The Frisco City Council on Nov. 19 paved the way for the possible eventual construction of a private Bible college on the southwest side of Preston Road and the future Rockhill Parkway.

Criswell College is looking for a place to expand to a university model, and the council approved a request to amend the zoning to allow for a college to be constructed on the 181 acres of land currently zoned for single family/patio home/urban village.

John Lettelleir, city director of Development Services, said in most situations, the developer would be required to come back with a planned development before the zoning change. However, because the college needed to know if the zoning change would be a possibility, the issue was brought before the council. If the college decides to build, the preliminary site plan will go back before the council for approval.

The property will be allowed to be zoned for either the college or single family/urban village, but not both.

Criswell College board member Ed Rawls told the council Criswell is a 43-year-old institution and compared its mission to that of Union University in Tennessee, which started as a Bible college and expanded to a university. The board made the decision to eventually expand to a university model about two years ago, he said.

According to its website, the Dallas-based college has more than 300 students and offers associate, bachelor and master degree programs.