Argyle residents press council over proposed Argyle Marketplace site plan; council holds closed-session legal briefing, no votes taken

Argyle Town Council held a special meeting Oct. 14 that opened with public comment on a proposed development variously described in the meeting as the Marsden Tract and the Morrison Tract, home to the proposed “Argyle Marketplace” project, and then moved into a closed executive session for legal and economic-development advice. No votes were taken at the special meeting; the council reiterated that the formal public hearing and vote on the site plan are scheduled for Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m.

Why it matters: The project, which commenters said would sit on a roughly 2-acre parcel just south of Little Joe’s Farmstead and adjacent to Argyle Christian Academy, drew sustained public opposition at the special meeting over building size, requests for multiple variances, proposed public incentives, tree loss and potential safety impacts from a proposed emergency/road connection. The comments and the council’s legal briefing leave the final decision pending at the Oct. 20 meeting.

Mayor (unnamed) opened the meeting by describing the development review sequence: the Municipal Development District (MDD) reviewed the project’s economic aspects and recommended it to council with conditions, and the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) reviewed site-plan elements. The mayor told attendees the P&Z meeting on Oct. 1…