Commission recommends denial of FM 2551 access plat amid TxDOT, floodplain and ETJ questions

The Parker Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 13 recommended that city council deny an access plat that would create a divided entryway from FM 2551 into adjacent property, after staff and the city’s consulting engineer raised multiple technical and jurisdictional concerns.

City consulting engineer Gary Hendricks told the commission the proposed connection point on FM 2551 is located within a transition for a southbound left-turn bay and would be rejected by TxDOT as an access point. “That connection point… is not an acceptable location point. TxDOT would deny this location point,” Hendricks said.

Hendricks also said the plat does not dedicate right-of-way (instead showing an access easement), a treatment that would strand a nonconforming lot and reduce a lot shown as 1.433 acres to about 0.68 acres after the easement is applied. He added the roadway would extend into an area shown as FEMA special flood hazard and that no flood study has been provided; he said such a study and conditional letters of map revision may be required before construction.

Developer counsel Misty Ventura said the connectivity plan and TxDOT permit application were submitted and asked the commission to forward the plat subject to comments being addressed. Commissioners expressed concern about unresolved TxDOT permitting and ETJ (extraterritorial jurisdiction) status. The chair convened an executive session for legal advice under Texas Government Code §551.071 to discuss ETJ and statutory implications; after returning to open session the commission moved to recommend denial of the access plat.

What’s next: The commission’s recommendation will go to city council; staff and developer may need to resolve TxDOT permitting, provide floodplain studies or conditional map revisions, and clarify ETJ/release legal status before council can act.