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Council approves rezoning for 89-unit townhome development on Shiloh Road despite neighborhood concerns
Summary
The council approved a planned-development district to allow 89 attached townhome units on an approximately 7-acre parcel at 3600 Shiloh Road; planner and applicant described setbacks, open space, architecture and screening walls; one nearby resident opposed, citing a prior medical‑campus vision.
The Richardson City Council voted Thursday to rezone about 7 acres at 3600 Shiloh Road to a planned-development district allowing an 89-unit townhome community proposed by Pulte Group.
City senior planner Derek Peters described the project as a 20-building, primarily three‑story townhome plan with two points of access from Shiloh Road, a 60‑foot setback from Shiloh that will include a 30‑foot drainage and utility easement plus a 30‑foot landscaped buffer, a network of private streets and 27% open space. The plan showed a 2,000‑square‑foot dog park and a 5,000‑square‑foot central open area with seating and lighting. The applicant proposes a 6‑foot masonry screening wall on the east and south property lines and an extension of an existing 8‑foot masonry wall along the north property line.
Pulte’s presenter, Matt Dunwall, said the planned product will primarily be three‑story townhomes with an average price point “in the low to mid $500s” (as stated by the applicant) and that the company prefers three‑story units but included two‑story elevations as a market-flexibility option. He said parking is provided through two‑car garages plus approximately 0.75 guest spaces per unit, located principally along the eastern and southern property edges.
Resident Larry Moore, who lives north of the site, spoke in opposition at the public hearing. Moore said the area was long envisioned as a medical cluster tied to the nearby hospital and that the proposed three‑story townhomes do not fit the neighborhood character. He also said prior uses approved for the parcel (a nursing facility was developed and a private‑school special permit had been approved but not built) reflected an earlier plan for the property.
Council members debated the fit with the city’s Envision Richardson future‑land‑use map, which lists neighborhood‑service and neighborhood‑residential place types and identifies attached single‑family as a contemplated use in the area. Several council members, including Councilmember Jennifer Justice, said the requested use aligns with the city’s plan and the council approved the planned development ordinance and associated variance allowing lots without direct frontage and the requested height exceptions. The council passed the ordinance by unanimous vote.
Why it matters: The parcel has been vacant for years and has seen several prior zoning approvals that did not result in construction. The change brings a denser residential product bordering single‑family housing and light industrial/office uses; staff said screening, setbacks and the homeowners association maintenance obligations are intended to reduce impacts on adjacent properties.
What’s next: Staff and the applicant will finalize platting, engineering and permitting. The applicant indicated it would seek grading and construction approvals to begin work, with an anticipated ground‑breaking in 2026 if schedules and market conditions hold.
