Little Elm council adopts planned-development amendment and development agreement for Lloyds Road subdivision

The Little Elm Town Council unanimously approved an amendment to a planned development and a companion development agreement affecting a roughly 60.599-acre parcel near the intersection of Lloyds Road and Benbrook Road on Thursday evening.

Town staff presented Ordinance No. 1794, described in the staff presentation as a planned-development amendment for the Perry Oaks parcel within the larger Prairie Oaks subdivision. The council approved the ordinance by voice vote, 4-0, and subsequently approved a development agreement between the town and John Dowdle that memorializes project changes and funding commitments.

The amendment does not add residential lots or alter the overall density, town planning staff said. Miss Olga, a town planner, told the council the revision reshapes existing lots within the phase, programs two amenity areas (a dog park and a playground with a connecting trail), clarifies where wrought-iron and wooden fencing will be used, and formalizes funding and siting for an emergency warning siren. "Doesn't alter any of the development use, density. We're not decreasing any open space or just clarifying some language, reorienting some of the lots," Miss Olga said during the public hearing. The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval, 6-0.

The development agreement ties those site-plan clarifications to specific town and developer responsibilities. Council and staff said the agreement also reflects coordination on a traffic signal at Lloyds Road and FM 720 (referred to in the hearing as FM 720/Benbrook Road), for which town staff said the intersection had met the engineering "warrant" required by TxDOT and that the developer will contribute a substantial portion of the funding. Town staff member Wesley told the council: "It is a state highway, so it's ultimately a TxDOT decision, but that has recently warranted. And so, the developer is contributing a significant amount of the funding to make that light a reality." The agreement also relocates the previously planned siren from within the subdivision to town-owned property adjacent to the town's fire/police compound.

Two residents who live in or near the affected area spoke during the public hearing and raised safety and amenity concerns. Tiffany, who gave her address as 9608 Acorn Lane and said her 6-year-old son is autistic, urged the council to address speeding and pedestrian safety in neighborhood connections, saying that drivers were "flying through" the new Wildridge connection and that she no longer felt safe letting her children walk home. Caitlin McKenna, 921 Bedford, asked who holds the developer accountable for promised amenities and said the existing amenity center is small and already crowded; she said future phases will increase use of pools and open space.

Council and staff described the town's options for neighborhood traffic enforcement and signage. Town staff said Little Elm does not install speed bumps in neighborhoods and that the town's traffic-safety committee and police enforcement typically provide better results. The police chief agreed to have traffic unit staff review the locations raised by speakers and to coordinate with other jurisdictions where streets cross municipal boundaries; multiple speakers noted parts of the nearby Wildridge connection are in Oak Point or unincorporated Denton County.

After public comment, the council closed the public hearing and approved Ordinance No. 1794 and the development agreement by voice vote, 4-0. The council later recessed to executive session and returned with no further action on unrelated matters.

The ordinance and development agreement now move to implementation steps that require coordination with the developer and with state transportation officials for the traffic signal; the town will also place the relocated siren on town property as described in the agreement.