The applicant had requested to rezone this property at the north side of FM 1461 and about east of FM 2478 from planned development district and single-family homes to a district that also allows a wider variety of multifamily uses. The request was approved by McKinney City Council at its June 1 meeting. The applicant plans to divide the property into four different tracts.
The first tract would contain the lion’s share of the property at nearly 400 acres and be zoned for single-family residences. The second tract would contain about 7 acres and be zoned for neighborhood commercial uses, such as car washes and drive-in services, city staff said. The third tract would have about 17 acres and be zoned for townhouse development. The last tract would have about 38 acres and be zoned for multifamily with 750 units and three stories.
Staff told council at the meeting that they were not supportive of the multifamily uses on the fourth tract, as it does not align with the city’s vision in its comprehensive plan for this tract.
The existing zoning for the land has a multifamily type component in place already and is zoned for independent living. Staff noted there were no explicit age restrictions for the independent living zoning.
Council Member Gere Feltus said her primary concern was losing the independent living that was tied to the existing zoning, a concern Council Member Frederick Frazier shared.
Bob Roeder, speaking on behalf of the applicant, said the specific zoning being requested is "all-inclusive" and added that independent living would be a permitted use. With the new zoning, the applicant could let the market dictate what sort of housing type would go in that fourth tract, whether it be single-family, townhomes, independent living, or apartments.
"I was thankful it wasn't 430 acres of apartments," Council Member Charlie Philips said. "I think it's a fair trade-off to do 10% in apartments when you get 400 acres of single-family housing."
The motion to approve the community passed 4-2 with Feltus and Frazier voting against and Council Member Rick Franklin abstaining.
