Benbrook council denies Rowan Ranch rezoning after floodplain and developer-conduct concerns

The Benbrook City Council on Aug. 21 voted to deny a rezoning application for about 80 acres known as Rowan Ranch, rejecting a plan that would have rezoned roughly 62.4 acres to BR (one-family reduced) and 17.5 acres to D (multi-family).

The request, filed as PZ-2025-037-25-06, would have changed the property at 4501 West Loop 820 South from a CPD (plan development district) adopted under Ordinance 1490 to standard base zoning. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval, but dozens of residents spoke in opposition at the council meeting and staff noted a formal written protest within 200 feet that triggered the city’s protest threshold under Texas law.

Why it matters: roughly 55 acres of the site lie in the FEMA-designated floodplain; citizens and several engineers warned that changes to Mary's Creek could increase downstream velocities or water surface elevations. Council members and staff stressed that a rezoning would only change the property’s zoning classification and would not itself authorize construction or creek work — but opponents argued rezoning would remove the flexibility the prior PD ordinance provided to preserve open space and require site-specific mitigation.

Developer presentation, engineering claims Corey Waldrop, the applicant, told council the rezoning would align zoning with the city’s 2020 comprehensive plan and said Rowan Ranch would deliver a mix of single-family housing, walking trails and private amenities. He said the concept plan shows about 178 proposed lots and a target build start in 2026. Builder partner David Weekley Homes described home prices “starting in the mid-$500,000s and extending into the $700,000s.” Beau Pedigo of David Weekley and Jake Bridal of…