The proposed development would take place across two phases with the construction of 33 townhomes, 260 multifamily units, 1.4 acres of green space and temporary berms to mitigate noise. In the second phase, another 241 multifamily units and 70,000 square feet of commercial space would be constructed.
In a nutshell
The proposed development by Bay West Development was denied by the planning and zoning commission during its May 1 meeting, citing conflicts with the city’s comprehensive plan.
Plano Director of Planning Christina Day also cited concerns with increased noise in certain areas of the property and too much residential development.
Prior to voting, several council members expressed their support for the proposed redevelopment.
“It pains me to see a building like this sitting there empty and vacant for two-and-a-half years and to think it will keep sitting there,” Mayor Pro Tem Kayci Prince said. “I think this is one that makes sense for us to pass and help revitalize this area.”
The rezoning request would have changed the zoning of a property housing a vacant big box retail site from Corridor Commercial to Planned Developement-Corridor Commercial.
A motion to overrule the recommendation to deny failed 5-3 with Council Members Anthony Ricciardelli, Shelby Williams and Rick Smith voting against the project, citing concerns with the noise and residential density in the proposed development. A 7-1 vote to send it back to the planning and zoning commission passed with Ricciardelli voting against.
Quote of note
Bryon Wolf, a partner at Bay West Development, said the plan was to build a quality space to help deliver a future impact to the area.
“We needed to create commercial demand by building vibrancy and delivering something to the market so unique, they can’t find it anywhere else,” Wolf said. “Our focus was on driving economic development not only for our site, but for the neighborhood as a whole which has already built commercial space and has been unable to drive demand and economic growth.”
The backstory
The application by Onalp Property Owner to rezone the property was denied by the planning and zoning commission by a 4-3 vote during its May 1 meeting. The applicant lodged an appeal of the case May 23, according to a memo given to council.
The land has been vacant since Fry's Electronics closed following the company’s 2021 announcement it would halt operations.
Stay tuned
By opting to remand the request to the planning and zoning commission, several council members said they hoped the full body would reconsider the issue. The project will be presented to the commission at a future meeting.
