Developers propose 16 one-acre lots at James Creek; neighbors demand drainage studies and reject Wood Creek cut-through

Jerry Statham and Torin Johnson presented a preliminary plan for a 16-lot residential subdivision on roughly 25 acres of the Arthur James property ("James Creek") at a City of Southlake SPIN meeting.

Statham, identifying himself as a local developer, said the proposal would feature 16 lots of at least one acre each, with most lots larger than one acre. “It truly is our intent to keep that as natural looking as possible back there,” he told attendees. The developers said they plan limited street widths that meet city requirements, to preserve mature trees and natural character, and to avoid changes to the existing pond and stream footprint where possible.

Neighbors responding at length said flooding and drainage are an existing, recurring problem in the Post Oak Trail, Cross Timber Hills and surrounding neighborhoods and asked for an independent or city-verified hydrology study before significant approvals. Kristen Lilly, a Post Oak Trail resident, said the neighborhood has repeatedly experienced flooding and called on the city to address cumulative drainage impacts from prior developments. Multiple speakers described visible erosion, standing water, and damage to trees they attribute to upstream runoff.

The access plan drew strong opposition. The developers said an earlier plan included a city platted access easement into Post Oak but that they removed that option after neighborhood feedback. Statham said they were considering access primarily from Peytonville and a second group of lots accessing near Wood Creek, but many residents said any connection to Wood Creek would be unacceptable. “Opening Wood Creek to this new subdivision is abhorrent for us,” said Barbara Atkins of Cross Timber Hills, citing narrow streets, safety for elderly residents and the likelihood of heavy construction traffic.

Technical and regulatory constraints were discussed at the meeting. A resident asked whether Southlake requires two points of access for multiple homes; a developer replied that cul-de-sac rules limit length and that a single point of access may legally serve up to about 20 homes, putting the 16-lot plan within standard limits. The developers said they've ordered a tree survey and an arborist will quantify canopy impacts; Statham said his initial survey showed many trees larger than six inches and that the city's canopy policy limits reductions in canopy, a threshold the team said they would design around.

Residents suggested specific mitigation measures: limiting construction access to Peytonville, adding retention or detention features (one resident suggested a pond at the entrance to capture runoff), increasing building setbacks adjacent to existing yards, and committing to architectural and landscape controls to keep new houses consistent with surrounding neighborhoods. Developers said they were prepared to discuss architectural controls and neighborhood standards, and that they would consider additional engineering to increase drainage capacity when feasible and acceptable to the city.

Several nearby residents described prior development projects that increased downstream flows and said Cross Timber Hills has borne the cumulative impacts. Longtime neighbors urged the developer and the city to address the broader upstream-downstream drainage network rather than treating the James property in isolation.

The developers said they have not closed on the land and that some details remain unsettled, including builder selection and exact lot footprints. They said they had reduced the project from 18 to 16 lots after early feedback and expected to provide building standards and more detailed plans in coming months; they estimated sharing additional materials by mid-September in their schedule for Planning & Zoning submission.

No approvals were requested or made at the SPIN meeting; the presentation was an informational step. The developers said Art James's house on the property will be removed if the project proceeds. Attendees were reminded that formal review and votes occur at Planning & Zoning and at City Council.