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Lewisville council approves conditional rezoning for Shallowford Road parcel after hours of public comment
Summary
After more than two hours of public testimony, the Town of Lewisville approved a conditional rezoning of 6732 Shallowford Road to allow a small downtown commercial development, adding conditions intended to reduce traffic impacts on nearby Heritage Drive; the vote passed 6–1.
The Lewisville Town Council voted to rezone about 2.33 acres at 6732 Shallowford Road from RS‑20 single‑family residential to the Lewisville Downtown 1 Conditional District (LD1C) after an extended public hearing and debate that drew more than a dozen neighbors who urged denial on safety and planning‑policy grounds.
Planner Lynn Fulton told the council that the parcel sits in the downtown core and that the proposed site plan shows a three‑unit retail/office structure designed to meet downtown overlay standards. The Planning Board reviewed the proposal and voted unanimously to recommend approval while asking council to consider traffic calming and signage measures to reduce impacts on Heritage Drive.
Opponents from nearby Heritage Drive said the project would increase dangerous vehicle and delivery traffic near a small residential street and a traffic circle with several school pedestrian crossings. “I just kinda wanna start by saying that, I’d like to talk about just asking everyone to deny the request to rezone this from residential to commercial,” said Josh Kressel, a Heritage Drive resident who spoke for neighbors.
Applicants and their engineer said the design had been coordinated with NCDOT and that the project intends small‑scale uses — a UPS store at one corner and traditional downtown tenants — and estimated only modest delivery activity. “The whole purpose of what we are doing this was we were trying to stay here,” said applicant John Hope, describing the effort as a way for long‑running local businesses to remain in town.
Council members focused discussion on safety, the site’s proximity to the roundabout, and the town’s legal exposure if it rejected or delayed a Planning Board‑recommended rezoning. The town attorney and manager warned that denying an application that meets the ordinance could risk costly litigation.
To address resident concerns, council attached three primary conditions to approval: dedication of an access easement to the adjacent parcel (to preserve a future connection), reorientation of the Heritage Drive entrance so it discourages left turns, and installation of signage and other traffic‑mitigation measures to be coordinated with the town’s public works staff and NCDOT. The motion passed 6–1.
The council also asked staff to work with the school system about relocating a nearby bus stop away from the traffic circle. The site plan, as conditioned, will be enforced through the LD1C conditional rezoning process; any future additional development on the parcel would require further review and permits.
The council’s action follows months of review at staff and Planning Board levels and closes a long public process; opponents said they will continue to monitor the project and its implementation.
