A proposed housing development in McKinney was tabled after multiple residents spoke out against its construction.
McKinney’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously voted last week to shelve a zoning proposal that would have authorized the construction of two new high-end townhomes/duplexes off the northwest corner of 105 Westpark Drive South in McKinney, reported the McKinney Courier-Gazette.
Commission members made their decision after more than 10 residents spoke out in opposition to the zoning change.
According to applicant Elias Rodriguez, the duplexes cannot be built unless the site is rezoned from a standalone residential estate district to a townhome residential district on the northwest corner and a single-family residential district on the opposite corner.
The main concerns of the 13 residents primarily revolved around traffic on Westpark Drive, safety hazards, poor property management, and lower property taxes. Residents also expressed concern over the dilapidated nature of neighboring duplexes and the risk of increased crime in the area.
“We can’t control what happened with other duplexes, whether the grass was left unmowed or if there was a public works issue or an accident,” said Rodriguez during the public hearing, per the McKinney Courier-Gazette. “It’s irrelevant to this case.”
If the project is approved at a later date, the two proposed duplexes (four units) would occupy a half-acre of land and have a per-unit cost of roughly $500,000. Before construction can happen, the property needs to be rezoned, and the existing home needs to be sold.
In addition, if approved, the applicant would be barred from enlarging the duplexes beyond the established site, according to McKinney Planner Jake Bennett.
Although residents have concerns about the possibility of increased crime, Rodriguez assured residents that the duplexes would only include for-sale units and not for-rent units. He also noted that the duplexes would be designed as standard single-family homes and not as townhomes. He claimed this eliminates the main components that attract crime.
Rodriguez plans to reach out to neighborhood residents while the proposal is shelved in order to listen to their concerns and to make any necessary adjustments to the project’s development plans, reported the McKinney Courier-Gazette.