Council tables Armstrong Hills plan-development request after extended debate on density, drainage and traffic

The Keller City Council voted to table consideration of a plan-development (PD) zoning change for Armstrong Hills, a proposed gated subdivision on about 49 acres at 8740 Davis Boulevard that would create 49 residential lots and 10 open-space lots. The council action postpones final action to the April 15 meeting so staff, the applicant and neighborhood residents can work through outstanding technical and design concerns.

The applicant, builder/developer Terry Holmes, and the project engineer described a design driven by steep topography and tree stands, saying the layout preserves significant trees, places homes to fit existing grades and concentrates open space along a creek called Thompson's Trail. The preliminary plan calls for a single gated access from northbound Davis Boulevard, a detention pond, 16% open space and homes with minimum square footage the applicant said would start at roughly 3,000 square feet and price points at about $1.7 million and up.

Planning staff outlined exceptions requested in the PD compared with base SF-25 zoning: a minimum lot size proposed as low as about 20,000 square feet for some lots (13 lots fall between 20k and 25k), a proposal for a straight 10-foot side-yard setback regardless of lot width, reduced front setback requirements for limited garage-door exposure, and a request to allow masonry/privacy screening in limited places adjacent to shared open space rather than the UDC's required open-style fencing. Staff also provided a table showing the distribution of lot sizes in the proposal and reminded council of UDC standards for residential PDs.

Neighbors whose properties are downstream or adjacent to the site raised traffic and drainage concerns. Residents said the Davis Boulevard corridor already experiences heavy volumes and some nearby intersections have safety issues; staff and the applicant pointed to a traffic-impact analysis and offered to add a right-turn deceleration lane for northbound traffic entering the development. The applicant's engineer said post-development discharges at the site's outfalls are designed to be lower than undeveloped, pre-development flows by detaining runoff on site, and that the plans comply with Keller's drainage design standards. Several residents asked the city to work with TxDOT on longer-term traffic management for the Davis corridor.

Councilmembers expressed differing views. Some praised the tree-preserving, site-driven design and the relatively low overall density (roughly one home per acre on the 49-acre site). Others said the application includes a high proportion of lots smaller than the SF-25 standard and that advertised base-zoning language can confuse residents; several councilmembers requested a clearer public presentation and additional outreach to neighbors. Councilmember Green moved to table the item to April 15 to permit further work with nearby residents; the motion was seconded and approved. The companion future-land-use amendment was likewise tabled to allow parallel review of land-use and PD standards.