The Garland, Texas, City Council is scheduled to review a proposal this week that would convert a 260,000-square-foot former Hypermart USA retail store into a mixed-use property featuring self-storage and an indoor athletics facility. The planning commission and city staff have recommended against the Best Storage LLC project, largely objecting to the self-storage use, which they view as not befitting the area that serves as a gateway to the southern end of the city, according to the source.

The planning commission voted 5-4 against recommending the project, while a report from city staff argues officials should maintain a broader vision for the site near Garland Avenue and Interstate 635, the source reported. The property is part of a 40-acre area earmarked for a project that will improve exits and frontage roads to more easily access businesses in the vicinity. The former Hypermart has been vacant for eight years.

“While staff would be supportive of a similar detail plan submitted in conjunction with just the athletic complex use, it may be premature to approve a self-storage use in lieu of a proposal that is consistent with the Envision Garland Plan,” city staff wrote in its report. The Envision Garland Plan is a planning document that describes the property as being within a “catalyst area” for the city, according to the source.

Stephen Yearout, a resident who lives near the property, recently spoke in opposition to the self-storage project, arguing the storage use is too similar to the auto-repair and used-car businesses that already populate the area. “We’re tired of seeing that end of Garland look as poor as it does,” he said.

Hypermart USA was a retail concept executed in Garland by Walmart in the late 1980s. The site was later converted into a Walmart SuperCenter but closed when the retail giant opened another location nearby, the source reported. The property is currently owned by Houston-based Best Center Garland LLC.

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