Hurst City Council denies Valentine Oaks Homes site plan after residents raise privacy, traffic and drainage concerns

Hurst City Council on an unspecified date voted 4-1 to deny Ordinance 25-97, reading to consider Site Plan 20250003 for “Valentine Oaks Homes,” a proposed two‑building development at 912 Barbara Ann Drive.

The proposal called for two two‑story quadplex buildings (eight residential units total) on a 0.788‑acre lot in a mixed‑use zone. Staff and the applicant said the project would provide 19 on‑site parking spaces (the ordinance minimum is 16), include sidewalks on Barbara Ann Drive, and meet the two‑story minimum for the zoning district; the applicant offered a condition to frost second‑floor north‑facing windows to address privacy concerns.

The project drew substantial public opposition during the public hearing. Multiple residents questioned visibility into backyards, the height and scale of two‑story buildings next to one‑story homes, potential increased traffic and on‑street parking, and drainage from the site to a nearby constructed channel. A resident who spoke for neighbors said the proposal would create “too many people, too many” on the parcel and urged council to deny the request.

Developer Sirfraz Hansraj and applicant representative Jason Tapton described neighborhood outreach efforts and the proposed standards for the development. Hansraj said the units would be “modern, high quality” and argued renters would likely be financially stable; he told council the property management company’s published rental criteria require applicants to earn at least three times the rent and that the management firm does not accept Section 8 housing. Hansraj said the proposed monthly rent would be approximately $2,400 and that the site is roughly 130 feet from the nearest single‑family home, with a creek buffer to the east and a vacant lot to the north.

City staff explained technical aspects of the site plan: a required emergency access drive approved by the fire department, a proposed landscape plan with street trees and screening shrubs, and that civil engineering during later design will be required to ensure the development does not increase peak flows to the existing channel. Staff also confirmed a petition presented with signatures was verified and did not meet the supermajority threshold, so the item required only a simple majority vote of the council.

Council action came after discussion of two motions. One council member moved to approve the ordinance with a stipulation that the north‑facing second‑floor windows be frosted; that motion failed for lack of a second. Another council member then moved to deny Ordinance 25‑97; that motion passed 4‑1.

After the vote the mayor asked the developer to continue discussions with neighbors to find a mutually acceptable solution.

The city file references: Ordinance 25‑97 (Site Plan 20250003 — Valentine Oaks Homes).