Highland Village City Council voted unanimously to create a planned residential development for a subdivision to be called Tequesta at its Sept. 10 meeting. The vote also included the adoption of a concept and landscape plan for the 11-lot development, which is located at 1400 Highland Village Road. The property is made up of about 2.7 acres of land. Some City Council members raised concerns at an Aug. 27 meeting about whether the proposed development would meet the city’s old building standards, which would have required 80% masonry on the homes. This masonry standard, along with other city building and design standards, was nullified Sept. 1 when a new state law went into effect. The new law, House Bill 2439, dictates that no building or design ordinances stricter than national building standards can be enforced by local governments. City Manager Michael Leavitt previously told Community Impact Newspaper that the new law is a concern to the city since Highland Village is already “substantially built-out." He said the new law prevents the city from being able to legally ensure future developments meet the same visual standards existing buildings throughout the city do. However, Leavitt said the developer—Bill Davidson of Foremost Investments—has stated his intent to voluntarily meet the city’s old 80% masonry requirements.