Temple council approves final plat for French Hill subdivision with exceptions for cul-de-sac and parkland

The Temple City Council on Feb. 20 approved the final plat for the French Hill subdivision, replat No. 1, a roughly 48.129-acre, 257-lot residential replat in East Temple, by a 4-0 vote.

The approval allows two developer-requested exceptions to the Unified Development Code: one related to cul-de-sac length and layout and one related to parkland dedication. City staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval; the commission voted 6-0 in favor on Feb. 3.

City planning staff described the replat as a 48.129±-acre project shown as 257 lots, 9 blocks and 5 tracts located in the Maximo Marino survey, abstract 142, south of the recently approved North Creek subdivision. The developer reduced the overall lot count by one from the previously approved plat. Staff said the property is zoned Single-Family 3 with a minimum lot size of 4,000 square feet, and the proposed lot sizes on the plat range roughly from about 4,500 to about 14,076 square feet as shown on the submitted documents. Water service is available from an existing 6-inch line along French Avenue; staff said sewer will be carried to a lift station on the east side of 40th Street.

Staff told the council the parkland dedication exception was proposed in lieu of paying park fees, which staff said would total $57,825 under the code. The applicant instead proposes to provide a trail connection that staff and the parks director said would meet or exceed the value of the park fees and would connect to planned trails in the North Creek subdivision and a future Greenway Trail to the west. Staff noted the trail alignment traverses an Encore easement and that Encore would need to approve trail use of that easement at a later design stage; staff said alternatives exist if Encore does not approve.

Council members asked for technical clarifications. The city's fire representative said the turnaround “knuckle” mid-block was acceptable for now; the city planning presenter added that the arrangement would continue to be evaluated in future code updates. Council member Grant moved to approve item 5; Mayor Pro Tem Tim Walker seconded. The council’s roll call vote was 4-0 in favor.

The staff presentation also noted statutory and procedural steps: the plat was reviewed by the development review committee on Jan. 6 and administratively filed on Jan. 29; newspaper notice ran Jan. 17; property owners within 200 feet were notified (four notices, all owned by the applicant) as required by Texas Local Government Code Section 212.

The council approved the final plat and the two requested UDC exceptions; staff will continue project-level coordination on water, sewer and final trail easement approval.