Pflugerville City Council unanimously rejected a proposed zoning amendment Tuesday that would have cleared the way for a wine bar to set up shop next to Parkway Bible Church, a congregation that runs an addiction recovery ministry. The vote effectively shut the door on plans to relocate the recently shuttered Three Legged Goat into the same planned unit development as the church.
What the Council Decided
During its Nov. 10 meeting, council members voted down the amendment that would have struck language barring standalone bars, taverns, breweries and wine bars from the development, according to Community Impact. The planned unit development in question sits on a 48-acre tract at the southeast corner of East Pflugerville Parkway and Wilke Ridge Lane, the outlet reported. Had it passed, the amendment would have allowed the Three Legged Goat, which recently closed, to relocate within the Hill Country Bible Church planned unit development.
The request wasn't new to city review. A city commission had already weighed in on an earlier version of the ask, which sought to remove the prohibition on standalone wine bars, taverns and similar uses across two commercial lots within the mixed-use development, per citizenportal.ai. That commission ultimately recommended a narrower fix, approving a PUD amendment limited to just one parcel, lot 4, that would have allowed wine-bar use there alone. The council's unanimous rejection this week went further than that recommendation, closing off the use entirely.
Church Leaders Raise Relapse Concerns
Parkway Bible Church, which provides addiction recovery ministry services, became the focal point of opposition to the zoning change. Francisco Peralta, the church's counseling director, told the council that recovery from addiction is a long and difficult process, and he expressed concern that a wine bar near the church could make relapse easier for people treated there, the station's report noted.
Other community members echoed those worries while also flagging more mundane neighborhood concerns, including noise and parking. Those complaints are not new to the area. Back in 2019, a downtown resident raised similar concerns about trash and a lack of parking that could worsen as the Three Legged Goat expanded, according to the Austin American-Statesman. That expansion ultimately went forward: the council approved a specific use permit that November allowing the bar to add two adjacent units and a deck.
A Council Member's Personal Stake
Council member Rudy Metayer, who has been involved with Parkway Bible Church for more than 15 years, made his position clear during deliberations. “I flat out disagree with any changes that should be happening with that PUD right now,” he said, according to the same account.
Chris Hernandez, representing Three Legged Goat owner Jim McDonald at the meeting, pushed back on the characterization of the business as just another bar. “The Three Legged Goat isn't just a wine bar, it's a community gathering place,” Hernandez told the council. He said the business was established as a place for people to connect and build friendships, describing it as a welcoming, family-friendly spot for people of all ages.
A Business Already Closed
The debate arrived 12 days after the locally owned bar's doors had already shut for good. Three Legged Goat, a wine and craft beer bar that exclusively served Texas beers and wines, closed its Pflugerville location on Oct. 29, per Community Impact's earlier coverage of the closure. The business had opened downtown in November 2018 under McDonald, a former Pflugerville City Council member himself, and McDonald cited lease-renewal issues as the reason for closing.
Pflugerville's broader push to shape its downtown predates this fight by years. The city adopted a Downtown Action Plan in October 2018 aimed at improving vibrancy and accessibility while attracting new businesses and preserving the area's historic character, the Statesman reported at the time. With the zoning amendment now dead, it remains unclear what, if anything, comes next for the business or the property it once called home.
