Council approves PD amendment for Byron Nelson High School stadium expansion; traffic and pedestrian access remain a concern
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Summary
Council approved an amendment to Planned Development No. 28 to allow Byron Nelson High School building additions and a 7,500-seat stadium; councilmembers and staff flagged pedestrian crossings, parking and game-night traffic as items staff and the district must finalize before construction.
The Trophy Club Town Council on Monday approved an amendment to Planned Development (PD) District No. 28 to allow building additions at Byron Nelson High School, including a stadium expansion, additional seating for performing-arts and arena spaces, and improvements to athletic lighting and parking.
Northwest Independent School District representatives and the project architect presented plans for the campus expansion, saying the stadium will include roughly 7,500 seats (about 4,500 home, 3,000 visitor), expanded concessions, locker rooms, press boxes and an entry portal that screens the scoreboard from the main campus view. Dan Holt, project architect with Lehi Partners, walked councilmembers through the proposed site and building elevations.
"The stadium will have 7,500 seats ... and it'll also feature additional weight room, concessions, security office, as well as a kind of an entry portal ticket booth," Holt said during the staff presentation.
The planning-and-zoning commission had unanimously recommended approval (7–0) in an April 3 hearing. During council discussion, members asked district and design staff to clarify pedestrian circulation and parking plans for game nights, specifically for spectators who might park on nearby commercial lots and cross Bobcat Boulevard to reach the stadium.
Councilmember Dennis asked whether photometric calculations for the scoreboard had been provided and pressed for a photometric plan; staff said the scoreboard faces south toward commercial properties and the nearest residences lie about a quarter-mile away, and that a photometric plan could be provided. Councilmembers also asked for a clearer depiction of how parking on Midland or Parkview would connect to pedestrian crossings on Bobcat and requested that the district add the crosswalk/path connection to the site plan or include it as a minor modification before final plan sign-off.
Town staff and council acknowledged that post-construction game-night traffic and pedestrian control will be the town’s operational responsibility. The town’s police and public-safety staff told council that supporting game nights will require a crew of crossing guards and officers for pre-game and post-game intervals and estimated per-event public-safety staffing costs in the low-thousands of dollars depending on the number of staff required.
Councilmember Roland welcomed the project but urged staff and the district to maximize pedestrian safety and traffic flow: "When you start to do these things, you don't really know what you're getting into ... let's create as much friction as we possibly can within the law to try and preserve single family use in single family zoning districts," he said, urging enforceable mitigations for neighborhood impacts.
Council voted to adopt the PD amendment as presented; council and district staff agreed to continue collaborative design work on pedestrian connections, on-site circulation and town-led traffic-management plans prior to construction. The district indicated a multi-year construction timeline with likely stadium availability targeted for the 2027–2028 school year, subject to final permitting and scheduling.
Ending: The council approved the PD amendment and directed staff to continue working with Northwest ISD on detailed pedestrian, parking and traffic plans and return to council if site-plan revisions materially change circulation or safety arrangements.
