The Trophy Club Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended that the Town Council approve an amendment to Planned Development (PD) No. 28 to allow a site plan package and development regulations for building additions and athletic facilities at Byron Nelson High School, 2775 Bobcat Boulevard.

Staff presented the amendment as a consolidated site plan package that will be included in an ordinance to be forwarded to council. Dan Holt of Glen Partners, the project architect, described components that include an arena expansion (additional seating and a completed horseshoe configuration), a performing arts center balcony increasing capacity, expanded cafeteria space, additional CTE (career and technical education) workspace, lighting upgrades and a new stadium. Holt said the proposed stadium capacity is 7,500. The project also includes baseball and softball upgrades, field lighting, landscaping and parking adjustments.

Parking and circulation: Staff presented parking figures from the site plans: 1,682 existing on‑site spaces, 1,613 proposed on site, 182 spaces across the street at Medlin for a total of 1,895; required parking was listed as 1,875. Commissioners raised traffic and circulation concerns, especially game‑night and peak flow impacts on Bobcat Boulevard. Matt said staff and district consultants are coordinating on a traffic plan; a separate traffic proposal to rework Bobcat Boulevard (including a roundabout at Marshall Creek and dedicated turn lanes) is expected to be presented to council in May by outside consultants (Tignall and Perkins/Lee Engineering). The stadium is not expected to open before 2027, giving time for traffic planning.

Lighting: The existing PD sets a maximum height of 85 feet; the PD amendment request includes raising the maximum to 105 feet for the stadium light standards. The submission to staff included a photometric plan showing 81 feet as the submitted standard, but the district’s lighting engineers recommended a maximum of 105 feet to reduce glare and light spill to adjacent residential areas and improve uniformity on the field. Commissioners pressed staff on why the record shows 81 feet in the submission but the amendment asks for a 105‑foot maximum; staff said construction documents were not yet complete and the 105‑foot maximum is requested to allow the optimal lighting configuration recommended by engineers.

Fencing and design: Commissioners raised concerns about the appearance and location of fencing along the south end zone and whether masonry or other materials would be preferable to the standard Northwest ISD fence. Casey Helmick, Northwest ISD director of planning, said the proposed fence is the district’s standard fence (the same used at other district stadiums) and that masonry elements appear elsewhere in the design where grades permit. Commissioners suggested the district consider additional golf cart parking and routing to reduce vehicle demand; the plans include 100 golf cart spaces along Bobcat Boulevard and staff noted cart‑path ideas to reduce vehicle trips.

Notices for the PD amendment were published per the zoning ordinance and the Texas Local Government Code; staff said no letters, calls or emails in support or opposition had been received. After discussion, a motion to recommend approval of the PD amendment as presented carried unanimously and will be forwarded to the Town Council as an ordinance package including exhibits for signage, mechanical screening, photometrics and landscape plans.

Why it matters: The amendment would authorize a major school campus expansion with changes to stadium capacity, lighting standards, parking and circulation that affect neighboring streets and residents. Commissioners focused on traffic mitigation, parking sharing agreements, light height and visual design elements that will be addressed as the plan advances to the council and into construction documents.