At the Nov. 20 Town Council meeting members unanimously denied a zoning request that would have allowed 28.92 acres to be rezoned from agricultural use to planned development district use. If the zoning had been approved, developers had plans to build a gated neighborhood called Serenity that would have featured 16 single-family lots. The neighborhood would have been located south of FM 1171 and west of High Road. Several residents who live along High showed up to speak in opposition of the development. Reasons for opposition centered around the neighborhood being gated unlike the other neighborhoods in the area and the development ruining the rural feel. “When we look at this neighborhood, it just doesn’t feel right for the area,” a resident said. “Our neighborhoods aren’t gated communities; they aren’t even fenced in. Serenity would be surrounded by properties zoned agriculture with pastures and cows, llamas and horses.” Council Member Claudio Forest said he believed the development encroached on what makes the land beautiful. “I have a real problem with gated communities,” he said. “I don’t like it anywhere but especially in a conservation area and especially in an area where things need to be open.”