The development in question featured two parts—a land use amendment for future land use of office/commercial to low/medium density residential and a zoning change from agricultural district to residential planned unit development.
The details
The Huffman Group and the Sage Group, Inc., on behalf of Shady 21, LLC, presented the plan to the council first at the April 15 meeting. The second reading May 6 would have prompted a decision on the plan, but at the owner requested for the ordinance to be tabled until the June 3 meeting.
The plans include 29 houses on a 20.6-acre lot, which has an underlying land use designation.
Current situation
John Huffman, the former Southlake mayor from 2015-24 who also served on City Council, said the minimum lots needed to make the project work is 29 after discussion about the density.
Another talking point between council members and residents was the tree conservation plan.
Curtis Young, with Sage Group, Inc., said the proposed development showed 33% tree conservation plan with a little leeway to get to the 30%. Mayor Shawn McCaskill said 33% would be preferred.
“Obviously, we're committed to the tree plan,” Huffman said. “We're going to get to whatever number you set on the trees.”
The outlook
Huffman said if the 29-lot housing does not work, the owner would look at a commercial plan.
The commercial overlay category is intended for medium- to large-scale office buildings of two to four stories, envisioned to be 50,000 square feet or larger in an either standalone or office park configuration, according to city documents.
How we got here
City documents showed the nearby Garden Court Homeowners’ Association submitted an email outlining the HOA’s preferences for the housing development compared to the commercial/office option.
Council approved removing the optional land-use designation for multi-tenant offices in that area during the April 15 meeting.
After that initial presentation, several requests were made before the second reading, which included:
- A buffer yard off Shady Oaks that would be 50 feet instead of 40 feet
- A 50-foot setback off the SH 114 access
- Utilization of the entrance off SH 114 as the sole construction entrance and exit
- More details on the landscape plan, specifically the tree preservation, with a minimum of 30% and a recommendation to come in above 30%
- A detailed landscape plan along SH 114 to most effectively mitigate noise, but does not include a masonry wall
- Irrigation options for the vegetation wall along SH 114
- Gating options to the SH 114 entry/exit that would be for residents only and that would ensure adequate queueing for SH 114 traffic
“Obviously, different developers do different things,” Huffman said. “We could have come in here with 35 lots or 40 lots, prepared to go back and forth and negotiate 29 lots. We have no interest in the office commercial. We really worked hard with the residents on this plan. Honestly, I don't know that one-acre lots right next to the highway make any sense. The smaller ‘quote, unquote’ over four-tenths-of-an-acre lots make sense closer to the highway.”
