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Planning commission approves 68-acre rezoning for northern Denton gateway
Summary
The Denton Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 to rezone about 68 acres at the city's north gateway from PD-142 Hillcrest Center to a planned-development general office overlay that would allow warehousing, light industrial and office uses under updated design and landscaping requirements.
The Denton Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 on Aug. 27 to rezone about 68 acres at the city's northern gateway from PD-142 Hillcrest Center to a Planned Development overlay using the General Office (GEO) base district. The rezoning, presented by Julie Wyatt, principal planner, would apply updated development standards and additional landscaping and screening along Loop 288, Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 77.
The rezoning request, identified in staff materials as Z258Cat35, is intended to facilitate employment-focused development including warehouses, light industrial and office space; any use permitted in the GEO district could be built if the rezoning is approved and subsequent site plans meet code. "This request is to rezone the property from PD 142 Hillcrest Center to planned development general office on approximately 68 acres and the purpose of this is to facilitate the development of an industrial use," Wyatt said during the public hearing.
Staff recommended approval, concluding the overlay is consistent with the city's comprehensive plan and the Denton Development Code where the PD does not make deviations. The proposed overlay adds conditions to reflect the site's gateway role: 30-foot and 35-foot landscape buffers along specified rights of way; enhanced building frontage standards including a minimum percentage of windows on main entrances; prohibition of dock doors facing rights-of-way or front yards without screening; and limits on accessory outdoor storage (materials other than trailer parking limited to 30% of truck court areas). Wyatt told commissioners these measures aim to improve visual quality at a major city gateway and to modernize standards that date back to the PD's 1991 adoption.
Miles Terry, representing developer Jackson Shaw, presented design examples and economic estimates. Terry said the first phase would deliver in 2027 and the second in 2029, and that the project's first-year fully built appraised value could reach roughly $100 million. An economic consultant's estimate provided by the applicant projected about $39 million in tax revenue to the city over 25 years and roughly $128 million total to overlapping taxing jurisdictions; the applicant also estimated about 616 jobs with an average wage near $63,000 per year.
Commissioners asked staff and the applicant about planned Texas Department of Transportation improvements to Loop 288 and how future right-of-way takings could affect the overlay buffers. Wyatt said TxDOT has acquired right-of-way along the property's south frontage and that frontage roads and a direct connector to I-35 are planned but not expected to move forward until the late 2020s or later; the 30- and 35-foot landscape buffers are intended to provide flexibility if TxDOT requires additional land. Wyatt noted that the Denton Development Code generally does not obligate property owners to replace landscaping that is removed because of a public right-of-way acquisition but staff coordinates site reconfiguration to come as close as possible to code standards when that occurs.
During the public hearing the applicant described design choices intended to screen truck courts and loading docks from the rights-of-way and to emphasize glazed entries and building articulation at visible frontages. "We've been really thoughtful about our site plan and the way we've designed this is all our truck courts are all screened by buildings," Miles Terry said.
The rezoning drew one written letter of support from an adjacent property owner; no public speakers registered opposition. Commissioner Clay Riggs was nominated separately and approved to serve as vice chair earlier in the meeting; commissioners then voted to approve the rezoning ordinance on a motion by Commissioner Dyer, seconded by Commissioner Garland. The motion carried 4-0.
If the PD overlay is applied, any future development would require separate site-plan or PD compliance reviews where standards in the adopted overlay take precedence only where the PD explicitly modifies the Denton Development Code.
