Public hearing spotlights drainage and traffic questions for 1,500-acre 'Terra Nova At Terrell' rezoning

TERRELL, Texas — The Terrell Planning & Zoning Commission held a public hearing Aug. 28 on a rezoning and planned development application that would allow a mixed-use neighborhood called Terra Nova At Terrell on roughly 1,500 acres west of town.

Staff presented PD25-3118 as a long-term, phased project expected to take 15–20 years and include about 3,600 single-family homes, 1,200 multifamily units and a 50-acre Village Square with shops, parks and a network of trails. A staff presenter said the city sent 141 notices to abutting landowners; the packet included multiple responses and neighborhood petitions. Staff said it recommends approval of the zoning application but emphasized zoning would be contingent on a development agreement and annexation petition.

The developer, Hugo Morales of Main Square Development, told commissioners his team “concur with staff's presentation” and described phase 1 as the area abutting Griffith Road that will include a new connector to State Highway 205. “Phase 1 is along Griffith,” Morales said, adding the developer will build the new road extension and the shown phasing plan includes loop roads toward the nearby high school.

Residents who live near the proposed first phase pressed elected officials on drainage and flooding risks. Holly Myers, who said she lives at 1670 Griffith Avenue and keeps animals on her property, said about 31 new houses would abut her fence line and warned that existing creek flooding would worsen once more impervious surface is added. “When you start putting concrete down... I already have my creek flood on a regular basis and it's not gonna do anything but get worse,” Myers said.

Resident Matthew Farr, who said he lives at 1620 Griffith Avenue and is surrounded on three sides by the proposed first-phase area, expressed similar concerns about standing water on parts of the site. Farr presented a resident calculation about total impervious area if the 1,500 acres were fully developed: “If you got up all the concrete, we're we're roughly 43,000,000 square feet of concrete,” Farr said; the figure was presented as his own calculation during public comment.

Staff described outreach and technical review: the packet includes petitions from nearby Lehi Haven Estates and others, the buffer map shows a 200-foot notification zone that required notices, and staff said the application underwent about 16 revisions during a year of review. Staff told the commission it planned to present the application to city council for further action; staff referenced Sept. 16 as a presentation date in one exchange and later cited potential November council dates (Nov. 16 or Nov. 30) for formal action.

Commission business earlier in the meeting included routine approval of minutes for the July 24 meeting. No final zoning vote for PD25-3118 was recorded during the hearing; staff asked the commission to recommend the PD to city council pending execution of a development agreement and annexation.

What happens next: Staff will forward the application and packet to city council for a future hearing and formal action; residents may continue to submit written comments and the council will consider the development agreement and annexation before any zoning becomes effective.