A group of Grand Prairie residents say they’re frustrated and powerless to stop a proposed high-density housing development in their neighborhood — and they blame a new state law for taking away their say.

“They feel depleted. They feel that they have been let down by our leaders,” said Anita Harris, with the Grand Prairie Community Liaison Group.

Town hall reveals housing plans

Harris and others learned about the project during a town hall meeting in September. The land sits next to the Grand Peninsula neighborhood by Joe Pool Lake and across from homeowner Uriah Rinzel, who fears more housing will create traffic problems and lower property values.

“It’s going to lower the value of not just the entire area, but it will be producing less tax revenue,” Rinzel said. “Everybody in the future is going to be impacted by this.”

Senate Bill 840 at center

The proposed development became possible after the passage of Senate Bill 840, which was approved with bipartisan support during the 2025 legislative session.

According to the City of Grand Prairie, the new law allows multifamily developments to be built “by right” within commercial, retail and industrial zones. That means developers can move forward without public notice, a hearing or a City Council vote.

City updates code to respond

At a City Council meeting Tuesday, local leaders voted unanimously to amend the city’s development code to set new standards for builders.

“This sends the message that at least we’re trying to do something,” said Mayor Ron Jensen. “It’s hard for residents to understand. They think we can just go down to Austin and change this. Lawmakers don’t return to session for two years, so we’re trying to make adjustments in the meantime.”

Pushback grows across Texas cities

Jensen said cities across Texas are pushing back on the legislation.

“All the major city mayors sent a letter to Governor Abbott asking him to veto it,” Jensen said. “Yet this time, they’re taking, in my opinion, the rights of our citizens because they don’t have that public hearing to look at a zoning case.”

City officials told CBS News Texas the developer has not yet submitted a formal application for the project. Residents have started a petition against it, which has already gathered nearly 600 signatures.

“And that’s what we’re here to do,” Harris said. “To make certain they’re not just telling us about the bill, but actually doing something about it.”

CBS News Texas has reached out to the developers for comment but has not yet received a response.