A zoning change for Lavon Farms was recommended for approval by Plano’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 17.
The big picture
Lavon Farms would feature 626 single-family residential units, 1,052 multifamily units and 37 acres of open space. The open space would include 10 acres of parks and a “Rural Preserve,” which will allow a section of the development to function as a micro farm and ranch.
The project has been “about 25 years” in the making, land owner Todd Moore said. Moore’s family bought the land in 1936 and has been operating it as a dairy farm since.
Lavon Farms is a “key catalyst site” for the Envision Oak Point Plan which was initially adopted in 2018, Plano Assistant Director of Planning Michael Bell said.
The plan set out to “unify northeast Plano,” according to city documents, and lays out the city’s vision for the area just west of Oak Point Park which includes the Plano Event Center, Plano Market Square Mall, Collin College Spring Creek Campus, Oak Point Recreation Center and Lavon Farms.
“We really used the vision from Envision Oak Point to shape and form our plans,” Trammel Crow Principal Kevin Hickman said. Trammel Crow Company is the developer overseeing the Lavon Farms project.
Diving in deeper
Lavon Farms will be split into three subdistricts.
Subdistrict A on the west side of the development is planned to feature a variety single-family residences, including:
- Up to 298 detached single-family homes or duplexes
- Up to 232 townhome, manor homes or small-lot single family homes
- Up to 66 stacked townhomes
Subsection C, the southeast corner of the development, would be the Rural Preserve. Along with the micro farm, this section could include farmer’s markets, food trucks, a garden center, retail and more meant to maintain Lavon Farm’s “agrarian character,” Plano Assistant Director of Planning Michael Bell said.
At least half of the original farmstead structures in subdistrict C are required to be preserved, including stone entrance features, the silo and windmill, Bell added.
Four-lane roadways connecting K Avenue, Jupiter Road and Spring Creek Parkway with a roundabout will also be constructed as part of the development.
The change would zone the area from Agricultural to Residential Community Design—a zoning designation created with the Envision Oak Point Plan. Residential Community Design zoning is meant to “reinforce surrounding neighborhood character, provide appropriate transitions in use and building scale, ensure appropriate allocation and design of open space, and achieve a well-connected street and pedestrian network,” according to city documents.
What they’re saying
The city received 76 responses to the zoning case from Plano residents, with 66 writing in opposition to the project, eight writing in support and two neutral, according to city documents. Two speakers also spoke against the development at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
Several responses opposed to the project cited the additional housing density and the projects multifamily aspect.
Another thing
Multiple commissioners noted impacts that recently approved state laws—including Senate Bills 15, 840 and 2477—could have on the area if the project does not move forward. The legislation limits city officials’ jurisdiction over proposed residential development.
“One of my fears was that we had lost the ability to shape our city,” commissioner Tosan Olley said. “The fact that the property owner has found partners who ... will help us shape our city I think is something that should not be discounted.”
What’s next?
Plano City Council will have final say on Lavon Farms at its Dec. 8 meeting.
If approved, Hickman said they would expect to break ground on the first phase of the project before the end of 2026. Moore added that he expects the entire project to take seven years.
