The details
The proposed development, which would be called Armstrong Hills, is designed to be a gated community with a little more than eight acres of open space.
Barron-Stark Engineers and Holmes Builders, the applicants behind the proposed zoning change, want the property to be rezoned to a planned development district.
The current zoning allows for homes to be built on 36,000-square-foot lots. The intention is to subdivide the 49-acre property into 49 single-family lots and nine open spaces.
The lots will come in various sizes. In city documents, the applicant said the varying lot sizes will provide a “more custom feel and allow the layout to flow with the geometry of the site and the existing topography and aquatic features.”
The homes could sell for upwards of $1.7 million, city staff said. About 75% of the homes would be built by Holmes Builders, company president Terry Holmes said at the March 11 meeting.
“We will certainly bring in some other builders that we think are great builders,” Holmes said. “But we will not bring them in just to sell lots. We’ll bring them in because we think they bring a quality and uniqueness to the community.”
The minimum lot size for the development is set to be 20,000 square feet and the maximum could be 48,000 square feet. The applicants also requested a future land use plan amendment from low-density single family to medium-density single family.
What they’re saying
Several residents wrote letters and spoke in opposition to the proposed development. They cited concerns about safety, drainage, additional traffic, interruptions to wildlife in the area and light pollution. One resident wrote in and two others spoke in support of the project, mostly citing the quality of the proposed homes and wanting to see the land developed.
Commissioner John Scott said at the meeting he opposed the zoning change and that the land should continue to be zoned for lots 36,000 square feet and larger.
“We don’t go lower than 36,000 square feet because the next thing you get is smaller and smaller and smaller,” Scott said.
However, Commissioner Erik Leist said the plan was the most thought-out development he’s seen in his three years on the commission.
“We’re trying to develop [the community],” Leist said at the meeting. “We’re trying to create opportunities for people to come in and be a part of our community.”
Leist moved to approve the zoning change. All but Commissioner Scott voted in favor of recommending approval of the new zoning. The future land use plan amendment received a unanimous recommendation of approval from the commission but Scott was absent when the vote was taken.
What’s next?
The two items will go to the Keller City Council with the commission’s recommendation of approval at its meeting April 1.
