Included in the amendments was a new multifamily building height maximum of eight stories instead of three. The increase does not mean all apartments will be eight stories going forward, just that they have the option to, Director of Development Services David Hoover said.
The other amendments included:
- Requiring that a multifamily development can only be approved within a planned development
- Removing setbacks and lot area requirements, as these can be determined on a case-by-case basis within the planned development standards
- Removing multifamily design and development standards as these criteria will be addressed in the project’s planned development agreement
- Allowing the first floor of the multifamily building to be used for residential or retail uses by setting a minimum height of 14 feet for the first floor
The amendments were set aside for further discussion during council’s Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, 2023 meetings and then tabled indefinitely on Jan. 9, 2024 after concerns that they would trigger “unintended consequences.”
In the eight months since they were last brought up, a few amendments were added or adjusted to resolve any lingering issues, Hoover said. This includes:
- Removing the density requirement
- Multifamily structures will have a wrap-around design with a central garage surrounded by the residential units on the exterior of the building. If the residential units do not fully wrap the exterior or are constructed above the garage, the garage will match the appearance of the residential structure
Any multifamily developments approved before the Aug. 27 meeting would have to follow the density requirements that were in place at the time they were approved, he said.
“I feel very confident that we’ve got all the bases covered,” Hoover said.
The takeaway
Prosper resident Jack Dixon, who spoke during the public hearing portion of the meeting, said he was against the ordinance’s new height maximum.
“It seems ludicrous to me that we’d want to stack that many people in one area,” Dixon said.
Developments with multifamily components are only allowed in a handful of places in Prosper, Hoover said.
“There’s only three locations in town,” he said. “One is downtown ... one is obviously the tollway and the third one is what’s referred to as Town Center, which is basically [The Gates of Prosper district],” he said.
Since multifamily buildings must have town approval, Prosper staff would not let one be built in a place it would not make sense, Hoover said. Any eight-story apartments would likely go on the tollway to go near other tall hotel or office buildings, similar to the Prosper Arts District or Pradera developments, he said.
“We don’t envision a whole row of eight-story apartment buildings all the way up and down the tollway,” Hoover said. “It would have to fit appropriately.”
