Council approves Chapter 380 development agreement for Eastern Hills site east of South Country Club Road

The Garland City Council on March 18 unanimously approved a chapter 380 development agreement with Trilogy, a Georgia-based residential developer, for the 178-acre former Eastern Hills Country Club property east of South Country Club Road adjacent to Lake Ray Hubbard.

City staff said the project would follow the previously approved planned development (PD) and deliver up to the PD’s maximum of single-family homes, with a required minimum home-sale price of $500,000 and a minimum of 35% open space maintained by the homeowners association. The developer requested a rebate of roughly $3,400,000 in development fees; staff estimated the new development value at approximately $150 million and projected new property tax revenue of roughly $830,000–$900,000 annually once built out.

Assistant City Manager Andy Hesser told council the agreement is a chapter 380 economic development contract under state statute and includes performance controls and milestones. Those milestones require timely building permits and construction of two amenity centers (a pool/clubhouse/restroom complex and a second center with offices and conference rooms); if milestones are not met within roughly three years the city may halt additional building permits until amenities are completed.

The agreement preserves the PD’s site standards, including minimum home sizes and lot-type percentages called out in the 2018 PD, and the PD will prevail in any discrepancy, Hesser said. He noted the final fiscal projections depend on the Dallas Central Appraisal District values and exemptions such as homestead or veteran’s exemptions.

Members of the public who spoke on the item included nearby residents who said they supported development that followed the PD and believed new homes would increase south Garland property values. Council members asked clarifying questions about the rebate payback period (city staff said the foregone revenue would be recovered in roughly three to three-and-a-half years under current projections) and about trail easements and connectivity shown on the developer exhibits.

Mayor Pro Tem Moore moved to approve the chapter 380 development agreement as presented; Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Luck seconded the motion. The council voted to approve the agreement unanimously.

The agreement is not a zoning decision; it is a financial/performance contract under state law tied to the approved PD. The PD’s detailed standards (lot types, minimum square footage tiers, and open-space requirements) remain the controlling land-use document for the site.