Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Development Hotel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rowlett council approves warrants and site plan for proposed Avalon Bayside hotel
Summary
The council unanimously approved site-plan warrants and a development plan for a proposed five‑story, ~200‑key dual‑brand hotel at Sunset Boulevard and Dalrock Road after staff and the applicant explained multiple deviations from the city’s form‑based code and Planning & Zoning recommended approval 6–0.
The Rowlett City Council on Dec. 17 approved warrants and a site development plan for a proposed five‑story, roughly 200‑room dual-brand hotel on a 3.204‑acre site near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Dalrock Road.
Cory Rimi, the city’s director of community development, reviewed a long list of deviations the applicant requested from the form‑based urban village code, including modifications to the build‑to zone and block‑face requirements, a request to reduce sidewalk width in places from 12 feet to 6 feet, reductions in required glazing/transparency at the ground and upper floors, reduced street‑tree counts where utility easements constrain planting, and signage exceptions including multiple wall signs larger than the 30‑square‑foot limit and a proposed 5‑foot, 40‑square‑foot monument sign.
Rimi said Planning & Zoning recommended the warrants and site plan 6–0. The applicant’s representative, Maxwell Fisher of Zone Dev, told the council the project originally proposed 177 parking spaces in the packet but had reached out with changes to provide 183 spaces; Rimi explained the form‑based requirement was about 202 spaces for hotel and an additional six for a limited conference center. Fisher said the applicant has a draft shared‑parking agreement with Avalon that "would be in perpetuity, would run with the land," meaning the agreement is intended to remain if ownership of the hotel changes.
Council members asked several practical questions about glazing and tree counts; Rimi described the glazing requirement as an aesthetic/design element of the form‑based code intended to promote a specific street character rather than a safety standard. Fisher displayed renderings and elevations to show sign proportion and placement; Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Shinder said seeing the rendering "allayed" her concerns about three‑sided signage and expressed excitement about the project.
Council member Reeves moved to approve the site plan and requested warrants as presented, Council member Bowers seconded, and the motion carried unanimously, 6 to 0. The council’s vote approved the deviations as part of the site‑plan action; final building permits and any required landscaping or construction conditions will be addressed during permitting.
