McAllen commission rejects rezoning request for 3100 Lark Avenue after neighborhood opposition

McAllen — The McAllen City Commission voted April 28 to deny a request to rezone 3100 Lark Avenue from R‑1 to R‑2, blocking a proposal that would have allowed up to 22 residential lots and narrower lot sizes.

The rezoning request, presented by project engineer Milos Salinas of M2 Engineering, sought R‑2 zoning to allow detached “garden homes” and smaller lots. Planning staff told the commission the proposal included 22 lots, would require an 8‑foot CMU wall and that the code requires a secondary access; the site currently lacks a required secondary access.

Neighbors told the commission the change would alter a long‑standing single‑family neighborhood. Resident Mario Quintana said a medium‑density complex would “disrupt the uniformity of our single family home neighborhood,” citing narrower streets, parking and the potential need for infrastructure upgrades. Don Deli Mendoza, who lives several lots from the site, said many residents outside the 200‑foot notification radius did not receive notice and submitted signatures opposing the rezoning. Jorge Antonio Forina said the development would be out of character with the surrounding two‑acre lots and expressed concern about noise, light and traffic.

Salinas told the commission the design intent is detached garden homes, not multifamily units, and that the lots proposed would be narrower than R‑1 but would include driveways and garages. Planning and Zoning recommended approval at its April 1 meeting (5 present; 4 in favor, 1 opposed), but staff and the commission noted a petition submitted after the Planning and Zoning meeting showed 41% opposition within the 200‑foot notification area, which triggers a supermajority approval requirement for rezoning.

A motion to disapprove the rezoning passed. The record does not show a roll‑call tally in the transcript excerpt; the planning staff and public record indicate the supermajority requirement applied because of the petition. The denial leaves the property zoned R‑1; no alternative approval or mitigation conditions were adopted at the meeting.

Why it matters: The vote preserves the existing single‑family zoning pattern in the immediate area, and highlights neighbors’ concerns about notification boundaries, infrastructure capacity and the compatibility of denser development with established lot patterns.

Next steps: The transcript does not indicate that the applicant withdrew or resubmitted a revised proposal; any future rezoning effort would need to address the secondary‑access requirement and neighborhood concerns.