This was the third attempt in passing the development. During council meetings on June 4 and Aug. 20, decisions were tabled due to 3-3 deadlock in votes.
There were two votes taken during the Sept. 3 meeting.
The first was for land use designation, which would change from industrial to mixed-use, passed 5-2, with Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Talley and Frances Scharli voting no.
The second vote entailed changing the zoning from agricultural to a transitional zoning district, which would allow for the construction of houses and commercial development.
The results of that vote was 4-3, with Amy Torres-Lepp, Randy Robbins, Mayor Pro Tem Randy Williamson and Ronell Smith voting in favor of the development. Talley and Scharli were joined by Mayor Shawn McCaskill voting no.
The project needed a simple majority to pass.
Applicant Martin Schelling indicated he would have looked into industrial options in the area to maintain the land use had it not passed.
The gist
The plans call for eight office buildings and 53 residential dwellings on 21.55 acres of the land, removing three lots from the June presentation. Another change was different fencing near a cul-de-sac that would be nearer to Brumlow Avenue than originally proposed.
“We are unable to come up with anything that would allow us to reduce any more lots,” Schelling said. “We changed all the lots on North South Street to a minimum of 10,000 [square feet]; that was an effort to be responsive to the request, there was some conversation about lots that are adjacent to Continental [Avenue]. At the end of the day, we are where we need to be at these 53 lots. We don’t have any more wiggle room.”
The remaining acreage is in the flood plain and cannot be developed, according to city staff.
Schelling said construction of houses and buildings was still two to three years away because the Federal Emergency Management Agency would have to provide clearance for the project in addition to council.
He told council he planned to allow Maykus Homes & Neighborhood and WillowTree Custom Homes to construct the residential portion of the property. Schelling said a third local company could be used but nothing has been finalized.
Schelling said to expect high-quality houses from the builders, who have built many subdivisions in Southlake, Colleyville and Grapevine.
The details
The time spent on this ordinance was about an hour, though council had heard about seven hours of presentation and public comment between the first three times it was discussed.
The council passed the first reading for the development during the May 7 meeting. The second reading failed during the June 4 meeting.
Most of the people speaking in opposition to the development cited traffic issues along Brumlow Avenue and Continental Boulevard in the morning and evening rush hour times.
Talley, during the Aug. 20 meeting, said if the land is developed as industrial, the traffic concern wouldn’t be as prominent since those vehicles likely would be leaving Southlake.
What else?
Wright Brumlow East Real Estate owns the 32.8-acre property located near Brumlow Avenue and East Continental Boulevard.
The residential plan was originally 94 possible houses.
The commercial side of the development would feature 70,000 square feet of office and warehouse space, which would front Brumlow Avenue.
“The land has been sitting there for 40 years,” Schelling said. “It’s time do something with this particular asset.”
What they’re saying
“Regardless of how the vote goes, I think our process was fulfilled,” McCaskill said. “It kind of went the way it should with getting a lot of input from a lot of people.”
