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Council approves Liberty Commons zoning with 14 lots; drive-thru removed, tree and U-turn conditions added
Summary
The council approved an ARPUD and SP-1 zoning package for Liberty Commons (1963 W. Southlake Blvd./200 S. Peytonville Ave.), limiting the retail building to a non-drive-thru restaurant, requiring homeowner tree plantings, a no-U-turn sign at Peytonville during school-zone hours, and other conditions.
The Southlake City Council on May 20 approved a zoning change and development plan for a mixed residential-and-retail project called Liberty Commons, allowing 14 single-family lots and an SP-1 district for four office/retail buildings on land at 1963 W. Southlake Boulevard and 200 S. Peytonville Avenue.
The applicant, represented by Curtis Young of Sage Group, said the residential portion would include 14 lots all larger than 20,000 square feet and that the commercial pad is planned for a roughly 3,400-square-foot retail building with a possible restaurant use. After extensive public comment raising traffic and tree-preservation concerns, the applicant agreed not to include drive-through service in the retail restaurant building as part of the approved zoning. Young told council, "If you feel that the drive thru is inappropriate here, then let's remove the drive thru portion from that." The council also recorded multiple public speakers who opposed the drive-through and tree removal, including residents Sanjay Varabathina, Hillary Raveler and Melissa Parrott.
Planning staff described revisions submitted between first and second reading that increased tree preservation on the site from single-digit canopy percentages toward roughly 43% retention under the revised plan. The council also added a requirement that each home plant two trees and corner lots plant three trees; staff will enforce tree requirements through zoning/deed restrictions and subsequent site-plan and house-plan review. Council members additionally required the city to install a no-U-turn sign on South Peytonville Avenue with hours concurrent with the school zone to address residents' concerns about forced U-turns.
Council members discussed driveway and circulation impacts and expressed concern about potential queuing if a busy drive-through were allowed next to Carroll Senior High School; that concern was a material reason council removed drive-through approval now. The motion approving zoning and site plan noted the applicant agreed to no front-loading garages (with limited allowance for a single-car garage set back behind a side-entry two-car garage), that the SUP/site-plan review summary would govern development conditions, and that each home must plant the specified trees.
The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. The ordinance approvals were recorded as ordinance numbers 480-833 and 480-832 for the respective zoning changes. The council noted the approvals were subject to the staff report and site-plan summaries included in the council packet.
Why it matters: The decision clears a long-discussed infill parcel for mixed development while addressing neighbors' primary objections about tree loss, traffic and a drive-through restaurant adjacent to a high school. The planting and preservation requirements and the no-U-turn signage are intended to mitigate those concerns.
What to watch next: The applicant must comply with final site-plan and building-elevation approvals for the retail building and recording of deed restrictions and tree/landscaping obligations before permits are issued.
