The Sportsman 2 zoning approved by the City, KT’s building will be demolished for new development
Recently, the Sanger City Council unanimously approved a zoning change A Agricultural to B-2 Business District 2 for 4.084 acres of property. The property is located on I-35 and Lois Road East. The rezoning will allow development of convenience store “The Sportsman 2” and fueling facility consisting of 10,000 square feet building (2000 SF drive through restaurant and an 8,000 square feet convenience store), 8-regular gas pumps, 5 separate diesel pumps, and 2 – separate canopies. The site will also contain an approximately 1000 +/- SF stand alone, 2-bay tire shop.
Sodhi & Rai, Inc., submitted the application. They are the owners of the original Sportsman in Sanger, located on the corner of 5th Street and Chapman Drive. They will subdivide the property to allow future development on remainder of the lot(s). The existing structure will be demolished. That structure is the vacant KT’s Adult Video Store that opened in the late 1980’s. In the 70’s it was a Nickerson Farms. Nickerson Farms was an American roadside restaurant franchise. The first Nickerson Farms to open was in December of 1967 in Eldon, Missouri. It was started by a former Stuckey’s franchise who did not agree with that chain’s rules and regulations. Nickerson Farms had as many as sixty restaurants located along Interstate highways, mainly in the Midwestern United States. Each Nickerson Farms location had a full room restaurant, with a gift shop. The majority of Nickerson Farms locations also sold Skelly gasoline and other petroleum products. All Nickerson Farms eventually closed in Summer of 1987.
Last month, the Planning & Zoning Commission approved (6-0) the proposed rezoning from “A” Agricultural to “B-2” Business District-2 for the subject property. Notification Response Form Staff mailed two (2) public hearing notices to the owners of properties within 200 feet of the subject property. No responses were received and there weren’t any objections at the City Council meeting. It was a very quick vote for the council on Monday and everybody was in agreement.
“It is good to see this go,” said Mayor Thomas Muir. “It’s a great change and will accommodate highway widening.” Water and wastewater services will be provided by connecting to existing City of Sanger public utility lines. They will coordinate with the City and the Texas Department of Transportation for driveway connections to Lois Road and the I-35 service road.
In the Letter of Intent for The Sportsman 2, Chris Frerich, PE Senior Civil Engineer at EIKON in Sanger, said, “We look forward to working with the City of Sanger on this project.” Construction is expected to begin in early 2020 on the The Sportsman 2. The the widening of I-35 will leave Chicken Express Conoco and The Sportsman 2 as the only gas stations on I-35. Shell, Snap Shop and Chevron will be bought out by TX DOT in the near future.
The Valero Sportsman 1, will remain open and is not affected by the widening of FM 455 on Chapman Drive.
