lewisville and McKinney where Fifth Gear’s shops abut single family neighborhoods.
However, District 10 zoning commissioner Jacob Wurman observed those other locations were closer to a wider access road.
Some of them are on streets that are 50 feet wide, but none are on 30 foot wide streets, Wurman said.
A repair shop at that location will effectively shut down Loddick Lane, and will force the residents to use one street to get in and out of the neighborhood, he said.
Commissioners batted around ideas for how to restrict the zoning change to make sure the rules couldn’t be transferred if Fifth Gear were to pull up stakes.
However, District 3 commissioner Beth Welch compared that effort to putting duct tape to cover holes on a leaky tank of swamp water.
“Welcome to District 10,” Wurman responded.
The Fort Worth City Council will be the final arbiter when it considers the zoning change at its 11 a.m. meeting on March 31.
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Harrison Mantas has covered Fort Worth city government, agencies and people since September 2021. He likes to live tweet city hall meetings, and help his fellow Fort Worthians figure out what’s going on.