Public hearing, possible approval set for Aug. 19 council meeting
Patio homes and apartment units may be in the works for the undeveloped area around Ohio Drive from Warren Parkway to south of Gaylord Parkway.
The Frisco Planning & Zoning Commission on July 22 approved a zoning change for the area to residential use from commercial. City Development Director John Lettelleir said the zoning change request is now scheduled for a public hearing and consideration for approval by Frisco City Council at its Aug. 19 meeting.
The zoning, which has been in discussion since 2012, would allow four property owners and four developers to collaborate to build about 175 patio homes and 2,348 urban multifamily apartment units with structured parking.
The houses are expected to sell for $400,000–$525,000 and the apartments are expected to lease from $1,200–$2,200 per month, said Tommy Mann, who represents the property owners and developers.
"This is intended to be a comprehensive solution, not a bunch of piecemeal requests coming to you over a series of months and years as individual sites," Mann told the P&Z Commission.
The property owners of the lot on the southeast corner of Warren Parkway and Ohio Drive elected not to participate in the development plans.
P&Z Chairman Bill Woodard said the development is the best use of the space.
"I think this is a pretty solid plan," he said. "I'm a little concerned about the density, too, not from necessarily this specific project, but just from the overall direction of the city and what the population numbers are that we've been looking at—not in so much that I wouldn't support this; I do support this. I think the density in this particular case provides a good entry from the [SH] 121 corridor from Plano north."
About 20 people commented—some in favor, some against the development—through letters to the P&Z Commission and speaking at the meeting.
Traffic and school district impact
A traffic analysis is under review. City staff said at full build-out, changing the land's zoning to residential use would mean a reduction in traffic of more than 30 percent compared with what would be expected if the area were developed commercially.
Frisco ISD has examined the potential student impact from such a development and expressed no concerns, according to city officials. The district calculated the development would generate less than 300 students.
Mann said the apartments, which are urban-style and wrapped around a parking garage rather than garden-style apartments with surface parking, are targeted for people without families.
"We can't control who we rent to—there are federal laws about that—but the fact of the matter is the way these complexes are designed—the price point, the level of quality—attracts [the people without families] demographic to the area, and that's what we fully expect in this instance," Mann said.
