Argyle council approves revised Marsden site plan after weeks of debate over parking, fire access and trees

Argyle Town Council on Oct. 20 approved an updated site plan for the Marsden (Marston) tract — SP 25-07 — after a lengthy public hearing that included both supporters and opponents of the redevelopment proposal.

The staff recommendation, delivered by planning staffer Mike Sims, was to approve the revised site plan with two variances and a set of conditions; the council approved the plan in a 5-0 vote. Sims told the council the applicant had withdrawn an earlier submittal that the Planning and Zoning Commission had rejected and submitted a reconfigured plan that, among other changes, removes a planned fire-lane connection to the property north of the site.

Why it matters: The project sits at the heart of Argyle’s planned Town Center and affects adjacent businesses and public amenities, including the Argyle Nature Trail and the red-brick Professional Depot building that the developer proposes to use in a shared-parking agreement. Residents and business owners said the plan’s details — parking counts, cross-access and tree preservation — matter for traffic, safety and livelihoods in the near term.

What staff told council

Sims said the applicant scaled back its original submission after Planning and Zoning voted against the first set of drawings. The updated site plan preserves existing head-in parking along US 377, reconfigures…