Council continues public hearing on 0.6158-acre rezoning at South Cowen and Hickory after safety, parking and documentation concerns

The Lewisville City Council voted unanimously to continue a public hearing on a proposed rezoning of roughly 0.6158 acres at the southwest corner of South Cowen Avenue and Hickory Street after several council members raised safety, access and packet documentation concerns.

The ordinance under consideration would rezone Lots 5 and 6 and a portion of Lots 11 and 12 in Block 30 (Dix subdivision) from Old Town Mixed Use 2 to Planned Development Old Town Mixed Use 2, at the request of Stephen Homire of Homire Engineering Incorporated on behalf of the applicant. Planning & Zoning had recommended approval by a 4–1 vote on Dec. 2, 2025, according to staff.

Council concerns and missing materials Several council members pressed staff on apparent discrepancies in the packet: staff acknowledged two letters of opposition referenced in the memo were not included in the backup and said they would pull them into the public file. A councilmember pointed out the site illustration showed a proposed building height a little over 46 feet while the PD text sets a 45-foot limit; staff said the text controls and would correct the exhibit if needed.

More substantive objections focused on three interior lots described in the plan (referred to in discussion as lots 4, 5 and 6). One council member gave an extended critique citing the Unified Development Code (UDC) definition of a rear 'muse' (requiring a 24-foot pavement and 30-foot right-of-way) and said the interior lots lack true access and fail to meet engineering standards for turning radii and utility maintenance. The councilmember warned the narrow lot widths and tight interior drives would encourage on-street parking and create emergency-access problems, saying the configuration risked repeating earlier troublesome infill projects.

Motion to continue With the developer unable to attend due to illness, Councilmember Roderick Mayberry moved to continue the public hearing so the applicant could appear and answer questions; the motion passed unanimously. Council asked staff to return with the missing opposition letters and to clarify any discrepancies between the PD text and the exhibit prior to the Jan. 26 meeting.

Quotes from the meeting "I would like to propose that we continue," Councilmember Roderick Mayberry said as he moved to continue the hearing. A councilmember who objected to the interior lots said, in part, "I feel like we're gonna create an absolute nightmare when it comes to parking there." Staff replied that the height discrepancy was likely an illustration error and that "the PD text supersedes the illustrations," and that staff would correct the exhibit.

What happens next The public hearing is continued to the council meeting on January 26. Staff will provide the two letters of opposition for the record, clarify the height/illustration discrepancy, and the developer is expected to attend to respond to council's technical and design questions.