Steps to rezone 35 acres of a housing development in northeastern Frisco have been taken to accommodate more homes and reduce area for retail fronts.

Frisco City Council on July 6 held a public hearing on whether to rezone 35 acres in The Grove Frisco housing community on the southeast corner of Independence Parkway and Main Street. Council members then unanimously directed city staff to prepare an ordinance for the change.

The change would make way for smaller housing lots to be built on the property. Development Services Director John Lettelleir told City Council the change would allow for roughly 50 extra units to be built.

In addition, changes would eliminate retail zoning at the Independence and Main intersection. City documents indicate that “anchor tenants” in neighborhoods, such as grocery stores, typically require 15 acres. The rezoning would eliminate 11 acres of retail zoning, which is short of that threshold, and the remaining acreage is exclusively residential zoning.

The city is also anticipating a reduction in traffic with the change.

“The face of retail is changing as anchor stores have expanded in size where neighborhood retail development is no longer occurring at every major intersection, but rather at every other major intersection,” city documents read. “Retail development is more likely to occur along Custer Road and Coit Road versus along Independence Parkway.”