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As Prosper prepares for its next phase of development, town officials are working to solidify their vision for how land along the Dallas North Tollway will develop over the next few years.
Prosper Town Council discussed and adopted the standards at a Feb. 24 meeting.
How we got here
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.
The tollway’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, according to town documents.
Mayor Pro Tem Amy Bartley said the new standards will help guide “thoughtful” development along the tollway moving forward.
“To any developer, any landowner that’s looking at this, this really started with coming out to try and represent the will of our neighbors,” Bartley said. “I think our residents are going to be happy with a more unique, well-thought-out plan that we can start to implement.”
Prosper’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approving the standards Feb. 17.
Breaking it down
The proposed standards split Prosper’s 3 miles of tollway into seven districts with specific future land use plans and future zoning designations, including:
Meeting documents also note the town may use economic development incentives for “initial key developments that help the developer achieve these goals and provide a change in the marketplace,” such as in the subdistricts with designated mixed-use areas.
Economic development incentives would be considered on a “project-by-project basis” and would be tied to zoning changes complying with the new town standards, per town documents.
What they’re saying
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Chris Kern said the standards are a “great leap forward” for council as the tollway starts to move into development.
“We know that we’ve always wanted to guard the tollway for something special and unique, but we’ve struggled to capture the right developer and the right audience,” Kern said.
Kern also noted the town is looking for an executive director for the Prosper Economic Development Corp. to help with these efforts after former Executive Director Mary Ann Moon resigned in September.
Council member Cameron Reeves said the standards are particularly important with construction on the tollway making progress.
“What we’ve talked about being so far in the future, it’s almost here,” Reeves said.
The next phase of the Dallas North Tollway expansion from US 380 to FM 428 is currently projected to open in fall 2027, according to the project's website.
One more thing
Development Services Director David Hoover said town staff is also working to create an online system to view the development standards and zoning classifications for individual properties.
