Council approves 4‑story Polk Street apartment project after hours of debate, adds retail-ready condition

Richardson City Council narrowly approved a special development plan for the Polk Street residences — a proposed 279‑unit apartment project on three acres south of Polk Street between Texas Street and Greenville Avenue — after lengthy public comment and follow‑up meetings between the developer and neighbors.

The project by Trammell Crow/High Street Residential would wrap a five‑level parking structure with apartments and provide 279 units in a mix of studio, one‑ and two‑bedroom floor plans; the developer told council it expects the units to average about 846 square feet. Brian McNally of Legacy Partners (presenting for a different project earlier) described a similar project type as “a high‑end apartment community,” and Joel Varens of Trammell Crow told the council the team is “excited to be here.”

City staff and the applicants framed the request as a special development plan under the Main Street / Central Expressway form‑based code, meaning the developer sought exceptions to several development standards so the site could be redeveloped as a single, coordinated project rather than smaller, separate blocks. The applicant asked the council to allow: a fourth story (an increase of roughly nine feet above the three‑story limit for the subdistrict), a block‑length exception that would combine two blocks into one approximately 580‑foot block, reduced on‑site open space (the plan proposes roughly 12.1% combined private/public open area versus 15% required), and a parking approach that…