The City of Anna Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-2 on Jan. 6, 2025 to deny a rezoning request by developer JPI for about 34.7 acres on the north side of East Foster Crossing.

The proposal would have rezoned the site to a planned-development district allowing two-story rental townhome units at a requested density of 14 units per acre and roughly 11.6 acres of local commercial. The developer said the plan would include about 260 townhome units, new commercial tracts, and internal amenities; staff and the applicant characterized the request as a revision of an earlier plan that was previously rejected.

City staff told commissioners the applicant seeks two specific ordinance modifications: an increase in maximum townhome density from 12 to 14 units per acre and an alternative open-space calculation that would set required usable open space at 15% of net area rather than the zoning ordinance's formula. Staff said the ordinance method would require about 247,000 square feet (about 5.7 acres) of usable open space under current rules; the applicant's 15% proposal equates to roughly 121,000 square feet (about 2.78 acres).

Why it matters: Commissioners and dozens of nearby residents said the change would conflict with the city's Anna 2050 comprehensive plan's suburban-living place type, increase traffic on West Foster Crossing, reduce meaningful green space, and risk harm to nearby farming operations and neighborhood character. The proposal also prompted detailed questions about the alignment and timing of Ferguson Parkway, a planned north-south corridor whose route through the area is tied to federal and state funding and an environmental clearance process.

City staff described the Ferguson Parkway project as a long-standing capital improvement with an 80/20 state/federal match through the North Central Texas Council of Governments and TxDOT, and warned that federal funding steps lengthen the schedule. "The upside to that is it's an 80 20 match so the city is only paying for 20 percent of those costs," said a city staff member during the hearing. Staff also explained the city can and sometimes must amend a federally funded corridor alignment if an approved development requires it, but that process involves TxDOT review and environmental amendment rather than a simple redesign.

The applicant's team told the commission it revised an earlier, larger plan after feedback. Brian Grant of JPI said the plan now proposed two-story townhomes rather than three-story multifamily and added more commercial: "We've taken a lot of feedback from that plan... and I think we've done a good job of addressing those," he said. James Craig of Craig International, the project's commercial partner, told the commission the site is not commercially viable for traditional single-family development in today's market and that single-family layouts would yield only about 80 to 105 lots on the tract.

Public comment was strongly opposed. Multiple Pecan Grove residents argued the site's future-land-use designation calls for suburban single-family development and said the townhome plan would harm property values, increase noise and light pollution, and reduce canopy trees along Foster Crossing. Foster Crossing Pecans owners said shifting the parkway alignment would bisect an active pecan operation and could put their farm out of business. "We're in a business out there... If this is approved, it's gonna likely put us out of business," said Jim Luscum, who identified himself as an owner of Foster Crossing Pecans.

Commission action and outcome: A first motion to approve the rezoning contingent on meeting the city's roadway plan failed. A subsequent motion to deny the rezoning passed by a 4-2 vote, denying the applicant's rezoning request and leaving the property's existing zoning in place.

Votes at a glance (agenda item 12): Motion to deny passed, 4-2 (final tally).