Farmers Branch council approves zoning change to allow pickleball courts, OKs LED sign with city-use agreement

The Farmers Branch City Council on Jan. 7 adopted Ordinance No. 3901, amending Planned Development No. 99 for the Mercer Boardwalk site at 1920 LBJ Freeway to permit a proposed pickleball facility and a double-sided LED sign, and authorized the city manager to negotiate an agreement allowing city communications to appear on the sign.

The move follows a staff presentation by Sarah Bergman, deputy director of planning, who described the request as a modification to the phase 2 plans for the Mercer Boardwalk development. Bergman said phase 1 is complete and that the applicant seeks to add a pickleball complex and an LED sign that would exceed PD 99 and the city sign code; the proposed sign is roughly 50 feet tall with about 435 square feet of LED display on each side. She told council that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval with modifications and that one letter of support had been received from an adjacent property owner.

Christopher Zilke of Centurion American, the applicant’s representative, told council the developer has largely completed the items it was required to complete from earlier approvals and that the developer remains open to limited city use of the LED sign for emergencies and events. Zilke said two groups have expressed interest in operating the proposed pickleball facilities; he added that detailed plans, potentially with some covered courts and some outdoor courts, would return to council for site-plan approval if the ordinance passed.

During the public-hearing portion, restaurant owner Zee Bugatti (owner of Bugatti restaurant) asked council to consider expedited or prominent signage at the development so customers could find new businesses more easily, noting visibility issues at night.

Council members raised several practical issues: Councilman Omar Roman asked about completion of developer obligations in adjacent districts; Councilwoman Tina Bennett Burton and Councilman Roger Neal asked whether courts would be lighted and whether the city’s rights to use the LED sign were documented; and Councilman David Reid emphasized the need for clear language governing city use. Staff said a separate agreement would govern advertising and use of the sign and that the city manager would have discretion to authorize city communications under the recommended language.

Councilman David Reid moved to adopt Ordinance No. 3901 as modified to include authorization for the city manager to negotiate and sign an agreement allowing the city to display Farmers Branch event-related communications on the LED sign; Councilman Richard Jackson seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The ordinance amendment allows pickleball as a permitted use but does not approve construction details; any actual site or building plans will require subsequent submittal and council approval, staff said. The Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommended conditions and the corrected ordinance reference (section 2b, not 2k) were also included in the packet.

The council vote concludes the zoning step for the conceptual changes; design, lighting specifications, the final sign permit and a separate city-developer agreement on sign use remain to be completed before the LED display is activated.

The public hearing and vote occurred during the Jan. 7 council meeting at Farmers Branch City Hall.