City staff recommended the commission approve the zoning request. The case was proposed at the Sept. 20 meeting, but commissioners agreed to table the matter until Oct. 18.
Stillwater Capital is developing the project in partnership with Haggard Enterprises Limited. The Haggard family has owned land in Collin County since the mid-1800s.
Stillwater Capital is a private investment and development company focused on residential and commercial properties.
The more than 2-million-square-foot area is near the Dallas North Tollway just south of Spring Creek Parkway and east of Parkwood Boulevard. It is one of the largest undeveloped tracts of land in Plano and the last large piece of unused land owned by the Haggard family, according to a city report.
The development would have a rustic farm theme and would include a restaurant with locally sourced food as a main feature, according to a presentation by Stillwater Capital. It would also include multiple outdoor event spaces, offices, high-end apartments, a hotel, space for various retail businesses, parking garages and a senior living community.
According to city documents, more than 100 people responded to the zoning case in opposition of the request. A group of Plano residents attended the meeting to ask the commission to deny the proposal.
John O’Leary, a Plano resident who lives near the proposed site, said during the meeting that the project is too ambitious for the area.
“This request is filled with exception after exception,” O’Leary said. “I don’t understand why the [commision] would be taking this into consideration.”
Commissioners praised the quality of the proposal but agreed more time is needed to make changes. Commissioners cited pedestrian access, increased traffic and the need for additional landscaping as potential issues.
Commissioner Rick Horne said it is important to consider the long-term benefits of the proposal.
“This piece of property has sat vacant since I moved here in [1979],” Horne said. “I see this as being ... something the city could be proud of. This meets the needs of the city of Plano.”
Stillwater Capital is also developing The Link in Frisco, a $1 billion mixed-use development in partnership with the PGA.
The entire Plano Planning & Zoning meeting can be viewed here.
