Council members approve rezoning request for QuikTrip
QuikTrip will make its presence felt in Converse after City Council approved a rezoning request for acreage on School Street that will be the future home of the gas-and-convenience store chain.
City Council conducted a public hearing at its Jan. 4 meeting before taking action that evening to grant the rezoning request.
The convenience store, with more than 900 locations nationwide, first moved into the San Antonio-Austin corridor in 2018 and has more than 57 stores in the region.
QuikTrip is in the process of purchasing a 4.719-acre tract of land from the Judson Independent School District at FM 78 and FM 1516. That land is the current site of the Judson CARE Academy and previously was the home of Converse Elementary School for decades before the elementary’s move to a new site on FM 1516.
While terms of Judson’s pending land sale are still being tweaked, it is known that the main school building — the two-story structure which also contained principal offices and the school cafeteria/multi-purpose room — will have to be demolished to make room for the convenience store.
Dave Wanders, QuikTrip real estate project manager, told council that the firm had worked with the Converse Economic Development Corp. for the past three years.
Wanders presented a glimpse into QuikTrip’s history. He said each store hires 20-25 people, with part-time workers earning between $11.50 and $13.50 per hour. Store managers start at $84,000 and assistant manager salaries start at near $50,000 annually.
In response to a council member’s question, Wanders said the entrance and exit to the store would not be along FM 78, as those rights-of-way belong to the Texas Department Of Transportation.
“Our drive along the main roads will be attaching to an existing drive,” Wanders told council. “And then otherwise, onto School Street.”
No timeline was discussed for razing the building, breaking ground for the convenience store, or its eventual opening.
In other council action, the city dissolved the Converse Historical Preservation Commission, merging it with the existing Converse Parks and Recreation Commission.
The Historical Preservation Commission was established in 2017 to handle the formation and organization of Anton Schumann Park, 10565 Old Cimarron Trail in Converse, the city’s third park. A grand opening was held in early November 2021 at the park, which includes the Schumann-Scheel Home, the oldest building in the city.
Parks and Recreation will assume control of the park, added to its responsibility for Converse City Park and Converse North Park maintenance and activities.
