Commission backs Armstrong Hills planned development but deadlocks on future‑land‑use map change

The City of Keller Planning and Zoning Commission voted March 11 to recommend approval, 6-1, of a rezoning that would create the Armstrong Hills planned development (PD) on about 49 acres near the Davis Boulevard and Creek Road intersection. The PD would rezone the property from single-family (SF-36) to a plan-development district with lots proposed as small as 20,000 square feet; the developer’s plan shows 49 residential lots and roughly 16.6% open space.

A linked request to change the city’s future land-use plan designation from low-density single family (36,000 sq. ft. and up) to medium-density single family (15,000–35,999 sq. ft.) resulted in a 3-3 tie at the commission; under the city’s rules a tie is a recommendation for denial, so the commission will send a recommendation of denial on the future-land-use amendment to City Council.

Planning staffer Sarah Hensley summarized the developer’s submittal and noted where the PD deviates from the Unified Development Code (UDC): 13 of the proposed 49 lots are smaller than the SF-25 base zoning minimum (about 26% of lots), a flat 10-foot side-yard setback is proposed in lieu of the UDC’s 10% of lot width (not to exceed 15 feet), and garage-door exposure and…