The Argyle Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval for the zoning of a 141-acre development on the northeast corner of I-35W and FM 407, which could include a member-based grocery store, retail, hotels and open space, at its March 4 meeting.
What happened?
The motion for approval included several changes to the planned unit development proposed at a Feb. 25 workshop.
The commission agreed to change the definition of the full-service hotel to require an upscale hotel with room service, a full-service restaurant, three meals offered with menus and no less than 5,000 square feet of meeting space.
“We don’t have an upscale hotel anywhere around here, and we need it,” said Joann Daleshaw, an Argyle resident, during the public hearing. “If we’re going to have a hotel, I would prefer to see one really nice upscale hotel. I believe that the Argyle area can support an upscale hotel. We need one that has conference rooms, meeting places [and] a full menu.”
Viren Patel, a hotel developer from Zeal Hotels Group, suggested that the town permit a mid-upscale hotel, such as a Residence Inn, Home 2 Suites or Hampton Inn.
“We know upper-mid scale would work in this market,” he said. “We think it’s a right mix of business demand in this market to fulfill an upper-mid scale [hotel]. Sometimes, when you get into upscale, it requires a little more ecosystem. [They] want to be a part of a bigger mixed-use development area.”
The commission also recommended that 90% of the hotel rooms must be booked for less than 30 days.
Additional requirements suggested by the planning and zoning commission included:
- Adding a berm to the entirety of the FM 407 frontage
- Prohibiting outdoor storage units and requiring loading docks not be visible from the street
- Adhering to dark sky guidelines, which are guidelines to help reduce light pollution for outdoor lights
- Prohibiting use of a temporary concrete batch plant
- Prohibiting special events venues on any area of the development except for on the corner of FM 407 and I-35W
- Prohibiting stormwater retention and detention in the open space area unless the town requires it
- Requiring main roadways into the property be constructed before anything over 20,000 square feet is built
- Ensuring all developed buildings are connected to Gateway Drive so individuals don't have to turn directly onto FM 407 without the assistance of the traffic light proposed at Gateway Drive and FM 407
Zooming inThe development could generate $4 million in sales tax revenue for the town annually once completed in 2035, Town Manager Mike Sims said.
The land is split up with different uses being permitted on different areas of the property, according to town documents.
A warehouse grocery store, which could be a Sam’s Club, Costco or BJ’s, is only permitted in the area of the property closest to the future Argyle ISD schools and FM 407.
Hotels are only permitted on the area of land adjacent to the grocery store, near the corner of FM 407 and I-35W.
Retail uses are proposed all over the 141 acres, with most of the retail and office buildings being located near Sam Davis Road. Permitted retail uses include:
- Minor motor vehicle repair and services
- Convenience stores with gas sale
- Self-service car washes
- Medical and urgent care clinics
- Office buildings
In addition, there will be 36 acres of open space for hike and bike trails in the center of the property, connecting the hotels, grocery store and retail. This open space could be extended to the corner of Sam Davis Road and I-35W at a future date, Sims said.
Diving deeper
The proposed project is anticipated to bring in 26,052 daily weekday trips by the time it is fully built out, according to town documents.
To help combat traffic along FM 407 during school peak hours, there is a proposed access point near the future Argyle ISD middle school that could tie into the school's side entry road and provide an additional exit for school traffic, Sims said.
A roundabout was proposed for Sam Davis Boulevard to block cut-through traffic going eastbound on Sam Davis and keep high levels of traffic from nearby residents, Sims said.
In addition, there are four access points along FM 407, two entry-points along the I-35W frontage roads and a gated fire-only connection to the Argyle ISD middle school, according to town documents.
The Texas Department of Transportation plans to expand FM 407 to six lanes, transition the I-35W frontage roads from four lanes to six lanes and add a dedicated U-turn lane at the FM 407 intersection, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
What’s next?
The zoning change for the development will be brought to town council for approval at the March 23 regular meeting.
