Commission approves Willow Bend planned‑development amendment and revised concept plan, 4–1

Plano Planning and Zoning Commissioners voted 4–1 on Feb. 3 to recommend approval of Zoning Case 2024‑020, an amendment to Planned Development (PD) 71, and a related revised concept plan for The Shops at Willow Bend, a mixed‑use redevelopment of the Willow Bend Mall property.

The amendment allows single‑family attached and detached units as part of the overall 965‑unit cap, reconfigures the open‑space plan, reduces the largest contiguous open space from about 2 acres to 1.5 acres, and adjusts phasing and development standards for the 89.1‑acre site along the Dallas North Tollway. Staff and the applicant said the total required open space will remain at 10 acres and the maximum unit count will not increase.

Why it matters: Centennial, the applicant and owner of several parcels at Willow Bend, is repositioning the aging mall into a mixed‑use center that retains some existing retail anchors while adding residential, hotel and public spaces. The commission’s action moves the plan to City Council review; several commissioners said revisions improved the project but raised parking and design concerns.

Molly Coriel, senior planner with the city’s planning department, told commissioners the revised concept preserves the northern portion of the mall, would demolish the southern portion that includes Macy’s, keeps the hotel along the tollway, and adopts a new open‑space and phasing plan as part of PD 71. Coriel said the plan would allow single‑family attached units to follow urban mixed‑use standards…