On May 1 the Southlake City Council gave the green light to a zoning change and development plan for a residential community called Metairie, located at 500 and 550 W. SH 114, Southlake. The project includes 56 residential lots and three open space lots of about 29 acres. The open spaces will include sidewalks and trails. At the first reading for the development, held on April 17, the council debated the pros and cons of changing the zoning from commercial to residential. While the council agreed it was in favor of the zoning change to residential, several council members had problems with this residential development in particular and said it was too dense and the lot sizes were too small. There were also some issues raised about how the neighborhood would affect the capacity at Walnut Grove Elementary School. At the May 1 meeting, the owner told the council that since the land is already zoned for commercial, if the zoning is not changed he will look to develop the property commercially. Council member Shawn McCaskill originally voted against the development in April but said since then he has worked with the developer to improve the residential development plan. "I think we have made it better, and what sealed it for me was seeing the commercial proposal, which I think is much worse than this [residential proposal]," McCaskill said. "… I think we’ve tried our best on this, and this is what we’ve got." Mayor Laura Hill pointed out that any commercial development would also generate more traffic than a neighborhood development. She said she was glad to see many residents involved in the discussion and that the feedback she has heard has been split about 50-50. "Downzoning is always a tricky situation," she said. Council member Shahid Shafi was the only council member who voted against the proposal and said nothing significant has changed about the plan and it is too dense. The developer said the lot prices would begin at $350,000 and the homes would begin selling at $950,000. Hawkins-Welwood Homes is slated to build custom homes for the development.