Prosper officials are considering new development standards aimed at strategically shaping how land along the Dallas North Tollway develops in the coming years.
Town officials hired consultant Paris Rutherford to help draft and advise on the proposed standards, which would reorganize Prosper’s tollway corridor into seven subdistricts with specific development goals.
Prosper Town Council members are set to consider adopting the standards at their Feb. 24 meeting, after the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval Feb. 17.
What’s happening?
The proposed standards would divide the tollway district into seven subdistricts, including:
- US 380 Gateway (Subdistrict 1): medical and innovation districts, highway retail and services
- Prairie Neighborhood (Subdistrict 2): neighborhood, mixed-use village and commercial village
- First Street Neighborhood (Subdistrict 3): retail and mixed-use villages
- Downtown West (Subdistrict 4): mixed-use, mixed-density village and historic silo district
- Faith Community (Subdistrict 5): multiuse development
- Prosper Trail Neighborhood (Subdistrict 6): mixed-use retail, mixed-use density and design district
- Frontier Parkway Gateway (Subdistrict 7): regional commercial destination, mixed-use employment and mixed-density
The proposed standards also establish an infrastructure framework and future land use plan for the entire corridor, including varying densities and mixed-use development.
According to town documents, the area’s current zoning is a “patchwork of varying and inconsistent development controls,” while the proposed standards would help create a more cohesive vision to guide future projects.
What it means
Rutherford said a central goal of the new standards is to proactively guide development and set town expectations instead of reacting to individual proposals.
“You’re trying to incentivize folks to come in and build quality,” Rutherford said. “Part of the economic development ... strategy is to devise a plan that gets the market interested, not just in buying and selling land, but developing land.”
Town documents note that some projects along the corridor could be supported by economic development incentives on a case-by-case basis.
Commissioner Glen Blanscet said the new standards would only apply to the tollway district, not the entire town.
“What we're talking about is only the tollway district here,” Blanscet said. “I know our community really values the small-town feel. That’s not necessarily going away under this plan.”
Rutherford said while some people may oppose multifamily housing, certain commercial uses such as restaurants and offices often require higher density nearby to succeed.
“The last thing we want is multifamily across the whole corridor,” Rutherford said. “In targeted, strategic spots that are supporting restaurants, supporting offices and supporting open spaces and are done well and aren’t commoditized, ... that’s a home run.”
Zooming out
As development ramps up along the tollway, Mayor David Bristol said previously that Town Council is looking for high-quality developments that add value to the town when considering proposed projects.
Bristol also said the council’s current philosophy is to limit new multifamily development to areas along the Dallas North Tollway.
Prosper Town Council also recently approved a new tax increment reinvestment zone aimed at boosting development along the Dallas North Tollway and parts of downtown.
What’s next?
Prosper Town Council will consider adopting the standards at its Feb. 24 meeting.
