New apartments, townhomes get green light from Plano commission

At full build-out, the development is expected to include 2,342 residential units, according to the property’s website.

The previous plan for about 37 acres of undeveloped land included a mix of six-to-25-story offices, one-to-two-story retail and office buildings, and four-to-15-story hotels. However, city documents state that plan was “no longer economically viable as originally envisioned.”

Developer Rosewood Property Co. requested several changes to the district, including:

• Expanding the district by rezoning 4.1 acres from light industrial to urban mixed-use to add townhomes
• Modifying the required mix of uses to allow more residential and retail
• Allowing outdoor commercial amusement uses, such as game courts, table games and mini golf
• Allowing additional multifamily and single-family residential units with certain parts of the development

Under the approved plan, the development would include a total of 342 single-family residential units and 2,000 multifamily units at full build-out, according to city documents.

Plano Lead Planner Molly Coryell said the proposal had previously been tabled in January to allow the developer to incorporate a phasing plan, tying the nonresidential development to the additional multifamily units.

At least 12,000 square feet of new, nonresidential development must be completed before issuing new multifamily permits and construction on certain parts of the property, according to city documents.

Zooming in

Coryell said city staff supported the 4.1-acre expansion, but they recommended denying the broader changes to the urban mixed-use district because they conflict with Plano’s comprehensive plan.

Coryell added the history of zoning changes for the property indicate the property is evolving into a high-density neighborhood rather than a mixed-use district.

“We think it becomes mostly a residential district, not a mixed-use district,” Assistant Planning Director Michael Bell said.

According to city documents, the plan is inconsistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and does not align with the intent of the urban mixed-use district or future land use category.

What they’re saying

Bill Dahlstrom, representative for Rosewood, said the development will be high-quality and the company plans to invest in Plano for the long-term.1

He noted staff’s concerns about the mix of uses in the development, adding that “in today’s world, those just don’t work, and they’re not going to work.”

“It has been ... a legacy development for the city, and that’s what we want to continue,” Dahlstrom said. “We think we came up with a phasing plan that works for us all.”

Commissioner Michael Brounoff voted against the request, saying he wanted stronger commitments from the developer on future nonresidential uses in the development, such as with the office space.

“I understand the market for office buildings has been depressed lately,” Brounoff said. “Markets have a way of rebounding over time, and I would hope that by waiting a little longer, the market would recover as people go back to working in the office place and [do] less working at home.”

One more thing

Recently adopted state legislation such as Senate Bill 840, which requires multifamily and mixed-use residential developments to be permitted in all nonresidential zoning districts, would impact this property, meeting documents state.

Plano officials adopted new development standards partially in response to SB 840, which Coryell said would not apply to this development as the applicant started the process prior to the new standards being in place.

However, under SB 840, a new zoning application for development could authorize construction of residential uses on the property “without the need for a zoning change and would be reviewed under current development regulations,” according to city documents.

Planning Director Christina Day said previously the SB 840 will impact nearly 30% of Plano’s land, specifically in areas previously designated for retail, commercial or office use. To see a map of the areas affected by SB 840, click here.