Planning commission approves Grace Park final plat, requires tree mitigation and CC&Rs

Bedford planning staff and commissioners on June 12 approved the final plat for the Grace Park addition, clearing the way for building permits for roughly 40 single-family lots and two common open-space lots on about 8.691 acres south of Cheeksbarger Road and east of Central Drive.

City staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission the proposed final plat conforms to the approved concept plan and MD3 zoning and meets the city's subdivision regulations and the requirements of Chapter 212 of the Local Government Code. Staff said infrastructure for the subdivision has reached the city's 75% threshold for development, which allows the plat to move to final approval and for building permits to be processed.

The plat covers Lots 1'Through 19, Block 1 and Lots 1'Through 23, Block 2 of the Grace Park addition, a replat of part of Lot 1, Block 1 of the Woodland Heights addition and a portion of the Garrett Teeter survey. Access will be via two new public streets dedicated by the plat: Legacy Oaks Lane (east'west) and Grayspark Lane (north'south). Staff said the streets will connect to Central Drive and Cheeksbarger Road via a 50'foot public right-of-way.

During the public hearing and follow-up questions, commissioners and nearby residents raised concerns about tree preservation, parking and homeowners association restrictions. One commissioner asked whether the development included 710 caliper inches of protected trees; city staff confirmed that number and said the developer has submitted a mitigation plan that combines planting new trees and paying into the city's tree preservation fund to address removed protected trees.

Mike Collins, representing Bloomfield Homes, said the developer plans to plant native hardwoods such as live oaks and cedar elms and confirmed during the hearing that Bloomfield Homes had committed during the zoning process to include deed restrictions (CC&Rs) addressing parking. "We had committed to you to do that during the zoning," Collins said.

Commissioners discussed right-of-way and setbacks. A commissioner clarified that the 50'foot dimension described in staff reports refers to the new dedicated streets (Legacy Oaks Lane and Grayspark Lane) running between Central Drive and Cheeksbarger Road; staff said there is some right-of-way dedicated along Cheeksbarger but no additional right-of-way being dedicated along Central Drive beyond the new internal streets.

After closing the public hearing, Commissioner J.R. Smith moved to approve the final plat (Plat 24-3) as presented; Commissioner Roger Galenstine seconded. The commission voted unanimously to approve the final plat (vote recorded as unanimous). The approval formally allows the developer to proceed to the next steps, including processing building permits.

The record shows the preliminary plat for the property was approved in January 2024 and the rezoning to MD3 was approved in November 2023. Staff noted one mailed notification to an adjacent church about the replat; staff said the city had not received a response from the church.

The commission did not adopt any additional conditions on the plat at the meeting beyond relying on the mitigation plan the applicant submitted to address protected trees and the developer's prior commitments on CC&Rs. The developer and city staff indicated they would be available to respond to any outstanding technical questions as construction and permit reviews proceed.