Argyle commissioners table Scribe Church site plan after concerns about buffers, parking and tree removal

The Argyle Planning and Zoning Commission on April 2 tabled consideration of a site plan and multiple variances for a proposed Scribe Church on two lots in the Woods of Argyle subdivision, directing the applicant to return with revisions.

Harrison, planning staff, said the site — at 809 FM 407 West immediately south of Argyle ISD property under construction — had been annexed and rezoned to SF‑2.5 to allow the church's non‑residential use. Because non‑residential uses in that district reference the town's office/retail standards, the project must meet certain commercial-site requirements, Harrison said. The applicant proposes a 10,700-square-foot, one‑story building with a 194‑seat sanctuary and children's area, a main driveway aligned with AISD's west driveway and an additional future driveway on the east side of the lot.

The applicant requested multiple variances: reduced building articulation from the town's 80‑foot interval standard; a reduced buffer yard between the parking area and adjacent residential lots on the east (proposing 10 feet instead of the 50‑foot F buffer ordinarily required, along with a living screen and a 5‑foot pipe‑and‑rail fence instead of an 8‑foot masonry wall); and permission to place more than 10% of required parking in front of the building. The staff report noted the applicant proposed 91 parking spaces overall (65 spaces required by the sanctuary seating ratio), with about 78% of the required parking located in front of the building.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on headlights, lighting, noise and the proximity of parking to neighboring homes. Commissioner comments repeatedly urged increasing the buffer between parking and houses, moving parking to the rear, or reorienting the building so the sanctuary would not face residential yards. Applicant representatives including Matthew Holtman of Holtman Design Works and the applicant said some site constraints — including fire department circulation requirements and existing easements — limited options but that layouts could be revised. Holtman said removing the 18 parking spaces on the east edge and expanding the buffer would allow a larger planted buffer and reduce headlight intrusion.

Staff recommended approval to town council only with conditions: increase the east buffer adjacent to residential to 30 feet by eliminating the 18 parking spaces facing east (reducing provided parking from 91 to 73, which still exceeds the 65 required), provide a turnaround (an 80‑foot diameter cul‑de‑sac or hammerhead) for fire vehicles if fire lanes exceed the allowable length, revise the landscape plan to show required buffer landscaping on the north and east, and ensure the photometric plan meets town luminance limits adjacent to residential.

After public notice and an open hearing with no speakers, commissioners concluded further revisions were needed. A motion to table passed unanimously; the commission set the next date for reconsideration as May 7.

Votes at a glance: Planning and Zoning Commission — motion to table consideration of the Scribe Church site plan to May 7; outcome: tabled, 6-0.

Next steps: The applicant will revise the site plan and variances, coordinating with town staff on buffer, parking and photometric changes, and return to the commission on May 7.