A 15-townhome development is on its way to city council following planning and zoning approval.
The Plano Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-1 Monday, Oct. 20, to approve a controversial townhome development on Windhaven Parkway, overriding objections from dozens of nearby homeowners. Commissioner Sean Lingenfelter cast the lone dissenting vote.
The commission approved rezoning 3.2 acres at the southwest corner of Windhaven Parkway and Red Wolf Lane from agricultural to single-family attached residential. The decision allows Trammell Crow Company to build 15 two-story townhomes on the site. The case, which was tabled in August, includes a specific use permit for private streets within the subdivision.
The developer revised plans following the August meeting to address some concerns. The alley no longer connects to Red Wolf Lane, and a 6-foot landscape screen will separate the alley from the street. Street setbacks increased to 15 feet from the southern property line with a 10-foot landscape buffer. The unit count was reduced from 16 to 15, and guest parking was reduced from 15 to 14 spaces.
City staff recommended approval, saying the development provides “a compatible transition” between existing multifamily housing to the west and single-family neighborhoods to the north, east and south.
Staff planner Molly Coryell noted the placement of higher-density housing along major roadways aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan. The townhomes will feature detached garages accessed via a rear alley, with primary access from a one-way slip road parallel to Windhaven Parkway.
At least 50 families opposed the rezoning, according to a letter from the Red Wolf Estates Neighbors Group. Residents raised concerns about increased traffic congestion and safety risks, declining property values, loss of neighborhood character, rental properties bringing transient residents, privacy loss and noise pollution, and wildlife displacement. They also cited previous maintenance issues with the developer’s adjacent properties.
Jeff, whose last name was redacted from city documents, a 30-year resident of Fallon Court, worried the development would create a cut-through for commuters avoiding backups on Midway Road.
“This will be very disruptive to our development and quite dangerous for the numerous children,” he wrote. Residents said they would support single-family detached homes instead.
The neighbors group cited a 2005 case in which the adjacent Midway Park community successfully opposed similar rezoning. That property was eventually developed as single-family homes known as Point West. Residents noted the rezoning approval isn’t legally tied to the current development plan, meaning future modifications or new owners could change the project while remaining within zoning standards.
The property, annexed into Plano in 1996, has never been developed. Eight other residents also submitted opposition to the rezoning.
The item will go before city council on Nov. 11.