Neighbors, developer split over office vs. residential at 1835 Shady Oaks; commission tables zoning decision

The City of Southlake Planning & Zoning Commission on Feb. 20 heard an extended presentation and multiple public comments about a proposed land-use amendment and zoning change for 1835 Shady Oaks, a narrow 21-acre parcel along State Highway 114. The applicant presented both a mixed commercial-and-residential concept and a late-submitted all-residential option; commissioners and residents expressed conditional support for the all-residential plan but asked the applicant to refine access, buffering and lot-size details.

John Huffman, the applicant and project representative, said his client owns the site and initially presented mixed-use options to city leadership and the corridor review process. Huffman told the commission the team prefers an all-residential plan and has prepared multiple iterations in response to neighbor input. The proposal shown to the commission included a residential concept with approximately 16 lots in an SF-20-style configuration, three one-acre SF-1A lots along Shady Oaks, a 40-foot to 50-foot landscape buffer along Shady Oaks, and a 30-foot buffer along Highway 114. The applicant also showed a commercial alternative that would place roughly 44,000 square feet of leasable office space along 114 with a parking ratio stated in the submittal (recorded as "1 space per 242 square feet" in staff materials).

Neighbors and neighborhood representatives spoke repeatedly in favor of residential development over commercial use. John Speyer (Fox Glen resident) said residents prefer the all-residential plan and opposed a cut-through connection between Shady Oaks and the frontage road. Greg Krause, president of the Garden Court Homeowners Association, urged a careful approach to tree preservation and called for sound attenuation measures if trees are removed along 114. Multiple speakers asked that any new street align with Garden Court to avoid creating an additional cut-through on Shady Oaks.

Commissioners and staff raised several technical and process issues for the developer to address before the item returns. Specific points included: whether an entrance or exit onto Highway 114 is appropriate and, if so, what TxDOT-imposed right-turn taper, deceleration/acceleration lanes or sight-distance requirements would be required; how access design would affect tree preservation and lot yields; whether a resident-only gated connection to 114 should be allowed; and whether sound mitigation should be accomplished by vegetative buffering, masonry wall or other measures without creating an unattractive wall at the rear of properties.

The applicant acknowledged some details remain conceptual and asked to table the land-use amendment and zoning/concept-plan items to allow further coordination with staff and neighbors. The commission voted 7-0 to table agenda items 8 (land-use amendment) and 9 (zoning change and concept plan for 1835 Shady Oaks) to the April 3, 2025 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting at the applicant's request.

The public record during the hearing included two written neighbor responses submitted after the packet was mailed (one in favor, one opposed) and a narrative from a homeowners association representative. Commissioners said they were generally open to the all-residential concept but wanted the applicant to refine access geometry, TxDOT coordination, buffering and lot-size clarity before the commission makes a recommendation to City Council.