Argyle is one step closer to getting its walkable retail Town Center after council unanimously approved a change to the future land use plan and the zoning of the land.
The council approved the change at its meeting Monday evening, which now allows the land to be used for mixed-use development in the area along FM 407 near Myrtle Drive.
In addition, council approved a zoning change from single-family estate residential to local retail.
According to Town Manager Mike Sims, what would be allowed in the area includes retail, restaurants and office space with no residential aspect.
Some of the uses that were excluded include gas stations and/or convenience stores, banks, private mailing businesses, used merchandise or furniture stores, schools and pharmacies.
After talking with surrounding property owners and HOAs, armed service recruiting centers, ATMs and grocery stores will also be prohibited in the area.
Sims said the idea is to establish some consistency on the southern side of FM 407 as there is on the northern side, which is already zoned local retail and features Branded Bowls, Earl and Isabella’s Taverna and Little Joe’s Farmstead.
“We’ve had some good public input that has allowed us some ideas of what this can really turn into,” he said.
The ability to further restrict what types of businesses will go in the Town Center area gave council the confidence to approve the change, despite Planning and Zoning recommending denial.
Mayor Pro Tem Cynthia Hermann credited P&Z with giving quality feedback that led to a better product when it came to council, which is why it was approved.
“P&Z did a lot of digging, which [showed] that there were concerns and, by denying this originally, it provided an opportunity for engagement and discussions,” she said. “Change is hard, but with open communication and dialogue, something good really did come out of it.”
One of the biggest concerns among neighboring properties was drainage, which town staff and council assured would be taken care of in the upcoming processes associated with the plan.
According to town documents, the zoning requirements set the maximum building height for anything within 100 feet of the east side of the property to be one story, or 20 feet.
In addition, the drainage for the site will be located on the eastern portion of the property and, after development, no drainage on the eastern side will be allowed to flow from west to east across the property line.
Town staff and council discussed an 8-foot masonry wall with greenery on it as a way to mask the development from the view of the residential properties to the east.
However, council was more in favor of a 5-foot berm that might look more aesthetically pleasing and easier to maintain than a large wall with shifting foundation.
Sims said that would be an option, but a study would need to be done before that can be confirmed.
“We want to work collectively to make sure we address the drainage and even fix some of the problems,” said Mayor Ron Schmidt. “Some of the things in that area didn’t get done right and our intent is to fix all of it in this process.”
The process to develop a Town Center still has plenty of time before anything is finalized, but council and staff believe approval Monday evening was a step in the right direction to a properly-planned community center.
Part of the council’s future discussion will include lighting and noise ordinances before any businesses move in to the development.
“Nothing is going to change overnight,” said council member Casey Stewart. “We’re looking far into the future with these sketches and artwork because we’re all committed to making this a nice area and want to have a template in place.”
